jasonfen Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 This is an odd question. Would you ever not sell a car to a particular person? I showed my car to a 17 year old kid this weekend. His mother liked the car more than he did. He didn't seem to be a car person. His current car is a old LTD I believe. Here is what I am selling so that you know where I am coming from. http://hybridz.org/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=zClassifieds&file=detail&cat=54&de=552 Here are my concerns. His age. There are few 17 year olds I would trust with a powerful car. Plus this car is guaranteed to draw attention. Friends and other "racers" will test his control and skills. Second is the fact that he knows nothing of the Z's history. It could be that once he owned it, he would become a follower. However, I suspect it would be neglected. I was going over the DFI, turbo, suspension etc with them. I just saw glazed eyes. His Mother then asked me to turn on the radio for him. When they came back from a drive, they said it made a funny noise when shifting to third. I explained that was the BOV. Again, blank stares. The fact that he is not a car guy does worry me. I feel his Mother is trying to boost his confidence with this car. My main concern is the danger factor. If he does not understand and respect the cars potential, he will end up in the ER at best. Or on the other hand, completely waste what the car can offer. Would it be irresponsible to sell it to a person such as this? Or should I just let what happens happen? I really don't get the feeling they are serious, but it could come up again. Thanks for any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Personally I would refuse to sell it to them. We has a similar case up here with a Supra MkIII that was highly modded. The young kid who bought it killed himself in it about a week later. It was a real shame, because the seller was very upright and honest with the the kid about what needed to be fixed/changed before serious driving (the rear tires in this case) but the kid didn't heed his advice. Ended up hydroplaning off the road while excessively speeding and hitting a barrier. The seller wasn't a happy camper after this, and the family of the buyer wasn't too happy with him either. It's tough to say no to someone when they want your car, but in this case I think you can justify it. He will destroy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RCNSC Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Holy shit. I'm 17 and I sure wish my mom was forcing me into a turboed S30. Gorgeous car. Keep it until you're happy with the buyer. Otherwise, it could just end up wrapped around a tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phailure Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I think that you should be selective in who you sell your car to. After all your hard work, you dont want someone who really doesn't appreciate your car as much as you do to buy it and then basically neglect it. If I were you, I would be reluctant to sell the car to someone I don't trust unless I get a good price on it. I wish I could buy your car oh.... out of curiousity, did you swap the gas tank in your car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Money is money.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonfen Posted July 19, 2004 Author Share Posted July 19, 2004 Thanks for the input. As for the fuel tank. I know that the shop that set it up dropped the tank to make the necessary changes. Not sure what they did though. It has a NOS fuel pump and half inch fuel line I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunan Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Sell it to someone who wants a Z not someone who just wants a car. The mom probably does'nt know the danger she is putting her son in. Make a fellow zer happy. Just my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage42 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I know exactly where you are coming from. I had the same issue selling my '70 Datsun 510 with VG30ET in it. It was fast enough to get me into trouble many times and I've got a ton o' racing experience. (the only thing that kept the car straight and not destroyed) I sold it to a guy with some experience and a person who would respect and even improve the car. I wanted to be able to sleep at night knowing some kid wouldn't go out and kill himself in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I know your feelings. I refused to sell a car to a guy one time. It was a 69 Vette I had put a strong 427 in, probably close to 500hp. A rich daddy type who couldn't check the oil was gonna buy it for his 15 year old son who was getting his license in about a month. I spent about two hours trying to explain to the guy this was a high maintenance gearhead type car, not a put gas in and drive it deal, it got 8 mpg if you drove it conservatively, and because power steering on 69 vette's really sucked, when you hammered down on it you had better be paying real good attention. Not a car for a beginning driver. The guy got really pissed, he had my asking price cash in hand and demanded I sell him the car. I refused and he got furious, and threatened to take legal action. I told him to keep his money and call his lawyer. Never heard from him again, and sold the car to a vette nut a week later. Sometimes though, I wondered if I should have interfered with Darwin doing his job. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Well, I say keep it and let the kid buy a civic or something... The guy I bought my car from had a similar story (while he was trying to sell the car a year earlier) about a 16-17 year old who had no clue, and would probly neglect/wreck the car and/or kill himself. Said the kid's father even offered MORE money than he was asking, but nope. So the owner put a bit of $$ in, but then gave up again (no time so he said..) and tryed to sell it the next summer... but the first person who came to look at it wasnt me; It was a guy who wanted to strip it for parts and crush the rest.. again the owner refused to sell the car. So that's where I come in.. He was happy to sell it to me once he found out I knew exactly what it was, what had to be done, and that I WOULD do it. As I left, he shook my hand and gave me the key, and said "Well, I'll pass the torch.. have fun with her, and enjoy the ride!" Yup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonfen Posted July 19, 2004 Author Share Posted July 19, 2004 Well crud. The mother just called back. She said they talked about it for a while and now he really wants it. I have another person flying in on the 14th to look at it. He gave me a deposit to hold it until he gets here. I told her that and she sounded sad. I don't know how else to tell her. I explained that it was pretty quick. She just laughed and said she did not want to know that part. It is difficult to try and NOT sell your car. I know she would get upset if I outright told her no. Hopefully everything will work out on the 14th. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Take his mom for a ride and take it to WOT in a straight line...see if you she still thinks it is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Take his mom for a ride and take it to WOT in a straight line...see if you she still thinks it is a good idea. Hehehehe, then you wont have to say no! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxgts-4 Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 The Double edged sword. Is it a car, just an object with no value in the true cycle of life? Is it your status symbol with a greater percieved value than its true worth? Normally you sell it and never see it again, unfortunately its the young guys, like some of us once were, that have the money and ultimately you need to move on to whats next. If your conscence bothers you, then you are the seller and you can sell or do whatever you chose, but what the buyer does with it after they pay the money is totally outside your control. Worry about the things over which you can control the oucome and not those which are beyond your control. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 What`s your gut telling you ? All you have to do is say No! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 Money is money.... Yeah but if he gets a 'vibe' from the kid... I mean yeah money is money but I wouldn't want it on *MY* conscience if that kid goes out and gets himself killed in it or kills someone else in it. Sure that could happen if he sells it to anyone... really that is out of your control. I guess I would just trust my instinct on something like that. I'd probably be hesitant about letting my own kid buy/drive something like that... but then again my kid is going to grow up around this kind of thing and I'm going to pound the important lessons on stuff like safety into their head so that when the time comes if they do want to drive a fast car I think they'd be able to handle it. In the end that's YOUR baby, with all the time and work in it hell yeah I say be picky about who you sell it to... I wouldn't be happy selling my Z to someone who I thought wasn't going to appreciate it. my evil half kinda agrees with the "darwin doing his job" thing.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 I had a 79 ZX and would have proubly killed myself and someone else if the car had been more powerful. The lack of a good power to weight ratio is the only thing that saved me. My opioin is to wait and see, try to sell the car to someone who can handle it and progress forward with the project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 I say dont sell it to the kid not for safety reasons, but simply because you may always have to hear things after the sale. Being that the car is modified to a level that most normal service shops will refuse to work on, he or the mother is going to call everytime something happens to the car, and that sucks, aks me about that one. Being that the possible buyer is under 18 probably means the mother would be the one calling you for help, and that just sucks. True, there is a safety issue involved as well and it can contribute to not wanting to make the sale, but there is also the factor of what also could happen after the sale selling the car to a minor who doesnt know the extent and extremity of modifications done to said vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akeizm Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 If it was a su carb engine with mild tuning like how my Z is then it would be perfect for him. I must admit when I was 16 and learning to drive I have the nack to drive anything with wheels but the Z was a nice car to learn to drive in and still is fun to drive today. It was great cause it wasnt do bloody powerful that it would get me into trouble but it had some power to keep me happy (not anymore though haha). Having a stuffed gearbox didnt help but learning to drive in the Z let you feel what exactly was going on with the car (everything is pretty much manual no automatic stuff in it). But, if your dont want to sell the car you dont have to. Its your car you can do what you like with it. I wouldn't sell it to him. Ok I'm almost the same age as him but if he doesnt seem like a car person and you dont feel that he would be to confident with the car then it could be a bad thing letting him behind the wheel of a car with some large power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigWhyteDude Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 You should give the kids mom a ride in the car. Give her a WOT run. or two. Thats what i would do in your position just to show her what the car is capable of. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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