Gen X parents have lost their minds

Mcrider55

Banhammer
Banned !
Minuteman
Mar 13, 2024
198
371
Great State of Arkansas
I own a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport. It's been dyno'd at 515HP at the rear wheels after some mods and a tune.

These are NOT kids cars, the power is utterly amazing. I've had it up to 175 on an airport runway, with throttle still left.

Arizona girl, 18, is arrested 'after killing married park ranger dad riding his Harley while she drove brand new Chevrolet Corvette that costs up to $140,000 at 155mph'

 
Yeah I went to highschool with a kid who's first car was a brand new Shelby Mustang. He drove it to school a couple times and his parents weren't too happy with all of the swirlies in the paint due to other kids touching the car so they parked the Shelby in the garage and bought him a brand new H2 Hummer to daily drive. He drove the Shelby around on the weekends but that was about it. I didn't grow up in a rich area, and kids getting brand new muscle cars for their first definitely wasn't the norm. He ended up totaling the H2 by falling asleep while driving. As far as I know, he was actually a really responsible kid and the falling asleep thing was a genuine accident, and not a drinking and driving thing.
 
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When I was 18, I had a 68 Mustang that my grandparents beat the crap out of. As in, after an accident, my step-grandfather, a radio comm tech, basically proved over time that he was not an expert mechanic or body repair guy. When they sold it to me for 1 dollar, I spent a grand (in 1982) getting the front end suspension rebuilt so that I could drive it. But that 289 V8 small block was sweet and the C6 automatic transmission with the slapstick on the hump was indestructible.
 
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It isn't simply only Gen X parents. It's parents (of any generation) that buy their kids a new car or whatever (iPhone, shoes etc) without making them work for it. Just so they can brag to their friends that my parents bought me this. Entitlement mentality at it's finest. I worked for everything I ever had. Growing up on a dairy farm has pros and cons.
 
Gen X?

This has been going on forever, it isn't just one generation in particular.

Agreed. It's not so much a function of "generation" (boomer in my case) but of "family income." I saw this when going to my two different highs schools.

At the public school, a kid owning a car was an absolute rarity. I don't recall it happening at all. At the private HS from which I graduated, I saw some kids that had their own cars including Camaros, Benz's, Corvettes, you name it.

"It's all about the Benjamins." Same thing with Drugs. While it appeared on the surface that there was a larger Drug problem at the public school (certainly there is now), The main problem was that half of the students couldn't afford a sizeable drug habit. So. there would be more criminal activity in order to acquire the drugs. At the Private HS, the kids all had the $$ to afford it! So it was done on the QT. And it was never so open at the school because they knew they'd get booted on their a$$ if they were discovered with them. It happened to someone in my class that, like me, h had transferred from the public to the private school, but 1 year before me. But he was kicked out over a few joints. Crazy for him to have brought them to school like that but.... That school did not play when it came to drugs and to "Attendance" 4 class cuts and you were kicked out.
 
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I took my first truck out and figured out it had neither a limiter or aerodynamics.

At about 125-130 the front end got enough lift it stopped steering...


Kids are dumb. Nothing is going to change that. But I was 35 before I bought a vehicle and didn't immediately check to see where the speed limiter hit...
 
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Sad to find this out, just horrible!

My daughter at 18, was then, and is now at 39, way more responsible than I'll ever be. It's her nature which I frequently tease her about. Nice person, straight A's in high school, and a high achieving type. So depends on the person.
Ha, I paid for half her $400 Accord when she was 17, pretty thrashed car but it ran for a year and she sold it for $400.

I was the dumbass when I was 18, man it's a miracle I didn't hurt myself or anyone else! Fortuitously I have a decent amount of common sense(some of that was learning the hard way) and have been reasonably fearful of bad consequences, mostly the latter.

Man, I better go the speed limit this weekend down in Phoenix because they'll be looking for excuses to give people tickets that are driving Corvettes!

I know in my 05 that 100 mph feels like 80 mph. I could be wrong but she might have not realized she was going as fast as she was?? Reaction time and good brakes can't scrub speed enough to slow down at those speeds.

I wonder if the guy that got hit didn't see her coming up and changed lanes?
 
I bought my Sister a nice used Civic sedan when she was finishing up high school and also bought my nephew a nice used Civic when he was finishing up high school.

If I was rich, I'd probably buy my kid something really safe with all the latest safety gadgets and that has all the accident avoidance stuff and is speed limited and such, probably something like a Volvo or similar. Some of the latest driver safety stuff does a really good job of helping you to avoid accidents. The top of the line stuff can even pull off the road if you fall asleep.
 
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There was a 17 year old at my high school that drove a Viper to class every day, I graduated 1997 to give you a timeline. One of the cheerleaders drove a 1996 Mazda RX7, which was brand new at the time. More than a few that were driving either new Camaro Z28's, or 5.0 Mustang GT's....both of which are dogshit slow compared to today, lol.

I bought a 1997 Mustang Cobra after I finished basic training. 305hp, I thought I was the fastest fucker on the road. I was the last child to become an adult, and clearly dad's last hope of having a kid that didn't become a piece of shit. I didn't become a piece of shit, but I did become the only member of the family that is NOT a fucking retarded liberal, and I'm the only one that's got shit happening in his life that is good. My brothers and sisters are all shitbags and losers. Half of 'em are step siblings, but whatever.

You ever notice when these articles come out, there aren't people screaming all over that nobody needs a car that has that much power, or can go 155mph. Nobody needs this, nobody needs that, blah blah blah. The second someone gets shot by another irresponsible asshole, there they are "nobody needs a gun".

Just sayin'.

Branden
 
Girl in my dorm in college had a 240Z. She sought validation from men so she let me drive it. I was 19, I’m not going to say I was safe 100% of the time.

But I didn’t kill anyone.



P
 
And to think we had issues with the rich girl in high school who's folks bought her a new bright red Probe. She was always known as "Probe Bitch" around school. Looking back, that was unfair, jealousy is unbecoming but easy to fall victim of as stupid kids.

I was a Corporal and SSBC grad before I got my first vehicle, took me three years active duty and two deployments to save up for it. I got to keep $20 of my weekly high school paychecks to buy dinner fine nights a week at work with, and the rest went to help the family's budget. We weren't poor, we had all that we needed, but every dollar was needed for our modest living. We've all done much better since, something I attribute to knowing how hard those years were and never wanting to go back to them again.
 
And to think we had issues with the rich girl in high school who's folks bought her a new bright red Probe. She was always known as "Probe Bitch" around school. Looking back, that was unfair, jealousy is unbecoming but easy to fall victim of as stupid kids.

I was a Corporal and SSBC grad before I got my first vehicle, took me three years active duty and two deployments to save up for it. I got to keep $20 of my weekly high school paychecks to buy dinner fine nights a week at work with, and the rest went to help the family's budget. We weren't poor, we had all that we needed, but every dollar was needed for our modest living. We've all done much better since, something I attribute to knowing how hard those years were and never wanting to go back to them again.
Amen.
 
I’ve always thought all kids between 16-18 years of age should only be able to drive motor cycles or mopeds. The smart ones would wait until 18 to drive and the rest would get culled doing dumb stuff that would likely only get themselves killed.
 
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And to think we had issues with the rich girl in high school who's folks bought her a new bright red Probe. She was always known as "Probe Bitch" around school. Looking back, that was unfair, jealousy is unbecoming but easy to fall victim of as stupid kids.

I was a Corporal and SSBC grad before I got my first vehicle, took me three years active duty and two deployments to save up for it. I got to keep $20 of my weekly high school paychecks to buy dinner fine nights a week at work with, and the rest went to help the family's budget. We weren't poor, we had all that we needed, but every dollar was needed for our modest living. We've all done much better since, something I attribute to knowing how hard those years were and never wanting to go back to them again.

Oh the Probe jokes though… worth it!
 
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Gen-X checking in. My wife and I made a deal with our kids: they take care of school and we'd take care of everything else. Bought my son an '88 Mustang GT for his 16th b-day. Really, only bought it because I got a great price on it. Our daughter got a new Malibu. We paid for their college, too.

Not all kids are fuckups. They held up their end. And they both drive like little old ladies! Son was afraid of that Mustang.

Son's.
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Daughter's.
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Most of the juniors and seniors in my high school had some sort of vehicle. I had a single cab pickup with 100k on the odometer. My dad paid half of the $3k price. I paid for gas and insurance. A buddy of mine had an old Datsun pickup. Another had an even older VW beetle. These were the norm. There may have been one or 2 older Camaros or base model mustangs, but the student lot was a pretty modest affair. I remember a really pretty cheerleader talking about how she had a rubber band that she used to keep her manual transmission S10 from popping out of gear.

Fast forward to today and the student lot of our local high school has multiple G-wagons, hummers, Benzes, etc. Yeah, there’s some clapped out cars too, but it’s decidedly more upper crust than where I went to school.
 
You’re absolutely right about us gen x parents, I spoiled my kid with the fancy tricycle, you know, the ones with the air up tires, mainly cause we’re in the fucking blow sand, but spoiled nonetheless.
 
My boys started driving tractor in the hayfield at 8.
Started on rake tractor, then mower tractor then baler.

Told them I would buy their first pickup at age 14 as wages.

'77 F150, '79 F150, '79 F250.
Long ways from new but dependable

Also gave them a $100 bonus at the end of each year

Only once did a kid come home with some Camaro he wanted to buy from a friend.

Not just no but hell no.
You need something that will pull a horse trailer.

All three boys still drive pickups today and nicer than mine too.🥺

Oh and some advice for those of you still raising kids.
Once they get their own pickup and discover the can work for a neighbor for "real money" you've lost them forever 😄
 
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I own a 2011 Corvette Grand Sport. It's been dyno'd at 515HP at the rear wheels after some mods and a tune.

These are NOT kids cars, the power is utterly amazing. I've had it up to 175 on an airport runway, with throttle still left.

Arizona girl, 18, is arrested 'after killing married park ranger dad riding his Harley while she drove brand new Chevrolet Corvette that costs up to $140,000 at 155mph'
There’s nothing “amazing“ about 515hp.
 
There’s nothing “amazing“ about 515hp.
It is when you think with todays traction control, the ability to put 500+ ponies TO THE GROUND on a street car and not have it light up the tires when you stomp on it it's damned impressive.

Of course, I come from the days of 60's muscle cars. We would have KILLED to have that ability back then.
 
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It is when you think with todays traction control, the ability to put 500+ ponies TO THE GROUND on a street car and not have it light up the tires when you stomp on it it's damned impressive.

Of course, I come from the days of 60's muscle cars. We would have KILLED to have that ability back then.
Just because you weren’t capable didn’t mean it couldn’t be done. Magically lots of folks figured it out even then.

This all read’s exactly like every GS owner. The midlife crisis corvette jokes definitely ring true. It’s the car version of fudds usually.

“That Glock is dangerous normal folks can’t handle not having a thumb and back strap safety!”
 
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Computer aided, but it’s not sorcery to drive without them either people have managed for years. I used to drive an 800+hp to the wheels street car from time to time with no fancy controllers and it drove like any car if you as the driver didn’t act stupid.

Do you consider yourself an average driver?
 
Do you consider yourself an average driver?
unless having common sense makes me a professional I'm your everyday nothing special human.

It’s no different than firearms you act stupid people can get hurt you use some common sense more than likely nothing’s gonna happen
 
All of our friends when their kids were / are turning 16 would ask us what car were going to buy for our kid. They were all talking about what their kids wanted and that they were buying new cars for them. One mom was so upset with herself for giving her kid a 2 year old Audi Q5 because she still had 1 year left on the lease, and that he was going to have to drive a soccer mom car for a year until he could get a brand new Bronco.

My wife and I looked at each other and then said back to them... what? We're not buying a new car for them. IF they even get a car, then it's going to be one of our cars handed down when we're ready for something new.