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  1. #1
    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default Do you let friends borrow your car?

    I'm just curious. A friend asked to borrow our minivan to pick up a large piece of furniture. I'm totally fine with it. I trust these people, they're good friends, they are safe drivers, they have never asked before and are not the type to take advantage of favors, and if something were to happen they'd go out of their way to make it right as best as they could. To me worst case would be sorting through insurance and being inconvenienced by only having one car should the borrowed one get wrecked.

    DH isn't comfortable with it because of the chance that something could happen and the inconvenience it would be to us (basically unwillingness to take the risk - and there's nothing wrong with that). But he won't say "no" because he doesn't want them to think he's always the one to say no. (For background, he's the one who is always more likely to say "no" - for example "No, I don't want your out of town friends staying the night that I get back from a business trip because I want to come home to a quiet house", etc. He's definitely way more uptight about these things and yes, I'd agree with him that it appears that he's the one to always say no but what can I do about that? That's just the way things are....sorry that's a tangent!)

    Anyway, it just got me wondering - are you comfortable with letting friends borrow your car on rare occasions?

  2. #2
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Yes and we've borrowed their car. Friends have 2 kids, we have 1, so if take their 2 girls somewhere, it's easier to swap cars. She gets our Prius and we take her van. The chance of something happening while they have the car are pretty slim I feel. And we both have insurance and would make sure the other family wasn't left to pay for any damage.
    Last edited by niccig; 06-01-2012 at 01:06 AM.

  3. #3
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    Yes I would let friends borrow our cars. In my world view, we have insurance and I'm just not that worried. If I had some specific reason to worry about a specific friend (history of lots of accidents, etc), that would be different.

    Catherine

  4. #4
    Binkandabee is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    We've let a friend borrow our pickup for several days. We weren't a bit worried and it came back to us in better condition than we gave it to him in...he changed the oil and all the belts!
    DD 07/03
    DD 07/08
    Our family is complete!

  5. #5
    ahisma is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    We haven't had occasion to do so but I would be okay with it.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by crl View Post
    Yes I would let friends borrow our cars. In my world view, we have insurance and I'm just not that worried. If I had some specific reason to worry about a specific friend (history of lots of accidents, etc), that would be different.
    I can't remember the last time I was asked but this is my feeling too. My friends are all pretty responsible.
    Mommy to my wonderful, HEALTHY twin girls
    6/08 - Preemies no more!

  7. #7
    s7714 is offline Ruby level (4000+ posts)
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    I think we're the opposite. DH would and has let friends borrow his car. I don't and wouldn't. I also would never ask to borrow a friend's car excluding an extreme emergency. I would offer to drive to the place, let them load it and then drive them where ever if it wasn't an inconvenience.
    Jen

  8. #8
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    Yeah, I'm okay with people driving my car. My general thought is that I'm insured, and I'm not loaning it out to "just anyone." I do completely understand your DH's reservations, though. In essence, you are loaning your friend a $xx,xxx piece of machinery!

    I let one of my good work friends borrow my car when she needs it and doesn't have her car. My coworkers let me use their cars as well. My sister will have my car part of the time when she comes for an extended visit; she actually has no choice--I'm not allowed to drive the day of my procedure, and she's volunteered to be my escort. I still borrow XSO's car when I have a reason to need a "nice" car... and I can't count the number of times, after the separation even, that XH lent me his vehicles for assorted reasons (needing space, moving, my car died, etc).

    Yes, it's a "big" thing to loan out. But for people you know well that are low-risk, I'm okay with it. (But, that still does nothing to make your DH more comfortable with the idea!)
    --Mimi
    Mom to Lala (2004), Bonus Mom to Big Sis 1 (1991) and Big Sis 2 (1992)
    Grammy to Big Kindy Kid (2011), Big Pre-K Kid (2012),
    Grandbaby Appendage (2014), and New Baby Grandboy (summer 2017)

  9. #9
    kijip is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    We have swapped cars with people when we swap babysitting. Meaning that if they are dropping off 2 kids to head out on a date, they leave their minivan with us if we are planning on taking the kids somewhere and they take our Camry. Other friends, we have 2 kids and they have 1 and drive a Honda Fit. If they are watching the boys, we take their Fit and leave them the Camry because they can go three across in the Camry but not the Fit. We have also lent our car to a neighbor without a car who needed to do some car errands- ie the bus was impracticable or impossible. It was at our suggestion.

    There is a large van my friend kept mainly to help people move. We have borrowed it a bit. When it died (it was nearly 30 years old), more than 30 people commented on it on Facebook because they remembered using it for some group trip or big move or holiday toy drive etc.

    One person and my dad have put some scratches in the paint (nothing serious or body shop worthy). I really don't care. It's a car. If they crash it, we have insurance for a reason. Thus far never had any issues.
    Last edited by kijip; 06-01-2012 at 01:43 AM.
    Katie, mama to a pair of boys.

  10. #10
    cntrymoon2 is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    It makes me really uneasy. I've done it before and I've driven other people's cars, but I just hate everything about it. It would be such a headache if there were an accident.

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