Would you let someone borrow your car for $40

[avacado11]

a friend asked to borrow my truck for a 200+ mile round trip tomorrow and offered $40. When I declined he got pissy.

So here’s context:

I’ve got a buddy who sells trailers. He has his own 3/4 ton diesel truck but it’s old and showing its age. Went all winter without 4wd. He just got 4wd fixed and now has a vibration issues after installing new tires(oversized off road). Likely just needs road force but he doesn’t want to fork over the money.

He’s got someone who wants to buy a trailer next weekend. He offered to deliver the trailer 1.5 hours if the deal could be done tomorrow. The buyer agreed.

My buddy, who knows his truck vibrates and doesn’t want to risk shaking the front end apart, asks if I can *call into work tomorrow to run the trailer for him*. Yeah no I only get 2 weeks of vacation per year. So he asks if he can borrow my truck instead. Still no. My truck is a 2nd vehicle and will just be sitting in my driveway tomorrow, but 200+ mile round trip is extra wear & tear on the truck that doesn’t need to be. Not that I really care about wear it’s the principle. I get absolutely nothing out of this deal other than vehicle wear. It’s not even about the money either. I’d run the trailer for fuel and a hot meal if it was my day off.

Mind you I have a 1/2 ton pick up and it’s a 3700lb trailer. Well within tow rating but still extra strain on its 150k mile driveline. I just don’t get it. Last month he asked if I could pull a 4k lb deck over from the bottom of an icy driveway because his 4wd didn’t work. The only way up and out is just speed and momentum. Definitely gonna strain the transmission, might even blow it up. After working an 10 hour shift outside in a snow storm. Even if I was paid money I’m not gonna do it under those circumstances. Too much risk, not much reward.

He’s been talking about buying another truck for this type of stuff but he’s after oddly specific/expensive trucks that he can’t easily afford right now. I brought up the idea of picking up a cheap $10k half ton just for local work but he says he only wants a $60k 2019+ Ram 3500 Longhorn Megacab or a $40k 2018+ F150 Limited.

Does anybody else thing this is insane? Buddy always wants to rush stuff. A lot of these issues could be avoided if he just planned things out a few days but it’s always now or never. He wasn’t like this til he got into the trailer business. And the cherry on top is buddy lives 35 minutes away from me so whenever I go help out it’s over an hour drive round trip.

 

[TomYoung]

Your answer is “no,” and it sounds like the right response to me. You do not need to explain yourself, nor do you owe him this.

 

[Zee09]

$40 is a joke. So no !
I always get people wanting to borrow my mowers. I say no but I will mow it for you no charge if not several acres.

 

[avacado11]

Your answer is “no,” and it sounds like the right response to me. You do not need to explain yourself, nor do you owe him this.

These days seems like I give an inch and he takes a mile. I used to haul motorcycles for him. Local routes on my days off. I didn’t mind it because it was quick and he’d throw me a few bucks + fuel and/or food.

Then it became further and further. Like one time ran out a hour with him to buy a truck but the truck broke down on the way back. Lots of running around fixing his rig on the side of the interstate. Now that I think about it he still owes me $60 in gas from that one lol.

 

[avacado11]

$40 is a joke. So no !
I always get people wanting to borrow my mowers. I say no but I will mow it for you no charge if not several acres.

Out of curiosity I quoted a pick up truck rental out to be $110 otd a day. Frankly even at $100 I wouldn’t want to risk something happening on the road. Just not worth it for me. I’ll run it all day myself but don’t like someone else driving my stuff outside of family.

 

[02SE]

I've had friends in the past that took advantage of my good nature too many times. In a few instances it cost me plenty to repair things that got broken, with no offers of making things right from the 'friends'. I now have better friends.

In short, a simple no should suffice.

 

[carviewsonic]

Except for family, I don’t borrow or lend vehicles, too much (mechanical or accidental) can go wrong.
Your friend is taking advantage of your generosity, whether he realizes it or not.

 

[facility1]

I learned never to borrow anything, sounds selfish but too many times it did not work out, especially a vehicle. Try to offer some sound suggestions?

 

[Lubener]

For liability reasons, I wouldn't loan my vehicle to ANYONE. I would also never ask to borrow someone's vehicle either.

 

[GON]

Two recommended courses of action:

(1) Put the trailer transport on uship, let a transporter do the movement

(2) Take the day off work, and transport the trailer yourself.

Lending your truck to this person, regardless of dollar amount of reimbursement, sound like a not sound course of action.

 

[demarpaint]

Nope, my insurance only allows my wife and myself to drive our cars. Even my son knows when he comes to visit he's not insured, so he doesn't ask. IIRC his car only covers him to drive, so I don't ask him if I can use his car either.

 

[AutoMechanic]

For $40 no way. It’s a good thing you told him no it sounds like.

 

[rijndael]

Nope, my insurance only allows my wife and myself to drive our cars.

What kind of insurance policy is that? Is it sold as a benefit to reduce costs or something?

Insurance typically follows the car because of permissive use clauses. I've never seen one exclude a (legal driver) in a borrowed situation, nor had the option to do that. It's pretty standard that:

1. For a borrowed car, the car owners insurnace is primary
2. The driver's insurance is secondary
3. Some exclusions from 1 make 2 the primary.

Most policies have exclusions for commercial purposes, and that sounds like it would fit the OPs issue. But, no justification is needed. No is no.

 

[Trav]

What about something from Uhaul?

 

[demarpaint]

What kind of insurance policy is that? Insurance typically follows the car, not the driver, and I've never seen one exclude a borrowed situation, unless you're circumventing things like intentionally leaving off someone in your house who's a regular driver. It's pretty standard that:

1. For a borrowed car, the car owners insurnace is primary
2. The driver's insurance is secondary
3. Some exclusions from 1 make 2 the primary.

Most policies have exclusions for commercial purposes, and that sounds like it would fit the OPs issue. But, no justification is needed. No is no.

I have The Hartford, just my wife and I are covered as drivers, that's a fact. I called and asked. Not sure who covers my son. A perk with the Hartford that State Farm didn't have was The Hartford covers rentals with zero deductible, State Farm didn't, if I rented a car when I had SF I'd have to buy insurance for the rental. I don't want to lend my cars out, so not having the coverage makes it real easy, and no means no around here.

 

[John105]

That is strange. I too never thought of this. My buddy used to own his primary house on the shore near Jensen Beach FL. He once griped to me everyone asks to "borrow" his house when he knows they are not home (wife traveled a lot back then and he was between jobs), but not one person so much as offers to contribute for the utilities namely the AC they use. So he said no more. And that included his bros and sister.

Never crossed my mind since I don't borrow houses. But same with cars I guess, why should a person make an offer that would be maybe 1/5 what it would cost to rent a vehicle? Also the liability factor is there. I've never loaned vehicles even back in the 90's. And I have to admit many seemed willy nilly loaning them out, at least back then. I don't know about today. So I would not.

 

[k1xv]

In the early 70s, as a young man, I owned a Chevy Sportsvan with 2 seats, and the rest cargo area. Everybody wanted it to self move things, often with my help. And in law school, I drove 6 friends to Florida for Spring Break.

I finally tired of this, sold it, and replaced it with a passenger car.

 

[John105]

In the early 70s, as a young man, I owned a Chevy Sportsvan with 2 seats, and the rest cargo area. Everybody wanted it to self move things, often with my help. And in law school, I drove 6 friends to Florida for Spring Break.

I finally tired of this, sold it, and replaced it with a passenger car.

At my first job I was in a carpool with 4 other people, and I was the only one who had a car. The straw that broke the camel's back was a woman blamed me for missing work, and my jerk boss also blamed me. The reality is she wasn't there when I went to pick her up, probably too high from the night before.

If we think there are jerks today, I can assure everyone that 35 years ago they had free rein. For example, deciding if PTO were approved or not (for an hourly grunt this meant no pay and not being able to use one's time).

 

[rijndael]

At my first job I was in a carpool with 4 other people, and I was the only one who had a car.

That sounds like you ran an informal shuttle service, not a car pool.

 

[raaizin]

a friend asked to borrow my truck for a 200+ mile round trip tomorrow and offered $40. When I declined he got pissy.

So here’s context:

I’ve got a buddy who sells trailers. He has his own 3/4 ton diesel truck but it’s old and showing its age. Went all winter without 4wd. He just got 4wd fixed and now has a vibration issues after installing new tires(oversized off road). Likely just needs road force but he doesn’t want to fork over the money.

He’s got someone who wants to buy a trailer next weekend. He offered to deliver the trailer 1.5 hours if the deal could be done tomorrow. The buyer agreed.

My buddy, who knows his truck vibrates and doesn’t want to risk shaking the front end apart, asks if I can *call into work tomorrow to run the trailer for him*. Yeah no I only get 2 weeks of vacation per year. So he asks if he can borrow my truck instead. Still no. My truck is a 2nd vehicle and will just be sitting in my driveway tomorrow, but 200+ mile round trip is extra wear & tear on the truck that doesn’t need to be. Not that I really care about wear it’s the principle. I get absolutely nothing out of this deal other than vehicle wear. It’s not even about the money either. I’d run the trailer for fuel and a hot meal if it was my day off.

Mind you I have a 1/2 ton pick up and it’s a 3700lb trailer. Well within tow rating but still extra strain on its 150k mile driveline. I just don’t get it. Last month he asked if I could pull a 4k lb deck over from the bottom of an icy driveway because his 4wd didn’t work. The only way up and out is just speed and momentum. Definitely gonna strain the transmission, might even blow it up. After working an 10 hour shift outside in a snow storm. Even if I was paid money I’m not gonna do it under those circumstances. Too much risk, not much reward.

He’s been talking about buying another truck for this type of stuff but he’s after oddly specific/expensive trucks that he can’t easily afford right now. I brought up the idea of picking up a cheap $10k half ton just for local work but he says he only wants a $60k 2019+ Ram 3500 Longhorn Megacab or a $40k 2018+ F150 Limited.

Does anybody else thing this is insane? Buddy always wants to rush stuff. A lot of these issues could be avoided if he just planned things out a few days but it’s always now or never. He wasn’t like this til he got into the trailer business. And the cherry on top is buddy lives 35 minutes away from me so whenever I go help out it’s over an hour drive round trip.

Get a new "Buddy" he seems more like a dependant!