So my wife went to an awards ceremony for my oldest this past weekend, (I was out of town) and some moron keyed her 2003 Mazda 5 in the high school parking lot, just a random act I suppose. This really infuriates me! So we are in the process of building my son the model A coupe. Now I am afraid that if I spend the money and time getting the paint right that some idiot will do the same thing. So what would you do? Build the car right and let him drive a beater to school? Even if I did that, then I would have another car on my insurance. Paint the frame and jamb it out and drive it in primer? Even if I flat black the car, if it gets keyed I still hafta sand it all down and respray. I never had to worry about this when I was in high school, I used to think it was just aimed at kids that were loud,obnoxious and had a lot of enemies, but now that it happened to the wife's car at a school function, after hours when no kids were even supposed to be in the parking lot.....it makes me wonder. Pisses me off.....
cant spend your life in the WHAT IFs if it happens it happens. i'm more worried about getting smashed by some redneck trucker on a 9 day meth bender on my way to work.
It's not a what if...it's a when.... I guess I should clarify, I have talked with dozens of other parents and kids and they all told me that it happens on a regular basis and the school is turning a blind eye.
Press on with the build they way you intended in the first place. Can't let the creeps cramp your style otherwise we'd never leave the house.
Don't feel bad, I had some asshole key my F150 because he parked to close and couldn't get in his car. He keyed it when I was in the bank and by the time I came out, he was gone. This was done by an alleged adult.
Then you can be the only one to choose what you're going to do. It it is an inevitable "When", put it in flat black primer and leave it alone and enjoy it. On the other hand, let the boy decide. He'll be the one to fix it should this happen to him.
People are scum, thats all there is to it. There's a million different things that can happen to a pretty paint job, if it makes you happy in nice paiont then put it in nice paint. If you're gonna worry yourself to death about what can happen to it, don't. My daily was partially in primer for a year or so while I was building it. Never got hit, scratched, dinged, nothing. I put it in paint, and its gets smashed 3 times. Not that it was a Ridler contender, but you get the point.
I find it hard to believe that in 2008 there is a High School parking lot in the good ol' U.S. of A. that DOESNT have security cameras in the parking lot. Christ, I thought they were REQUIRED nowadays. ..........and depending on what "a regular basis" is, I'm thinking your school needs a new Super Intendant. Get a few concerned parents together and start asking a few pointed questions, like "If they're vandalizing cars in the parking lot and nothing is done, whats happening that we DONT know about?" Questions like these give bored parents something to do, and a place to hang the target.
You need to carry on. You can't live in fear. If it happens, it happens. Maybe just roll the car in primer until he's out of high school. If some fuck keys a classic or hot rod, he'll get what's coming to him in this life or the next. What goes around comes around. I'm not saying it doesn't suck, no no, far from it. But, as with anything in life, you have two choices ... live in love, or live in fear. I'm not trying to sell some hippy bullshit, but it's getting to be pretty obvious in my own life, if you expect the worst, then the worst happens ... if you expect the best, well...
I'm leaving my daily in primer for the same reason. I'm not too hung up on a shiney car anyhow. It came primered and everytime I think of painting it something comes up to remind me not too. I helped the across the street neighbor kid find him a parts car Camaro that was the same color as his so he wouldn't have to get one painted after he crashed his car. He never worked on anything in his life. I pushed him in the right direction and he got it done. I was so proud of him. Then I guess some asshole's girlfriend started talking to him and the guy keyed the shit out of it. Not just the fender, the whole car. Wasn't even fixed for two weeks. That's how shit works. Oh yeah, he paid for his own car by mowing lawns. I'd do like you said, jamb it and leave the rest primer cause that's gonna be a big target for assholes. Later Josh.
fUcK it . insure the bitch and paint it. years ago i drove my 29 A c-dan to a party.. Got fucked right up and drove it home knowing i had to sleep fast as i was going to a show with a friend in the morning.. Opened the garage and the left fender was keyed.. Fuck .... I sanded it fixed painted it and headed to the show ......... I never turned that one in to the insurance and i should have . Again fuck it ..........paint it and insure it Dave
Seems to me..... Your son should have been given a handbook of the "students bill of rights" I suggest you get a copy of this and have a look-see at the parts that deal with the schools responsability to provide reasonable protestion to your son and his property. Send them a registered letter, or have an attorney write one accusing them of violating this "right", and informing them that if steps are not taken to ensure that you[r] sons [as well as others] property [cars] are not protected from vandalism while located on school property, you intend to contact all of the [dozens of] others who have suffered personal [financial] loss due to the school's neglect of you[r] son's rights and file a lawsuit seeking to be reimbursed [@ ~$3000 a pop] to have these vehicles re-painted. You may also wish to include in your letter that the school may be promoting a criminal element by failing to address these [illegal] acts of vandalism, which may be contributing to the mental welfare of their students, by promoting an atmosphere of "tollerance" for illegal criminal activity. And finally, be sure to include in your letter that your employer [who happens to be the local TV station ] has expressed an interest in doing an investigative report on the schools neglect of your sons rights and their tollerance for illegal criminal activity. My mother works for the board of education here in my town, and I can assure you that the schools live in constant fears of lawsuits and negative press...... They will probably break their necks to correct the problem,,, if you express your concerns to them in the "proper language".
I have a buddy who has a new Toyota Corolla he was letting his daughter drive to the high school. Some shmuck walked over the hood then over the roof and off the trunk. He has dents now everywhere this kid stepped. The car has 25,000 miles on it. Then they keyed the hood. I'm just trying to decide if I wanna drop a thousand buck in materials at this point, ya know?
yep its a matter of "when". and depending on where you live "how soon". as for the camera thing the local high school that I went to still does not have any camera's. the keying problem isnt that big and if it does happen you usually know who did it and why. When I parked there I left my doors unlocked so they wouln't slit my top. how ever I couldnt leave it down because it would become a gabage recptical. one day they (and yep knew who they were) lit off a stick of dynamite in the p-lot. when I got out of school there were fucking rocks and blacktop all over my car(worse on others) and this was over 20 years ago. the point is shit WILL happen to it espcialy in a high school p-lot
It's easier to find ways to compensate for people with a lack of respect and self control than it is to make sure parents are taught and required by the society to raise children well. All it takes is a generation of parents to drop the ball and their mouthbreathing , disrespectful spawn then take it out on the rest of us. I was always fearful to do the wrong thing because I had a father that would see to it that there were consequences for my actions. Fathers used to run the ship. Frankly, I'm glad I'm old...I would hate to see what we have created in the next 20 years...you think things are bad now..........C9
If the school won't do the proper job of surveillance, then why couldn't you install some type of camera in the car for surveillance wherever the car goes,and hopefully have the identity of an scumbags that vandalize the car. Either that, or buy a pet dommerman to keep in the car while he's in school, lol, don't know how good that would be for the interior though and would need to have the ability to get out, but only when needed. I know what you mean about scumbags though. Never had a car keyed, but had a cutlass years ago sitting out at my grandmas that they stole the rims and tires off of and let it fall to the ground on the rotors. Put a big dent in the quarter, ripped plug wires and crap out from under the hood, and the hood cable was cut. Back in the stone ages when I was in school, had a small tear in the vinyl top on my chevelle, and by the end of the year it was completely ripped off. One of the kids dads in school owned a bodyshop, and they fixed up a granada and a nice new paint job. Someone keyed it. And right after I fixed and painted my bonneville, I was walking out of the grocery store and watch some punk kid open his door right into it, putting a good sized dent in the door. I screamed and started booking towards the car, but they were gone before I could catch up to them. I used a cheaper ss urethane, but still pee'd me off cause of all the time I spent on the beater fixing the body. When I was a kid, one of the neighbors had just painted a mustang for his daughter (he fixed up a musclecar for each of his kids) I was looking at it while the guy and my dad were talking, and scratched the new paint with the handlebars on my 10 speed. I still remember how terrible I felt, and don't thing the neighbor was very happy with me for a little while. Some sheets gonna happen sooner or later to a paint job, unless you only take from the garage into a trailer, and even then it still could.
As much shit that you say is going on at that school it doesn't sound like it would be very hard to catch some prick in the act. A little undercover work and there's going to be an ass wuppin>>>>.
I guess the slap on the wrist deal isn't working........if they ever catch them. I think there should be total restitution..........and it should be tied into their federal income tax payment..........even if it takes a life time .......The IRS has more respect than most court systems. Put a Driver paint job on it.
root, I feel yer pain. I graduated in 88, drove my fist car to school at 14 (a 71Cutlass with NICE,new paint) by the time I was in HS and 16, myself and dad decided I should sell the car for fear of the parking lots at school. I drove a beater 79 Mustang for the next 3 years (that is all Mustangs are good for right?)
And FWIW, dad and I painted that junk Fox body over Christmas break my first year of college............month later several hundred dollars of pant got keyed down one whole side and over the truck at a small house party we hosted for FREINDS.
Root, I feel ya brother ...it pisses me off also. You need a trunk monkey or a pit bull dog thats mean as hell to stay in the A while he is at school. What ever your decision is i pray it works for ya.
there is always that chance. your kid can be the most liked kid in the school but some other kid is going to be jealous of what he has and there is the chance that kid will turn to vandalism to try and make himself feel like a big man. when i was in school on eof my classmates had a realy well done Ford Ranger. this was the early 90s and his dad owned a large body shop. it had the ground effects and custom grafix paint and all. i don't remember him ever having a problem. another guy had a SUPER cherry 68 Camaro. i think i was actually his dad's but he only drove it to school on the very rare occasion. he was a super nice guy. a real "brain" but very well liked by just about everyone. i never heard of him having any problems either. but like i said, he RARELY drove it to school. it's just a chance you'll have to take... or not.
man, that sucks, no ones keyed my cars yet....uh...yet...when i went to highschool i drove my all original 65 catalina hardtop with niiiiiiiice paint, needles to say i hung out with the worst of the worst, went to the worst places my folks told me not to go, and had every enemy in school i could possibly get....yet....they respected the car. thankfully. hell, ive even been threatened to be shot more than once, but no one messed with the car. hahaha couldnt miss that boat either. i just hate hearing about this stuff because it makes me feel so bad that cars are keyed as expensive as it is to fix, and hell, the car didnt do anything!!! hell, paint the car all nice, whether its primer or nice gloss, itll have to be painted again, or you can just spray flames over the scratch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is all a crap shoot, it doesnt matter where you park anything these days, eventually someone is screw it up. Both of my kids cars have been broken into at their high school, and there is a freaking Austin Police Department substation on the school grounds. I think car vandals and car theives should treated the way horse theives were treated 150 years ago.
That does suck. I'm 66 and never had a car keyed. I get pissed at a road chip etc. I'd paint it with some enamel or something now too expensive. I couldn't let someone else govern what I was to do. Where the hell is slackerville....buy a shotgun
happened to my buddy... he built his son a sweet 80s k5 blazer, brand new paint and all. first day at school it got keyed.... it don't go with him to school anymore.
The Jalopy Journal
