No good deed goes unpunished -or- When your buddy rails you

[JP135]

I used to race in Beat The Heat. Got tired of the politics, attitudes and 100+ temps and got out.

Some of y'all saw my four-eye Fox. It wasn't fast or particularly nice, just a slow track car with a cage and a 20' paint job. It didn't cost much and it was consistent. I had about $2500 in it.

I had this long-time buddy I'd worked with who also drag raced in BTH. My buddy fell on hard times and had to sell his race car. I had mine for sale but wasn't getting any offers. I figured what the heck, my buddy was having hard times and wishing he could go racing but can't afford a car. I'll be the nice guy and let him have mine! I made it CLEAR to him that when he got tired of the car I wanted it back.

He raced two or three times and the car got parked by his barn. I talked to him in early summer, he asked if I wanted the car back. I told him I did, but needed to sell my '69 coupe to free up room for the Fox. Sold the '69. This week it cooled down. Figured I'd go pick up the Fox on Saturday. Yesterday I texted him. The conversation started off talking about work. Time between send and reply took a few minutes for each text. Then I asked about getting the Mustang back and there was no reply for like 15 minutes and he replied "in Florida now". This guy's a school police officer. I asked myself what's he doing in Florida now, with school in session?. I replied "???" He said "Never heard back from you, _____ and ______ picked up the car. Its in Florida now"

Never heard back from me? I told him before I gave him the car that I wanted it back. He agreed to that. I told him at the first of summer that I wanted the car back. I don't know what else he needed to hear back from me on. And even if he wasn't sure, how hard would it have been to pick up the phone and tell em he was about to give the car away to some BTH guy from Florida. He never replied to any of this. I asked "Ignoring me now?". His reply 'driving now. can't text and drive'.

OH! So the hour we spent talking about work didn't impede his driving skills but now he was concerned for the safety of the motoring public. I told him to call me last night. His reply: "Will do".

Of course my phone never rang last night, and thus ends a 27 year friendship that lasted through more good/bad and really bad times than I care to write about here.

PS: This isn't about the car. I'm not worried about the car - no title, just a slow, hogged-out track whore with oilfield pipe sub-frame connectors, a 5/8 nut for a steering wheel quick- disconnect, and bungee cords holding the plexiglass windows in the up position. The guy who got it has no idea that it's not supposed to be his; he just thinks he got a free car. Its not worth driving to Florida for or paying to have it shipped back. I don't know if he gave it away, traded it for something or sold it, and I guess I really don't care.

SO... Did you ever have a good friend screw you? Discuss.

[Cannon88]

That is fucked up. Just go take one of his cars and say "oh, you didnt say anything so I thought it would be OK."

[ozzeran]

Never had that problem because I don't lend friends money or give them car's.

Sucks man, but people suck these days.

[94form2000z]

SO... Did you ever have a good friend screw you? Discuss.

Yep, had one try to sleep with wife when we let him move in because of hard times. She despised the guy anyway so there was no chance of it happening but needless to say, we are not friends and he was out of the house.

[talisman]

Had something very similar happen about 10 years ago, only money was involved. It ended up getting me out of a friendship I should never have gotten deep into anyway. Live and learn. Situation sucks though.

[grove rat]

27years?! damn that's fucked up

a friend needed a cherry picker to do a motor swap, my dad had a sweet A frame set up with a chainfall and everything. helped him get it from my parents to his place and then a few months later his uncle borrowed it and now he cant get it back. pretty much fucked me cause i vouched for this guy to my dad and i had to pay my dad back for the A frame. my dad made me pay him a couple hundred bucks, not necessarily for the money but for a life lesson:

dont lend/give people shit unless you can afford to not get it back

[dville_gt]

all i can say is that really sucks to lose a friend of that long.

[YALE]

After highschool, my best friend at the time borrowed a few hundred dollars from me, then stole both my first two guns and traded them for drugs. Needless to say, we are not friends today.

[trblshooter]

Let a Marine buddy of mine borrow my pressure washer...never saw it again.

[Rafa]

That sucks man. My dad had a "friend" back in the day that need to borrow my dad's welder, well it never returned and he disappeared.

[CJ]

I had a very nice Pearl drum set with Zildjian cymbals - it was a very nice set and quite expensive. Several years ago I was in the process of moving in with some friends, and had to find a home for it. One of my friends little brothers was wanting to learn how to pay the drums. I let him use it. Asked for it back a year later, and he sold it. Fucking people.

[FastFox]

Had a refrigeration tech work for me at Sears many years ago. We furnished all tools, but the employee had to sign for and return them if he left the company. After about a year the guy called in and said he was going to work somewhere else. I said, "OK, just bring the tools back." He said that he needed the tools and that he would not return them. Well, about 6 months later he went to the pen at Huntsville for robbery or something. About a month after being locked up, he was murdered by another convict. What goes around comes around ?

[78X]

Never had that problem because I don't lend friends money or give them car's.

Sucks man, but people suck these days.

You found a parking spot yet?

[mystic96]

My daughter has just been born, my only car was my Mystic cobra, which wasn't running, and I needed a daily I could put a car seat in.

My Mystic was in the middle of an LS1 swap. Had spent $3k on the motor and trans. Probably a grand in other misc parts. The car had just been repainted by Boosted. Also had a set of $3k Boze billet wheels and a Vortech SQ for the 4V motor that came out of the car.

This car was literally like my first baby before I actually had kids. I probably dumped over $40k into this thing in the time I owned it.

Well I traded my best friend since before Kindergarten my Cobra and all the parts for the '99 Grand Prix GTX he had bought from my parents. Deal was he was going to finish up the LS1 swap and get the car back together, drive it a while, and I would buy it back from him.

Well he ended up parting it all out to use as a down payment on his new house....

[Ruffdaddy]

Why would you give someone in financial trouble a race car? It was a very nice thing to do...but not a good deed IMO.