Ok...here's the scoop. I've had my beautiful red PriWee less then a week and I leave for vacation this Saturday. I'll be gone a full seven days. I really don't want to leave my car though I really need to get away. To make matters worse, I told my daughter she could drive it back and forth to work. She travels 50 mi each way so my initial thought was that it would save her $ on gas. Now I'm having terrible second thoughts!!! Does this make me a bad person???
When it comes to MY car, NOBODY drives it but me. You can drive my truck, You can ride my motorcycle (if you have a license) but you cannot drive MY car, Heck I'll even let you fly my plane (If I'm in it). It's mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.
Depends on her age and how responsible she is. Personally, I wouldn't let her drive it. Heck, it's brand new!
If you let her drive your Prius, you will never get it back, unless you hire a lawyer. Then you will have two women against you - your wife and your daughter. Next thing you know you will be eating old hot dogs and stale donuts from the local 7-Eleven and sleeping all by yourself in the garage where you use to park your Prius. Good Luck, Keith
I can definitely see both sides. I used to be very anal about my car. But that's all it is, is a car. If you trust your daughter to drive it and it will be beneficial for I don't see why not. Remember, what goes around comes around.
I agree with the advice to let her drive it if she is responsible. If she is driving 50 miles each way to work, she probably is. Another factor is whether you can go on vacation and not dwell on it. If you will be worrying the whole time, then don't do it. If you do let her drive it, I would warn her not to watch the display too much, it can be distracting. Tell her just to drive and enjoy it.
This is funny. I understand family ties, she's your daughter and all, but I also admit if I was in your place? I think I'd spring for a rental car for my Daughter and go for some extra gas, before I'd leave my brand new car in anyone elses hands. Now you are going to be thinking about it the whole time you are on vacation. Nah, it's not crazy, family bonds or not, I think owners of new cars deserve to be the person who drives them when they are brand new. I'd just be honest about it, tell her it's a Prius, brand new and you'd like to be the one to break it in...listen for sounds, determine if there are any problems. Then if you want to be nice, offer to rent her a car for a week. I think I'd understand if I was the son or daughter.
Do you trust your daughter to treat your car at least as well as you would treat it? And is she a good enough driver that you feel you can trust her to not unintentionally damage the car? These are the basic questions I would ask myself anytime anyone wanted to borrow my car. Yes, she is your daughter, and it is just a car. As much as "just" applies to a ~$30,000 piece of equipment. I love my niece, but she has a history of getting into accidents, so I probably wouldn't loan her my car. Another important question: Does she have insurance that would cover her driving your car? Or is she covered under your insurance?
FIRST, give her the following WARNINGS: * Multiple people have been murdered after incidents of Road Rage involving Prius's. * Prius's Hybrid Battery's are notorius for falling out and leaving the driver stranded. * 0-60 times for the Prius are in the 1-2 hour range, so NO Drag Racing. * For her not to become accustomed to the milage, you will fill the tank when you return, and she MUST pay QUADRUPLE the amount it takes to fill the tank. * Prius use the NEW Solid Rubber Tire's (just introduced for 2010) so the ride is not TERRIBLY comfortable. * and finally, any Taco Sauce, McDonals's French Fries or Duncan Doughnut Holes found in the Interior, are grounds for Imprisonment for LIFE. Other than that...she's MORE than welcome to drive it, and Oh Yeah, have a nice vacation! David (aka Blind Guy)
I am replying to your thread because i encountered the same scenario in 2008 when my son wanted to borrow my brand new 2008 LS3-powered Victory Red C-6 Corvette to attend high school prom. Like you i posted on Corvette forum with over 350 replies. Now before i don a flame suit i am in NO WAY comparing a third gen prius with a new vette. However there are similiarities that are worth noting. #1 will always be safety - her the familiarity with the vehicle and how some other drivers have odd behavior around a prius on the road. #2 Her responsibility and trust factor - only you can honestly answer that for you are her parent and know her better than any poster will ever. #3 - the area where she will park the vehicle i.e. vandalism, theft. I ended up denying my son the Vette because it was a 6spd manual and he just did not get the shifting down although he could drive my 5spd dodge ram with no problem. Other than that I would have trusted his judgement along with the degree of risk.
