Loaning out your high MPG car
 

I know some folks on here don't like letting their spouse drive their car because it looks poorly on their gas log, but what about loaning others your car because it's going to get better mileage then their other options?
I'm thinking about this because I haven't seen my Civic VX in 3 days, a friend of mine took it to a family event that is about 200 miles away and their two options were an Acura Integra (25-30mpg) that has 350,000 miles on it and a few issues or a Chevy S-10, also with a few issues and is at best getting 25mpg, my last few tanks of gas were 50 to 55mpg and I didn't need to go any place that was out of the 35 mile range of my little electric car this weekend so it seemed like the best way to save gas was to let them take my car, right?
It's along the same idea of a shared pickup truck, not everyone needs a truck so if you have a pickup truck why not loan it out to those who need it so they don't have to pay for gas, upkeep and so on on the beast and if they are nice folks they return it with a full tank of gas and maybe some beer or cookies.

The only way to let them see it is the car and engineering and not the driver is to let them drive it. Sure they won't get the same mileage as the guy who drives it every day and has a routine of fuel saving hooks. But even the stock mileage is so much better than their usual ride . . . enjoy and let the technology sell itself.

Bob Wilson

I would think a decent running Integra would do better than 30mpg, but you said it has issues. That said, at 350k miles, what's a couple hundred more? I would push for 400k!

Well I agree with all the points mentioned, and I lend out everything I own. This includes my truck, motorcycle, car, house, money, etc, etc. If we are talking about efficiency, does it really make sense that every person have their own lawn mower when it only gets used once a week, for example?

I've talked to my best friend about this before, and if we end up living near each other in the future, we will share everything but wives. Not so much to save the planet, if there is such a thing, but instead to live twice as wealthy.

It most likely will last till 400,000 miles as this friend plans to keep that car until it wears out, but why not get an extra 20mpg out of driving my car instead?

I've been working on doing the same thing, my brother bought a house yesterday that is a block away, there is no reason for both of us to own a mower and snow blower, two pickup trucks that we can borrow are another block away and I have a garage with a hand full of bicycles that get loaned out all of the time.

There are insurance issues to consider and during warm-up, the car is not going to be very efficient. So I typically drive to a low-traffic area, much like I would do with any new driver, so they can learn the car without having to deal with traffic. So we go over:

• hybrid threshold - the critical speed that allows the engine off
• engine auto-off - showing how the car stops the engine by itself
• normal regenerative braking
• hard braking - the car is safe

Depending upon their comfort level, I let them drive us back to work. So I RESET the trip meter so they can see what they get driving back to the office.

Bob Wilson

I was mostly being facetious about driving the Integra, and I know sarcasm doesn't translate on the web. If I were driving a V8 or other gas hog, I would probably ask to borrow your car. However, driving an Intregra a few hundred miles doesn't sound too bad to me.

It's neat that you are able to share things with your brother. I'm assuming you get along with him well enough that there won't be problems with sharing those things you mentioned?

To really share the way I envision, it takes the type of personality that doesn't keep score or take account of every debt. If my friend ends up with a little more than I, then I consider it not a loss, but a gain. Of course, I don't tolerate people who abuse the things I share.

No way ANYONE will 'borrow' my car!

It's my first ever 'brand new car' and at 40, I waited long enough, so no one will spoil her but me.

The manual glow plug switches and 2 manual fan switchs in my diesel have been enough to scare every one away so far.

But, you drive a used car.

I'll take a crack at 'er.