Regarding wanting family members car?

[nighttimebrowser]

My grandmother recently gave up driving due to an eye condition and she has a lovely, new-ish small car that runs well.

My mum mentioned it to be and I casually said 'oh so what's she doing with the car?' and was told that it's being given to my cousin as he's having a baby in the October w/ his GF.

Bit of background, all us grandchildren (3- me, my sister & my cousin) are of driving age, my cousin & I are in our 20's.

I got my driving license recently and have been looking around for a car that's a good price, and is in good condition & I was 100% planning on paying for the car if it was available.

It's worth around £1500 & been given completely free to my cousin, who doesn't have a license and has failed the test a fair few times & doesn't have a job. (Apparently my aunt is going to be paying for it for him).

AIBU to be a bit upset? Here I am with a job, actual driving license the money to buy the car & pay for petrol, insurance regularly & everyone knows I've been looking for an affordable car.

My cousin has had everything given to him, they haven't bought anything for the baby themselves, GF doesn't have a job & hasn't for the entire 2 years I've known her & my cousin doesn't have one either (though has been struggling to find one). They are both going to be living w/ GF's family when baby arrives.

I know that having a car can be helpful when you have a baby but it's definitely not a necessity, especially when neither can afford to pay for it let alone provide for their own child. When I say everything has been brought for them, I mean everything! All brand new too courtesy of GF's family.

I wouldn't buy it off him either, I'd rather spend the money on bus fare than give those two cheeky fuckers any more.

Just buy a different car op and watch that car rot on their drive way.

Does your cousins girl friend have a full clean driving licence that she has held for at least here years and is she over 21? If not she won't be able to accompany him when he is driving the car. Perhaps she can't drive either? If this is the case they might be interested in you offering them a cash purchase rather then have the car sitting doing nothing, and paying road tax if it is parked on a public road.

Do they know how much the insurance will cost for learner drivers?

They also cannot legally drive it without a qualified driver and even when one or the other passes...the insurance will cost more than the car.

I'd ask them if they've managed to get any quotes, as you're looking out for a good deal in case you get a car.

It might shock them.

It can't be that new if it's only worth £1500. That's the almost rock bottom end in second hand sales. You have likely dodged a bullet.

Definitely not new if it's only worth £1500 I just sold a 12 year old Mini Cooper for more than that!

@Eliza9919 Thank you! I know right.

@viques as far as I know she can't drive/doesn't have a license.
My cousin doesn't even have a license yet!

@SandyY2K Their parents are paying for everything to do with the car, upkeep etc as neither work. I don't think they have any idea of how much cars cost to run/insure and how much was actually spent kitting their baby out!

I'm sure they will get a shock (if and when) one of them gets a job and has to take over paying.

The more you do for people the less they do for themselves. You’ve learnt and seen with your own eyes.

@englishdictionary You think? It's a great car & has had recent successful MOT. Hence why I was interested & thought it was new when she got it!

A very close family member got given a car worth several thousand whereas DH and I bought our car so I could get to work. We had to take out a small loan to do so, so I totally get how annoyed you are. We've moved away as it really does affect relationships.

However, they have a car that they didn't choose. We have a car that we chose, it is low mileage, fairly new and zero car tax. It isn't a fancy model (unlike theirs) but the ongoing costs are better suited to us. I guess what I'm saying is, that despite it being a kick in the teeth, it is usually better to buy what you want taking into all consideration everything that you need. Maybe continue to save to increase your budget, or depending on things, shop around for a competitive loan.

@Inliverpool1 So true. I'm sure we'll see a proposal in the next year which will likely be followed by a wedding completely unpaid for by them.🙄

How old are they OP?

Its at least 3 years old then if it needs an mot

@PurpleCrazyHorse That's a good point actually, I could save more and increase my budget. I'm only 22 so didn't want to take out a loan honestly especially as I'm looking to buy with my DP in the next year or so and we'll want a mortgage.

@Eliza9919 24&25, I'm 22.

@araiwa Ah, must have been brought second hand then. Unbelievable as it's such a nice car!

Well if she doesn't have a licence and he doesn't have a licence then having the car makes no sense at all unless her parents are willing to drive them everywhere in it or accompany them as learner drivers. As I said before they would probably be willing to take a cash offer, I know you said you don't want them to have your money but if it is a good little car then you are cutting off your nose to not offer to buy it.

At the very least make sure your granny has transferred the ownership properly, otherwise she is still responsible for the car, making sure it is taxed, paying penalty charges etc.

You can get a decent car for cheap.

My first car (10yrs ago, so not like the 80's or anything) was 350 and lasted 5yrs. It was an elderly man's 2nd car and I bought it off a mechanic that bought it for his niece but she didn't want it because she's have had to pay an admin fee to change it on her insurance.

So if you search around you can get a good deal.

Might be worth pointing out to them that cars need to be driven. I stupidly bought a car before I did my test. Was ready to go and broke my arm a week before! Didn't take it for another 6 months. Car needed loads of work doing as it had not been used.

I understand your frustration, but I'm the long run you can be proud that you're working to provide for yourself, and you don't need to rely on family to do it for you.

^this

Also, without meaning to sound rude you actually have no idea what the car is actually like apart from that it isn’t new and passed its MOT. Second hand cars are a minefield so I would personally be thankful you didn’t take something on blindly and start doing some proper research into what to look out for and avoid in a new car. There are plenty of forums out there which could help you including piston heads. Autotrader is a good place to start for market values.

(I once bought a car from a relative - seemed fine and ran well, until the gearbox went two months later.)

Sorry, what to look out for in a secondhand car (not new!)

I suspect that the car will be a novelty to start with and will just end up going to waste because none of them will learn to drive it.
People like this take what they can wether they need it or not so I can understand your frustration.

I agree that £1500 isn't very much at all for a car. Our 12yo Clio 1.2L was worth about that (exceedingly low mileage, we were the 2nd owner). It always passed the MOT okay but needed fairly regular non-MOT work due to age. Nothing to do with it being mis-treated or anything, but an older car simply needs things doing, stuff wears out/rusts due to age.

@nighttimebrowser A small loan paid off over a short period won't affect your mortgage application. I would however pay it off before applying (or be close to paying it off) for the affordability checks. It really depends if you need a car now, or can continue saving. On the plus side, the older you are the cheaper your starting insurance will be, definitely save for that though and you really will want to look into insurance groups before buying a car as you're a young, new driver.

But yes, it does sting when a family member gets everything on a plate and you work hard. Try to ignore it, we're many years down the line, have moved 100s of miles away so it's not rubbed in our faces and are lower contact in order to preserve the relationships we do have. Not great, but you can't change what someone else chooses to do with their money/support.

If you don't know what year the car is, you don't know what it's worth tbh.

@DIONORA I honestly don't want to say anything to them as I don't want to sound like an asshole/jealous. (Even if I am) my cousins failed the test 3 times already so I doubt it'll be anytime soon.

@Jenniferyellowcat oh no! Maybe it is a bullet dodged then. Would you recommend buying brand new?