carson_ny

Recently, I told my son that we would buy an SC300 together if he kept his grades good.

We were going to mod it together, in which case I bought a lot of parts for the car before I Iactually had the car.


I am really tight financially as of this morning, and really can't afford the car anymore. But I have a bunch of parts at home for a car that I don't have.

He got pretty decent grades, and he is expecting it. He has been mentioning the car for a few months now, and I feel pretty bad, but I really nede the input of some CL members at this time.

Aries

Your son's gonna be really disappointed if u dont get the car. Why don't you just sell all the parts so that you can at least get the car.....and then buy the mods later on when you have more money to play with?

$C300

iTrader: (1)

honestly only you relay know what u need financially, but u can pick up a SC for pretty cheap and slowly mod it, i picked mine up for $3800 2 years ago and now i have more invested in it then what i paid for it.

Theres a old Armenian story it goes something like:
Son says to father there selling a horse, they want $500 for it.
Father says: Sorry son not now.
a few months go by and the father buys a beter horse for $1000.
Son says to father: Why didn't u buy the horse for $500.
Father replys Because i didn't have $500 at the time but i have 1000 now.

bigmalik00

If I could do it all again I would collect parts like you did and give a PM to Aliga... somehow he has some pretty good deals..

Baoser

Sounds like the same offer my dad made me...except he offered me a $20k budget...but ended up getting my SC for less than $10k...due to financial issues...I'm totally content with what I have...although sometimes I do wish I coulda gotten something newer... =P

I'm sure your son will be understanding if you told him the situation. I had to drive around a work truck for a few extra months before a good deal turned up.

Edit: Waiting is not always a bad thing...2 months after I bought my SC the M3 I wanted popped up and I had buyer's remorse for sometime... I still kinda have it =(

eliteskill

iTrader: (8)

No doubt your son has given his grades good and he deserves a car... and of course u want to buy one for him... and yes he will be disappointed if one does not come soon.. but this is where priorty kicks in... these are "TOYS"... if you are financially straped.. your priorty is to still put food on the table and keep the a roof over yourself and your family, instead of buying toys to play with ... its easy to promise your son something but if the time is not right you should tell him he will get his car but down the line when things look better for you as a "family".

I know its hard to tell him not now, but its the correct thing to do in my opinion. I know if i had a family and a son I would ask my son to wait until things get better but still made sure we will get one down the line where it wont hurt my bank account.

Gunnar

I would just sit down with him and discuss things if you think he's mature enough to handle it. I know that growing up things would get really tight sometimes and my mom would just explain it to me (without going into great detail) and I'd understand.

indo79

iTrader: (1)

Careful, my dad promised me a car if I got above a 3.7 2nd semester of college, which I did get, and got the car immediately. Had a 2.3 GPA the very next semester

Blizzy

iTrader: (-1)

I think the bigger lesson here is in not giving him the car. In the context of the situation, I believe strongly that this is the right thing to do. You can not strap yourself financially to offer your son a privledge.

However, I would still work toward getting him the car. Pinch the pennies together, and when the money becomes loose again, spend a couple grand and get him a high mileage SC400 that he can learn how to take care of.

In the meantime, I would not worry too much about the disappointment of telling him. After the initial shock wears off quickly, he will be back to normal, working hard for his grades as you work hard to try and muster up a car down payment for him.

J'sSoarer

sorry to hear that,i dont know how bad your situation is (hopefully its not to bad). but you dont want to buy the car and get your son excited and then be forced to sell it or worse yet have it repoed. but you can find sc for pretty cheap i paid 4800 for mine. hope everything works out for you.

DriftGirl

iTrader: (6)

Best advice would be to sell the parts and buy a cheaper SC to start with.

He's lucky My parents couldnt afford to buy me a car growing up, so it was never a conversation....and I got REALLY good grades. It wont make or break him, if he doesnt get the perfect car R'now.

Ive learned the value of hard work.


I currently own 5 Lexus cars...amongst others.

Dx3

iTrader: (13)

Tell you son that times are hard and you are going to sell the parts you picked up to put toward buying the car. Maybe he can get a part time job that doesn't affect his grades and can thus contribute financially toward the purchase.

All in all. If he is old enough to drive a car, he should be old enough to understand that money doesn't grow on trees, and sometimes things come up that take precedence over toys...

Jonny

morris

iTrader: (2)

Its tough, I know believe me, but you cant wreck the family financially to give him something that you cannot afford. Circumstances change and yes we as parents want to keep our promises, but kids need to understand about priorities and delayed gratification.

If you cant then you cant, sit him down explain the situation and tell him that you will do the best you can when you can

BLK13X

If you can afford to I say sell the parts and use the funds to buy the SC300 As long as he pays for the running costs it should be sweet.

CCC-TT

iTrader: (1)

well, i dont know your situation, but i'm 17. i paid for my car, paid for the 1jz, and paid for every other modification made to my car. Now i'm not saying i think you shouldnt buy him a car, but explain it to him, that you cant afford it right now(my parents could never afford it with having to pay private school tuition) and that he should try and get a part time job, and you will help him with whatever you can to get the car. Ive known that my parents wouldnt be buying my car since i started highschool, and i'm not upset, my dad has made promises to me financially that he couldnt keep, and instead of being upset with him, i feel for him because i know he feels horrible not being able to buy his son a car, i know he would absolutely love to but he just cant, and i'm not mad. Your son will understand