Mom forces 17-year-old son to sell the $70K vintage car he inherited from his grandpa because the other grandchildren only got $4K in inheritance: 'The money can be distributed equally amongst the grandkids. The way it should be.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Feb 27, 2026 8:00 AM EST

He shouldn't have to sell the car because it hurts his family member's feelings. 

Inheritance is one of those things that is not frequently discussed in polite society, and for good reasons. It's kind of a morbid reality that fortunate young people can come into a great sum of money after the passing of their grandparents or parents. No aging person wants their kids and grandkids to be waiting around for them to pass away, hungry to get a piece of the fortune they've been building up over the years. Putting a monetary value on your relationship with your familial elders eats away at your soul. It's best to try and enjoy the time you have with your elders for as long as you can, because once they're gone, you'll finally know that their presence was worth more than all the money in the world. 

If you come from a family without generational wealth, you might feel bitter about people who are able to finance their entire life on windfalls from inheritance. After all, someone who gets $2M from an eccentric uncle didn't work hard to achieve their riches. Even if they had a close relationship with their late family member, that's not tantamount to doing the amount of work it would take to make $2M from nothing. Inheritance only really benefits the people who were set up to succeed in society from the day they were born. A ton of people who receive inheritances had their college tuition paid for by their parents, grew up upper-middle class, and would've been well-off financially even without receiving life-changing amounts of money from a loved one beyond the grave. 

The truth is that nobody is entitled to anyone else's money. It doesn't matter how much they think they deserve that money. It certainly doesn't matter how much extra money someone has to give. Any money that anyone gifts you should never be seen as a guarantee. You're not entitled to more money just because you don't think the amount of money you inherited is "fair." Life isn't fair, and neither is death.

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  • 1965 Mustang parked outside on top of leaves on the sidwalk
    via Theodor Vasile

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I the bad guy for forcing my son to sell the car he is inheriting?

    This didn't happen yet but my whole family is fighting over this. I'll try to make this as short as possible.
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  • My father passed away in December. He owned a classic car. I believe it's a 50s Chevy bel air.
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  • My son (17) is the only grandson he had. I have one sister who has 2 daughters, and I have 2 daughters along with my son.
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  • So there are 5 grandkids in total. My dad was never much of a girls guy.
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  • He always got along with the boys more than the girls. Him and my son were very close.
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  • Happy senior man and his grandson standing by fireplace with buring firewoods while getting warm on cool autumn day by country house
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • He has left the car to my son in his will. The rest of the grandkids got $4,000 each.
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  • The vehicle is valued at over $70,000. My sister is LIVID, I am very unhappy as well.
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  • It's just blatantly unfair to his 4 other grandkids. I don't understand the legality of the situation because it was left to him but he is currently underage.
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  • The car is currently held at my moms house. I don't know how to force him to sell it, but I think that is what should happen and the money can be decided equally amongst the grandkids.
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  • The way it should be. My son is very upset about this, he says grandpa left him the car so it's his car.
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  • I have money saved for his college, I am almost considering telling him that his college money will be divided up amongst his sisters and cousins if he refuses to sell the car.
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    Am I the bad guy?

  • Aggressive-Bed3269 I absolutely cannot understand the "unfair" inheiritance people. THE POINT OF A WILL IS NOT A FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS. The point of a will is so a persons assets and belongings go where THEY WANT THEM TO. Your father made his decision and you and your sister are a hles from trying to force equality instead of honoring your late. father's wishes. You're doubly an a hole for looking for ways to "force him to sell it" and threatening his college education over it. What the f
    via u/Aggressive-Bed3269
  • Squiggles567 YTA. Your son is entirely correct. It's not up to you to distribute his property and subvert his grandpa's wishes. You are supposed to act in your son's best interests. How would those be served by your plan?
    via u/Squiggles567
  • CassieW309 YTA >My son is very upset about this, he says grandpa left him the car so it's his car As he should be. That car was left to him specifically. Regardless of how your other relatives feel, fairness isn't legally binding in a will. If you make him sell that car - good luck with dealing with years of resentment.
    via u/CassieW309
  • Neptune_trace Why do you hate your only son so much? YTA
    via u/Neptune_trace
  • Shallow focus photograph of three woman standing among trees
    via Blake Cheek

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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inheritance car boys grandchildren Grandpa mom money vintage son selling
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