No, we are not responsible for the health of a car you bought as is over a year ago

[Buzzard]

So long as no pieces are mangled to be where the engine needs to be, there shouldn't be any problem with firing it up. Better to make sure the engine still functions before replacing a whole load of stuff. "It still runs" is nice, but does it have a nasty noise which indicates something nasty?

As for the the axle/suspension/steering, I'd check through some of the wrecking yards for something that hasn't had those parts mangled. I'm almost afraid to ask how bad the frame's bent. I know ways to straighten, and where to get some of the equipment to make it happen, but that's out here, not over there.

Good luck (and creativity) with that. At least the daughter will be immune to that one creep's BS should he come crawling back (and not already intercepted by family and blunt objects).

[Tanasi]

So long as no pieces are mangled to be where the engine needs to be, there shouldn't be any problem with firing it up. Better to make sure the engine still functions before replacing a whole load of stuff. "It still runs" is nice, but does it have a nasty noise which indicates something nasty?

The frame has been pushed over from the motor mount forward. I don't have a frame machine but a friend does. We'll have to take tub off the frame, motor/tranny out before it can be straightened. My son said we might as well replace the whole front end to have matching parts. We're going to drag it into my garage so we can use the lift to remove the tub from the frame. Son offered this morning to pay off her note on the Jeep and she can then owe him. (I told him before hand that, that was a bad idea but it's his money.)
I didn't notice until this morning the radiator is bent and the tranny cooler is cracked. It does start and idle well and will shift into reverse, neutral and drive and the xfer case shifts.
For her 16th birthday I had spent well over a year restoring a 68 Mercury Comet for her. She drove it for several months and was happy with it, it's a retro unique muscle-esque car. With it being rear-wheel drive and a little over powered I had told her not to drive it when the roads are slick. She promptly drove it during the first snow of the year and put it in a ditch and hit a culvert. To say I was pissed would be an understatement. So I took the Comet away from her and gave her the 08 Escape and when she turned 18 we signed it over to her. I have since repaired and repainted the Comet and kept it for myself now in effect it's a Comet skinned late model Mustang. It will get up and move.

[Slave to the Phone]

I don't want to sound mean or anything, but why would anyone give a new driver an overpowered rear-wheel muscle car?

I learned to drive my grandpa's old beat up pick up. My father learned how to drive in a beater and his father and his before that did the same thing! None of those new fangled automatic windows or transmissions. And we liked it!!! Kids nowadays, so spoiled.

[RichS]

I learned to drive my grandpa's old beat up pick up. My father learned how to drive in a beater and his father and his before that did the same thing! None of those new fangled automatic windows or transmissions. And we liked it!!! Kids nowadays, so spoiled.

Reminds me of my first car; '77 Chevy van with no front brakes, and a '72 steering wheel and gear. Probably not the best vehicle for a 16-year old, but that van taught me to be cautious and to plan ahead. Thank goodness I only had it for a few months.

[Tanasi]

I don't want to sound mean or anything, but why would anyone give a new driver an overpowered rear-wheel muscle car?

I learned to drive my grandpa's old beat up pick up. My father learned how to drive in a beater and his father and his before that did the same thing! None of those new fangled automatic windows or transmissions. And we liked it!!! Kids nowadays, so spoiled.

To be fair even at 16 she wasn't a "new" driver. She like the rest of my kids grew up on a farm and as soon as she could push the clutch down she was driving either a tractor or farm truck. She knows how to drive, that day she elected to ignore me and do as she pleased.
As for the car, yeah it was a little over powered (Ford 302) for real slick conditions at the time but we thought she had better sense that to ignore me and others, we were wrong. Now with the newer engine and tranny in sport mode it puts out around 600hp. I have it setup for running closed road courses. You don't see many Mercurys on race tracks and even fewer Comets (outside a drag-strip I've never seen a Comet on a race track.)
My youngest son (9) regularly drives any of our tractors, golf carts, mowers, 4-wheelers and Kaw Mule. Truthfully I wouldn't be surprised that in a few years my older grandkids will be driving something that's not a toy. Farm kids have to grow up fast.

[Minflick]

I don't want to sound mean or anything, but why would anyone give a new driver an overpowered rear-wheel muscle car?

I learned to drive my grandpa's old beat up pick up. My father learned how to drive in a beater and his father and his before that did the same thing! None of those new fangled automatic windows or transmissions. And we liked it!!! Kids nowadays, so spoiled.

I said that same thing to each of my 3 daughters when they were learning to drive and yearning for some muscle. That the VERY last thing I wanted their incomplete and untested skill set, driving on rural roads with more than a fair compliment of idiots speeding around and about, who would want to drag race my fair flowers, was to have anything that looked or performed like a power car. Not a flipping chance... They would get old fuddy duddy turtles and be happy with it, or they could continue to take the school bus with the rest of the dorks.

Their drivers ed teacher had pointed out to us parents that the difference between new driver accidents on city roads and new car accidents on rural roads was that the city accidents usually happened at about 15 mph. The rural accidents happened at 50+ mph. Two fatalities, and he had gone to both funerals. His goal was to retire without going to any more. One accident that hit the CHP website was that a car had gone off a 1.5 lane road and landed many yards inside a field of strawberries and landed upside down. I was in a sweat panic until they checked in and I was told none had been in that car. "Oh yea, the bus passed that!"

DD #1 proceeded to destroy by neglect 5 aged cars given to her (Dad was a total sucker)
DD #2 did the same with 2 or 3. (Dad still a sucker for his girls)
DD #3 destroyed no cars.

[Nunavut Pants]

Now with the newer engine and tranny in sport mode it puts out around 600hp. I have it setup for running closed road courses.

That is awesome!! Have you been in GRM? I think they had an article on a track-car Mercury a year or two back.

I pedal a 914 around the track as fast as I can go. Pretty much the polar opposite from your Merc; it has 95 HP on its absolute best day (those days are far behind it) but you just about don't have to brake for corners....

[Tanasi]

DD #1 proceeded to destroy by neglect 5 aged cars given to her (Dad was a total sucker)
DD #2 did the same with 2 or 3. (Dad still a sucker for his girls)
DD #3 destroyed no cars.

The mistake I made with this kid was that I didn't make her put any seat equity into the Comet as I did with her older brothers and sisters. They had both money and time in their cars/trucks so they took care of them.
To my youngest daughter a car is just a machine and just gets you places. Now she is just like her mother/my wife they put a lot of stock into shoes and purses.

That is awesome!! Have you been in GRM? I think they had an article on a track-car Mercury a year or two back.

I pedal a 914 around the track as fast as I can go. Pretty much the polar opposite from your Merc; it has 95 HP on its absolute best day (those days are far behind it) but you just about don't have to brake for corners....

Not sure what GRM is but if it's a magazine then no. This car isn't pretty, it's dark grey primer with flat clear-coat. It was built to run and be a daily driver.
A friend really like those bug-eyed Sprites. They don't usually have enough hp to drag a greasy string down a hot road.

[Nunavut Pants]

Not sure what GRM is but if it's a magazine then no. This car isn't pretty, it's dark grey primer with flat clear-coat. It was built to run and be a daily driver.

GrassRoots Motorsports magazine. Their focus is on race cars, including ones that don't look so pretty. They have a "2K challenge" every year where the budget is equal to the year, and they are fans of the various "crapcan racing" series. (E.g., Lemons.)

[Ironclad Alibi]

Now she is just like her mother/my wife they put a lot of stock into shoes and purses.

It sounds like she's getting a lot of use out of those shoes.

[Buzzard]

It sounds like she's getting a lot of use out of those shoes.

You mean tires for the Chevro-legs?

[workerbee222]

I don't want to sound mean or anything, but why would anyone give a new driver an overpowered rear-wheel muscle car?

A car salesman commented to us recently a lot of parents were buying their teens Nissan Leafs (Or Nissan Leaves?) "Doesn't go very far, doesn't go very fast."

[dalesys]

... doesn't go very fast."

Whackypaddleya say 93mph fast...

[Tanasi]

GrassRoots Motorsports magazine. Their focus is on race cars, including ones that don't look so pretty. They have a "2K challenge" every year where the budget is equal to the year, and they are fans of the various "crapcan racing" series. (E.g., Lemons.)

I don't for sure remember which one but a friend was given either a Ford Granada or Fairmont just to get it out of the way. When he was getting it back into a road worthy state he discovered it was a factory re-skinned Fox-body Mustang. He removed the 2.3 four banger and replaced it with 5.0. Talk about a sleeper, a grand-ma car with a dark heart. It would fly.

It sounds like she's getting a lot of use out of those shoes.

Most of those shoes are so uncomfortable that you can't walk out of sight with out removing them. I mean really how many pairs of red and black heels does one person need?

[Racket_Man]

Reminds me of my first car; '77 Chevy van with no front brakes, and a '72 steering wheel and gear. Probably not the best vehicle for a 16-year old, but that van taught me to be cautious and to plan ahead. Thank goodness I only had it for a few months.

I learned on a 1976 Chrysler Cordorva big fat V8. After I got my license I drove most of the time my parents 1976 Ford Maverick family car straight 6 250 BIG DIFFERENCE and it sucked.