Prom car issues

[Donut22]

Aibu to drive my son to prom.... Bear in mind he is happy with this, he isn't a flashy person he would hate to be the centre of attention and also I haven't got the funds!!
I was speaking to someone out side the school yesterday and it's just bothered me I said I was taking him, her reply was "well I got my girl a Lambo" 🙄am I really going to be the only parent to drive their child to school in our normal car? It's an old car but still looks ok with a carwash 😅

Wouldn't most kids rather have the Lambo hire money to spend on drink other things?

Most round here just arrive in their parents' cars, although there's always a couple of tractors and at least one mobility scooter.

When ds had his prom I drove him and his girlfriend of the time in my Landrover. But there was a massive range from horse and carriage/ super cars/ limos to traction engine (his dads), farm ATVs, tractors and there is always someone who rides to prom on their horse. Lots of kids quietly dropped off in the carpark too

We put a ribbon on our car and drove them in that 😂

We nipped to the supermarket yesterday which is next door to the local secondary school as we didn't realise it was prom night and it was teeming with sports cars, limos, we're in the south west so a few kids were in cherry pickers and tractors too. This is a standard state school in an average area. If your son is happy and you're happy absolutely don't bother with hiring a fancy vehicle, I'd feel it's a lot of money, but a lot of kids (or rather parents) do go all out on the transport at a lot of schools if that sways your decision.

I didn't see a single fancy "prom car" at DD's prom last night. She travelled in a Ford 😂

My DH took our DD in our car, a very normal BMW. He did take it through the car wash. She didn't care.

Yes you have those who turn up in fancy cars that cost an extortionate amount but I'm unsure why, unless a group goes together to carry the cost. It's literally what, ten minutes tops?

I don't get all this Americanism of school leaving. What was wrong with a leavers disco? None of this stupidity over huge dresses. Especially when some won't go because it's such a big cost in a time when many are struggling.

DS didn't go to his this year because it was £55 a ticket! For that you got to go, have one "free" soft drinks and some nibbles. What with the suit, the shoes, and drinks he didn't bother. As he said, he would be paying that for food he probably couldn't eat due to allergies, a suit for him with a 30" waist and 6ft 3 height would be "a ball ache" and music he isn't a fan of.

Instead, he's having some mates round whom also didn't go, along with mates from his old school (he switched for year 11 due to having enough of bullying and disinterested teachers) for a gaming evening and pizza, which he's making himself. Far more his thing.

Agreed. The limos, orange make-up and OTT outfits are often in poorer areas.

Yes, dropped kids off to a prom last night and we had all this type of thing - lots of totally normal cars, fancy sports cars, kids sticking out of the sun roof on big chunky suvs, tractors, a huge great fire engine, gold wrapped range rover, golf buggies, a hired rolls, a tuktuk, and a great big moving van with 6 kids in the back. Everyone cheering and whooping. The head of year was opening the doors of all the cars for them as they arrived.

It’s all fine - a normal washed car is great! Plus a bunch of kids just walked around the corner to avoid the big queue of cars dropping off.

I’ve been worrying about this too OP. We would have dropped DD off in our old VW van but there’s been a delay at the body shop (welding all the holes) so we won’t have it in time. The FB photos from friends in other schools have started and I’ve seen several posh hire cars from quite normal families. My DD isn’t at all flash and hasn’t asked for a flash car. We’ll stick a ribbon on DH’s vintage, budget hot hatch.

I am worried we’ve underestimated prom all together but DD has dress, shoes, I’ve booked a blow dry. She doesn’t want her make up done. She seems happy.

My DD was at her’s last night. They all went by bus! 😂

@Donut22 I just handed my son my car keys!! (he had passed his test the month before!) it was a new car anyway and he was thrilled to be allowed to drive him and his girlfriend to their prom!

When my year group had their prom, there was an ambulance, an ice cream van, a number of large and noisy cars and a cherry picker, which the driver operated to rise and fall as it went through the town.

I dropped my son round the corner in my ancient Nissan Micra.
It almost ticked the reverse snobbery box, but not quite!

Chauffeur driven in a £300k eco friendly vehicle

Perfect.

Wouldnt worry I saw one other day it was a gold plated effect discovery and I will be honest it looked horrendously tacky

It's gone the other way around here, limos are seen as a bit tacky so it's normal cars or quirky classic vehicles.

This is year 11 presumably? I ask as the year 6's seem to be doing 'prom' these days .... a friend was telling me her DS's school are charging £150 a ticket 🙄

Glad to see a mix of expensive cars and normal, most people I know have gone the expensive route but they can afford it. I'm in the UK (bedfordshire) I'm sure my little car will be fine it was just the way she said it 🙄

DD's proms were in hotels, so not at school, therefore no dropping off to waiting parents and kids. Most went by taxi or parents cars, as no need for anything stand out, as no-one watching! Thank goodness.

Well, DS's (bog standard comprehensive) school is notorious for the over the top prom arrivals---sportscars, limos, someone last year came in a helicopter.

He outright refused to get involved in any of the one-upmanship, so bowed out and had a nice evening out with his mates instead.

I am an Americans and even our proms are nothing like the overblown parties I now see happening here in the UK, especially considering American prom tends to be for 17/18 year olds, and not barely 16s.

Well this thread is an eye opener to me.
Yet another example of materialism gone mad.
Yet another way to make people feel bad if they haven't got as much money as every one else.
Why do people buy into this ?
Good on you OP if you use your own car, especially as your DS is OK with it. Shows you have brought him up correctly and he has enough self confidence not to be bothered by others ostentatious behaviour.

It's always all over Facey B at this time.of year. Parents begging strangers to provide a flash car to ferry their offspring to the Prom. One more imported tradition from the States which needs stamping on.
Parents having to bankrupt themselves so their kids don't get picked on.
Bloody ridiculous I say, bloody ridiculous!!

I'm in North Yorkshire and it's part of the prom experience at our local schools for everyone 'arrive' in front of the school and have photos taken. Everyone watches and cheers for each arrival and lots of local people go and watch the fun. This year there were plenty of tractors, sporty cars, classic cars, normal family cars, bikes, horses, lorries, camper vans, a segway and a parade of mobility scooters. I don't think that anyone had hired a car especially for the occasion but I'm sure lots of people had called in favours from friends and family.

I am eternally thankful that so far 2/3 of my children have eschewed prom shenanigans (one anti-social, the other autistic and didn’t see the point of spending five hours with people he didn’t like). The other one is only in year 7, so there’s a way to go before another decision gets to be made. Should it be a yes to prom, it will be either family car, or taxi.

No fancy cars for DS’s prom yesterday (SE grammar school). I drove him and his mates in my car.
I had no idea was a Lambro was either until I googled it.
is this woman a bit chavvy?

I can tell it's that time of year where I lice, when we start getting the begging messages on the local fb groups and on my classic car club page.
All along the lines of 'oh darling daughter has had her perfect prom car cancelled , can anyone help for free and make her day and take her in their x, y, z car' (always very expensive ones or a classic).

No one seems to understand you need different insurance for it that classic car owners don't tend to have. Think there's about 15 messages on our local little classic car group at the moment.

Think I bundled in my friend's mum's car when we went.

On the other hand I would take my daughter if she was old enough in a classic, mostly as that's what I own and anyone would choose a mini over a clapped out 20 year old Corsa.