I got the following email from a friend today:
Hey Seine,
I’ve got a favor to ask: can you lend us your car this Saturday to go to NE Mountain? I think that right now, we are all planning to go so we can’t all fit in one car. What’d be even better is if you can come too. You said you probably can’t make it, but it sounded like you could be swayed. Haha. Let me know what you think. Bye!
-Snow Friend
He, his brother, roommate, and girlfriends are all going skiing/snowboarding this weekend. I can't go because I'm still coughing up a storm from having been sick for almost three weeks now (I first got sick on that 3-day weekend trip, got better, then sick again before I fully recovered from the first bug).
I thought this request was rather out of line, but I didn't know how to tell him no. Am I being too sensitive about my car? I am fairly protective--I'm never comfortable lending my car to anyone besides Broadway. One friend in particular has borrowed it a couple of times when he needed to buy huge quantities of groceries for a party. Both times, I was uncomfortable, but lent it to him because it was easier than saying no. The grocery store is only 5-10 minutes away, so it didn't seem to be too big of a deal.
Lending my car to Snow Friend to drive two hours to a mountain is way beyond my comfort zone, but I didn't know how to say no. I wrote back with a made-up excuse about needing to go with to the 'burbs with recently engaged friend to check out shoes and accessories for her wedding, and she doesn't have a car. That's a complete lie--I have no plans for Saturday--but I just didn't know how to say "I'm not comfortable lending you my car."
This is the third friend who's asked me to borrow my car for various reasons (two requests were for out-of-town trips). Do friends commonly share cars in cities? I feel like I wouldn't ever ask and put a friend in this position, especially not when my travel needs aren't local. That's kinda why companies like Zipcar exist.
But am I being too uptight?
4 comments:
I think that request is completely out of line, and if you nicely said that you weren't comfortable with it, I can't imagine your friend taking offense.
Insurance rates are crazy to begin with, and if anything happened when your friend was driving...what a nightmare! It would be so hard and uncomfortable to sort out responsibility. It is really too much to ask!
PS...This week while I was home sick I found a link to your blog from another that I read. I really enjoy reading your writing!
Nope, not being uptight at all. After all, you're not a rental service. An easy way to tell them is to say that your car isn't insured for anyone else to drive it but you and, boom, you're out.
And since I'm not reading this until Sunday, I hope you'll post what you ended up doing...
This is why people who don't have cars RENT cars.
I lent my car twice. I could give you the links to show you how my car came back after those 2 times...
Bad idea.
It's your car.
It's not a toy...
i agree with the general idea here...borrow a pair of shoes? sure why not...but a car is a whole other ball game...the request is totally out of line.
Post a Comment