My neighbor screws up

[Mark42]

My neighbor bought his 17 yr old son a late model Acura for $18,000 cash. Insured the car without collision. Last night the son is driving in the snow (for first time) on a country road, loses control on bend, slides into on coming lane and gets t-boned by a pickup truck. Boy is not hurt (I know from experience that he will be one hurting kid today) but car is totalled. <br /><br />Neighbor asks me how much he can get for car.<br /><br />What was he thinking when he gives an $18000 car to a kid without collision coverage? <br /><br />Makes you wonder.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Sounds like a case of misguided trust....17?????<br />Why $18000.00?? My daughter crunched a $600.00 Celebrity 4 hours after she passed her road test! The tester had to be Stevie Wonder! No snow or ice...wet leaves?? Now that I didn't add collision on.

 

[cmyers_uk]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Either he's very rich or very stupid. I take it he would have been covered for the damage to the pickup truck just his own car thats not covered is that correct? Still at least his kids not hurt as they say you can always replace a car

 

[Homerr]

Re: My neighbor screws up

$18k? He was nuts. <br /><br />Glad the kid wasn't hurt, but maybe he'll think twice before shelling out that kind of money.<br /><br />When my kids get to driving age (next year or 2) I'm getting them a cheap 'ol Ford Ranger. Easy to maintain and cheap insurance.<br /><br /><br />H.

 

[KaGee]

Re: My neighbor screws up

<br /><br />I'm glad the kid is not hurt, but what a schmuck!<br /><br />I didn't even spend that kinda cash on MY car, let alone for one of my kids. Sometimes people get what they deserve.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Well explain to him that car is priceless! It is time to start his son on his new career in autobody. Then the kid will appreciate the value of his car and how lucky he is.<br /><br />Bob

 

[aspeck]

Re: My neighbor screws up

My vehicle has collision insurance, wife's does not. Mine is newer and much higher value. When kids were at home, they drove mine (when allowed). Didn't want to sell out $ for their stupidity.<br /><br />Can't believe someone would get a vehicle of that value and give it to a kid without collision insurance. They were only asking for it!<br /><br />Glad junior is alright, and hope they BOTH learned a lesson.

 

[Mark42]

Re: My neighbor screws up

I do like my neighbor (we go dirt bike riding together, cookout at each others house, kids play together, etc), but I think there is somthing wrong somewhere. Two years ago he buys 18 acres of hay field across the street from me and puts in a nice house directly across from me. So he blocked my nice sunrise view, but they seem to be nice people. He works as a broker at local bank. Makes good money. In two years he has owned 11 cars. Some very expensive like Jaguar and BMW. Then out of the blue he decided to move to Florida after visiting Disney World this past summer. Last month flies to Florida and buy newer home in development on 5 acres. Comes home here and puts house up for sale. No buyers yet. Last night he stops at my house and gives me keys to his house and askes if I would check it out once a week. No problem. Moving van coming this morning and they are leaving tonight for Florida, driving their two cars.<br /><br />I see a pattern of quick decisions without a lot of planning. He appears stressed out these last few weeks. His son lives with his ex-wife but will be going away to college this fall. <br /><br />Rather than have a garage sale to get rid of old furniture and toys, he gets a huge dumpster delivered ($450 plus weight) and I help him load furniture, TV's, etc into it. He gives me lots of lawn and garden tools, shop vac, gas weed wacker, sleds, extension cords, lawn mower etc because he says its cheaper to get rid of it and buy new rather than move it. Most of the stuff is less than 2 years old, and not used much because he got a lawn service after the first summer.<br /><br />Nice folks, but bad planning. I bet they won't stay in Florida long. If you hear they're leaving, go check out his dumpster....

 

[neumanns]

Re: My neighbor screws up

I wonder what it would cost to have that rolloff delivered to Minnesota?

 

[BRG25]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> He gives me lots of lawn and garden tools, shop vac, gas weed wacker, sleds, extension cords, lawn mower etc because he says its cheaper to get rid of it and buy new rather than move it.

What????

 

[KaGee]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Mark, could it be something more serious than bad planning??<br /><br />Like, has the guy had a meltdown? These actions seem so irrational.

 

[Mark42]

Re: My neighbor screws up

I know that most of the furniture he tossed was good. Could have been donated. The TV's worked, one was at least a 27" job we carried down from the master. Maybe not the best, but they worked and were being used.<br /><br />I told him to have a garage sale a month ago but he said he doesn't like people coming to his house. I think that's his wife talking.<br /><br />I would have taken more of the stuff but I have no where to put it, expecially as I'm in the middle of finishing the basement. Things are tight as it is.<br /><br />And I was getting embarrassed that everytime I went over to help him move something, I had to go get my wifes truck to bring home the stuff he gave me. I turned down lots of things, and there are still things there I have to pick up before the house sells! <br /><br />Funny thing is they are very nice people. Good practicing Catholics, home school their younger boys (I don't know why, the local school system is very good) and never made trouble. <br /><br />Sorry to see them go. Hope nice people buy the place. Probably someone with horses because of the acreage. With horses come flies. Yech.

 

[Bondo]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Something about a Fool,+ His Money comes to mind...............................<br /><br />Mark,<br />You should have been the 1 having a Yard Sale.......................................

 

[Mark42]

Re: My neighbor screws up

KaGee,<br /><br />I don't know. He did tell me that the branch manager first told him he could take his accounts with him to the Florida branch. Then last week he was told he could only take the top 10 accounts. He had 1,500 accounts. So now he owns two houses, two mortgages, two car loans and has virtually no income. Because he is commission broker, he has to start all over again getting accounts in the Orlando area.<br /><br />If he didn't have a melt down, he may still yet.<br /><br />All he talked about is now nice and warm it is in Florida now. He never lived in Florida. He has no clue what summer in Orlando is like. Sure, he visited Disney, but that is not living there. I lived in Melbourne for 4 months years ago. It took some getting used to.

 

[Mark42]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Bondo,<br /><br />Keep an eye on ebay this spring for weed wackers, lawn mowers, etc.

 

[tfjrc2]

Re: My neighbor screws up

My oldest is 14. The first car he gets will be something along the lines of two tons of Detroit steel!<br />Had to teach wife to drive and got her an '84 Merc Marq as a "wreckme" car.<br />She did & walked away! No substitute for mass! My first was a '72 Toronado which I wrecked, then a '64 Lincoln, then a '76 Bonneville.<br />I'm so glad they were BIG, and that I learned!<br />No wrecks or tix in 20+ years!

 

[Mark42]

Re: My neighbor screws up

I keep telling my son that his first car will a mid 80's Caprice wagon. If he wants something else, he better start saving for it. Otherwise any car that wins at Demolition Derby is a suitable candidate for a teenager to drive.

 

[JGREGORY]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Another sad case of too much money and not enough brains. (ie. common sense)

 

[lakelover]

Re: My neighbor screws up

Originally posted by Mark42:<br />but they seem to be nice people. He works as a broker at local bank. Makes good money. In two years he has owned 11 cars.

A number of years ago we had a neighbor across the street who we didn't know too well, but seemed nice enough...Always a smile and a wave. UPS truck was delivering packages every day, had a constant stream of new cars etc. etc. My wife and I were always wondering to each other what the deal was, thought maybe he was independently wealthy. <br /><br />One day all of a sudden, we hear that they've moved to Florida. A couple weeks later he's all over the local news, arrested for bilking his former employer, a neighboring county government, for $500,000! <br /><br />With some people, stuff just doesn't add up!