What would YOU do if your kid crashed your Ferrari?

I was reading the "Kid crashes dad's car" thread and saw this reply.

Thought it might provide some interesting feedback.

Not sure WHAT I would do, but would probably start making another one while I decide just in case (inspired by the remark from David_S).

 

*My* kid just smashed her car and I'm just happy she's OK. Wasn't a bad crash, but airbags went off and hood got crumpled. All kidding aside, it's just a car, accidents happen and you hope they learn something from it. I'm thinking a good lesson will be to have her pay for the increase in our insurance premium <shrug>.

As for the Ferrari, you don't let a kid drive a Ferrari by himself-it's asking for trouble.

 

If I had a Ferrari, there is zero chance that my kid would be driving it. Ferraris are deathtraps in the wrong hands.

 

I don't have kids (at least none that I know of), so it really isn't an issue for me.

 

Military school. In Russia.

 

Obviously you have never built anything with your own two hands. I get so sick and tired of reading this stuff, its just a car, or its just a "thing".

This is true. When I was 12 years old, I paid, with hard earned money mowing laws, odd jobs etc., a wooden model of a P-38 Lighting. The airplane was about 4 feet wingspan, about 3 feet long, and all made of tiny wooden strips. A older cousin was putting in a heating system, and "ran it through" with copper tubing. I have it standing up on its tail in an open closet, dont know how the heck he couldnt miss it. It wasnt finished, was just a skeleton. So I sucked it up and went to work repairing it. So he did it again! Now it was so busted up I could never fix it properly.

When you spend hours putting something meticulously together, putting care and love into it, dont tell me its just a thing. I watched a young couple stand in tears, looking at thier hand built from a kit Bi-plane, after a Tornado picked it, tore it apart, and slammed it into the ground. They maybe only had 2000 hours of "love" into it, tell them its "just a plane".

My sister has that same attitude. Everything to her is just "stuff". I got the nephew a job at a local MB dealer, and at one point he had an accident on the property. You should have heard the excuses she made up for his lack of responsibility. If my kid wrecked my Ferrari, it better not be his/her fault. Period. No excuse. I have never put so much as a scratch on anyones car I ever had in my possession and I expect the same. I certainly dont want them injured or hurt in anyway, but once we get past that, there will be hell to pay if they were responsible. That kid that smashed and burned dads Ferrari?? Id be pretty hot under the collar for a while if it was anything other than someone elses fault. There just isnt any excuse for destroying someones property through negligence.

 

Part of me totally agree's with you... but another part realizes that here you have 2 things you love, your Ferrari, and your kid.
One can be replaced, and one can't... A sure way to avoid losing either, is to NEVER mix them together!

 

+2!

 

a ferrari is different then a sentimental model, sorry, but ferraris are produced on a factory line and can be acquired with a quick and large payment. If its a historic or classic ferrari, there is a difference, but chances are you probably didnt build it...

bottom line, life continues on without yes the things, that family whos bi-plane you said you saw smashed, well thats to bad, but are they still alive? yes, so how is that bad on the grand scheme of things

 

+3

 

Having been forced to evacuate my home three times over the last few years due to hurricanes, I've placed less and less significance on the "things" I've acquired.

I remember saying to my wife each time we left, "What we left behind may not be here when we get back".

Each subsequent time we left I took less and less stuff with us.

 

It depends, if they had permission to be driving the car and it was a accident and they were not doing something stupid, then it was just that an accident so I can't see getting to upset. Now if they didn't have permission to be driving the car and /or were doing something stupid then I might be a little bit upset.

 

How about, you don't let a kid drive a Ferrari...period.
As to what i would do, I would first ask him if he could buy me a new one. If not then I would remove him from my home so that he could find a job and begin repayment. No time better to cut the umbilical cord then right then.

You guys who state that it's just a car, it can be replaced, are missing the point. If any parent gives his kid permission to drive a car like that they should be arrested for child endangerment. The more likely scenario; he took it without permission, means there is some parenting to do. It's a matter of teaching him that that car took a lot of hard work to acquire and he obviously has no appreciation for that, and now is as good a time as any to learn.

 

+1 thats the way to keep them safe

 

It's just a matter of trust. If you child demonstrates to you that they are responsible and follow some simple driving rules then there is no issue with letting them drive the family car . I taught my kid on my Jag XJS and would have no issues with her driving my 308. As people say it's just a car and the 1st thing to think of is the kid alright.

 

It all depends on the circumstances.

If they were injured or killed, the car would be of minor importance. If they were not hurt, then the focus could be shifted back to the car and the events leading up to the crash.

If they had permission to drive it unattended, even with a stern warning not to do anything stupid...well I asked for it. Boys will be boys.

If they didn't have permission, I guess I would just be thankful they were OK, but also buy a safe for all copies of the keys of the replacement vehicle.

 

It is just stuff.

I used to wonder about the meaning of life. Then I had kids. Raising kids is the meaning of life and it only takes twenty years or so then you can go back to what you were doing.

Regarding the Ferrari; the insurance company made my two teenage sons sign a document stating that it was not insured should they drive the car.

 

Chris you are spot on my dad used to say children are the teacher of man I never figured it out till I had my kids and they would do something or you would be explaining something that suddenly gave you the understanding you never had

 

If my kid crashed my Ferrari that would mean, to me, that I did not provide the proper parental guidance too them. I'm sure there are plenty of people who get to drive the parent's Ferrari's and most likely take just as good of care of it than them. I ran around with alot of rich kid's growing up but fortunately they knew right from wrong, I guess I was lucky.

 

I completely agree with those who say that you shouldn't let you kids drive a Ferrari. I'm not that far removed from getting my license, only 7 years, but I know for a fact that if I had a Ferrari that I could have driven at that age I would have gotten into major trouble!

 

I would never leave the keys or guns accessible to anyone not properly trained to use them.

 

I hope I really mistook what was intended by this. A Ferrari is just a thing no matter how much work you put into it. With more work it can be fixed/replaced... however a human being can not be replaced.

That said, if my kid wrecked my Ferrari (which I don't own), there would be hell to pay. They would be in debt to dad for longer than they wanted to be, but in the end I would just be glad they were OK. I could recover from the loss of a car rather quickly, but the loss of a friend or family member isn't so easy to get over or recover from. After all, the care is replaceable, the person is not.

 

I'd beat the **** out of my kid & disown them.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself - whether a Ferrari, model plane, or anything else for that matter.

I know a few people who have the same attitude as your (Artvonne's) sister, with the "If you can afford to buy it, design it, or build it yourself, you can afford the time and money to fix whatever I or someone else do to it." attitude - obviously missing the entire point of my view on the subject. Guess who doesn't get to get near my "mere things" alone?

The self-absolving approach appalls me; now it's just my default mode to guard against, until proven otherwise. Repeatedly.

 

HAHAHAHA.
i would probably do the same.