Anyone Trying To Pass The Mopar Bug To Your Kids.... With No Luck???

[The Cuda Guy]

My kid is nuts about skateboarding like I was nuts about roadrunners, cudas and mopar at age 12.  I was building General Lee monogram model cars and he is doing backside air over coping on a vert ramp.  He loves the cuda but the passion isnt there.... yet, I hope.  Anyone in a similar boat or been there and figured out a way to get the kids more involved? 

Don

[dutch]

same boat here...  he`s 12 now and thinks the cuda is cool, but no passion for it      oh well, each to his own I guess... my dad loved playing hockey..... guess what... I don`t 

[Tonker1]

Go to a drag strip, him on his skateboard you in the Cuda, generously give him a 30s head start... hearing the roar as you fly past at 100+ mph should get his car interest going!

Its a good point you're making though and his attraction to the skateboard has an exportation date on it even if he doesn't realise. His interest in his skateboard will probably vanish at whatever age you're legally allowed to drive in your respective states. And hell, at 18 you can't rock up to your girlfriends place on a skateboard, he'll want to be rockin' up in a car and a bet he won't want it to be a Nissan Cube either, he'll want something with power and style!

For me, as a man, my car is part of who I am, I take immense pride in my Challenger and I'm sure he'll get the picture soon enough.

[Chryco Psycho]

an aquaintence of mine has 2 kids & about 30 cars , even has an old Plymouth funny car like the Pizza Haven Twig Zeigler car . He can't race the funny car as neither of his kids will come to the track & lift or drop the body of the car .... I would have killed to grow up with a dad like that , these kids couldn't care less .

[brads70]

I have 3 boys 12, 14, 16  they all love cars , and love going for rides in the Challenger. Especially getting driven to and from school1 
What holds them back is the feeling that they can't afford a car period with the prices and most of all the insurance rates for new male drivers. I remember feeling like that too..... a car was just something far into the future by the time I could afford one. Teenagers are so " here and now" for the most part in there thinking.
We didn't have all the distractions like video games etc... to get in the way of saving for out first ride?

[purple1]

I really tried to get my oldest son to take the car the trailer was made from and just start working on it. He just shrugged it off like it was too much to ask him to do some work on it. I told him I would have to get rid of it if he didn't want it, and that if he would just start a little bit I would help. No go, and the rest is history.

Now my younger son is getting close to the age and he doesn't seem interested either. He is much more interested in my N scale trains and my audio equipment than either of the cars. At least we can share somethings together. It is just not going to be the cars.

[Mopar Thunder]

My son is going to be 12 next month. He must have at least 90% of the match box cars ever made.  He loves the cars I have but he seems to be moving away from going to car shows and races if it means being there more than an hour or so. He talks about getting into Jr. Dragsters but doesn't fully seem committed so I don't push it (not cheap and a lot of time involved).  I think he is just feeling his way around right now. He loves golf so right now that is where the support is.  Although now that COD II it might be different story for the next few months.   

[tommyg29]

Keep the faith. Some people just come late to the party, like I did. I have 2 boys in college that really arent into cars at all, though one is into trucks. One of my daughters is more interested in cars than they are, but I am holding out hope they will eventually get the bug.
The problem is...its a two edged sword. It will probably keep them broke!

[JayBee]

Same situation here. I've got 2 sons (soon to be 28 and 20). The older one is only interested in the car's equity and the younger might consider taking it if he can afford it. They both think the car is cool but it doesn't go past that. I guess it'll just be part of the estate sale when the time comes. 

[06Daytona]

My 22 year old son in law loves all my cars and wants to learn about them but they rarely get out here to visit. When they do I make sure to spend time 'fixing'  something with him, even if I have to loosen a wire myself so he can help.
I told my daughter that when she has a rugrat I'm going to make sure its first word is MOPAR, and the next will be OR NO CAR. I was told I don't get  to babysit.

[moparmaniac59]

I don't have any sons, but have a 19 year old daughter. She loves my Challenger and has bugged me to drive it, but I am terrified to even attempt to let her try. It's just too much car (600 plus HP), plus she can't drive a stick. It's an automatic, but is a reverse manual valve body. Maybe with some practice in a parking lot, but I won't let her drive it solo. It's that "woman driver" thing, plus she's ADHD and blonde  . She's already wrecked our van. 

                                                                            Matt B.

[Sleepychallenger]

Go to a drag strip, him on his skateboard you in the Cuda, generously give him a 30s head start... hearing the roar as you fly past at 100+ mph should get his car interest going!

Its a good point you're making though and his attraction to the skateboard has an exportation date on it even if he doesn't realise. His interest in his skateboard will probably vanish at whatever age you're legally allowed to drive in your respective states. And hell, at 18 you can't rock up to your girlfriends place on a skateboard, he'll want to be rockin' up in a car and a bet he won't want it to be a Nissan Cube either, he'll want something with power and style!

For me, as a man, my car is part of who I am, I take immense pride in my Challenger and I'm sure he'll get the picture soon enough.

Against Don...the skateboard may just win 

It's that "woman driver" thing, plus she's ADHD and blonde  . She's already wrecked our van. 

                                                                            Matt B.

Wow, you have a triple threat there dont ya.

My son is 5 and my daughter is 2. Everytime I go in the garage to work on the car they are coming out wanting to help. I just have to keep the motivation there for when I'm not trying to cut metal or weld so that they can come out and help. 

[brads70]

Against Don...the skateboard may just win 
 

   Just about spit my coffe all over the keyboard with that one! 

Now that's gonna leave a mark......

[HemiDog]

I liked cars when I was young, but never had the passion until I turned 13.   The big motivator was getting ready to drive.  I was lucky enough to have parents that let me research what I wanted to drive and pick the car.  At the time my budget was about $1500 and I ended up finding an old 1969 Mustang.   This was all when I was a little older than 13 and a half.  Over the next year, I worked with my Dad to get it to driving status so I could learn when I turned 15.   For me, the key was getting to work on my car that I had picked out.

[dodj]

When my kid was 15 or 16 I offered to pick up a 70-74 'cuda and we could restore it together. He wasn't interested. To my son, a car was just something to get you from point a to point b. Recently I went to visit him and rented a 2012 R/T Challenger. He was very interested in that car. And he made a comment about driving the 440 Challenger when he comes home. He may come around to being a Mopar guy yet.