Should I.......or shouldn't I??? HELP

I'm 23 years old and when I look back at prom everyone was care free and just wanted to DRINK and have a good time ... I don't see a need to let him drive around in your baby and not only have you worry about it but also having him worry about it in the back of his head ALL night "what if I f#ck up?" ... the best advice I can give is to get him a a nice limo ... whether he's with all his friends or just his girl it is sooo wonderful to be carefree and have a driver at your beck and call ... I'm also wondering why you haven't ever gone for a spirited drive with your son in the Ferrari and put him behind the wheel??? ... when I was 18 my dad alway's let me drive his cars ... I even went and picked up his Maybach from the dealer a couple months ago with my girlfriend? ...

 

Wow lot's of girls posing as MEN on this thread. My take is this: Warn his a$$ that if he f-cks it up it's going to cost him every single penny for however many years it takes to fix it, and then toss him the keys. He's smart enough to understand what it would mean to him if something happens.

Whether it's an F-car or not, these cars are nothing more than METAL, and this kid has driven the NSX frequently enough to know what's up with some power.

And by the way, are you guys posting negative opinions the ones I see CRYING when their F-car gets cracked up in a fender bender? It's just metal boys, and there are thousands of them to choose from if one gets into a jam.

A 512TR isn't an Enzo.

 

I would like to think that i would have a slightly different perspective on this topic, being 18 [and a half ], i have gone over this scenario dozens of times. By opinion would be that you should go for a ride with him first, with yourself riding shotgun, to show him the ropes, believe me he wont mind. Its then your call as to how capable you think he was/is. Just my 2 cents.
Mike David

 

Well put.

 

Hi Tom,
I feel for your concern. I don't know what type of a father you want to be, old-fashioned strict but loved type, easy-going buddy type, etc. When I am in your situation, I will always discuss by ask him questions, counter his reply w/ your concern if any. You know, both side will try to accomplish mutual understanding of each other's concern. Tom, you have a concern as a father & the owner of 512TR, and Adam, your son, have some concern & desire, too. Based on your discription of Adam, there is a reason why he is asking for 512TR, not NXS, Lexus, nor Limo. He must throughly thought of your situation (but you want to confirm this, too)
I want to help accomplish my son's request as long as reasonable & morally correct to our family's standard. Before make up your mind, ask him questions (let him know what you are concerned about), and you can better judge after getting his reply.
Since I don't know the whole situation, I maybe totally off on the following:
let Adam & his GF to the prom w/ 512TR, you & your wife follow him to the prom. After things settled down (taking pics, friends' gathering, etc.), you take 512TR, and leave another car for Adam to drive it back.

Yoshi

 

I hand my 12 year old son ask me a similar question.

"Dad, would you let me drive your Ferrari on my first date?"
My reply, after I chuckled, "Nope".
"How about the prom?"
"Not even the prom, now on your wedding day that is a different story. It will be my pleasure you let you drive the Ferrari on that day, but until then forget it."

Prom night is one of the most dangerous nights of the year. Right up there with New Years Eve. No freekin way. Not that he isn't a good kid, but that night is way to risky. Look at it this way. Would you let your son drive the TR in the rain, on the freeway, at night? He maybe a great student, but the risk is just to high. Same deal with Prom. The risk is way to high. Sorry sonny, but not till your wedding day.

 

May not go that far. But then, variety is the spice of life.

 

You obviously know him better than anyone........go with your gut.

DL

 

funny, i went to a private catholic military high school , anyway at the prom this guy drives his fathers 89 25 aniv. countach screamiing into the parking lot of the school, and forgot about the HUGE speed bumps we have versus the low car. on top of that, stupid jambs the brakes hard , which lowers the front of the car more and it ripped the front fenders, flares and spoilers to pieces and both tires were flat, one of the wheels was destroyed. not funny, but in a way it was because he rubbed it in everyones faces ( school coaches and staff included) that his family had $$$$$$ . not that Adam would do that in this case, but i thought if was funny since i still remebemer the sounds of a lambo getting a nose job! ( we were all outside, whole class!)

 

Tom:
When we were in the same situation a couple of years ago (in Overland Park), I let my son take his date for a ride in the Ferrari that afternoon (when it was nice out, there was good visibility, not much traffic, no peer pressure, and certainly no alcohol). For the actual prom, he took her in his Mustang.

p.s. Although he is an excellent driver, he did get a speeding ticket driving through Mission Hills in the Ferrari. To this day I think that the police were just jerking him around but he did get a ticket.

To this day he is appreciative that he got to use the Ferrari on the day of his prom. Has never complained that we didn't let him take it to the prom.

Look at the risk benefit ratio. If he takes his date for a ride in the Ferrari on the afternoon of the prom, they will both remember it forever and the downside is very limited during daylight. If he takes it to the prom, there are a lot of jerks in Johnson County that would love to trash a beautiful Ferrari. Any trouble that they would get into the night of the prom would also be quite memorable.

 

Do yourself and him a favour. Rent a limo for the night

 

my advice: rent him a nice limo.

i too resembled your boy at 18, and in retrospect wouldn't have been a good choice for such an act of largesse.

and it's not just about him - it's about the girl too. do her parents get a say in this decision?

not worth the risk. the boy will get the same juice out of driving your car with you in it on some deserted roadways. he'll get proper instruction and you'll actually TEACH him about handling the car. it's 10X more rational.

the prom is all about boys and girls - not boys and cars

doody.

 

Let him take it to the dinner and prom, follow him in his mustang. Switch cars when they have entered. That way you avoid the dangerous stuff that happens later.

 

When I went to my prom, many moons ago, I had a bit of the same issue, with much different cars. My parents said that I could take the Camry instead of my normal driver Dodge Reliant(like I said MUCH different cars than what is at issue here). The Camry was a much nicer car and I really wanted to take it. I ended up deciding to drive the Reliant. Why? I didn't want to have to deal with the stress of driving an unfamiliar car that was much nicer than I usually dealt with. It sounds to me like your son may be looking at it through rose colored glasses. All he sees is the hot car and his date sitting in it. He might not be seeing all of the potential problems that he will have to deal with. Peer pressure to do something stupid, police on the watch for Prom kids, other drives gawking, other students jealousy, people on the road wanting to race, worrying about wrecking Dad's new ride, and on and on. In my mind it is a bit of a catch-22 for him. The only way I would think he was responsible enough to drive it was if he didn't want to drive it. Either way, he doesn't get to drive it. Like others have said though, he is your son and only you can really decide.

 

I personally wouldn't let him. Sorry, to risky in these circumstances IMO.
Let him drive the car on another less risky occasion; f.e. a little trip and diner with his girlfriend + a place where the car can be parked safely... with less risk of vandalism. For sure, it could be wonderful to take this kind a car to a prom, but there are just to many things that can go wrong... and driving a Ferrari without that prom is fun too. Perhaps even more fun

Greets, Alexander

 

Absolutely not, and here is the real reason. My step son was furious with me for not letting him have free range with a Ferrari. I would never let in, for one simple reason. I do not believe that Ferrari's or any other exotic is about showing off. My interest in these cars is about passion and respect, not about showing someone else up. That is all going to a prom etc. is to a kid, and I do not believe that it is productive or setting an example to encourage that type of behavior.

 

Tom, you need to keep in mind that proms are not what they used to be. Instead of the class bad boy spiking the punch, you have kids getting blotto on a wholesale basis before the prom. It has gotten so bad that some schools are making kids take a breath test to get in. Plus, many schools are going to the lock in approach.

Here's just one story. Last year at my son's school, one gal asked invited this super rich kid as her date. He, his buddies, and all their dates show up in the family party bus (think Willie Nelson and On the Road type of bus) totally drunk out of their mind. (The party bus has a full-time driver.) They snuck vodka into the prom (Kids believe this myth that you can't smell vodka) and proceeded to get totally shat-faced drunk. At dawn, they piled in the bus and went to Austin to get down on a 3-day drunk at the family's party house on the lake.

The sad part is that this party gang talked the class nerd into joining them and guess who ended taking the fall?

From what I have been told, this is going on all over the country. The type of partying that we used to associate with college days, now happens at the high school level. Booze is also the drug of choice because it doesn't show up in drug test screens 24 hours late. But coke in the bathroom runs a hot second.

Based on this, you might want to rethink this thing.

Dr "Old Fart" Tax

 

yea i saw the xlr on bryn mawr avenue, it looks so smooth on the road its unbeliveable. i cruise down westchester pike in my 95 buick roadmaster, that things a beast. I have seen that 355 before, i think i Ocean City, if im not mistaken, is that where the pic is taken?

 

Let him have it it's just a car. Hopefully he'll get lucky.

 

Still maybe he'll get laid better I don't know let him have it. If it's a good kid why not.

 

ahem...

 

Get him a limo for the prom. As a consolation prize, let him take his girlfriend out some Saturday night in the Ferrari.

 

Best advice I have seen yet!

Dave