u/Consistent_Estate_40

I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/Legal-Importance7999

Originally posted to r/offmychest

My best friend is selling the project car we built together to take his girlfriend to Bali. It's registered in his name

Thanks to u/queenlegolas & u/NumbAsHell1 for suggesting this BoRU

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Original Post (rareddit): June 15, 2026

I am absolutely losing my mind right now and I just need to vent before I do something I permanently regret.

For the past eight months, my best friend and I have been building a project car in his garage. It started as a completely stripped, beat-up chassis. I am the one with the mechanical knowledge, so I did 90% of the actual heavy lifting —building the engine, sorting the wiring, installing the suspension, everything. On top of that, I funded about 80% of the parts because he was short on cash but promised we’d split the profit 50/50 when we flipped it, or just keep it as a track toy.

Because it was his house and his garage, we registered the chassis in his name just to make the initial towing and paperwork easier. Huge mistake. Huge.

The build is finally finished. It looks incredible, sounds insane, and the performance is top-tier. Yesterday, he calls me out of nowhere and tells me a buyer offered him a massive cash deal for it, and he accepted.

I was hyped at first, thinking about our payout. Then he drops the bomb: he’s keeping the entire profit because he wants to take his girlfriend on a luxury vacation to Bali next month. He literally told me, "Well, it’s my garage and my name on the papers, so legally it’s my car. I’ll give you $500 for your trouble."

$500. I spent thousands on the turbo setup, the ECU (editor's note: electronic control unit), and hundreds of hours of manual labor. I literally have grease permanently stained under my fingernails from building his vacation fund.

I don't even know what to do. Legally, I know I’m probably screwed because there’s no written contract, just text messages. I feel completely betrayed by someone I considered a brother.

Relevant Comments

Commenter 1: If you have receipts and text messages stating the money was to be split, you can take him to small claims court. This doesn't require a lawyer or anything and is usually pretty quick. If he doesn't show up, they rule in your favor. He's a terrible friend and I hope after this is all said and done, you never speak to him again. > > OOP: Thank you so much for explaining that small claims doesn't need a lawyer, that actually makes me feel way less overwhelmed. I definitely have the texts where we talked about splitting the profits 50/50 when we finished the build. I'm going to start organizing all the receipts tonight. And yeah, after this, he is dead to me > >> Commenter 2: Be thorough! Make a packet of all the receipts and communications with a table of contents to make it easy to peruse.

Commenter 3: I would definitely let him know that you are planning to seek legal action. Before buying his tickets to Bali you recommend he consults with an attorney because he will owe you a lot more than he realizes.

> OOP: That’s a brilliant point about warning him before he drops all that cash on tickets. I'm honestly terrified of the confrontation because he thinks he completely holds all the cards right now, but maybe mentioning a legal consultation will make him sweat a bit

Commenter 4: A build like that should be documented with videos, Facebook posts.

If you spent money, get the receipts.

Sue him. That's real money and it will be taken seriously.

> OOP: I actually do have a ton of videos and photos on my phone from when we were doing the engine swap, and I paid for the turbo kit on my card, so the bank statements are there. But can I actually sue someone if the car registration is entirely in his name? I'm just so stressed out man, I don't even know how small claims court works😞. >> >> Commenter 5: You absolutely can and have a strong case based on the evidence you have. >> >> Especially if you can ensnare him with some text messages "hey man, I get you wanna take your girl to Bali, but I spent way more than this on the car and rebuild and we agreed to split it 50/50". >> >> Depending on what he says, he can absolutely sewer himself by confirming what you said trying to apologize. >> >> Very shitty friend, but at least you’ll get your money back. A lot of shitty friendships cost people a lot more and they get back a lot less. >>> >>> OOP: That is an incredibly smart move. I actually haven't replied to his last text yet because I was too angry, so I am going to word my next text exactly like this. If I can get him to text back and explicitly admit that we agreed to 50/50, that gives me actual leverage. Thank you so much, I'm literally typing it out to him now

Commenter 6: The parts are yours - he never paid for them. Tell him either to give you a fair share, your parts back, or you'll take him to court.

Small claims is super easy - just paperwork at the local courthouse. In most states you don't even need a lawyer, but it might help you if the value is high enough to justify. We had to take our wedding photographer to small claims, and it was magically resolved after she received a summons.

> OOP: The thought of taking my parts back definitely crossed my mind, but the car is locked in his garage, and I don't want to catch a breaking and entering charge on top of losing my money. Hearing your story about the wedding photographer magically fixing things after a summons gives me a lot of hope though. I'm going to look into the local small claims paperwork first thing in the morning.

Commenter 7: Small claims. Then get a new friend. Also, I draft a bill for your hours put into it at a fair/standard rate to include in your claim.

> OOP: Drafting a bill for my manual labor hours is an incredible idea. If I count up every weekend and late night I spent rebuilding the top end and doing the wiring, even at a basic hourly rate, it easily totals thousands. Adding that to the receipts for the parts should make the claim airtight. Thank you so much for this

 

Update #1: June 16, 2026 (next day)

Update: My best friend is selling the project car we built together to take his girlfriend to Bali. The trap is sprung

First of all, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, and to the people who flooded my chat requests. I’ve been reading through the messages silently—including some actual legal perspectives, but my inbox is a bit overwhelmed right now so I couldn't reply to everyone individually. I felt completely broken yesterday, but seeing so many people in my corner giving solid advice gave me the backbone to actually do something about this.

A few of you suggested that I shouldn't confront him aggressively, but instead text him calmly to try and get him to admit to our 50/50 agreement in writing so I’d have evidence for small claims court.

Well... it worked. Better than I could have imagined.

Last night, I sent him a text. I kept my emotions completely out of it and wrote:

"Hey man, I’m trying to stay calm here. I know the registration is in your name, but we spent 8 months building this together and explicitly agreed to split the profit 50/50. Dropping $500 on me after I built the engine and funded the turbo setup is completely unfair."

He took the bait immediately. He called me twice, but I let it go to voicemail because I wanted everything in text. When he realized I wasn’t answering, he texted back:

"Bro, plans change. I need the cash for the Bali trip with Jess. Yeah, we said 50/50 at the start, but legally it’s my car. Be happy I’m even giving you $500, you don't have a contract anyway so you can’t do anything."

He literally admitted to the agreement while trying to flex that I couldn't stop him.

Once I had that screenshot saved and backed up, I sent my final reply:

"I have the receipts for every single aftermarket part, bank statements proving I bought them, and now I have your text admitting we agreed to split the profit 50/50. I am drafting an itemized bill for my labor hours at a standard shop rate. If you don't freeze the sale and give me my fair share, I am filing a summons for small claims court first thing on Monday. See you there."

He hasn't replied since, but his girlfriend just blocked me on Instagram, so I know he's absolutely panicking right now.

I’m currently organizing all my receipts and printing out the text thread. I will keep you guys posted on whether he folds or if we are actually going to court, but for now, the trap is sprung!

Relevant Comments

Commenter 1: Doing everything via text and ignoring calls was a big brain move. Well done.

> OOP: Thanks. I knew if I picked up the phone, it would just be a shouting match and I’d lose my leverage. Had to get it in writing.🙏🏾.

Commenter 2: Great to see this update. It'd be heartbreaking enough to see all the hard work just disappear without enjoying the car first, then to throw in that he'd rather toss a friend away for a vacation. That sucks man, good luck with this process and fingers crossed it gets sorted soon! I guess at the least you figured out what kind of person he is sooner

> OOP: Thanks. Honestly, that’s the part that stings the most. We spent late nights bleeding brakes, tracking down wiring gremlins, and just talking about how insane it would sound when it finally boosted. To watch him toss all of that away just to flex on a vacation is wild to me. But you're right, better to know who he really is now than later

Commenter 3: Hey just make sure you're super organized and prepared. This sounds like a slam dunk for you, and judges love when someone acts like they care about respecting the courts time.

> OOP: Definitely. I’m currently printing out every single bank statement, receipt, and the exact text thread so it's a completely organized stack. Not trying to waste any time.

Commenter 4: Now his gf is mad at you because you didn't let her bf steal the money from you.

Maybe the idea to sell the car was hers.

If he needs to sell a car to afford vacations, may e it's not a good idea of going.

> OOP: Honestly, wouldn't surprise me if she was whispering in his ear about it. The fact that she blocked me the second I threatened court speaks volumes

Commenter 5: you did good, but I’m really sorry that you’re having to deal with all of this and navigate the legal system right after losing a friend.

> OOP: Thank you, it really is surreal. Trying to navigate the legal side while processing the betrayal is exhausting, but I have to protect myself.

Commenter 6: Very eager to learn how much exactly you spent (parts and labor) on this project that your ex-friend is only offering you $500 for.

> OOP: I'm still organizing the final stack of receipts for Monday, but just the turbo setup and ECU alone ran into the thousands, plus hundreds of hours of heavy manual labor. $500 doesn't even cover a fraction of it.

 

Final Update: June 18, 2026 (two days later)

I honestly didn’t expect my life to become a multi-part drama series on Reddit, but after the insane amount of support on my last two posts, I owe you guys the final conclusion.

To recap: I texted my "best friend" using the advice here, trapped him into admitting our agreement on the project car build, and threatened him with small claims court and an itemized bill for my labor.

Yesterday morning, the pressure finally broke him.

I woke up to five missed calls from his dad. It turns out his dad saw the text thread on his phone (or my ex-friend cracked under pressure and confessed, I'm not entirely sure). His dad is a really hardworking, honest guy, and he was absolutely mortified by what his son tried to do to me.

About an hour later, my ex-friend called me. He sounded completely defeated, no more arrogant flexing, no more "legally it's my car" attitude. He apologized, though it sounded like his parents forced him to do it. Because of the text trap, he knew he was completely cornered. Instead of trying to fight it or sticking to that insulting $500 offer, he agreed that a 50/50 split wasn't fair since I funded almost everything. We settled on an 80/20 split in my favor to cover the turbo setup, all my parts receipts, and the manual labor hours I put in.

We met up at a local bank a few hours ago. I watched the cashier verify the cash for my 80% share, deposited it straight into my account, and walked out.

His trip to Bali with Jess is still happening, but it’s going to be a lot more budget-friendly now that he isn't funding it with my hard work and parts.

As we left the bank, he tried to ask if we were "good." I just looked at him and said, "We’re even on the car, but the friendship is done. Good luck in Bali." Then I walked away and blocked his number.

I lost a brother, which hurts, but I kept my money, my dignity, and my peace of mind. I genuinely couldn’t have done this without the absolute legends in this subreddit who gave me the legal strategy and the courage to stand up for myself.

The money is safe in the bank, the toxic weight is out of my life, and this chapter is officially closed. Thank you all so much!! ❤️.

Concluding Comments from OOP

> OOP: Looking back at everything, what’s honestly so crazy to me is the contrast of human nature. While someone I called a brother for a decade was busy trying to screw me over, thousands of total strangers on the internet were stepping up to protect me for absolutely nothing in return. It’s truly beautiful how people who don't even know my name are willing to give their time, legal advice, and genuine support just to help a stranger stand his ground. You guys showed me more loyalty in 24 hours than he did in ten years. Thank you all, seriously.

 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

My best friend from childhood is getting married. He and his fiancée have been together for about 7 years and planned a destination wedding. They wanted a smaller, more intimate wedding and decided to combine the bachelor and bachelorette party into a week-long trip.

About a year ago, I was told about the wedding and was asked to attend. I was specifically told that both my wife and I were invited. The only thing we would need to pay for was our airfare. Everything else would be covered.

Over the last year, there were multiple conversations confirming that both my wife and I would be attending. Based on that, we requested and received PTO from work, bought plane tickets, and started preparing for the trip. We bought clothes and other things we would need for a week-long destination wedding.

About a month and a half before the wedding, my friend told me there was no longer enough space for my wife. Apparently, she had been cut from the guest list and there was only room for me.

He also mentioned that numerous other guests were upset. Some people had to pay for their own accommodations elsewhere if they want to attend after previously being told they would be covered, and some guests had their invitations revoked entirely because they were over capacity.

I was honestly shocked. I told him that if my wife couldn't attend, then I wouldn't be attending either.

I asked him what happened and why this situation occurred. I wanted an honest explanation. His response was basically that they didn't realize they had a capacity issue until invitations were sent out. I asked how that could happen if they already knew the venue capacity beforehand. He refused to answer directly and kept saying that this wasn't about the guests because it's their wedding.

I told him that while it is absolutely their wedding and their choice, they had set clear expectations a year in advance and repeatedly confirmed those expectations. Now, after people had spent money, used PTO, and made plans, they were changing things and expecting everyone to be okay with it.

He and his fiancée have taken no responsibility for the situation and instead blame the guests for overreacting. He also told me that I was the only one making a big deal about not being able to bring my wife.

To be clear, I never demanded that they reinvite her. I simply told him that if my wife wasn't welcome, I wouldn't be attending either.

AITA for being angry about this and refusing to go to the wedding?

I bought groceries for the house, and after I loaded them into the car, I mentioned that I hope no one snacks on the sandwich ingredients. My reasoning is I often come to find that we have a surplus of bread but no sandwich ingredients. It's annoying because I like to have one for lunchtime. For what it's worth I also bought her saltine crackers, because I know she likes to snack on those.

1 day later, we are going to cook dinner together, but she grabs peppered salami and cheese from the fridge. In good faith I assumed she would make a sandwich for herself considering what I said in the car a day ago, but I see her leaving the kitchen while I am starting the stove. So I ask her to "please don't snack on them, or make a sandwich."

She asks me where the tortilla chips are in response, re-entering the kitchen with her plate, which was a sizable portion for maybe 1 and a half sandwiches (I forgot how much cheese there was).

I direct her to the chips but ask her again, louder because I know my voice is quiet: "I asked you guys not to snack on those, make a sandwich please."

I reach for her plate, planning to offer to make one for her, but she dodges me, and I ask, she replies, saying: "I'm making a moving¹ sandwich." She sat on the couch.

I was getting annoyed at being ignored and joked at, so I finally asked more sternly, "Mom..."

"What?"

"Can you make a sandwich?"

I think she mumbled something, but she might as well ignored me because she did not get up to make one. She was focused on either her tiktok or watching the tv. Or both. She asked if I was watching what was on. I was petty and said yes I am watching it.

For me, I can't do anything if she insists on snacking, so I opted for a silent, even exchange. This is because asking to change the tv show is also a favor. I believe in the golden rule. Ultimately, I live under her roof, so it is her rules, but she's the one who asked.

After a bit she noticed I wasn't watching: "You're not watching this!" (playful tone)

"And you didn't make a sandwich." (sarcastic tone)

She says a few things in protest, but I responded again saying "I asked you guys not to snack on that because it's for making sandwiches."

She gets up telling me "you guys² are so mean" and stomps to her room while tearing up.

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Immediately following, she texts the gc:

Mom: Why are you both even here you don't like me please leave nobody is asking you to stay here

Mom: Not one of you is going to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own house that I pay every single bill for I don't care what it is

I texted back:

Me: all I asked was for you to make a sandwich it is not that scary to do a favor to NOT snack on ingredients that I literally bought for you to make food with ???

Me: you arent omnipotent stop acting like it, respect goes both ways and u can't act like you're being attacked because you do the same³

Me: please I am asking you to think rationally and not with feelings. no one here hates you, you are just stuck in a loop of confirmation bias⁴

Me: there is no reason to make this a power issue

In between, I go to apologize, but her door is locked, so I text again. It stays locked because she is off work, I don't know when she goes out.

Me: I made you food (I made Italian sausage alfredo pasta)

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2 days later, she pops into my room and tells me to move all of the groceries I bought into the second fridge in the garage. I oblige, but first I take my dog outside to pee then back into my room, and she comes by again and starts an argument:

"Tell your friends if they have ever told their mom to make a sandwich"

And something along the lines of "ask your friends if they have ever disrespected your mom like that, make a poll." She stumbled quite a bit so it is hard to know exactly how she was saying it.

She looked upset and made eye contact while saying this, which immediately turned me defensive. I tell her "I didn't TELL you too, I ASKED you, you ignored me." I then explained my reasoning, the same I wrote above earlier. She denies and insists that it was disrespectful and I should never tell her what to do.

There is a back and forth of this until she puts her pointed hand towards me. I instinctively pushed it aside. I hate being touched so I overreacted. (She did not touch me) This caused her to react too, "If you ever put your hands on me like that I will get you put in jail." I am in disbelief and at this point the argument is pretty heated, so I take a few steps back and continue arguing,

"Alright well, sorry, I'm telling you, you are talking over me and I'm trying to tell you that's not what I was meaning to say, you are misunderstanding me."

"Now I'm stupid?"

"I didn't say that. I'm trying to tell you what I meant and you are twisting it. I had a reason and I told you and asked nicely."

She is yelling louder so it is hard to remember exactly, but I know exact sentence fragments: "you're gaslighting me" and "I know what happened" and "you can't manipulate me."

"I asked, and you ignored me. You are twisting the narrative to make me into some evil person."

She says she's done because of the gaslighting and slams her door. I open it and continue to try and talk, telling her that she's "a wall none of us can talk to because you've decided what is and you're always right" but she tells me again that she is done and to "tell your friends, make a poll if you think you're so right."

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I know the way I dealt with this is sub-par, but I honestly feel I was not disrespectful in asking her to make herself a sandwich/to not snack on ingredients.

I'm someone who sees the practical side of things first, so there is a lot of miscommunication because she is the opposite. I feel that I made myself very clear in my intentions but she seems to think I was disrespectful in every manner of the sort. I think she feels I am talking down to her, but I am simply explaining myself through my intentions/reasoning. I don't know how else I should express my feelings or the argument other than fact. There seems to be a difference in what happened vs. what she feels happened. It is frustrating because it's something I can see but not understand because I am not her.

I asked her if she wants to add or change anything to this story, but she declined and also has not read it. When I said I can get her a poll she said "That's all I want," so I'm hoping the input can at least resolve this and get her to start thinking about reconciling my sister (F21) as well.

I know that leaves some context out, but I think it isn't necessary to talk about in detail, since their arguments are similar to this. Just a lot of escalation since they both get very emotional. Also the post would be much longer. Additionally I want advice mainly for this situation, since she wanted a poll for that.

I can't really "make a poll" so I guess the advice I am seeking is how to be more emotionally mature/compatible with my mother so we can stop having petty arguments escalate in this way, and to help her communicate with my sister, who is having the same problem. Then I can take the advice or read some of the comments to her and we can have a more reasonable conversation.

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¹Or walking? I forgot, it was a weird terminology from her that was meant to be in jest, I think I am too young to understand

²My sister (F21) does not have a great relationship with her right now, and I am stuck in the middle of it. Things are very tense between them and it is a vicious cycle that I do not know how to mend on either side. She also lives with us.

³I'm referring to my act of pettiness here, saying I was watching the tv when I was in fact not. She was about to tear up while speed-walking to her room, so I thought she felt attacked when I had done the same thing to her, not willing to grant the favor she asked.

⁴I said this because she once told me if she ends up a grouch that my sister and I should cut her off. I thought about why she said this and I think whatever made her say this is influencing her somehow. Neither of us want to do that.

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TLDR: I bought sandwich ingredients for my family and my Mom decided to snack on them when I asked her not to repeatedly. After being ignored I decided to lie and tell her I was watching the tv, when she realized I wasn't, she got angry and has been giving me a silent treatment. This continued until now when she suddenly burst into my room, starting an argument about how disrespectful I am, and that no one talks to their mother that way, and to ask all my friends if they talk to their mother that way. Since she is the one who asked for input, I wanted to seek out more unbiased sources. How can I resolve this conflict and become more emotionally compatible with my mom so we can stop having petty arguments that escalate?