Convincing my parents to let me buy a project car.
Posted by funny__man666@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 30 comments
I'm 19 and I have wanted to get a project car for years but my dad is very resistant. I'm looking at small,light, easy to work on cars, mostly civics and miatas. The goal would be to get better at working on cars and autocross. I have a budget of 5k, 2-3k for the car and the rest for maintenance and small upgrades (tires, suspension) the issue is my dad thinks it's a waste of MY money, and I agree but I have wanted this for years, I have been obsessed with cars all of my life. I have more than enough money that I have saved to do what I wanna do, and still have a very significant amount in my savings account. Although I still live with my parents, I work 30 hours a week and go to college. I have prepared my budget for insurance, taxes, consumables, really anything that can go wrong. He just thinks it is a waste of money. Im not really sure how to convince them.
eclipse60@reddit
If you're living with your parents, you still have to defer to their rules IMO. Also, these things have a lot of hidden costs.
You'd be better off buying a Miata or Civic that's in decent condition than a shit box, and making small mods here and there, versus assuming you will be able to fix every issue with a car.
smthngeneric@reddit
The way I see it, you have two options
Do it anyways because you're an adult and can do whatever the fuck you want. If you do this you'll also have to accept whatever consequences that come of it like an adult whether it's just them being pissed for awhile or something more drastic (ie if they kick you out you'll have to accept it and get out because it is their house after all).
Listen to them to maintain peace in the home and not risk something drastic happening that could seriously set you back at this time (like being kicked out). And on the side, try to win them over and hope they come around on the idea.
Some people just don't get it. To most people nowadays, a car is just another appliance. To them, it's no different than spending 2k modifying your dishwasher.
Unhappy_Nobody_4663@reddit
He might be an adult but he lives with his parents and if this is something that he wants to do maybe he should wait till after he graduates and move out of his parents how as far as I'm concerned he is just a young person with not many responsibilities yet ,and your do want the fuck you want comment is pretty stupid
smthngeneric@reddit
How so? The only thing stopping op is the threat of how his parents react. If op thinks he can accept whatever their reaction is, then there's nothing stopping him. I was just trying to subtly encourage him to really think about if that's a road he wants to go down and if he's really ready to have a dedicated project or just wait a little bit until he's in a better spot.
Ding ding ding you got my point. Maybe I was too subtle for reddit.
EhRanders@reddit
Damn bro, “2k modifying your dishwasher” cuts deep
ncoder@reddit
What's money for anyways? You supposed to live like a monk and only spend it on rent, food, and retirement?
Biggest life mistake is to save and sacrifice your whole life and then finally try to 'live' in retirement, when you're 70 and can't move or do anything anymore because you're too old.
funny__man666@reddit (OP)
I have over 16k saved from part-time. I've been working since I was 15.
Raalf@reddit
They're 19, not 68. There's enough time to finish school and start a project before they die of old age.
Wne1980@reddit
I’m sure that from OP’s parent’s perspective, that money should be saved to get out of their house someday 😂
Obvious-Dinner-1082@reddit
What he sees and you don’t, speaking from experience. Is building cars is fucking expensive. I did this same thing at 19, though I dragged home a shell I found in a field for $200. Figuring I just throw in a motor and trans and go.
It took me 11 years and roughly $30,000 in expenses.
It’s not just the parts, it’s the tools, fluids, products, space, time, mistakes and straight up bullshit you’ll deal with halfway through.
Your best bet, is if you buy your project, that project is road ready, inspected, registered, insured from the day you pay.
He knows it’s going to be a lawn ornament.
funny__man666@reddit (OP)
That's what I meant, something already running. I work at a car dealership and make a decent amount, and all my college courses will be online for a while, so I'll have a lot of free time over the summer. I probably should have been more specific. But yeah, something already running that would just need regular maintenance, nothing insane.
BrentRussel@reddit
My advice would be to set a budget, timeline, and goals. Present it to your parents. They might be more receptive to something that's clearly defined versus something open-ended.
A project car is a waste of money. If you buy a car and do a bunch of stuff to it, then try to sell it, you won't get the cost of the car, parts cost, and labor cost back. If I were your parent, my other concern would be what happens if the project stalls due to lack of fundage or motivation. Now I've got a non-operational vehicle taking up driveway space (a lot of HOAs have bylaws forbidding this) that I'm going to need to do something with.
97miata@reddit
I don't understand. You're an adult do what you want. Wth does your dad's opinion matter in this case?
zacrl1230@reddit
They live in their parents' house.
97miata@reddit
I could see how that would matter if op was trying to smoke weed in the house or something lol but we are talking about a car parked in the driveway or on the street.
hidazfx@reddit
I wouldn't get a "project car", more a car that can be your project. You'll need to use it as a daily, but get a model that's got good aftermarket support as a platform. Mustang, Civic, Focus (ST or non-ST manual, no auto), Scion tC (I'm biased there).
You could also get a truck, too.
You don't wanna buy something that's down for months at a time, but something you can upgrade and learn on over a weekend.
funny__man666@reddit (OP)
I have a daily, so I won't need to rely on it, but I would need something that's not to rough
VictimOfRegions@reddit
I can't comment on the finances or family dynamics, and I'm inclined to agree with a lot of the people here that full time student + (basically) full time work + project car is too much (ask me how I know).
That said, if your heart is set on it, the type of car affects the perception a lot here. Any dad is looking at 90s miatas and civic coupes and thinking it's a shitbox money pit. He might look at a truck and see airbags, crumple zones, and rollover ratings. Plus it's the cheapest way into a RWD V8... something to consider.
cressiduh@reddit
Buy a Honda Fit and say it's your commuter car
Wne1980@reddit
I had a project car at your age and couldn’t afford to do anything to it anyway. I did better when I got a fun daily driver that I could mess with a little when I had extra cash
MyParentsDontLoveMe@reddit
Your dad is right. Finish college, get a big boy job, move out of your parents house, then get a project car
Raalf@reddit
This right here. No one wants someone else's project car in their garage for long, so plan to have your own spot you pay for without anyone else to answer to before you start this project road.
RiftHunter4@reddit
I would just get something that runs that you can daily, but also work on. A Civic or Miata would be just fine. You don't need a dedicated track toy for autocross. Just buy something fun and sensible.
zacrl1230@reddit
You should listen to your parents.
LD902@reddit
Just don't buy a daily driver and pretend its a project car. Make sure you have alternate forms of transportation
gamsambill@reddit
There could be a number of unspoken factors there as well. It’s objectively a pretty poor use of money given your living situation and age. Not saying it wouldn’t be a great experience but the parents may prefer you didn’t have a torn apart car at their house. They may prefer you move out or take advantage of living at their home to put aside money for a home of your own rather than throwing thousands into something you won’t get a return from. If you have significant savings as you say, move out on your own and do it. If you can’t then it’s probably not wise to blow $5k on a project car.
pistonsoffury@reddit
Open a brokerage account and sacrifice some of your car budget to fund it initially with $500 and then purchase $100 of an index fund ETF each month. Run the numbers and show your dad that you have a plan to never touch the money in this account and leverage compounding interest to grow your long-term savings account. Also offer to pitch in for groceries for the house.
Re-emphasize that this is both a passion for you as hobby, and also a opportunity to grow your skills not just in terms of mechanical aptitude, but in budget and project management. Both of those are critical life skills that you can learn via a relatively low-risk endeavor like having a project car.
Look at it from his perspective - he sees you grinding at some low wage job, diligently saving money and doesn't want you to piss it away on some shitbox car project. He's right, in a way - project cars are a waste of money. But humans learn by doing things, and by making mistakes. By not allowing you to potentially fail, he's robbing you of an opportunity to learn and grow. It's time for him to let go and let you figure out how to be an adult.
Source: have project cars, and also have a 19 year old son who has a project car.
Vrypel_@reddit
As long as you are under their roof, it will always be your word vs his. It might be better to just save more and get a decent running example and then make that a project; That way you can get a good and reliable daily that will not raise any alarms to him and then modify it to your liking.
1919wild@reddit
Your father is wise. It is a poor use of money but if it brings you joy go for it. It’s fun to learn and tinkering will help you be more handy in life. I’m willing to bet your folks just don’t want you to start it get midway give up and leave them with a hunk of junk at their house. I’d be respectful and take that in to consideration.
GrryTehSnail@reddit
I would be against it only because the project car will eat up a lot of time if you’re in work and school.