When you are given a car that you just do not want...

Drive it and put money in the fun car. And a free car deserves nitrous oxide, a lot of nitrous oxide.

I hope one day I'll be successful enough that I would think about passing on a free car because it's not my style!

I would only have one concern. And Kazoospec hit it on the head. I have refused a good deal of "help" and money from my inlaws because they don't really care to help it is just a way to shove their foot in the door and feel entitled to opinions they have no right to. But my FIL is among many thing a Jerk and a terrible father with plenty of bad advice to give( Toyotas are the most unreliable cars, don't pay cash for a used car lease to most expensive car you can, Fill tires to the psi rating on the side of them. ect.) So perhaps your inlaws are good and caring parents, but I would be wondering what the are expecting out of this deal.

tb wrote: In reply to Contradiction: SWMBO absolutely will not have anything to do with a SUV or minivan; she is too petite to be comfortable in them and finds them hard to manuever/park in a tight city environment.

Has she tried driving one?

Let me share a little story with you: I got a 2000 expedition years back as "My car" My wife said that she wound not drive it as it was to big can not park it ,bla, bla ,bal. . ..

So I have my new truck for about 2 weeks and then my wife takes it for a drive as her car was being serviced. Then I notice that when ever I am driving my "toy" she is driving the Expedition and her cars is not being used. A week later she comes to me and sais that the Expedition is now her car as it is the first car that she can see out of, that she can actually get the seat, peddles and the steering wheel to "fit her" as all of them are adjustable (she is 5' tall on a good day) and she loved parking it because it has such a tight turning radius and she can see everything as she is sitting up do high. With the Expedition now getting long in the tooth and her wanting a new car her requested replacement was an H2, This then lead to me getting her an H2 that she now DD's and loves. So we went from I don't want a large SUV and can not drive a large SUV to her now DD'ing an H2.

One thing that hasn't been (I think) mentioned yet is that having kids, especially if they're like my three, is berkeleying AWESOME.

Best things I ever made. Zero regrets, love having them more than life itself! (They've never ruined anything in any of our cars due to whatever discipline we've instilled, but that's what makes good kids good).

In-laws are fun!
I'd just take this car as is and drive it for a year or two.
(Our general rule is she has to deal with her parents and I get to deal with mine) As others have mentioned - watch what they want to give advice on. If they ever say "we gave you this car and now you should do things this way" I'd hand them the damn keys that instant.

In reply to dean1484:

Long time no see, pal!

Yes, she has tried many out there from the giants to the cute ones. I know that there are advantages to them for short people but she is just not comfortable, both physically and psychologically. I actually like minivans but am not willing to push the issue; she has limits and I respect them.

Also, they are a pain in the ass for city living. Coincidentally, I had a 2000 Expedition as a work vehicle back in the day. It was a comfy Eddie Bauer that made showing up on construction sites easy without worrying about getting my sports car stuck in the mud or puncturing a tire. one day I tried to squeeze it down a small side street in my neighborhood and quickly realized I had one set of wheels on the sidewalk on each side! Straddling the actual street means it is just too big...

In reply to ebonyandivory:

Thanks! This is what I need to hear!

fornetti14 wrote: If they ever say "we gave you this car and now you should do things this way" I'd hand them the damn keys that instant.

^^^ This, definitely this!

They know better than to pull that E36 M3 with me, but if they try they will be unhappy with the results...

In reply to emsalex:

I am sure in their mind they are trying for a little bit of something out of it, but probably not too much. They were restricted to only one child in their home country and the culture is such that they spoil the hell out of that one child. They are pretty assured to have only one grandchild and have been prepared for a long time to spoil it a little bit too. I am ok with them being involved and taking an interest in their only grandchild's safety and quality of life.

Also, is is partially a dig at me and a negative comment on my choice of vehicles over the years and ability to keep them running. I am okay with that, they are not totally incorrect in their thinking. Outsiders do not understand that to us cars are supposed to be pushed to breaking and we are then supposed to fix them ourselves the best we can. Since developing a disability, everyone knows that I cannot wrench like I used to.

tb wrote: Probably just pass it to my girlfriend in a couple of years

Just don't tell SWMBO or her parents

tb wrote: In reply to gunner: Sadly, I am not sure that this is the case. She likes me but is used to being the stereotypical overbearing, manipulative, know it all that insists on treating my wife likes she is still a child. Thanks for the input; I appreciate it.

I think you've answered your own question.

Run. Don't walk.

Since driving a Civic is beneath your life style, donate it to charity. There are programs that supply cars to people needing transportation.

Just think, you can get a healthy tax deduction to ad to your ample funds.

Then you can buy something that fits your life style.

moparman76_69 wrote:

tb wrote: Probably just pass it to my girlfriend in a couple of years

They know each other, it is cool. Just don't tell SWMBO or her parents

In reply to poopshovel:

Advice noted; I may just take it!

In reply to iceracer:

That is what I usually do with a car when I am done with it. Much easier than the hassle of dealing with selling and the write off is definitely useful. It has become sort of a running joke with my accountant every year at tax time. Sometimes I wonder where they have all wound up over the years, it would be neat to know.

Of course, then I have to deal with the hassle of car shopping which can be fun but is often draining...

But it really isn't an issue of it being beneath us, more like adjacent to, I think.

I grew to like my very cheap, stock, soulless POS protege appliance in ways that prevent me from loving the FRS...I could park that thing in the ghetto, never washed it once in 10 years and used the back seat as a garbage bin that would empty itself out the back doors once it overflowed the sill level. It had a red-line that was visited on a regular basis and the rust spot that appeared around year 7 was not worth mentioning. I ran it on sticky rubber and was never bored for handling entertainment.

From your original post I was sure that it was a Buick that was being foisted upon you. I could easily roll with the Honda.

Back at you tb!!!!! Been a while. Sounds like your wife's famley is from the same part if the world as my wifes.

So having said all that before I will add this one bit of advise. Happy wife happy life. . Go take her to what ever dealership she wants and get her what ever car she wants.

ohya. My wife is much better with the $$$$ management thing. I think we have a similar situation. I am very good at making it. She is very good at managing it. A great balance.

tb wrote: In reply to poopshovel: Advice noted; I may just take it!

A good friend once told me: "Sometimes 'free' is expensive."

I'm currently witnessing the woes of a couple that was gifted a house that needed renovations by the woman's parents. The mother is micro-managing every aspect of it, and if I was the dude, I'd feel like my huevos had been chopped off.

My $.02 YMMV.

I've had some time to mull it over a bit and consider all of the advice that has been so generously provided.

My current thoughts are that we should graciously accept the gift and make good use of it, as long as the offer is in good faith and not some kind of twisted trap. Most people seem to like that model and the advantages of a basic, reliable "a to b" car that has no emotional attachments are many. Refusing any gift is poor form and I do not think anyone starting a family is in a position to not reap the benefits of caring friends and family.

The wife just got in from overseas last night and we are taking today as a quiet holiday at home, just the two of us. Parade this morning, football right now and some quality eating going on before too long...

Tomorrow or the next day I will have a little man-to-man chat with the FIL (MIL has very poor english) so that we can completely understand each others position. If we can come to a mutually satisfactory agreement then I will work out some arraignment to pick it up soon. If not, I will decline as politely as possible and feel confident in that decision, and comforted that my huevos remain fully intact.

Happy Turkey Day, everybody!

The only car ive ever been given that i didnt remotely care about a Cutlass Calais with a bent strut so im having a hard time relating that to this.

I think Thanksgiving is a bad time for me to express my unfiltered thoughts about people who can do just fine without them giving thousands of dollars worth of luxury item/s to people who can get by just fine without them. I probably would err towards turning the deal away. Im not even comfortable with the amount of privilege i already have other than my whiteness keeping me free and alive through all my police encounters.

Personally, i've learned that i have to NOT care that much about what my partner drives in order to not get mad at her about what happens to them. Right now she drives a high-miles Prius which i like as a car but have left completely stock and am not concerned with the 'preservation' of. In that sense it's actually GOOD to have at least one reliable car around that i am not too hung up on.

Best of luck!

tb wrote: Feelings matter if the people matter, but if there are strings attached I will just walk.

If this is truly the case..... You should walk. This car deal comes with strings. I promise you.

I also HIGHLY doubt a post of yours from the 1st page (IIRC) in which you stated your wife would follow your lead on this. I would be highly suspicious that your wife, whom you have also said is used the the care of her parents just might have a bigger role in this than you think.

How long have you been married?

Going on 12 years of marriage myself.. Everytime the Inlaws come to OUR home the wife blithers on about getting a new kitchen table.. replacing the sofa.. Whatever.. Then sure enough some total POS ends up in the works and I have to fight to keep it out of the home.

A marriage is the union of you and your wife. There are plenty of ways to continuing to honor the relationship with parents without the strings and baggage...

If this deal didn't have strings.. You wouldn't be here talking about it.

Vigo wrote: In that sense it's actually GOOD to have at least one reliable car around that i am not too hung up on.

I have read it a few times, but I am still not really sure I understand everything said in your post... I am agreeing with the end of it though!

I usually do not worry about having a reliable car but it is probably a good idea to have one in the near future. I was casually looking around for something that I really would like, but there I see that there are advantages to a car that I do not care much about on an emotional level. Also, if I really hate it, I am not stuck with it forever...

In reply to ronholm:

I probably sound really naive but I just do not understand why some people insist that there must be some hidden agenda here. I have no indication from them that they want anything from us and are trying to bribe us with a used econobox.

You can doubt that post all that you want, but you would be incorrect. We tend to divide responsibilities between us based on our expertise and, while we always consult each other, all things automotive are my domain.

We have been married for 1.5 years now... but we met about 20 years ago and have been together most of that time. I am not sure where you are going here, but will think about how that might matter.

My intention on posting a broad question to this group of car enthusiasts was to get some input on living with a car that I never considered the remote possibility of owning. I wondered if there was a point of view I was not considering when it came to appliance ownership since I have not had one in quite a long time.

There might indeed be strings, I will iron that out shortly with the FIL but for now I do not think that will be an issue at all.