Have you had your dad check the MAF sensor? Often, a MAF sensor wire can get dirty and cause a car to operate poorly or not at all. A can of cleaner is $10. Checking it is free though - have him unplug the wiring harness from the MAF sensor and see if the car runs/starts better.

Additionally, your throttlebody is probably rather clogged and ought to be cleaned while you're messing around with the MAF anyway. they sell TB cleaner right next to the MAF cleaner.