how can some people not care about thier car.... *rant*

Will wrote:

tuna55 wrote: $30/HOUR!!! You're insane. My Dad charges $95 at his shop, and that's for people he likes, the rest he refuses to do business with. Granted he's doing some intense stuff some of the time, but if this is someone you don't like, $30/hour is a joke.

Not sure where you live, but $50/hour is a fairly standard rate in TN. $95/hour would get you laughed out of business. Hell, Alloway's hot rod shop doesn't charge anywhere near that much. Even when I lived in CA (as recently as 05), I never paid more than $75/hour

He lives in Central New York state. I do not. History on father Tuna: He basically upped his rate until the losers and jerks that never pay their bills stopped coming in. He's a bit difficult to work with, hangs up on jerks, even towed a guys car out of the way of his shop by the axle with a chain, and can't get rid of enough customers NOT to work 6-7 days per week at incredible hours per day. He is very good at what he does, though. He used to work for Mac and before that Snap-On as a dealer and campaigns a SS car in NHRA normally, although the past few years he's been caring for his Dad instead.

I"ve seen a lot of these sweet deals for friends and family (and even made one myself) and never seen one end well. I guess the people who put themselves in binds like that tend to have a history of bad choices and not caring for what they got, and the fact that it's cheap just makes them value it less.

Never again for me. Any car I sell, I never want to see it again. And I sure as hell won't be selling it to friends or family.

barnca off topic reply.... :tranny fluid in the crankcase cleans everything out. engine sludge ect.... also very good as suspending metal shavings if there are any and getting them out of the engine before they do more damage. nothing worse than shavings from rings or cam being the reason you spin a bearing.

trapsp33d ya no sir here. thankyou. but yep sir is one way to get me to quickly stop talking to you.

I will agree with everyone else, never ever sell someone a car cheap to do them a favor because their current car is in bad shape, its like that for a reason (there is a difference between a car someone that someone has maintained the best they can having an expenisve mechanical failure that wasnt their fault and someone just ruining a car because they are dumb obviously).

tuna55 wrote: Wow. Can't win. Well, don't fix anything for her again, and certainly no more gifts.

This.

Some people just don't appreciate things.

Katy, I know exactly how that feels. My mom is that person, she's known for 15-20k mile oil changes. She had a '96 Blazer that she almost ran out of oil a couple times and finally it died when one of the fittings for the remote oil filter gave out and dumped the entire crankcase on the road while my stepdad was driving. She went through tires like it was a trend as well. I did all the work on that truck before she moved to Texas and I thank god everyday that I don't have to work on one of her vehicles anymore.

I've been there to help people get stuff replaced or repaired and sometimes the self satisfaction isn't worth it because you know that some of those people, take advantage of owning a car.

It also sucks when you've sold someone a car that you have put a lot of work into and then see it again in such disrepair that it pisses you off.

I'm to the point now where I only work on my cars and nobody elses. I will help out friends and family, only if they need help working on a car.

My two cents is that let her dig her own hole. You have been very kind for what you have done for her, but it's not worth your time and energy to keep a car up for her, thats her responsibility. Unfortunately your nephew is stuck with the way his mother is and it sucks. I hope things get better, but sometimes they get worse before they do.

KATYB wrote: actually my partner is the one who has said no more working on it.... my opinion was start charging her 30 an hour labor. but ya no. fact is she is the mother to my nephew so i dont wanna see her in a pos. which is why we sold the car so cheap to her in the first place. we thought if we gave her something nice that maybe she would take care of it. and a mint condition mazda3 with leather and navi we thought was nice guess not.

I'm just glad your partner is backing you up on this. Her sister sounds like a real piece of work. Maybe the nephew can come live with you guys after she eventually gets arrested?

I'd have no problem selling or buying a car to or from almost any of my family. Of course, almost all of my family are car guys/gals or married to one.

friedgreen: actually once we get our finances str8tened out again we are planning on trying to take custody away from my sil and take custody of him ourselves.

Lesley wrote: If you're familiar with substance abuse then you know - don't enable this woman any longer. She's an alcoholic, of course she's going to find someone else to blame for her problems.

This! As long as an addict can find an enabler to cover for them, they can live in denial. You are not doing your nephew a favor by prolonging the addiction. The sooner she hits rock bottom, the sooner she gets in rehab. Or the sooner she does something real stupid and you get custody.

KATYB wrote: friedgreen: actually once we get our finances str8tened out again we are planning on trying to take custody away from my sil and take custody of him ourselves.

Good. Sounds like his mom is a basket case. Only advice I could give is not to be immediately agressive about it..as much as it might hurt to watch, let her self destruct. Do you live in a place where the judge would give y'all any garbage about being a couple? I know the bigotry here in the South would keep a judge from acting in the best interest of the kid..

friedgreen, my marriage and everything else is really unique. but... i do not believe it will be a problem to get custody.

I've seen the 'nice car-abusive owner' from a few angles. Here at work, we sell cars that cost more than my home, yet some get treated like trashcans. They come in full scrapes and dents, food and trash inside, ruined trim and chewed up seats. Does anyone know what a pet carrier is? These people don't. Why should I complain though? I just made commission on your new leather seat cushion. Grinding brakes? bald tires? No thanks, give me the oil change special and I'll be on my way.

KATYB wrote: we sold/gave a 2004 mazda3 hatch to my sister in law back in october with 73k on it. ...

Buy/Take it back.

There. ya think I'm a bitch, walk for a while. You shouldn't be driving, drinking with kids in the car anyway.

Plus 1,000 for what Lesley said. Spot on.

trap over the past 5 years we have tried everything. because of what this kid goes through he has been kicked out of 2 diff schools (he is in kindergarten) she honestly sees her kid as a play toy and not someone she is responsiable for.

Sooner or later Child Services will become involved if they aren't already. Not if, but when the SIL loses custody of the kids they may be placed out of family. Katy is right to get the ball rolling now.

That's ridiculous.

fasted is 100% correct

KATYB wrote: she has no reason to drive this much. she is an alcholic who drive to work. comes home takes her kid out for 3 hours comes home again then goes back out till 2 or 3 in the am then driving home drunk.

Not to be too hard on you but, because of this you are not only enabling her but putting your nephew in danger with his drunken mother. Of course it is her actions, but can you live with yourself if something horrible happens to the child in this car.

I suggest you get this child out of the environment before she has the big one in the car you supplied and keep repairing.

Katy your actions have been nothing but caring for this woman and her child but beware of what can happen with a drunken, selfish, biatch who has no regard for the law or her child.

Just my .02c

I'm guessing your SIL lives with her parents, because if she is leaving a young child alone at night to go bar hopping, she should lose the kid. And if she is living with her parents and they let her go bar hopping, they are the true enablers.

Alcoholics (or addicts) only care about one thing.

she is doing the right thing.. better to take him away from an uncaring person than have him end up possibly dead. like the little boy that was murdered the other day here in NH, then his body, dumped by his mother dumped in south berwick maine. then the mother was picked up by mass state police. she confessed to killing him... maked me absolutely sickas hell that people can do this to there kids.. hell, i spanked my son once.. and felt like total ass for doin it.. the kids safety is priority #1...

Trapsp33d doesn't seem to be a Miata guy but he sure is sounding more and more like djhives every post.......................

KATYB wrote: friedgreen, my marriage and everything else is really unique. but... i do not believe it will be a problem to get custody.

Cool. I've just had friends in a similar situation here in Atlanta, and their partnership was the only reason the berkeleying judge ruled against them (the kid's dad spent more time in jail than out of it). And yeah, the kid they were trying to save eventually ended up being just as much of a basket case as her dad, because he got to retain custody. Institutional bigotry is a bitch.

On the main topic, I've got to say that SWMBO has now recieved two sweet deals on a family "gifted" car (1993 Jaguar XJ40 4ltr., and 1999 Ford Exploder), and she's grateful. Biggest problem we've had is teaching her 6yr old son that he can no longer open any door he wants and climb over the seats/etc. with his dirty shoes to get to his car seat.

And of course, she's got me to do the regular maintenence..

wbjones wrote: Trapsp33d doesn't seem to be a Miata guy but he sure is sounding more and more like djhives every post.......................

Jerks will be jerks. I hope it's not like that...

friedgreencorrado wrote: On the main topic, I've got to say that SWMBO has now recieved *two* sweet deals on a family "gifted" car (1993 Jaguar XJ40 4ltr.

I'm jealous.