Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for the car back?

37 replies

xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 18:00

This is a long story so apologies in advance.

My husband and I bought a 2015 ford galaxy last year. We had 5 children so we bought a 7 seater to accommodate us all. Soon after buying it I became pregnant and we continued to use it until I neared the end of pregnancy when we started to look into an 8 seater.

We had to settle for a car that isn't in the best condition but were happy to spend some money on it to do it up. We didn't want to sell the galaxy as we decided I would drive it once I have passed my test (not anytime soon but in the near future).

My husband's best friend has always had financial struggles and he asked if, instead of us selling the car, he could rent it from us as he is a taxi driver. He agreed to give us £150 per week for it with the condition that he pays for tax, insurance, petrol and general upkeep.

Long story short, he was only able to pay £150 total and my husband let him use it for free as we were going to keep it anyway. As long as the other conditions were still met.

The new car (8 seater) we bought has turned out to be in worse condition than we thought and would require far too much to be spent on it so we agreed today that we would ask for our galaxy back off his friend and scrap the 8 seater and make do with just 7 seats for the time being.

When my husband asked for it back it turned out that his friend didn't have the car. He had in fact had an accident on Christmas day and was hoping to sort it without us finding out. My husband and I were furious that we weren't informed and we told him so. He got very defensive back to my husband and started swearing at him and shouting - because we were asking for it back!!

He has managed to get his insurance to cover the repair and they are going to do a full repair with approved parts and only £500 excess will need to be paid which is a huge relief.

But now my DH's best friend is angry and upset that we have decided to take the car back now when "things were just starting to get better".

I think he's a complete CF for even thinking we would consider letting him keep using it after he crashed it and then lied about it for a week!

I know i'm not, but AIBU?

OP posts:
Anotherbloomingchristmas · 04/01/2023 18:03

Well of course he's cross because he's lost his livlihood.
His own fault completely but no good deed goes unpunished OP.
Get your car back and ditch the 'friend.'

Stressybetty · 04/01/2023 18:06

The mistake was letting him keep it after he originally defaulted on paying the £150 per week. After that he's clearly seen you and your DH as a charity. His financial struggles aren't your problem!

Stressybetty · 04/01/2023 18:07

And re reading your post, who is going to be paying the £500 excess?

Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 18:10

Stressybetty · 04/01/2023 18:07

And re reading your post, who is going to be paying the £500 excess?

He offered to pay it and my DH wanted him to but honestly I know it will take him over a week to get it and I just want it done and back here.

OP posts:
CakeCrumbs44 · 04/01/2023 18:14

He sounds horrible OP and you would be well rid of him as a friend. He is taking advantage of your car for free and now is cross that you want it back when he hasn't even been paying you for it.

To solve your 7-8 seater issue, have you looked at those multimac seats that change your back seats into 4 car seats? I think they're pretty expensive but probably cheaper than buying a second car.

Stressybetty · 04/01/2023 18:16

If he pays the excess he will probably feel more entitled to keep the car.

Cherrysoup · 04/01/2023 18:36

Stressybetty · 04/01/2023 18:16

If he pays the excess he will probably feel more entitled to keep the car.

He’s insuring the car, he pays the excess. Insuring it does not make him the owner. Of course he needs to get it repaired, it isn’t his and he had an accident in it.

Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 20:17

Thank you for responses so far

Just bumping up for any other perspectives

OP posts:
Notthetoothfairy · 04/01/2023 20:20

I agree with the PPs, he is a serious CF!

ThreeLittleDots · 04/01/2023 21:39

Has he even got all the correct licences and undertaken the comprehensive business insurance, plus the mechanical tests required separately by the council every few months?

I'd worry he'd trashed it tbh.

Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 22:22

ThreeLittleDots · 04/01/2023 21:39

Has he even got all the correct licences and undertaken the comprehensive business insurance, plus the mechanical tests required separately by the council every few months?

I'd worry he'd trashed it tbh.

Yes, my husband did it with him all correctly and he has a proper full taxi license with plates.

OP posts:
Bodyisbuggered · 04/01/2023 22:26

We sold our car to a family member. They agreed to pay a certain amount every month. They paid the first month and that was it. When we went to see them the car had gone. We didn’t see any more money.

If you can take the car back then do it. Put your family first. Ditch the friend.

XanaduKira · 04/01/2023 22:29

He's no friend Op. Hope you get your car back ok and it's safe to use.

As a pp said, no good deed goes unpunished.

DrMarciaFieldstone · 04/01/2023 22:29

Gosh, no good deed goes unpunished, does it?

Yanbu, he sounds awful.

aureus3012 · 04/01/2023 22:34

If he was meant to be paying you £600 a month to hire your car, why didn't he just buy his own car?

MichaelFartblender · 04/01/2023 22:43

Ach get your car back asap.

Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 22:53

aureus3012 · 04/01/2023 22:34

If he was meant to be paying you £600 a month to hire your car, why didn't he just buy his own car?

He didn't have enough money all at once to buy a car himself and his credit rating is not good (should have been enough of a warning I know!). He shall have to do what other people do now and rent a taxi, which will be £200 a month more than what he should have been paying us.

OP posts:
Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 22:54

Bodyisbuggered · 04/01/2023 22:26

We sold our car to a family member. They agreed to pay a certain amount every month. They paid the first month and that was it. When we went to see them the car had gone. We didn’t see any more money.

If you can take the car back then do it. Put your family first. Ditch the friend.

Oh my goodness! That's awful, i'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. I can't imagine how betrayed you felt.

OP posts:
Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 22:55

CakeCrumbs44 · 04/01/2023 18:14

He sounds horrible OP and you would be well rid of him as a friend. He is taking advantage of your car for free and now is cross that you want it back when he hasn't even been paying you for it.

To solve your 7-8 seater issue, have you looked at those multimac seats that change your back seats into 4 car seats? I think they're pretty expensive but probably cheaper than buying a second car.

Thank you for this recommendation! I will be looking into this - it looks like it could work for us!

OP posts:
EddietheEagle · 04/01/2023 22:57

I'm surprised you let him use it as a taxi, think of all the mileage he's putting on the car.

KnickerlessParsons · 04/01/2023 22:58

EddietheEagle · 04/01/2023 22:57

I'm surprised you let him use it as a taxi, think of all the mileage he's putting on the car.

Not to mention the wear and tear. I imagine taxi work would take a heavy toll on the gearbox.

As an aside - I didn't think you could insure a vehicle you don't own.

JustAnotherManicMomday · 04/01/2023 23:02

Would never have allowed this to begin with. Amount of .lies a taxi driver does, the damage down the line would of came to you. If you signed over the log book your screwed if not tell him hand it over or report as theft.

Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 23:07

KnickerlessParsons · 04/01/2023 22:58

Not to mention the wear and tear. I imagine taxi work would take a heavy toll on the gearbox.

As an aside - I didn't think you could insure a vehicle you don't own.

Show quote history

Yes, you are quite right regarding the wear and tear. Massive regret!

Yes, you certainly can insure a car if you're not the owner.

OP posts:
Original poster
xprincessxjanetx · 04/01/2023 23:07

JustAnotherManicMomday · 04/01/2023 23:02

Would never have allowed this to begin with. Amount of .lies a taxi driver does, the damage down the line would of came to you. If you signed over the log book your screwed if not tell him hand it over or report as theft.

I totally agree. We did sign over the v5c but have got it transferred back over this evening.

OP posts:
picnicshicnic · 05/01/2023 02:44

@xprincessxjanetx just as an aside, those multimac things are really unsafe. Do a bit of research and you'll see for yourself. You'll need to get an 8 seater car.

Sorry about your useless mate, he sounds very entitled.

Swipe left for the next trending thread