My kids want to take my car from me and I'm upset

Status
Not open for further replies.
Liza1948 said:
I have a lawyer, but he is an estate lawyer and has power to make financial decisions on my part. The line I am getting from my son is more accurately phrased "You don't drive it much, you can't work on it more, we're going to get it in the will anyway, so why not sell it now while prices are high and we can use the money for your grandkids?" Only one of my kids actually graduated college and it wasn't my son (other daughter got pregnant at 19 and dropped out, got divorced before thirty and I've never seen the father since the ink on the papers was still wet). So, I'm thinking out of spite I'm going to write them all out of my will and have the proceeds placed in a trust to benefit the surviving grandchildren on a pro rata basis when they each turn 18. The problem with that of course is one of my son's kids is in jail on methamphetimines distribution and I can't see him kicking it, and one of my daughter's daughters (the one who actually finished college) is mentally challenged so my daughter will always have power of attorney regardless of who the end beneficiary is.

Oh, what a mess. Sorry for burdening you all on this.

To the poster that said the mustang is a fire trap: I replaced the fuel tank years ago to reduce the risk of combustion in the case of an accident and added a flame wall on the floor and behind the rear seats.
Click to expand...
So, I'm thinking out of spite I'm going to write them all out of my will and have the proceeds placed in a trust to benefit the surviving grandchildren on a pro rata basis when they each turn 18.

Hi Liza, I agree with your comment above, you sound like an intelligent woman so stick to your guns.
 
Last edited:
The decision is easy to make. The car is yours and you do with it as you like. There is a big stink coming from your children when I read what those turkeys are trying to do. Don't give in. That car is a valuable piece of property. You might need the money should you enter a care home. Tell the "greedy buggers" that what they have coming will be read in the will after you pass on. If they can't wait for you to die to get the money, tell the sneaky beggars that you will write a new will and they better play ball with you now or they will get "Bugger All." Put your foot down. As far as I'm concerned this is a classic case of Senior Abuse.

Just because we're getting old doesn't mean that we are getting stupid. Whether you worked hard for that car or anything that you own or maybe got in from an inheritance doesn't matter. What matters is that this red car is "your baby". If it gives you any kind of pleasure keep it. Even if you don't drive it and just want to keep it around for the joy of ownership or bragging rights, don't give it up. You need some pleasure in your senior years. Tell your kids to go back to their smartphones, their rap music or their "wineing and dining." By the way, make sure you have a good will from a good lawyer and really think carefully who is to get the power of attorney. Your power of attorney can have your car out of your garage before you even know it.
 

Attachments

  • 1964 Ford Mustang.jpg
    1964 Ford Mustang.jpg
    31.3 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Wow! You own a 64 candy apple red MUSTANG?
Yes, Good advise getting an attorney.
Don't sign a power of attorney to anyone!
Sorry you have to fight your children but glad you're standing up for yourself!
That car is PRICELESS!
 
Liza1948 said:
Hi, I am a new member on this forum and am looking for some advice.

When I was 16 my father bought me a present. It was and is a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang hard top, cherry red. It has the original numbers matching 289 cu in V8 with double carboraters. It has been garaged kept, I have service records dating back from I took ownership from my father when I turned 18. So, it has been a fixture in my life since I was a teenager, which I would think is a bit strange for a quiet, retired librarian in Iowa.

My kids want to take it away from me. They say I am too old to be driving this car, and that given current safety standards it is a practical death trap. But I don't believe them. Both my daughters and my son, especially him, are struggling to put their own kids through college. They have sought a court order to stop me from driving and are pressuring me to sell the car, including provided quotes from private buyers for as much as $75k. They note that the insurance on a classic car like this and for a driver for a person my age is unreasonably high.

They are right in some respects. Correct, a 1960s Mustang doesn't have the same safety or convenience features as my Civic but the car is part of my personallity and I don't want to be taken advantage of. I'd rather see the car rot in my garage than sell it for my unemployed son to blow on his barely literate children (I think he actually plans to use the proceeds to help pay off his debts.)

Any advice you have would be helpful.
Liza1948
Click to expand...
You are not too old to drive the car, however, it depends on your health, your driving skills, alertness, your ability to drive at high speeds.
Personal opinion --- sell the car , invest the money after buying a simple runaround car.
I charge you nothing for this consultation ;)
 
mellowyellow said:
So, I'm thinking out of spite I'm going to write them all out of my will and have the proceeds placed in a trust to benefit the surviving grandchildren on a pro rata basis when they each turn 18.

Hi Liza, I agree with your comment above, you sound like an intelligent woman so stick to your guns.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a great plan. But please respond to anything you get with a lawyer's advice. Welcome to the forum.
 
Find yourself a good lawyer with experience in this area of law. All lawyers are not equal in knowledge, experience or expertise. And as others have said, DO NOT FAIL to respond (through a capable attorney) to any court papers filed against you. To do so could result in a default judgment being entered against you,

Even if you didn't have a drivers' license (at least where I live), or were in a coma or something, that still does not give the children the right to take your property from you, whether it's a car or anything else.

Don't let 'em scare you or bully you! Older people have the same property rights as anyone else.

If I were you, I'd immediately change my will and leave everything to some charity.
 
Welcome to the forum Liza1948. I do not know you or your family so I will not offer advice on the situation you have mentioned. I would not want to lead you in the wrong direction. I can share a bit about myself and my experiences.

I can be a hard head and I can build a wall between me and a family member that I feel is attacking me in quick order. When I do it becomes a battle of wills and nothing gets accomplished but hate and discontent. The solution for me is to do some soul searching and see if what is being directed towards me is true or not and act accordingly. Once again welcome and take care.
 
oldpop said:
Welcome to the forum Liza1948. I do not know you or your family so I will not offer advice on the situation you have mentioned. I would not want to lead you in the wrong direction. I can share a bit about myself and my experiences. I can be a hard head and I can build a wall between me and a family member that I feel is attacking me in quick order. When I do it becomes a battle of wills and nothing gets accomplished but hate and discontent. The solution for me is to do some soul searching and see if what is being directed towards me is true or not and act accordingly. Once again welcome and take care.
Click to expand...
your advice amounts to "do nothing"
 
Have they actually succeeded in obtaining a court order? If so, how did they manage this? There must be presented ample evidence to a judge that you are an unfit driver for this to occur. Both police and physician's records have to be presented to a judge for this to happen.
 
First, go see a lawyer, second, just tell 'em to piss off your keeping your prized car, third, state your intentions to change your will, fourth, find a good buyer who will look after your treasured possession so they will never get hold of it.

Whatever money you get for the car, take a bloody good trip and ENJOY yourself.
 
If you're too old to drive it as you say, and the grandkids would waste the money away as you say, then I would set up your Will today that starts investments for each grandchild that isn't accessible until they are of a responsible age, using the money from the sale of the Mustang. It will need to be held for them in a Trust. When you depart this life, you can't take the Mustang with you. We all have to face letting go. It's hard but it's part of life and death.

Meanwhile, about their education. There are lots of grants available they can apply for and part time jobs for college kids.
I have one daughter (out of 4 children) who insisted on putting herself through a university. She worked in the administrations office of the university and learned all about grants that were available to her and how to apply for them.

She became very resourceful and graduated with honors. She had a little debt after graduation which I paid off. I was so proud of her.
 
Welcome Liza, sad about the circumstances that you find yourself in!

The car is special to you and you alone should decide what to do with
it, are you keeping it for sentimental reasons, or as a future financial
sum?

If I was in your situation, I would ask myself, do I need the money, or
will I need it in the future, to stop the treatment you are experiencing,
either sell the car, or hide somewhere that you can trust.

Should you be comfortable financially and won't need any money from
a sale of the car, just burn it!

Good luck, I hope that it works out for you.

Mike.
 
Liza1948 said:
I have a lawyer, but he is an estate lawyer and has power to make financial decisions on my part. The line I am getting from my son is more accurately phrased "You don't drive it much, you can't work on it more, we're going to get it in the will anyway, so why not sell it now while prices are high and we can use the money for your grandkids?" Only one of my kids actually graduated college and it wasn't my son (other daughter got pregnant at 19 and dropped out, got divorced before thirty and I've never seen the father since the ink on the papers was still wet). So, I'm thinking out of spite I'm going to write them all out of my will and have the proceeds placed in a trust to benefit the surviving grandchildren on a pro rata basis when they each turn 18. The problem with that of course is one of my son's kids is in jail on methamphetimines distribution and I can't see him kicking it, and one of my daughter's daughters (the one who actually finished college) is mentally challenged so my daughter will always have power of attorney regardless of who the end beneficiary is.

Oh, what a mess. Sorry for burdening you all on this.

To the poster that said the mustang is a fire trap: I replaced the fuel tank years ago to reduce the risk of combustion in the case of an accident and added a flame wall on the floor and behind the rear seats.
Click to expand...
You could consider leaving what you can to charity.
 
Nothing new to add here, except to say that it's your car, your money, and your life. You get to make the decisions. Your children may not agree with your decisions, but their rights end where your foot begins.

And please change the avatar! 😄
 
Liza1948 said:
Hi, I am a new member on this forum and am looking for some advice.

When I was 16 my father bought me a present. It was and is a 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang hard top, cherry red. It has the original numbers matching 289 cu in V8 with double carboraters. It has been garaged kept, I have service records dating back from I took ownership from my father when I turned 18. So, it has been a fixture in my life since I was a teenager, which I would think is a bit strange for a quiet, retired librarian in Iowa.

My kids want to take it away from me. They say I am too old to be driving this car, and that given current safety standards it is a practical death trap. But I don't believe them. Both my daughters and my son, especially him, are struggling to put their own kids through college. They have sought a court order to stop me from driving and are pressuring me to sell the car, including provided quotes from private buyers for as much as $75k. They note that the insurance on a classic car like this and for a driver for a person my age is unreasonably high.

They are right in some respects. Correct, a 1960s Mustang doesn't have the same safety or convenience features as my Civic but the car is part of my personallity and I don't want to be taken advantage of. I'd rather see the car rot in my garage than sell it for my unemployed son to blow on his barely literate children (I think he actually plans to use the proceeds to help pay off his debts.)

Any advice you have would be helpful.
Liza1948
Click to expand...
Contact a lawyer immediately!!!! If you don't know where to find one or can't afford one, contact Legal Aid. Please don't hesitate- your kids have already gone too far!!
 
Hmm. Well, since you are changing your will, leave the money to me. 😂.

My mother had the same car you do. I did not have a car, at the time, and asked her, since she was getting rid of it, to let me have it or buy it. Nope. She sold it for 500 dollars to a car dealership. I told her not to sell her house in Anaheim, California. She sold it for 20,000. It’s now worth 400,000. It’s been worth more. 😂😂😂😂. She now lives in government housing and gets Medicare and medicaid.

Do what you want it’s your life and your money.

My mother is now 96, soon to be 97. She has done many things out of spite or just plain meanness. She is a horrible person, always has been. I suppose you just need to ask yourself, what kind of person are you? And proceed from there.
 
Well, if you can drive a Civic around without being a menace on the road, you should be able to handle a car you've been driving for the last 58 years. If you're like me, I'm rather clueless when it comes to legal matters. I'd have a long sit down with that attorney, and put your expressed wishes in writing. as to his authority. Another consideration is your financial status. Will you be able to pay for a nursing home, without selling the Mustang? The Mustang seems to be a bone of contention in your family. Have you thought of donating it to a car museum, when you've passed? Today, $75,000 ain't a whole huge bundle of cash anymore. By the time taxes, and lawyers are done with it, you might be able to buy a new Civic. I just don't see it providing anything in a long term annuity for anybody.
We're happy to have you in this forum, but none of us are equipped to give you the best advice, Do you have a financial planner, or a professional to discuss your concerns?
 

Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top