Ever watch a friend destroy a car you love?
#1
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Ever watch a friend destroy a car you love?
I don't post in here much but I had to vent.
One of my best friends sold his GN to another friend when he decided to get married. This car was a 9 out of 10 near show quality car in at least as good of shape as my TL and 60,000 miles on it. It had 1 small ding that you had to stand just right to see. Interior looked like it had never been sat in. Car went 11.50s, I devirginized it with it's first mods. We were trying to get this thing into the 10s with the stock engine and I think it's there now but we have to get it to the track to prove it. Very well chosen mods, very daily drivable, very stock looking.
So back to my story, friend #2 buys it from friend #1. I see the car a month later and the pristine engine has been "painted" with a can of black spray paint all over everything from the valvecovers to the wiring harness.
I see it a while later, it's missing interior pieces, the ECM is laying on the passenger footwell, headliner is missing with the bare metal roof showing. Dents are appearing in the body. Spray tint has been applied to all parking lights and reverse lights complete with runs everywhere and overspray on the car's paint.
Now a full year later I have it because transmission #3 is dead so I'm fixing it with transmission #4 tomorrow. This car went it's first 60k on one transmission but it's been through 4 in 20,000 with the new owner. It now looks like a trashcan inside. Carpet is worn out. Holes in dash where unknown switches were. Wiring everwhere, it's hard to get to the brake pedal through all the dash wiring hanging in the way. Oil pressure and temp guages I installed are replaced with redundant ricer AF guages just for the looks I guess. Methanol injection seems to be non functional or the led is burned out. I drove it tonight to make sure there would be no surprises (top speed is 50mph because reverse and 3rd gear are gone) and the steering wheel faces hard left to go in a straight line and the car vibrates like a wheel is falling off. Dents everywhere. Front spoiler missing. Rear fenderwell trim is missing on both sides. Rims centercaps missing. Large exhaust leak underneath. Large oil leak at turbo return line. Did I mention the 20 or so dents??? The brake booster has been failing for a year but it's still original even though the equivalent money has been spent on go fast parts. When these fail, the brakes fail completely.
I'm actually afraid to drive this thing the 4 miles to the trans shop in the morning for fear it's going to kill me. This car was a fairly low mileage near show quality car only a year ago and now it looks like it's been sitting in a junkyard for 10 years.
Friend #1 died. I tried to buy the car to save it but friend #2 wants as much as he originally paid for it because in his words "it's in the same shape I bought it in but with more mods". I have an old video of it racing my TL if anyone wants to compare it to the new ones I'm about to take to show the difference.
I don't post in here much so sorry for the negative tone. It was either a rant in here or push the car off a cliff and put it out of it's misery.
One of my best friends sold his GN to another friend when he decided to get married. This car was a 9 out of 10 near show quality car in at least as good of shape as my TL and 60,000 miles on it. It had 1 small ding that you had to stand just right to see. Interior looked like it had never been sat in. Car went 11.50s, I devirginized it with it's first mods. We were trying to get this thing into the 10s with the stock engine and I think it's there now but we have to get it to the track to prove it. Very well chosen mods, very daily drivable, very stock looking.
So back to my story, friend #2 buys it from friend #1. I see the car a month later and the pristine engine has been "painted" with a can of black spray paint all over everything from the valvecovers to the wiring harness.
I see it a while later, it's missing interior pieces, the ECM is laying on the passenger footwell, headliner is missing with the bare metal roof showing. Dents are appearing in the body. Spray tint has been applied to all parking lights and reverse lights complete with runs everywhere and overspray on the car's paint.
Now a full year later I have it because transmission #3 is dead so I'm fixing it with transmission #4 tomorrow. This car went it's first 60k on one transmission but it's been through 4 in 20,000 with the new owner. It now looks like a trashcan inside. Carpet is worn out. Holes in dash where unknown switches were. Wiring everwhere, it's hard to get to the brake pedal through all the dash wiring hanging in the way. Oil pressure and temp guages I installed are replaced with redundant ricer AF guages just for the looks I guess. Methanol injection seems to be non functional or the led is burned out. I drove it tonight to make sure there would be no surprises (top speed is 50mph because reverse and 3rd gear are gone) and the steering wheel faces hard left to go in a straight line and the car vibrates like a wheel is falling off. Dents everywhere. Front spoiler missing. Rear fenderwell trim is missing on both sides. Rims centercaps missing. Large exhaust leak underneath. Large oil leak at turbo return line. Did I mention the 20 or so dents??? The brake booster has been failing for a year but it's still original even though the equivalent money has been spent on go fast parts. When these fail, the brakes fail completely.
I'm actually afraid to drive this thing the 4 miles to the trans shop in the morning for fear it's going to kill me. This car was a fairly low mileage near show quality car only a year ago and now it looks like it's been sitting in a junkyard for 10 years.
Friend #1 died. I tried to buy the car to save it but friend #2 wants as much as he originally paid for it because in his words "it's in the same shape I bought it in but with more mods". I have an old video of it racing my TL if anyone wants to compare it to the new ones I'm about to take to show the difference.
I don't post in here much so sorry for the negative tone. It was either a rant in here or push the car off a cliff and put it out of it's misery.
#3
Unfortunate circumstances :shakehead
#5
Team Owner
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#6
Team Owner
Thread Starter
I really wish I was. There's more than what I wrote, I just listed the larger things. The electric exhaust dump is worked by twisting 2 wires together that just lay on the floormat. The amp volume lays on the passenger floormat. The oil pressure light glows based on rpms because it now has a guage sending unit instead of an on/off unit for a light. There's much more unfortunately.
#7
I got the Shifts
iTrader: (5)
sorry to hear this man. i remember when your buddy passed and you were thinking about getting the car. post pics of its current condition im interested in seeing it. i remember how clean it looked in the vid.
sorry to hear and it just sounds like #2 doesnt understand the history behind the cars.
sorry to hear and it just sounds like #2 doesnt understand the history behind the cars.
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#9
Someday, an RS6 Avant+
for your buddy....
But it sounds like friend #2 is really not a friend. He trashed a car from a friend who died. And a great car at that.
I think you may need to distance yourself from this "friend".
But it sounds like friend #2 is really not a friend. He trashed a car from a friend who died. And a great car at that.
I think you may need to distance yourself from this "friend".
#10
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I gave my GTI to my friend to use for the last 9 months. He's known to being as anal as I am in keeping the car clean...I got the car back with 4 wheels all scraped up from curb rash, the clear coat flaking on them, the front and rear bumpers had a few scuffs and scrapes and the driver's seat was stuck in one position and couldn't be slid back or forth. I sorta kinda went crazy on him but he didn't seem to think I was thinking rationally. I'm more annoyed that he didn't think to be proactive in trying to fix all this stuff before I got it back and making it my problem. Because I didn't have time to fix it all I returned the car as is. Now I have to wait and see what the bank is going to hit me up for once they inspect it after returning the car to them (lease).
Doesn't compare to your story though...
Last edited by Shoofin; 03-09-2010 at 07:18 AM.
#18
Team Owner
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This was it roughly a year ago racing my TL at lower boost (22psi). I think I have pictures somewhere too. I dropped it off at the trans shop this morning, I'll post current pics when I get it back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvA-qkRZWag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvA-qkRZWag
#20
Team Owner
Thread Starter
I don't know if you guys know what an '89 TTA is but he totaled one of those into a diesel...... and he was borrowing one of my turbos which didn't survive the wreck.
#21
Now that is low. I've never even seen a 3rd gen TTA before, but to kill one of those and your friend's turbo?
The car gods must frown upon him.
The car gods must frown upon him.
#24
Oderint dum metuant.
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Instead of pushing the car off a cliff, maybe you should take him on a hunting trip...then fix the car up "in his memory". That or completely cut ties with him as continuing to see what he does to that car will only cause you more pain.
#25
#27
^you change cars like how I change underwear.
#28
As frustrating as it is, sometimes it happens. Unfortunately, your friend can do with the car what he wants.
Over the years I've found that all people are different when it comes to automotive maintenance and modifications, and although it may not be the same tastes and requirements that we have, they often think they're doing nothing wrong and even enjoying the experience.
Terry
Over the years I've found that all people are different when it comes to automotive maintenance and modifications, and although it may not be the same tastes and requirements that we have, they often think they're doing nothing wrong and even enjoying the experience.
Terry
#31
#32
Dragging knees in
iTrader: (2)
Yes, I have but different situation than the OP.
My friend drove his sweet-ass S2000 sideways into the infield at turn 8 at Gingerman Raceway as I gripped hard onto the oh-shit handle. I thought we were going to roll over, but we only broke parts off the car and stayed right side up. But the car was trashed pretty good.
On the way home, the duct tape gave on the interstate, sending a piece of the front bumper flying into the car of another friend behind him.
My friend drove his sweet-ass S2000 sideways into the infield at turn 8 at Gingerman Raceway as I gripped hard onto the oh-shit handle. I thought we were going to roll over, but we only broke parts off the car and stayed right side up. But the car was trashed pretty good.
On the way home, the duct tape gave on the interstate, sending a piece of the front bumper flying into the car of another friend behind him.
#33
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Sounds like friend #2 has a severe case of ADD and maybe a good dose of anal expulsive personality thrown in for good measure.
Kiss that poor GN goodbye, its gonna end up in the junkyard.
Kiss that poor GN goodbye, its gonna end up in the junkyard.
#34
Chapter Leader (Southern Region)
This is truly tragic Matt.. Is this guy a good friend to you? because I'd tell him he's a gigantic douche for fucking up that GN. It's not just a car since it holds sentimental value to you. I don't know what he paid for it but you should square off & buy it from him minus repairs. This isn't the same dude with the CL65 is it?
#36
Suzuka Master
It's pretty sad when people truly don't know what they have and then go and ruin it with cheap mods and poor maintenance. It's especially bad when it's a collectors car in great shape like the GN too. If you can afford to do so, maybe buy it off him and then restore it to the condition it was in prior. He's a fool if he thinks it's in "better shape with more mods".
#37
Team Owner
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This is truly tragic Matt.. Is this guy a good friend to you? because I'd tell him he's a gigantic douche for fucking up that GN. It's not just a car since it holds sentimental value to you. I don't know what he paid for it but you should square off & buy it from him minus repairs. This isn't the same dude with the CL65 is it?
It's not the guy that owns the CL but we're all friends. In fact, the guy with the CL hates GNs. I offered to buy it for 20% less than what he bought it for but he refused. 20% was very generous.
It's pretty sad when people truly don't know what they have and then go and ruin it with cheap mods and poor maintenance. It's especially bad when it's a collectors car in great shape like the GN too. If you can afford to do so, maybe buy it off him and then restore it to the condition it was in prior. He's a fool if he thinks it's in "better shape with more mods".
To some of the others..... This guy is a good friend and helped me out when I was down many years ago. I'm doing the same by paying to have the trans fixed. However, I wonder if I'm doing more harm than good since it was just sitting before and now it will likely be wrecked.
Brakes failed for a moment today. Pedal was rock hard when I went to stop for a yellow light. I had to floor it through the intersection. I really didn't think it would make me this mad since I'm not the owner but I've been upset all day.
This thread is like therapy for me....
#40
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I guess the part I don't understand is how you can destroy a car like that so quickly....I mean, with all the missing parts, dents, exploding transmissions and whatnot, what is going on to annihilate it at such a rapid rate?