Not sure what some of these parents are thinking. I know of someone who gave their son an Aston Martin for his college graduation. I find this wrong on so many levels.
How in the hell would any father give their 18 yr old son a Ferrari F430? I don't care if you are worth 100 billion dollars, it's more principle than anything else. Forget about the part where he almost killed himself, how about what does that kid have to look forward to in life? If you get a car like that at 18, you will never learn to appreciate ANYTHING in life. Those are the types of people that end up ODing on drugs and such.
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This story is local to where I live, and it's been getting some media attention.
I still want to know he was out at 4am on a week night?
That area is full of people with more money than brains. M3s, M5s, Corvettes, GT500s, Camaro SS, etc. are all common place in the High School parking lots. 15 years ago it was lifted Broncos, F-150s, Silverados, etc. Now it's sports cars.
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That's going way to far. The kid is an adult and the car is street legal. It was foolish but either of those facts alone would make this no negligent in the legal sense.
Mike
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I was driving go karts at around 12 and high powered race cars starting at 16. The statements I see on here, to me, are ridiculous! Do I think every "kid" should get an F430? NO! And obviously this kid wasn't ready for it, but people making blanket statements about what is right and wrong about another persons PERSONAL choices makes very little sense to me. Of course the OP knew where this thread was likely to go, but posted it anyway. Maybe we should just not worry so much about what other people do with their money and the personal decisions THEY make, and mind our own business a little more. (not directed at anyone in particular, just making a blanket philisophical observation)
Foolish of the dad to give his son something like that, but it could have easily have been a WRX, a hot-rodded 90's Mustang, or a big block pick-up truck.
I'd bet we all did stupid stuff as kids. I had a friend in high-school (probably about 18) killed in his Trans-Am doing way over the speed limit and wrapped it around a tree. This one is get media attention because it was some rich kid wrecking an expensive car.
Yep, the first question I'd be asking is what is an 18 year old doing out at 4am?
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Just three days after Mr. Bo was fired as party chief of Chongqing in March, the 23-year-old son of President Hu’s closest confidant crashed a black Ferrari at 4 a.m. on a snow-slickened Beijing ring road.
It's quite the norm around the Vancouver area. Expensive fast cars being driven by kids.. Ton's of Hong Kong money being spent on cars.
On the upside, after they are convicted of foolishly racing around in them, the cars are sometimes confiscated, sold, and the money goes into the public coffers..
One incident-http://jalopnik.com/5698145/mounties-sell-speeders-exotic-cars
Another more recent incident-
"Police in Vancouver say they hauled away 13 sports cars worth $2 million after a dangerous street race that witnesses say reached speeds of 125 mph (200 kph).
Facing off on a busy highway on Wednesday afternoon, the 13 drivers were easily picked up by police. That’s because they were driving cars many of us could never afford. “The majority of them had personalized plates as well and were souped-up, so they’re fairly distinguished,” Inspector Bryon Massie of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the CBC.
All told, the haul-away consisted of a Ferrari, three Lamborghinis, three Nissans, two Maseratis, two Mercedes, an Audi and an Aston Martin, together totaling more than $2 million."
I was driving go karts at around 12 and high powered race cars starting at 16. The statements I see on here, to me, are ridiculous! Do I think every "kid" should get an F430? NO! And obviously this kid wasn't ready for it, but people making blanket statements about what is right and wrong about another persons PERSONAL choices makes very little sense to me. Of course the OP knew where this thread was likely to go, but posted it anyway. Maybe we should just not worry so much about what other people do with their money and the personal decisions THEY make, and mind our own business a little more. (not directed at anyone in particular, just making a blanket philisophical observation)
I disagree. I do not believe the statements here to be ridiculous. They are opinions of which we can and do express. It's fairly obvious that the majority who posted here think giving an F430 to an 18 year old was not the brightest idea in the basket.
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The kid could have broken his neck on a skate-board and no one would have cared. It's only fit for the shame and sensationalism of the news because he wrecked a really expensive car. OP is right...Sad. On many levels.
The kid could have broken his neck on a skate-board and no one would have cared. It's only fit for the shame and sensationalism of the news because he wrecked a really expensive car. OP is right...Sad. On many levels.
Do you really think those two scenarios are the same? Or are you just looking for an argument?
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the dad is probably trying to make up for not being a dad. A good dad doesn't have to shower their kids with expensive gifts.
I don't care how much money is lying around, I wouldn't buy my kid an exotic sports car at 18 yrs old. or ever. If the kid was a cart racer growing up etc. Move him through the ranks at SCCA or NASA and buy him a safe decent race car. Buying a "kid" a race car for the street is just dumb.
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I think rob j and trevor see that the big picture is the message you send your child by giving them something so lavish at such a young age. Lack of appreciation, or the pride of earning what you have leads to a sense of entitlement, and a lack of appreciation for things. It's terrible the kid and his friend got hurt, and I heard today are still in critical condition. It could have been a house he was given and neglected, or accidentally burned down, or a business run into the ground. You treat thing differently when you have worked hard to get them. If he bought that Ferrari on his own, there is a better chance it would be safely parked in the garage right now. I hope they both make it, and I pray for their families.
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AC Bill-thanks, you just made it so clear to me why this summer I seen so many very expensive new race/street cars at the Ridge Raceway down here in Shelton Washington-and they all had BC plates - driven by young asian gentlemen-at their age I could only afford to drive a corvair-and I was in the military to afford even that.
how about what does that kid have to look forward to in life? If you get a car like that at 18, you will never learn to appreciate ANYTHING in life. Those are the types of people that end up ODing on drugs and such.
A persons value to the world is not based on their possessions, nor is their self worth. If a Ferrari (or any other object) is what is important in their life, their values need some serious adjusting.
A Ferrari is just a toy, the kid was doing what kids do. It could of (and probably would have) been something else if not the car.......and the lesson probably will not sink in until he is 25........
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the dad is probably trying to make up for not being a dad. A good dad doesn't have to shower their kids with expensive gifts.
I don't care how much money is lying around, I wouldn't buy my kid an exotic sports car at 18 yrs old. or ever. If the kid was a cart racer growing up etc. Move him through the ranks at SCCA or NASA and buy him a safe decent race car. Buying a "kid" a race car for the street is just dumb.
Let me make this clear. I drove a beater that I bought for $500 when I was in high school, but there were MANY kids in my class that had new cars. Some BMWs, some Mercedes', Mustangs, RX7s, some really nice sports cars. Was I jealous? Yeah, I was. But I also knew a couple of those kids as "friends" and they EARNED those rides because the parents used material things to motivate their kids to do well in school. You all can poo poo the capitalistic attitudes that have made this country great, but the fact of the matter is that we have NO IDEA what led to this "kid" having a Ferrari. Am I defending what he did, or what his parents did? Maybe, and maybe not. What I am saying is that many of us on here are being critical and jumping to a conclusion based on the type of vehicle it is and the persons age. THAT is what I tthink is ridiculous.
[QUOTE=crash;2728433]I was driving go karts at around 12 and high powered race cars starting at 16. The statements I see on here, to me, are ridiculous! Do I think every "kid" should get an F430? NO! And obviously this kid wasn't ready for it, but people making blanket statements about what is right and wrong about another persons PERSONAL choices makes very little sense to me. Of course the OP knew where this thread was likely to go, but posted it anyway. Maybe we should just not worry so much about what other people do with their money and the personal decisions THEY make, and mind our own business a little more. (not directed at anyone in particular, just making a blanket philisophical observation)[/QUOTE
I guess I would agree with you if Dad would have also spent the money to build a private track so that the rest of us don't have to share the roads with people like that. Too many peolpe are injured and killed by people that make dumb choices that effect the rest of us. I know in this case it was his passenger that was inured, but too many times it's other people that pay the price.
Values. According to whom?
Is a parent wrong in giving an 18 year old a Ferrari for the heck of it? I would say yes.
Is a parent wrong for giving the same kid a Ferrari after the kid kicked butt in school, held a job, made the parents proud, had an excellent driving record etc.? I would say no.
Is that kid spoiled because he now has a Ferrari and nothing else to look forward in life?
A Ferrari costs about $200k +/- $100k. There are cars in the millions he can work hard to purchase on his own.
A car is a car. A Ferrari is fast, so is a Mustang 5.0. Bath can kill if not careful.
In my world my kids will be getting used Golfs. In this kid's world he got a Ferrari.
How many kids get killed in ordinary cars by most standards on here? Plenty, unfortunately. Remember when you were 18 and invincible? I do. I remember doing dumb stuff that could/should have gotten me killed or injured bad.
This is just a sad, sad situation. The car is not to blame. No one is to blame. The kid was being a kid with a car, any car.
Unfortunately life does not give the experience until later on.
Do you really think those two scenarios are the same? Or are you just looking for an argument?
I was just making a point that a "kid" (and we're stretching the term here since this one was 18) could get hurt on pretty much any toy with wheels. So far this thread has followed most of the cliche absentee parent and out-of-control rich kid scenarios. It doesn't make dad a despicable negligent s.o.b. just because the car was fast and cost a lot, and the kid is not necessarily an ungrateful spoiled brat. We don't know the whole story, only the news' spin on it.
Last edited by geardrivensoul; 10-23-2012 at 08:27 PM..
I guess I would agree with you if Dad would have also spent the money to build a private track so that the rest of us don't have to share the roads with people like that. Too many peolpe are injured and killed by people that make dumb choices that effect the rest of us. I know in this case it was his passenger that was inured, but too many times it's other people that pay the price.
I know plenty of "kids" that owned zipper Hondas and made "dumb choices" so are you saying that ALL parents of young drivers should be required to "spend the money to build a private track so that the rest of us don't have to share the roads with people like that"? If you aren't, then I don't get what your point is.
Let me also say that I have a family and have turned in license #s to the CHP twice for vehicles that were speeding and driving recklessly, so don't get me wrong, I don't condone bad behavior.
Again, this story is only a story because we have been trained lately to think in terms of class warfare, IMHO. We have no idea what led to this individual driving this car and crashing, yet many choose to jump on the band wagon of disdain just because of our prejudiced beliefs of who should be driving a particular type of car. Although I would guess that most would be just as disrespectful to a Ferrari driver no matter what the age because they have issues with ANYONE that can afford to drive a car that is nicer than theirs.
The facts remain that we have only a tid bit of information from this story, yet many are coming up with all manner of opinions based solely upon this very limited information.
I don't know what is more interesting to me, the story of the young man wrecking the Ferrari, or the reactions to very limited information I am witnessing in this thread.
Sad. Sounds like both of them will not likely survive. If I was the dad, the son would have gone through several months of track time and autocrosses and daily lectures before being handed the keys. Knowledge and wisdom is what dad should give.
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You should have YOUR head examined.
We have a fellow racer whose son was just recently in an incident and is reportedly in a vegetative state. The father has bought another car and has entered two cars in the upcoming 25 hour race. I honestly don't know how he continues to race after having that happen to his son. Not that he did anything wrong, but if it were me, I just don't know that I could keep racing after going through losing one of my children to the sport. I would probably blame myself for not putting him/her in a safe enough car for the rest of my life. I'm sure this father who was responsible for turning over the Ferrari now wishes he had taken a different path with his son.
"I know plenty of "kids" that owned zipper Hondas"
WHAT is a zipper Honda? Care to explain this term?
I thought "zipper" was a company that made clothing attachment devices . . .
from Wikipedia: A zipper, zip, or zip fastener, is a commonly used device for binding the edges of an opening of fabric or other flexible material, as on a garment or a bag.[1] It is used in clothing (e.g., jackets and jeans), luggage and other bags, sporting goods, camping gear (e.g. tents and sleeping bags), and other items. It was invented by Gideon Sundbäck circa 1917 based on prior less effective fasteners, but many others have made improvements and different versions of the device.
When did they branch out to help the Japanese make Hondas??? or are the new Honda doors, hood and trunk opening now closed with a zipper?
Doc
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Sorry. Pretty commonly used slang out here to describe the little import cars that "zip around" going in and out of traffic and usually have "fart pipes", aero kits, tinted windows, no suspension travel, no trunk because the speakers are so big, and stickers on them that say things like "FUKU".
Point was that there are many individuals that do things to and with their vehicles that some may find offensive or not the societal norm, but this is America and they have a right to freedoms such as self expression through the type of vehicle they drive. Are we to tell everyone what type and even what color cars they can drive? Don't laugh, there actually was a government study that was funded by YOU AND ME that concluded that dark colored cars, including BLACK cars, should be outlawed in south western states such as CA so that we wouldn't run our A/C so much and therefore save gas!
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