I will only let certain people drive my car. I let my parents take it for a spin right after I picked it up, and I let my brother drive it. I'd probably one of my friends drive it, but not until he lets me drive his new BMW!

 

My Dad has driven mine. I am happy to have him go for rides whenever I don't have it. He bought me my first car, forced me into learning how to drive standard (now I appreciate it), and has supported me to the fullest in spending all this money on a not-so-practical sports car. My sister is the other person in our family who drives a standard - I will let her drive it when she gets back from her vacation. I don't think she'd actually ever ask though. I have also been driving her GTI before my Z came in, and on the winter days when my Z is not driveable. I don't know if I will let my friends drive it or not.

 

I'd let my aunt and dad drive it, since they showed me how to drive a manual. My mom wants me to let her drive it, but when she test drove a blue one, she couldn't get the car to go, and kept stalling. I'll eventually let her drive it, but right now I'm really scared to, since, I'm not satisfied with the way I drive it. Maybe after I finish breaking it in.

 

Another point to keep in mind, and this is valid if someone else drives your Z on a regular basis (say your wife), is that no matter how good a driver they may be, each person has a different driving style. They may shift at different times and screw with the shifting timing your engine is used to.

I can certainly feel a difference when I drive my Z after my brother has abused it a couple of times, even for a short drives.

Don't let others drive your Z! (unless your life depends on it)

 

not to mention just plain old bad luck. My roommate has been in two multi car accidents commuting during the last month and a half. Both times he had been at a complete stop (that is bay area freeways for you) for several seconds before he got rear ended. The second one was minor, but the first one, he was rear ended, then a second later someone hit the car behind him and pushed him into the car in front, so he got smashed on both ends!

I would be mad enough if this happend to me, but if someone else was driving my car, it would be hard not wonder if it was in some way their fault, even if the police report says otherwise....

 

Went to a party at my wife's cousin's house on Sunday. Two of the male cousins (in their 40s) asked for my keys "so they could see the interior." A few minutes later, my brother-in-law said, "They just drove off in your car."

I didn't say a word, but I was pissed.

When they returned 15 minutes later, the driver said, "That thing is hard to get into reverse. Three times I thought it was in reverse, but it went forward. I almost hit my brother's car."

In other words, this guy drove my car forward 3 times, from a dead stop, in 6th gear!

My wife was deathly quiet on the way home, as she knew better than to take up for those idiots!

 

That's a huge reason why I NEVER let anyone even touch my kets. That totally sucks, though, I hope they didn't hurt your car any. I had one "friend" ask to get her coat out of my car once, and she took off with the freakin' car! Didn't come back for at least 30 minutes. When she got back, she said that she had to show the car to her boyfriend who was totally jealous or some BS like that.

I don't speak with her anymore (not for that reason alone, though), and now if anyone asks to get something out of my car, I go with them. (With the exception of a very small, select group of peopel I know I can trust.)

 

I let my man drive it the other day. We got into a big fight b/c I couldn't hide the fact that I really HATED letting him drive it and that I was sitting in the passenger seat DYING. In my defense, it still has less than 200 miles! I generally don't think he's aggressive or sharp enough in the way he drives, and in my Z it was driving me CRAZY!!!!!!!!! I will probably let him drive it again -- after all, till death do us part -- but hopefully I can convince him to wait until I'm done breaking it in.

I'll probably let my brother drive it tho -- he's an engineer for Ford in Dearborn.

 

heh, i hope my friend doesn't stall his Z coming out of the dealership though he's been practicing on my ranger, which is hardly practice at all cause the clutch is ridiculously easy. i'd like to see what 3x more power to the wheel feels like.

and too all those idiots who stay in one gear the entire way to anywhere, do you enjoy burning gas? shift damn you! that's what the gears are for! it drives me nuts when people shift or hold it at 4-6k when getting around town. then they complain that their car gets **** for gas mileage....stupid stupid stupid stupid.

 

sweet, you have enough power to start in 6th. My ranger would take a **** and go to sleep.

 

I never lend my keys to anyone. If they insist on taking the Z out for a spin, I tag along ... I let a friend of mine drive my Z during the break-in period and had to constantly remind him not to exceed 4000 rpm. I'm pretty sure if I was not there, he would have rev'ed the **** out of it ...

 

I am only letting my 3 best friends in the world take the car out with me. They have all aggreed to teh following terms:

1) we are not going onto any main roads (plenty of straight open backroads out here to get a feel for the car and plenty of twisty curves also)

2) I hold their license and insurance card the entire time

3) if they go over 4000 rpms i get to beat then with an aluminum bat when we get back.

Other then that, my parents have right to take my car out on weekends if they leave me the keys to their vette.

 

I think those are rules we could all live with

I especially like the one about the bat

 

I know who I'll let drive mine and I'm learning who not to let near the keys.

ex. I was out with 2 buddies, one drives a WRX and one drives a company car. Company car guy asks to drive the WRX and the owner agrees knowing that the car would be put through it's paces. Company car guy gets in and starts with a drop clutch start, which only bogs the turbo awd car. The car is pretty thrashed by the time we get to breakfast. The WRX owner is pretty surprised that a friend would have such disrespect for his new car!

Also, I don't ask to drive my friends WRX. I don't think he'll thrash my car, but I don't want to feel like I owe it to him to drive mine.

 

I have a buddy at work who is also a very close friend who seems to have the same problems. From the way he tells it he has been in at least 8 accindents over the past 12 years that I have know him. 3 came within a 6 week period! I wonder if it's his modded A4's fault. The one where the guy was backing up in the Toll booth took the cake. I know this guy is gonna want to drive it eventually, but I am going to have to tell him flat out no!

BTW I've let my Dad, Wife, and Brother all drive my car with no regrets.

 

I was driving my g/f's car while mine was in the shop and the top branches of a tree were blown off by a strong gust of wind (heavy storms the night before). The branches landed mostly on the passenger side ripping off the mirror and antenna and denting the fender beyond repair, not to mention scratching the front bumper.

My g/f gets to drive my car any time she wants cause who knows what will happen when I drive.