Tried to stand my ground.
 

Ok guys, this situation just arose today and didn't work out well for me. So my wife and I were driving today in the manual Z51 C7 and her mother in coming to visit next week. Then out of the blue she says her mother wants to drive the car. My first reaction/words were, "NO!" and was steadfast with that contention. So, the argument ensued and it ended with me just saying, "Fine, do whatever" etc...

Her mother is about 60 and is pretty frail...about 100 pounds. The wife kept saying, "she always had a stick when we were growing up" but that was some beater 80s ford escort 4 banger. Plus, the last time she drove a stick is probably over 10 years.

The wife kept saying things like, "it's just a car" and "it's not that special" blah blah blah. Of course it's just a possession and I'm sure nothing will happen but I'm still not comfortable with it. If it was one of my buds who I know can handle a stick really well then I wouldn't mind. But someone who has only driven beater stick shift cars 30 years ago...I don't think so.

I just pussed out and gave in but still don't want her touching it. What's the right play here? Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Take her to a deserted large parking lot and let her try it there.

Wow, you are a wimp, it's your car, your pride and joy, just say I'm not comfortable with your mother driving my car. Simple.

Take her to a deserted large parking lot and leave her there. :leaving: :yesnod:

Should have said "no" but since you got to keep the wife happy, happy, happy.... tell mom that first stall and out she goes. Oh, the problems of having a C7.....where does it end?????

You already made your play- game over. My wife's mother is long gone but that request would never have even come to her mind. Never. Good luck.

Ask your wife if you can have your Balls back.

The day before she arrives, pull a plug wire. Then when you go to take her out to drive the car, the CEL will be on. You tell her it will hurt the car to drive it with the CEL on and it will require that you take the car to the dealer(which conveniently won't be able to schedule the car in the shop until after your MIL leaves, so you tell her). After she
has gone home, reinstall the plug wire.

How about this:

Tell her NO WAY!:crazy2:

Pretty easy

:iagree:

put some fox urine on the steering wheel...available at any sporting goods store.

You're pretty much screwed no matter WHAT you decide :leaving:

Yeah I figured its not worth it to fight over. PS, I had balls enough to drop 70gs on a toy for myself without caring one bit what the wife thinks, so I still have something down there, lol

She is messing with you because she knows you treasure your car

......Ask to wear her favorite shoes....it's only shoes .....

Tell her no way and to call her lawyer. Give her 1/2 of your wealth and stand your ground.

put it in eco mode

Should have said YES!!!! Then when her mother comes, conveniently let the air out of one tire or something of the sort. "I cant believe this! I wanted you to drive it soo bad! Just our luck!" You have got alot to learn.:thumbs:

If it's 'just a car' then why does the mother care so much about driving it? If she really wants to drive a stick, offer to drive her in your C7 to a local Hertz and hook her up :D

Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place. Good luck!

you know the difference between inlaws and outlaws?

outlaws are wanted.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

:iagree:
Definitely the only choice IF you are going to let her drive yours.

You are telling us that your wife is incapable of understanding the dangers of letting ANYONE not used to handling a 400hp + car jump in for a quick spin is astounding.

Show her some of the pix of the C7 carnage to date available online or videos of the numerous crashes of any highly powered cars on You Tube.

Put your foot down and tell her it's not safe, it's the logical and prudent decision with a $60,000+ hi powered sports car.

If she wants to bust your balls over that to make a point all I can say is it sucks to be you in this instance.

Take Her To The Local Dealer For A Test Drive.

That’s certainly the truth, a loose, loose situation. Don

Just let her drive it.. Don't be lame.
Who knows, likely a highlight in the twilight of her moms life .

If she wrecks it - your wife will never live it down. .
If she doesn't - then no harm no foul.

Key factor: What's MIL's net worth?

Won't work, it has Run Flats. :hide:

You all have good points. Trying to get them to stick with her is the hard part. But if something crazy happens next weekend then I'll report back. I was firm with only a test drive around the block. But who knows what the mom will do once behind the wheel.

Divorce the wife... Move out.... Just kidding. My wife would never ask and her mother knows better... Your wife's comment is like saying She ran 20 miles a day back in high school and even though She is 30 years older she can just start back were she stopped. The car has high HP and driving a standard close ratio 7 speed if she has not done it in a Long while is just plain stupid to try it in your car. Give them both a Spa day and move on . Women... Wow I wait for the day for that to happen in my house....I guess I am old school.

:iagree: This. If you can't get that point across to your wife, you have bigger problems ahead of you than what might happen to your C7.

Just tell your wife that your dads coming for a visit and may want to try on a pair of her thongs. See if she can relate lol.

Funny thing my wife knows better I just read her the post. She said no why in hell plus she would have stopped it with her mother we'll before it went this far. Relationships need to have lines on both sides and you set the rules before you say I DO.

If you have to ask this question on a forum, you are screwed.

Just shows that most women have no respect for cars. They think they're all mini-vans, just to get to point A to point B. On occasion, I have women customers. Every one of their vans or SUVs are war zones. The brake dust on the wheels are 3 inches thick along with the crud that builds up on the paint when they decide not to wash it for 8 months. And don't get me started on what kind of a monstrosity I run into with the interior.

The only place for a women, in a man's sports car, is the passenger seat.

Maybe your Mother in Law can drive like a friend of mine who's 70 and beats most of the guys who try to take her on.

Let her drive it. You'll either be right or a hero. Either way, you win. :hide:

and the kitchen.:thumbs:

http://www.demotivationalposters.org...1254948339.jpg

:lolg:

:iagree::iagree:

Since you are trying to be a nice guy (happy wife, happy life -- I get it), offer a compromise. You can take the MIL for a ride, maybe even include a launch, a fast corner, or just whatever she likes. The MIL may not be as happy as getting to drive it, but she may still be happy.

If the compromise does not work, then I would gently but firmly restate "no". (Keyword = "firmly".) Do not rationalize it with age, frailty, ability to handle the power, or the lack of recent clutch experience. You are uncomfortable with the MIL driving your car.

GL

Would I let me mother-in-law drive mine....hell no. She has two bad knees and can barely walk.

Would I let my mother drive it...absolutely! She's been driving Corvettes for years.

Hell No!!!

Just man up and take control... No way In hell.

let her drive it. she will probably drive around a block and won't even floor it. Not like she is going to do a burnout and spin donuts...

Unhook the battery before she comes over so the car won't start!

You said that, I didn't. :lol:

First, as a woman, I would like to say I think it was very wrong of your wife to assume this would be ok....I am sure she has things or a possession she would not like someone else to use? I would never ask my Husband to let my Mother or one of my friends drive his F650.


My car is always cleaner and better detailed than my husbands...the Infiniti FX35, the 1975 C3 or the 2014 C7 is always cleaner than my Husbands hunting truck or F650.
I drive the sports cars, always has been my thing not his...some women would rather drive than ride.
He has not driven MY C7 yet, he is welcome to, but at this time has not.

Oh and BTW...I can and do cook also.

She breaks it, she buys it! :leaving:

Cars are just things and can be replaced. The ONLY thing in life that is truly valuable is relationships.

I recently bought a Ferrari and told my wife, who never drives the Vette, that she should drive the Ferrari if for no other reason than to say she'd driven one. Let your mother-in-law drive the thing: it's just a car.

Joel Jacobs
Commerce, Texas
CPO, USN, Ret.

Sounds like your wife doesn't respect your hobby...wonder what else gets hen pecked into rank and file. Tell you what, whatever your wife is passionate about, find a way to be intrusive and compromise in which she has to vocally inform you of her disapproval. Then just brush off her objections and tell her how silly her personal investments are in whatever it is she does. Two way street.:D



Hoping this is a joke thread.

:iagree: forget traction control pal, you need to get some wife control going!!!!:D

You got that right Jag! :rofl:

Oh man, this is too easy. Of course you are going let her drive it. You are going to act excited to show it to her, and honored that she is interested...

Then, when you get her in the car to show her around it a bit, you are going to rev the engine a couple of times, with NPP active. Then you are going to walk her through all the little tech stuff, with complete descriptions of how it all works, what it does, and spend alot of time on "rev match". And talk wildly excitedly and fast.

She will become so intimidated in about three minutes that she will be very happy just going for a ride and let you do the driving. I promise this will work.

The best part is, you come out the good guy and everyone's happy.

I feel the same way about seeing this picture as those cats seem to feel about being in this picture.

:rofl:

It's called a "no win" situation. Your response ensures you will still get laid.:D

Michael

Amen.

Or grow up and grow another pair.

What happened to men? The feministas are winning!

I told, yes told, my wife "I bought a new C7 Stingray today. " Guess what? she cooked my favorite dinner, AND did the dishes and put on lingerie:smash:

:iagree::thumbs::thumbs:

:iagree::rofl:

You let your wife insult your hobby/passion and while pretty much telling you she is driving the car no matter what you say?

I'd be filing divorce papers right now.

:lurk:

Jellyfish, they have no spine.:toetap:

Hope it all works out for you, but your wife should have respected your concerns over your MIL driving the car.

She must do some Corvette modeling first.


http://www.janetcharltonshollywood.c...0/angelyne.jpg

At least my wife's 90 year old aunt didn't want to drive my Harleyhttp://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...day-160521.jpg

Sorry. She should be happy with the passenger seat.

That's what I love about my wife, she would have never asked the questions.:yesnod:
Eric

Someone needs to alert the SPCA... that is animal abuse if I have ever seen it!! :lol:

You must be so proud... personally, I respect my mother far to much to be any different with my wife than I would be with her :thumbs:.

I'm lucky that my wife stays home with our kids and takes care of the house (so she also does the dinner, dishes and lingerie thing too)... I completely respect her and am grateful for her doing it... as she is grateful for me doing what I do. I think the result in your situation and mine are similar but I think we get to that result a little differently :D

P.S. I still wouldn't let my mother-in-law drive my car but my wife, even if she did "ask", would accept and understand the "no" answer immediately and there wouldn't have been an argument. Respect both ways is the key.

LMFAO!!! She's 60? Holy Chit man, jus put her in the grave! Jeez dude, I'm 64 and drive like I'm looking for next mortgage busting ticket!!! LOL! She could drive a POS 4 banger escort or some other Pc. of chit for years? let her drive the easiest car to drive in the world! It's insured, it's under warrantee, and your under the gun to share experience with your MIL for a short time by letting her drive the car? You will be a hero in her eyes AND your wifes and when time comes for the coil overs or new set of stickies you be on the right side of that discussion! You've passed the $70k goal for a toy, next will be the $90k goal to get that Z. Think of it that way and you'll be miles ahead.
:rock:

Sure she can.....after 3 days at Bondurant.

Winner :iagree:...
it is mutual respect a marriage should be a partnership...in the early days of our 20 year marriage I worked at our company and did more than I was paid to do...now I work for our company from home (go into the office to pick up stuff and occasionally for a few hours) and yes now I am paid more than I do...so dinner is cooked by me most days....but as I said earlier I would never ask to let my Mother or one of my friends drive his F650 or his modified hunting truck...
and to the gentlemen whose wives stay at home with the children...they earn every penny...a stay at home Mother is hard, thankless work...

Friend, I think you lost the war. Ni, gets the point across.

Gotta love a GGILF. The young guys cringe and the old guys cheer.
That's the beauty of growing older, last year's 9 is this year's 10.

My wife can let anyone drive our cars but would ask first and be fine if I said no, which I wouldn't. It's amazing how simple that works… the ex, not so easy.

Good point. Does she pay to fix whatever she breaks.

:lol:


Sounds like a Larry David episode…...

I have a two varying opinions depending on "who" purchased the car.

If the car was purchased for the both of you.. or by the both of you. Then its a shared vehicle and she has just as much right to say what/when/who/how its driven as you do. If thats the case and her mom wants to drive it, then you really dont have any ground to stand on. However, even if this is the case.. it should have been discussed before "ya'll" brought the car. That way it wouldnt be a problem now.

Now if this is YOUR car. Meaning she had no financial input or say-so in the transaction.. and the car was bought & intended for your use only. Then she is dead wrong. I dont care if she is your wife, who is she to designate who can use your personal property. If that is truly the case.. then you two have alot more to discuss than can her mom drive your car or not. What really needs to be discussed is why someone should respect someone else's property. Marriage isnt just about love & a life long partner. Its also about respect and being considerate of the person you chose to spend the rest of your life with. If you cant respect that person's personal belongings & most prized/private items.. then you are not respecting them.

I would think the above would occur in pretty much any scenario, I dont care if its a family, friends, boss or even spouse. You should ask someones permission before allowing another individual to use their private property or possessions. I wonder how your wife would feel if you loaned her favourite piece of jewelry or favourite purse/handbag to your mother to use.

My wife is 62 and can shift as well as me, she just prefers the automatic. If your wife's mother is 60 and has driven a stick I see no problem. Give her a thrill she may just go and buy one :)

I can't believe you would even post something like this to the public.

Did you really expect sympathy from this crowd?

Sounds like you have a Mother In Law Failure or

MILF

At least there is one in your favor. Hahahaha:lol::lol:

Hmmm...I would have said okay, but I sit in the passenger seat and avoid all the grief you apparently you caused. :rofl:

Just let her drive it. In fact, you should insist on it. Anyone who truly shares the love of Corvettes deserves to get to drive one at least once in their life.

But first give her the Sam Malone test quiz to see if she truly loves the car :-)

Reminds me, I need to go take my new C7 over to my dad's and take him for a ride and let him drive it.

I do respect my wife, and she respects the fact that I will purchase what I want. She doesn't care about cars. She appreciates that I make money and I appreciate what she does around the house.

Agree. Just disconnect the battery and throw her the keys. Then you look great in your wives eyes because you were going to allow her to drive it alone. Then it won't start and you can tell the wife! See! She f'd my car. Now I need headers and a blower.

lmao!!

My wife knows how much I love my cars so she doesn't ask, even when I suggest she drive one she says no. Lol both she and her mom know how I am about them so they wouldn't ask. We've got a little Toyota for guest to drive when they come visit so that they stay out of our cars.

The answer is simple. Not going to happen. You can whine, cry, pout or whatever. You dont have to make **** up or make false excuses. NO, end of discussion. No respect from the wife for even bringing the issue up.

:iagree:

:rofl:

The holy status with which many of you place a car escapes me.

I've got more than 600,000 miles in Corvettes over the past 24 years and I've enjoyed every mile, but these things are hardly rare. A bit uncommon, maybe, but rare, no. There have been more than 1,300,000 Corvettes manufactured since 1953.

In addition to a Vette I also own and drive a Ferrari. It too is just a car - and far more "rare" than a Corvette... but it's still just a car.

To value a car - a thing - over relationships is absurd.

You completely miss the point sir...it is not the "holy status" of the car,
it is the complete lack of respect the OP's wife has shown him....it is his property...he should be able to let whoever he wants drive it, or not....
If he rolls over on this, he is a total p...y whipped loser.....:ack:

Drop the car off at a friends house until she leaves. Tell the wife it is in the shop for a recall

I think it's very presumptive for anyone but you and your wife to think they can just drive your new Corvette - I don't care who it is. Especially since it's a stick. I would say no, then stand my ground as a boundary line. If she (MIL) wants to drive a new stick Corvette, haul Gram down to the Chevy dealer and let her go at it.


Pics of MIL? Grams is a couple years younger than me, and I might want to make a run for her. Especially since she drives a stick.....

:hide:

just let her drive it, it will get you points and maybe something else you can use later in life, but I'm almost 60 myself, so I'm still learning about women...

Let her drive it, thats why you have insurance.

give the old broad a thrill ,just let her drive it,,''ITS ONLY A CAR''

:iagree:

No, I don't miss the point. The testosterone on this forum is as thick as molasses.... and makes zero sense.

Most of you on here act as if you're about 11. "It's mine! It's mine!"

Lack of respect? :lolg:

Respect is earned, not just given summarily.... and marriage is about sharing and communication, not running into the corner, sucking one's thumb, pouting, or shouting: "It's mine! It's mine!"

No wonder most people see Vette owners as nothing but a bunch of petulant, arrogant a$$holes..... all too many of you embarrass the rest of us that own and drive Corvettes.

Yours isn't a DD is it?

Well first would want to know, How did the conversation ever
getting to driving YOUR corvette in the first place.

Why does she want to drive it ????

Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is. It's not like she's going to take it out and thrash it, trying to street race every ricer she sees. She's your wife's mother for goodness sake. I would see it as a great opportunity to earn some points and get to know her a little better while you're sitting there in the passenger seat and she's having the time of her life.

The future could be alot smoother for you if your wife's mother doesn't think her daughter married an a**hole.

LOL... this is one of the funniest threads I have read on this forum...

My personal 2 cents is that if your wife had the nerve to ask this, then you didn't draw the line correctly and you are already screwed...

This isn't a chauvinistic thing, there are just boundaries that I have that my wife knows not to cross, as she has those that I know not to cross. My Corvette (when i had one, and when i get my next one) are on the side of the line that is totally restricted.

Toss her the keys, talk to her about how it runs and let her have at it. I let my girlfriends mom drive mine and I have taught 3 teens how to drive stick in my C6. The car is pretty bulletproof and is fairly docile when driven normally with all the nannies on. Sure it can get squirrelly if driven like an idiot.

I would not lose a minutes sleep over someone driving mine. But then again my Vette is just a daily driver. It's going to get banged up some . No worries.