Powerful cars are not for kids

[rocket366]

I was reading the Challanger HellCat thread and it got me thinking...

A good friend's sister got a 240Z and stacked it up in the late 80s her first car.

A buddy's uncle middle 30's got a 70 Turbo Carerra stacked it up first week of ownership.

When I was 15 my father had a 48 Chevy coup BBC 4sp car that I wanted soo bad! My father

sold it to a neighbor before I turned 16 at my mother's direction and I was so devastated I will never forget that.

I cherish the father/son projects I did and now I realize a powerful car is not

for a beginner driver. young drivers need to cut their teeth and get experience with a car that they can handle.

I think I wouldn't let my son have a powerful first car.

My first car was a 64 tbird 390 coupe that I beat to death and learned to

get sideways and control it the hard way.

A few years later a 69 302 Mustang 4sp car raced 15c.

A few years later a 73 Pontiac Formula BBC fuel injected 4sp car raced 11c.

Young drivers need some seat time before they have a powerful car.

BTW less than 30 days after ownership the 48 Chevy and the neighbor that bought it are only a memory.

Paul

PS don't let children have powerful cars, my mother was right.

 

[goodnigh]

Good story and I think the pendulum may swing both ways.

The older I get the more I question driving a car like mine

as hard as I do.

We plan to pull the current 2.75 and pop in the 3.50 Trac-Lok

which will further exacerbate the issue. All this behind a toploader

and quench Cleveland.

mike

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I was reading the Challanger HellCat thread and it got me thinking...

A good friend's sister got a 240Z and stacked it up in the late 80s her first car.

A buddy's uncle middle 30's got a 70 Turbo Carerra stacked it up first week of ownership.

When I was 15 my father had a 48 Chevy coup BBC 4sp car that I wanted soo bad! My father

sold it to a neighbor before I turned 16 at my mother's direction and I was so devastated I will never forget that.

I cherish the father/son projects I did and now I realize a powerful car is not

for a beginner driver. young drivers need to cut their teeth and get experience with a car that they can handle.

I think I wouldn't let my son have a powerful first car.

My first car was a 64 tbird 390 coupe that I beat to death and learned to

get sideways and control it the hard way.

A few years later a 69 302 Mustang 4sp car raced 15c.

A few years later a 73 Pontiac Formula BBC fuel injected 4sp car raced 11c.

Young drivers need some seat time before they have a powerful car.

BTW less than 30 days after ownership the 48 Chevy and the neighbor that bought it are only a memory.

Paul

PS don't let children have powerful cars, my mother was right.

What you say is so true. I drove like a maniac when I was young when you are a teenager you are bullet proof for sure.

The way I kept my son from going wild was to put him in a racing go cart when he was 8 and we both raced until he turned 16 and found out what girls could do, lol. He had some bad crashes and went to hospital once had bad bruised kidneys but was ok. He learned how to drive on dirt so he knew what to do when the car went sideways. He even yelled at his mom on icy road when she turned the wheel the wrong way. Thank goodness he never crashed anything until he went to sleep a couple years ago and crashed his Ranger PU at 30 years of age. He had a Hyundai for first car and then he bought a Camaro and could not keep it running was broke all the time. I gave him my 20th. ann Mustang that he still has sitting in garage. I think the go cart racing with the wheel to wheel racing with only an inch to spare made him aware of what can happen and how fast it happens. He saw what a crash or many crashes at 45 MPH can do and they do not wear belts in car racing. If you have ever climbed a wheel with on you know what a pounding you take flying into the air and with as many as 18 carts it gets bad sometimes.

If you have a son or daughter I would recommend that you do that and I guarantee you they will respect what a car can and will do.

He got his yard cart at 5 and we had a track at my dads he would run on before going to a racing cart. I built the engines and pitted the cart which will keep an old guy young. He built his first cart engine at 8. He now works at the BMW plan but says they are sorry vehicles and still drives a Ford.

David

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Generally, I agree. However, in my case it has never worked out that way:

My very first car I ever drove was my 429 Mach 1. I did OK.

I bought my first motorcycle in 2010. Never rode...or even ever sat on a motorcycle at that point. The greenest "newbie" there could ever be.

I bought a Yamaha Raider: a big Harley-inspired, 1900-cc fat back-tired chopper-"ish" cruiser.Bigger and more powerful than any stock Harley cruiser, it exuded a real classic muscle-car vibe to me...which is why I bought it.

When the salesman and the dealer owner discovered I had never ridden before, thier first very blunt statement was "You can't buy a bike like this as your first bike...you'll kill yourself."

EVERYBODY told me to get smaller "starter" bike...work up to the bike I wanted.

I have never been a fan of doing or getting something different than what I want or compromising if I don't have to, so...I bought the Raider.

I took my time, learned to ride at my own pace.

No issues, accidents or other problems, got 20,000 miles on it now.

I love it. I take care if it.

Same way I felt about the Mustang 45 years ago.

 

[jhawk635]

When i was 17 my grandmother "loaned" me $1,100 to buy a '70 GTX. It had the 440 with dual carbs. I was way too young for it. I raced it all the time killing Mustangs and Camaros, winning quite a bit of cash at the time. After 11 wrecks and 12 tickets it was time to let go. Maybe that's why my next "muscle" car was a '69 Camaro with a 6-cylinder...lol. That didn't last long!

JHawk

 

[Kit Sullivan]

I wouldn't really consider a 240-Z a particularly "powerful" car. Pretty underpowered, in fact. Especially compared to the power-to-weight ratio of a typical econo-box made today.

I think the "sportiness" factor of the car encourages more reckless driving in youth as opposed to the raw power on tap.

Plenty of big LTD sedans with 429s, Impalas sporting 454s and Newports with 440s were handed down to young novice drivers without incidence.

And lots of kids got "powerful" 302 71-73 Mach 1s and smacked em'up quick.

I think the personality of the both the car and the driver combined produced dangerous young drivers.

 

[hyena429]

All counts on the kid i think, i got my mach 1 as my first car right out of high school...I never crashed it, bumped it, or done anything too it in the 23ish years i owned her. Road raced a few times in my youth " and in very safe spots" But was always worried about loosing my car or worse!! I grew up driving dirt bikes as a kid, so the thrill of going fast was not needed as much..i had plenty of going fast, jumping, and hurting my self growing up. and i'm not the type of guy that lets friends bully him into making a bad choice while out driving..Sure i mite show off a little and punch it, but i always knew where and when.

My friend just had his teenage daughter pile up a honda this weekend,, " was not a hot rod either" She ok, but my buddies insurance is going to take a monster hit..lol it was all her falt too..She drove into the side of a 18 wheeler " shakes head" going like 35mph.

 

[rpmcarter]

One of my favorite topics.

Friends in high school

Jake 70 Dart Gt dead

Glenn 69 AMX 390 4spd oh my gawd it was fast so fast in fact he pulled a Vanishing Point replay with a 18 wheeler tanker truck at 100 mph impact somehow he was ONLY in the hospital for 6 months with the majority of his bones broken

Ray 70 GTO 400 4spd dead (be he was an azz so he got what was coming drove like a maniac cutting people off and tailgating someone took him up on his offer)

Mike Motorcycle dead acting stupid

Charles Vette crippled

Don 70 Formula 400 .... he was lucky

Gary 67 396 Chevelle ...only the car died ( a disturbance in the force was felt over that loss)

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting, those just come to mind immediately. I watched a neighbor give a 70 GTO Judge to his son...poor car was trash within 6 months. I would not give a classic or fast car to my kids. My oldest has a fast car now but apparently she handles high speed pretty well. At least last time I rode with her, we made to Orlando in 35ish minutes from Cocoa

 

[Thin Lizzy]

When I was 18-23 I drove like an idiot. I used to over take around blind corners and when traffic came used to dodge it. Then 2 friends of mine died in accidents. The most memorable was a pretty girl named Saiko, she died when she went round a corner to fast in the wet and hit a tree. I had to see her body at the mortuary (Japanese tradition), that was sobering. Then I got hit by a car going 40mph in Bangkok, my head straight through the windscreen and almost died, he was driving on the wrong side of the road. I drove slow for a while after that. But then in my late 20s I bought a Lotus and the speed carried on. Now in my 40s I've got nothing to prove anymore and lessons have be learnt. A 302 engine is kind of perfect for me.

 

[1972MustangSVH]

My gearhead cousins and I grew up building cars. This thread put us on a tangent. We all have had "minor" incidents, incidents that would probably leave normal people in a sorry state, but-none-the-less, minor to maniacs. Anyway, of all the dumb stuff we pulled we never really totally wracked up a car. Things we did break got fixed. However, the irony in our discussion was that nearly every "hot rod" we sold never made it a year. Back to the "inexperienced" driver thing. One that we all agree was the worst loss was a mint '73 Camaro. God I would kill to have that car back. No miles, garage kept, lady owned, smelled new, looked new, and at an ungodly price of $1750.00. We were kids. The 305 got chucked for a very built 350 and a TH400 with all the goodies. Duals, solid mounts, etc. It was one of those projects that just went well. Great car all around. Sold it to a hometown football hero rich kid who thrashed it, crashed it, and tossed it in less than 3 weeks. Daddy bought him a brand new truck because he felt bad. He should have never been in a car like that.

 

[73vertproject]

Lotsa memories from this thread. First (and only wreck in a car I was driving) car was a 67 Plymouth Fury with a 318 that taught me at the age of 17 how not to "burn out" when it's raining. Also taught me how to wrench on a car since Dad made me fix it.

Next car was a 68 Dodge Monaco with a 383 Police Intercept that weighed 10 tons but sounded great with glass packs. Threw a rod after an all-night drag contest.

Hopped up a 74 Nova that was the fastest car in Blaine County, Montana. Joined the Navy and had a kid pester me until I sold it before shipping off to Japan. Within a month he had wrapped it around a tree. I saw him still limping when I came home after deployment.

 

[Butch65]

Like most, our family has "history" with their cars. Dad was a runner back in Pittsburgh - said to have been caught by the local constable one too many times and was given the choice- jail or the Navy. Grandad drug him down to the recruiters office and said "Here ya go!" This is after his prized Bel-Aire was wrapped around a bridge pillar. He lost most of his teeth in that one....

I inherited his spirited ways but was raised out in the farmland of southern Virginia - far away from bridges! My crowd ran the backroads like we owned them, had the best straightaways for weekend drags, and in general, had a great time being kids with cars - Camaros, Chevelles, Chargers, Mustangs and Mavericks. Mine was one of the Chevelles. We rarely had a casualty, and thankfully we're all still alive. Jeff did end up in a coma for a few months after taking that new RX-7 way too fast around that bend just outta town. That was sobering.

Fast forward to my 16 year old. This Mustang is his first car. He's learned to drive on and off-road in the Tundra, and looks forward to taking the car down to the road course to see how the pony handles. He loves his car because of it's history and it's uniqueness, and that no one else in his school has this generation car. He's either rebuilt or been part of rebuilding every system on the car. Is it too much for his first car? Time will tell. He respects it right now, so that's a good start. With the myriad of distractions that drivers deal with today, I'm more concerned about the folks around him texting, calling, and in general, counting on their cars to drive themselves.

Thanks for the thread- good topic.

 

[rpmcarter]

great story Butch!!! Made me smile "I inherited" LOL. So one thing here really sets you apart is, he built or was involved! My guess is the young man may be one a few that respects his car. IMO that is the ONLY way it should be done.

Some dude here in my area wanted PROVE how much money he had and gave his kid a new BMW for school. Well his investment got him a totaled BMW, dead child and two additional dead children that didnt deserve it. Some kids are just not responsible no matter what your status in life. Trees dont move out of your way.

Its not always the power can happen with any horsepower so I dont feel any more comfortable with mine. My daughter tapped the back of another car, was honest and told me. I told her wow that's too bad. She ask why i wasnt mad. I said because when the lady comes back and it starts costing me money for her (my daughter) stupidity I would pay for it with the funds I received SELLING HER CAR!

 

[Don65Stang]

Wow. Great stories. I'm surprised I'm not dead nor are any of those that rode with me with all the stupid stuff I did showing off, especially with the motorcycles. This thread is causing me to rethink using the 351c engines in my father/sons Mach 1 projects - a detuned 302 my be a good starter engine.

... My daughter tapped the back of another car, was honest and told me. I told her wow that's too bad. She ask why i wasnt mad. I said because when the lady comes back and it starts costing me money for her (my daughter) stupidity I would pay for it with the funds I received SELLING HER CAR!

Classic Dan!

 

[cazsper]

This is a good thread. I'm a fairly new parent. My son is 3 1/2. I am planning on buying him a mustang like my '68. I am planning to make it handle and stop well (maybe even a torque arm to plant the rear end). For the motor, I'm thinking a mild 302. That way he can learn and get use to it. If he wants something bigger, by the time he can afford it, he should be a rather experienced driver.. That's the plan now anyway..

 

[rpmcarter]

cazsper.....that grin on his face says "dads gonna give me a "mild" 302...me and my future buddies will figure out the rest.

 

[tempestairbrush]

+1 on the go karts, racing and going fast in a more controlled safer environment to learn and take smaller steps on handling and control before jumping right onto the street with something that is way over your head. Dirt is one of the best ways to learn throttle and overall control of a vehicle.

What you say is so true. I drove like a maniac when I was young when you are a teenager you are bullet proof for sure.

The way I kept my son from going wild was to put him in a racing go cart when he was 8 and we both raced until he turned 16 and found out what girls could do, lol. He had some bad crashes and went to hospital once had bad bruised kidneys but was ok. He learned how to drive on dirt so he knew what to do when the car went sideways. He even yelled at his mom on icy road when she turned the wheel the wrong way. Thank goodness he never crashed anything until he went to sleep a couple years ago and crashed his Ranger PU at 30 years of age. He had a Hyundai for first car and then he bought a Camaro and could not keep it running was broke all the time. I gave him my 20th. ann Mustang that he still has sitting in garage. I think the go cart racing with the wheel to wheel racing with only an inch to spare made him aware of what can happen and how fast it happens. He saw what a crash or many crashes at 45 MPH can do and they do not wear belts in car racing. If you have ever climbed a wheel with on you know what a pounding you take flying into the air and with as many as 18 carts it gets bad sometimes.

If you have a son or daughter I would recommend that you do that and I guarantee you they will respect what a car can and will do.

He got his yard cart at 5 and we had a track at my dads he would run on before going to a racing cart. I built the engines and pitted the cart which will keep an old guy young. He built his first cart engine at 8. He now works at the BMW plan but says they are sorry vehicles and still drives a Ford.

David

 

[midlife]

Powerful cars are not for kids...Amen.

They should be reserved for us old farts that can really enjoy them!

 

[cazsper]

cazsper.....that grin on his face says "dads gonna give me a "mild" 302...me and my future buddies will figure out the rest.

I was thinking the same thing.. Lol