Proper Car Borrowing Etiquette
Your car is in the shop (or you don’t have one), but luckily a kind friend has let you borrow theirs. Modern Manners Guy has 3 tips to make sure you handle borrowing a car properly.
They say that death and taxes are the only two things that you can count on in life. However, I’d like to add a third: your car breaking down. Even if you don’t have a car and have to rent from time to time, at one point something will happen that will cause you to experience the incredible inconvenience of having to deal with a broken vehicle. And unfortunately, it will happen exactly when you need the car most. Don’t even get me started on how expensive it is to fix that tiny little part…which of course the car company’s helpful warranty does NOT cover. Yes, Modern Manners Guy does not like dealing with car dealers.
But one day, inevitably, you’ll find yourself in such a jam that you’ll need to reach out to a friend or family member to borrow their car.
Proper Car Borrowing Etiquette
Be it for one day or even just one hour, borrowing someone’s car can be a stressful endeavor. If you’re like me, you treat other people’s cars like they’re made out of porcelain, driving super slowly like your great-grandmother and just praying to get from Point A to Point B without damaging anything. I won’t even go into accidentally spilling coffee in the interiors…
So before you rev up the engine, check out my top 3 Quick and Dirty Tips for car borrowing etiquette:
Tip #1 – Return it Better Than You Borrowed it
Yes, we’ve heard this concept before but it bears repeating: if you borrow something – anything – it’s always proper to leave it looking nicer than it was before, which goes double for borrowing someone’s car. I’m not saying you should hand wax it for 5 hours, but a little consideration goes a long way. Next to buying a home, a car is probably the second most intense purchase a person will make in life and because of that, it needs to be treated the same way as you would if you were a guest at someone’s home. I’ve had friends who borrowed my car and returned it looking like they held a rally for Taco Bell and Starbucks (which is a nasty combo, but they didn’t care). Do they expect me to take care of their trash, after they borrowed MY car? Do they think I wouldn’t mind a little nacho cheese stain on my floor? I would, actually.
When borrowing someone’s car, use common courtesy and just keep it clean! So easy, right? Skip your morning coffee in the car. If you have to have it, go to the coffee place early and drink it there…then get into the car. Don’t throw your nasty gym clothes on the seat. Don’t leave receipts or wrappers lying around. And don’t feel like this car is in any way shape or form, your car. You are borrowing your friend’s or family member’s car because you are inconvenienced and you happen to know someone who is so generous that they don’t mind being inconvenienced by you. This isn’t your time to take a joy ride, live it up, or lounge in their car like you were going camping at Bonnaroo.
If you do find yourself treating your friend’s car like a freshman treats their dorm room, you better be prepared to clean it. Even if you don’t make a mess, you should still stop by a gas station and give it a good once over with the vacuum. That’s just one dollar that shows you care. We can all swing that.
Tip #2 – Don’t Dawdle
I let a friend borrow my car for what was supposed to be one afternoon. He had a couple of meetings he had to go to, and I was working from home that day, so it all worked out. Let’s just say, he didn’t stick to his end of the deal. The agreed-upon 5pm return time came and went. Then it turned into 8pm, and then 9pm. And I heard nothing from him. Not even a phone call. At first I was worried, since it’s not like him to be so off the radar and out of touch. Not only was I worried about his safety but I also started to think about the 1988 teen adventure film, License To Drive starring the Coreys (Haim and Feldman), where Haim completely destroyed his grandfather’s Cadillac, that he was supposed to be watching for the weekend. Granted he got the girl of his dreams as a result, but I did not care if my friend was having drinks with the entire roster of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar – I wanted my car back!
Finally, at around 9:30pm, my buddy pulled up to my house as if nothing has happened. He told me that he was going to bring the car back on time but went to the driving range to shoot some balls instead, and then grabbed a quick bite with a coworker. He said this as if it was no big deal. Did he not think I needed the car back for a reason? Or, did he not think at all? Seems like a little of both.
It doesn’t matter what awesome adventure comes your way, while you are borrowing someone’s car, nothing is more important than returning it, in good condition and on time. And even if you are invited to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar launch party, you still have to call and ask if it’s OK to keep the car longer. If they say yes, be over the top grateful. But if they say no, well, guess what? You are out of luck, my friend. Go rent a car next time.
Tip #3 – Fill It Up!
With the price of a gallon of gas these days costing more than a meal at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse, there is nothing more monumental in Car Borrowing Etiquette than not filling up the tank. It’s simple, too. You drive the car for 200 miles, you fill it up. You drive the car for 10 miles, you fill that part up too. I’m not trying to be cheap, I’m just stressing the importance of respecting someone’s property. Okay, so driving 10 miles isn’t really going to affect the gas tank, but you get my point.
A million and one things can happen when you borrow someone’s car and trust me, they are thinking about it when they hand over the keys. So remember: don’t spill, don’t leave trash all over the place, don’t crash it, and fill up the tank.
Do you have a great story about letting someone borrow your car?
Post all the details in the comment section below. As always, if you have another manners question, I look forward to hearing from you at manners@quickanddirtytips.com. Check out my Modern Manners Guy Facebook page, follow me on Twitter @MannersQDT. And of course, check back next week for more Modern Manners Guy tips.
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