Dave tries to gift his brother-in-law, Mark's, 1978 Porsche 911 to his 16-year-old son without permission, so Mark kicks him out and gets revenge by calling Dave's boss, costing him major promotion: 'Who tries to give away a $60,000 asset that isn't his?'

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  • Man shouting with big hand expressions.
  • Alright, I need to get this off my chest and see if I've completely lost the plot.
  • My family is currently blowing up my phone, and my wife, while she gets it, thinks I took it too far.
  • So, for some background, I (32M) am a car guy. Like, a proper "spend every weekend in the garage covered in grease" kind of guy.
  • It's my thing. My pride and joy is this 1978 Porsche 911 I've been restoring since I was 27.
  • I bought it as a complete rust bucket for a song and spent the last five years and basically every spare penny I had bringing it back to life.
  • We're talking late nights, skinned knuckles, the whole nine yards. This car is my baby. It's not just a thing I own; it's a part of me.
  • Now, enter my brother-in-law, Dave (40M). Dave is... well, he's the kind of guy who thinks the world owes him.
  • He's always made these "jokes" about my Porsche. "You never drive it, you should just let me have it," or "Must be nice to have a toy like that." You know the type.
  • I always just brushed it off. The shit hit the fan last Saturday. We had a family BBQ at our place.
  • Dave, his wife (my sister), and their 16- year-old son, Kyle, were there. Kyle just got his license and has been absolutely relentless about getting a car.
  • Not just any car, a nice car. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. I had the Porsche parked in the driveway.
  • Red vintage Porsche.
  • It was a nice day, I'd just detailed it, you know? I was proud. I went inside to grab a tray of burgers, couldn't have been more than three minutes.
  • When I walked back out, my stomach just dropped. There was Kyle, sitting in the driver's seat of my Porsche, with the biggest, smuggest grin on his face.
  • And Dave is standing right. there, arm around him, and I hear him say, clear as day: "...so that's my big surprise for you, buddy.
  • For your birthday next week. She's all yours!" I felt this cold wave just wash over me.
  • I must have marched over there in two seconds flat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I said, my voice was probably shaking.
  • Dave had the audacity to laugh. "Oh, relax, man! We're just giving Kyle his birthday present!
  • Don't be so dramatic." Kyle chimes in, "Yeah, my dad said I could have it!" I saw red.
  • Giving someone Porsche car keys.
  • I opened the car door and said, "Kyle, get out. Now." I didn't shove him or anything, but I wasn't asking.
  • He got out, sulking like I'd just kicked his puppy. The scene that followed was insane.
  • Dave's wife started shrieking about how I was "humiliating" them. Dave got in my face, all puffed up, saying, "It's a fucking car!
  • You can buy another one! You're really gonna ruin your nephew's birthday over this?" I didn't even argue.
  • I just pointed at my front gate and said, "All of you. Get the fuck off my property.
  • Right now." You'd think I'd murdered someone. The texts started pouring in. My sister sobbing about how I broke Kyle's heart.
  • My mom calling saying I was too harsh, that "family doesn't treat family like that." All the usual guilt-trip garbage.
  • But here's where I might have become the jerk. was still so angry on Monday.
  • I couldn't get Dave's smug face out of my head. He's been chasing this big promotion at his fancy finance job for like two years.
  • A Senior Director spot. And I know the CEO of that company, Mark. We play golf a few times a year.
  • So I called Mark. I didn't scream or yell. I just said, "Hey Mark, this is a weird call, but I feel like you should know something about Dave's character." And I told him exactly what happened.
  • Employee on an important call.
  • I said, "A guy who tries to give away a $60,000 asset that isn't his, who lies to his kid so brazenly...
  • I don't know, man. It just shows a real lack of judgment and integrity. I thought you should know before you put him in charge of more important things." I found out this morning that Dave didn't get the promotion.
  • The official reason was "issues with professional judgment." Now, the fallout is apocalyptic. My sister says I've "destroyed their lives" and that Dave's career is over.
  • My parents are begging me to apologize to "save the family." My wife is on my side about the car, she knows what it means to me.
  • But she thinks calling his boss was a bridge too far, that I should have just let them be miserable on their own.
  • So, Reddit, be honest with me. Am I the jerk here? For protecting my car, and then for burning his career to the ground behind it?
  • An empty garage.
  • FairyGothMommy NTA. I would go scorched earth on him. He (and any who support him) would no longer be allowed on my property. Period.
  • nannymo Nope, not a jerk. Your BIL tried to take something that didn't belong to him. He embarrassed himself.
  • Wandering_aimlessly9 Nta. You did go nuclear but he needed to be put in his place. Personally I would have looked at him and said "I didn't know you made enough to pay 200k cash on your 16 yo's car.
  • diverjeff You did the right thing even the added bonus. Who does he think he is? Tough shit his kids feelings were hurt! Toughen up little buttercup it's a tough world out there. Get a job and boy your own car if daddy warbucks can't afford one earn it like you did. Plus no kid that ages needs a 911. Great job I think you handled all of it perfectly
  • 2015juniper NTJ but I would not have told anyone I called my golf buddy.

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