I'd letter mother in-law drive the car, she's trusted me with something much more valuable, her daughter.



Along the same lines a true story. The father in-law of a friend of mine got a new Boxter, but the father in-law wouldn't let his son-in-law drive the boxter, but he let him marry his daughter :-)

Brother, There is something fundamentally wrong here that goes way beyond your Vette. You need to ask yourself some more basic questions, like what do I like about my wife, what do I dislike about my wife, and does the good outweigh the bad. If you and I were hanging out, I would ask you how long you have been married, whether you have kids together, and a mortgage together.

I never advise people to take a stand that is unreasonable or ambiguous. But this is so crystal clear. Your wife is being absolutley unreasonable. Worse, she is being disrespectful of you as a person. It is equally clear that your original answer, "No", was perfectly reasonable and within your rights.

Depending on the answers to my earlier questions, this is the ideal case to take your stand. Just say "No". If she asks why you changed your mind, say you thought it over. If she asks why, say you are not comfortable with mom driving your car. Say no more. Don't raise your voice. Don't act unpleasant. Just say no. Again and again if you have to.

Then see what she does. The ball is in her court now. How far does she want to take this. The answer will tell you all you need to know about your wife as a person and about your marriage.

If she backs down, you just saved your Vette, your manhood, your personhood, and your marriage.

If she escalates to the point of divorce, you are better off without her.
There are worse things than being single with a Vette. You will be better off without her and you will gain self-respect. Watch the movie American Beauty for a good example of a wimp who grows some balls and how happy and attractive it makes him. Again, this all depends on your answers to my earlier questions. Good luck, man.

:iagree:
What he said.

Get divorced over who drives a car? Really? Yeah, THAT's a critical issue! No wonder marriages and politics don't work today. How about negotiating?

"My way or the highway" has no place in a marriage, a friendship or any other relationship in which two people actually care about one other. Give and take and respectful dialogue are what work...IF....you care about the other person and are willing to respect their right to have an opinion.

OP, ask yourself if the car is more important to you than your relationship with your wife. If not, talk it out with her in a respectful way and find a solution that works for both of you. The people here who are telling you to "be a man" or lie or other shenanigans have no vested interest in the outcome that you'll have to live with. Good luck and hope it works out.

Ah, the California approach... appeasement...compromise....surrender.
no way.....yeah, "my way or the highway" is a perfectly valid stand to take in a marriage when the bitch starts dictating to you.... and if I had the OP's spouse, she would have been hitchhiking a long time ago....I've sent a few down the road....without alimony....and don't miss 'em in the least.....

Is your mother-in-law the "little old lady from Pasadena"? Did you know she drives a "shiny red super-stock Dodge" when at home?

How do you get along with her? She is probably pulling your leg. Go along with it and give her a fast ride and then ask her if she still wants to drive it.

I literally laughed out loud when I saw the Ron Burgundy pic. Well played, sir. :cheers:

This is by far the most entertaining thread I've encountered in the C7 section in a very long time and reading some of the responses just reaffirms how happy I am being single. ;)

:iagree::lol:

First make her ride in it and drive it really stupid. Make her understand it's a lot more car than she's used to. If she still wants to drive it after that, I'd say let her.

no choice, go for it. but first make certain that your insurance is paid up, and reduce your deductible, while shes there.

First off I love the C7. I went to the dealer today and saw one for the first time today. It was the highlight of my weekend. My heart rate was up while I looked at and sat in it. That blue
z51 was stunning. I was on a buzz high after leaving it.

That said, I think your wife and her mom know how much your new car means to you.

The points you will get for allowing her to drive it will be immeasurable. Can you imagine the stories they'll tell about you when you're not around? You know they will just glow about how nice you are.

Or you can be standoffish and make up excuses why she shouldn't drive it. Do you really want lasting memories of you to be that you were materialistic and selfish?

It's just a car, but the people you have to live around deserve your sacrifice. I think you have much more to gain by being the nice guy.

I would never ask any-one to let me drive their car... Your mother-in-law has no-right to ask and your wife is just as bad. My own father has never asked to drive my car and he is a car guy. I wouldn't do and it's very impolite for her to ask.

:iagree:

I also never have and never will ask someone else to let me drive their high performance or collector car. I've also never had the owner of any such cars ask to drive one of mine. It's just something car lovers don't do. I've offered several such guys and gals the chance to drive one of mine, but few have ever accepted the offer, and those who did were usually respected drivers and friends and only after I insisted.

I've also never had anyone ask to ride one of my motorcycles or my racing bikes.

On the other hand, I've driven a number of such cars owned by other people but usually after they insist that they want want my opinion of the car or of some mechanical issue or they want lessons in something like double clutching or basic high speed driving.

Unfortunately, neither your M-I-L or your wife seem to comprehend these simple points of etiquette. So, you either suck it up and allow her to drive it, or, you get new women in your life.

I personally would drive her out to a remote road of my choosing and give a little taste what a car like this is all about. If a quick drive near the limits doesn't shake her resolve, maybe she'll do alright.

Since you have already acquiesced, the worst thing you can do now is backtrack. One caveat ... She gets one and only one grinding of the gears. Any such event terminates the drive and if the wife wants to raise the roof, that becomes her poor decision. You can only let this go so far. And, if she really is a total novice, be ready to jam on the parking brake, steady the wheel and turn off the ignition if necessary. You are the responsible instructor, responsible for her safety as well as your own.

Good one! Can you spell d-i-v-o-r-c-e?:thumbs:

It really just amazes me how many famous people, actors, athletes, politicians, dignitaries, and just men in general who all have been brought down by "pussy".

:iagree:

I have a friend with a ZR1, ZO6, and Grand Sport. He regularly lets a couple friends pick with ever one they want and takes all three out for the day. He's been doing this for years and hasn't had one incident yet.

Give the mother-n - law a chance. She may say no anyway. It may also be a great highlight to her reminding her of her past "fun days".

Wife should not have put you in the scenario but she did so make the best of it.

Let her drive it. Big deal. It's not worth the hassle

Stand your ground over this ?!?!?!? As other's have suggested. Take your mother-in-law to an open parking lot area, let her get used to driving a stick again and when all is well, head out on the highway. Your wife's right, it's just a car( DO NOT listen to macho morons advising to take drastic actions with YOUR wife. Let them try that with their wives and see how they make out).

Since your mother in law is not on the insurance she cant drive it because if she has an accident you will be dropped........

Tell her that........

If you let her drive it, next will be her best friend Betty....then her personal trainer Mike aka "The Bulge"

See where I am going with this?

Trust me...for your wife it's not about letting her mother drive your car.....it wont stop there......

:iagree:

It's impressive the range of answers the question generated, all the way from A) 'you should divorce your wife from even asking' to various forms of B) 'you're a wuss for not letting someone else drive'.

Part of the reason is that OP did not fully qualify the request, and that set off the Camp A crowd, that seemed to think the wife was asking OP to let the mother in-law have the car, no restrictions, so she could make runs to the casino or something. In reality, I think the request was 'can you let her drive it around the block?'

I say let her do it. Since her stick driving skills are pretty untested, it should be:

a) take her to a very big parking lot.
b) put the car in WEATHER mode
c) turn on Rev Matching

And then let her try it. Have a 'three stalls' rule.

seriously its a corvette not the space shuttle. let her drive the car. all this drama, a dedicated post. input needed ??? my god corvette owners are nuts

You know...deep down....no woman likes a guy that gives in to them all the time and can be pushed around.

Happy wife happy life...BS.....

I say if I am happy my life will be happy.......

By the way I would like to borrow your house....it's not the white house :D :thumbs:

I wonder how a lot of people who are saying "go ahead, just let her drive it" would react if faced with the same situation. I have a feeling that a lot of their real life reactions would be different than their internet advice.

A lot of people actually do think a car is just a car, even if it is $100k or more.

However, the OP's wife was wrong at least in her approach. The OP clearly does not think his car is just a car. Therefore her response was not reasonable. I wonder if she is always this way to the OP?

Clearly the OP does not want to raise more tension. My suggestion is talking to the MIL privately. There is always a chance the MIL is more reasonable than her daughter:)

If unlike her daughter, the MIL truely respects his car, and it has been her dream to drive it at least once in her life, the OP would be obligated to make it happen.

There is no more satisfying than sharing your joy and care with someone else, as long as that someone else is truly going to share the same joy and care with you.

If this question is raised in a BMW forum about a leased M5, I bet the responses would be the opposite, the majority would say it is just a car, let her drive it:)

But it makes no difference. This is about mutual respect. If that someone respects your wish, you should respect hers. The details can always be worked out to address the concerns.

Just remember the song "little old lady from Pasadena, go granny, go granny, go!"

First let me qualify by saying that I am single. It's on purpose to avoid stupid sh-t like this. That does not mean I don't have an opinion. If the OP bought the car for himself as a treat to have fun on weekends and it is really important to him then I get it. He should express that to his wife and that should be the end of it. However, I also get that a marriage is a partnership and his wife owns half the car so she has some say.
I'll bet this isn't any of the above but simply a power play for "mom". I say let her drive the car. Toss her the keys like you don't care or you really do love her and I'll bet she won't even drive it. Hell, if she wrecks it, insurance will pay and you can get a new one. I wouldn't go with her though. Why put yourself through that? Good luck!

That's it! Break her knees!!

What the Hell..

the Corvette can intimidate people with its size, sound and seating position.

I bet she gets in it, can't see above the dash, hears the roar, and wimps out.

You're safe!

lol

We are pretty much in the same space. First off the woman is 60, not 100. Second, given the choice between some 60 year old woman who can drive a stick and most of the lot boys on GM lots with their baseball caps worn backwards, I'd go with the ole gal. I was one of those lot boys a long time ago, and believe me you'd rather have the old lady driving your car. But I did facilitate the break-in. :D

Do a Google search on Betty Skelton. She past away last year, very fast behind the wheel of a corvette and a hell of a pilot.

It's just a car. and a chebby at that. get over yourself. give the old gal something to remember. I let my newphew and nieces drive my car, they will always remember it. even when the car is long gone.

man, some of the corvette owners are just jerks. don't let her drive it and that's what she will always remember.....

and as lou giggilotti, says "in 50 years it wont matter"

Since I have no idea of the relationship of your wife, her mother, or either of their driving abilities, or if your henpecked I'm not going to ride your ass about that.

Never answer a woman fast. in fact it could have been avoided if. .. Oh.. why does she want to drive it? maybe she just wants to say she drove one. if so find a big flat spot with nothing in it. and let her drive it around a bit.. not likely she will screw it up in that situation. if she thinks it's going to be her towning around car while she's visiting that's another story.

Corvettes are hard to drive, they have a lot of blind spots, the clutch can be tricky. I have an MGW shifter in my car. .. a third of the non driving idiots that even play with the shifter don't think they can drive the car.. i know a stock car isn't as troublesome as a modified one. but still, politely point out to your wife some of the difficulties. and of course... I don't want anything to happen to the car because I don't want to hate your mother for the rest of her life. ... now if you feel way i do about my future mother in law .. "no... F'her let her buy her own damn car"

I am also of the mind that I let people drive my car ( selectively of course) and give rides.. because it has made so many peoples day, and that look on their face is priceless.

Hell, let her drive it, and maybe your wife will give up the goods later!

I think Nancy Reagan may have said it best:

Just Say No. :cheers:

I almost threw up at work laughing at that... :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Totally agree with this post. She isn't going to wreck it. So what is has 400hp, it doesn't mean you have to use it all to drive the thing around the block (it's not a rocket). It's not even that punchy. I could see your point if it had a switch instead of a throttle, but it doesn't.

:iagree:


Who in their right mind wouldn't let a responsible family member drive any car they own...:crazy2:

Though I think it's presumptuous that a family member would assume it was ok to drive my Corvette, if someone wanted to take it for a spin, they could. My father in law didn’t ask to drive my Vette but did ask for a ride. He said it was the first time he had ever been in one and loved it. I figure if the worst happens, it will not be the last car I own so I don’t lose too much sleep over things. If you really think about it, the odds of anything bad happening going around the block are pretty astronomical. Try not to hold your breath the whole time. As they say, this too shall pass.

Its rude to ask and put the OP on the spot. People today have lost all manners.
If you're worried about her driving skills then case closed. NO!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Sorry OP, but this is funny!!!

Are you saying she wants to use the car full time while she stays over - or just go for a joy ride around the block? Be sure to go with her if just a joy ride - but rent her a car for her own use if not!

Well said!!! I loaned my C6 when it was 18 months old to a friend's son going to prom. He'd just lost his mother a few weeks before, and I respected the young man and the family. The father and son took it for a weekend beforehand- he was a VP at a company I had worked for previously. The car was insured. What's the big deal? It made memories for him he will remember forever. I can't imagine NOT letting my MIL drive any of my cars....

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Well said !!!

Use car with more than 2 seats. Take both females involved to large deserted area. Meet lawyer with divorce papers ready and half your wealth. Offer to sign and leave.

My wife read the OP and I think her take on it is spot on. Ever since we got our car every male friend and acquaintance I have has asked "When do i get to drive the car?" My wife explains to them that we were not allowed to test drive the car from the dealer before we laid out 70 large to drive it so you(my friends) will need to put out the big bucks if you want to drive a C7. If they don't own the car they may not respect the cost or power the same way you do.
In the OPs case he said he trusts his friends to drive the car and most likely many of them have. Well the MIL is his wife's friend and since she owns half the car................
One thing we have noticed that all our male friends ask to drive the car but none of the female friends ask. My wife just states"Left brain, Right Brain"

arguing with my ex, how did you find her???

sure let her drive it, I mean what's the worst that could happen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdLHAqL8KJw#t=77:ack:

What? Big VP couldn't afford to rent one from Hertz? . . so they hit you up? How much you respect someone or how nice they are has nothing to do with how they may treat your property. "Sorry, no" does not seem to be in the vocabulary anymore.

I never said he hit me up, I said he was a friend and his being a VP only qualifies he could afford to fix any damage IF any occurred. I offered the use of the car. When I was a car-crazy kid, people did it for me and I was respectful.

I have to admit, "sorry, no" seems to be in almost everyone's vocubulary these days. Would I say "no" to the punk kid next door? Absolutely. Friends and family I respect can use my things; they are just things. This fanaticism over a $70K car is silly. My wife's X5 cost nearly that much. So does a loaded Suburban. The Ferrari owner gets it, and so do a few others.

sounds like someone is getting lucky... Christmas is early in January..

If your wife is Hot and can afford to buy you a new C7... Then let moms take it for a spine around the corner.

My moms 67 and works out, and can drive a C7 know problem.:thumbs:

:iagree: And when she gives them back to you in that little jar of formaldehyde, put it in the storage bin behind the screen.

:rofl: true that !!!

Well Stinger what happened?? :toetap:

:lol: Sorry for the bump, blame the new "similar threads" function. I was in an OT thread about dating and this thread was "similar". :crazy2:

Great solution----------but make sure the insurance is paid up

I don't see much of a situation here. Your first reaction/word seemed absolutely correct to me. Stand your ground, or the next thing you can expect is, your wife will be lending your Vette to her mother for the weekend.

Reviving a year old thread???

Sure, aren't you curious to see what happened? :hide:

Looks like the OP had to sell his C7 just a few months later...

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...sweet-day.html

And it's only 10 months old.

Not particularly.

I hadn't bought my C7 yet so never saw this thread. Unlike many (most?) C7 owners I realize mine is a car. It's not a show car. It's not a collector car. It's a car that's no more expensive than many loaded SUVs, pickups and luxury cars and it's depreciating like those cars are. It's insured. I let other people I know drive it.

I've owned cars that I treated as garage art and hardly ever drove. I now realize that life is too short for that and I now enjoy whatever cars I choose to own. YMMV.

:cheers:

I let my 16 year old grandson drive mine when I had only had it for 2 weeks(with me along of course) and I have solidified my bonding with him forever. When he told the guys at school and showed them the pictures he was the envy of everybody in school.

I like the way you think:rofl:

Great video---Laughed like hell

Interesting how this thread popped back up....Hmm hope the situation with the mother in law had nothing to do with having to sell. Sure would be a shame.

Sure would be karma. :lol::lol::lol:

Then she is just going to burn up the clutch to be sure it doesn't stall.

Michael

Sounds more like you're between a dog and a fire hydrant.

The solution here was to tell the wife the transmission started making strange sounds and you need to bring the car in for services, so there should be no unnecessary driving of the car until that happens, "unfortunately".

Then, when the mother in law is gone, you tell the wife the problem went away and the service manager said bring it back if it happens again.

Yup, because lying to your spouse always ends well. Or not. :lol:

Take her to a dealer that has a vette with a manual, have her act interested, and let her take their car out for a test drive
.

These are some great new suggestions, now if only we can find the new owner of his C7. :lol:

A white lie here or there never hurts.

:lolg::lolg::lolg:

In plain language, you blew it both with your wife and your mother in law. I'll be 71 in Jan and currently drive the A6. When I got to Ron Fellows school in late Sept they had an A6 if I wanted it. I said no thanks, I can drive the M7 fine. I hadn't driven a manual any kind of car since '82. I drove fine and on the optional 3rd day when we could drive however it felt right and pass on the straights, I was the one (along with a couple of others) doing the passing and most of the corners in 2nd. It's my back and Atlanta traffic that made me order the A6. If you could ever drive a stick, you still can :thumbs:. I'm thinking you need to re-think your response :crazy:

If my mother-in-law was still alive, you bet I would let her drive it. This summer my 15-year-old grandson spent a month with us. I taught him to drive a stick on my new C7 with about 1000 miles on it and then in my Viper. Memories are more important than a car.

This tells it all...
 

no f'kn way I'd let her drive it, tell her that your insurance does not cover mother in laws.

Happy Wife happy life:cheers::cheers::cheers:

I'm guessing that those responding today, haven't read the thread where the OP had to sell the car for reasons unknown.

I wasn't around C7 when this thread was started, but all I can say is that I have never seen so many suggestions for passive-aggressive behavior before. :crazy2: That, and such sexist crap; who the hell honestly thinks that women are worse drivers than men, anymore? Certainly not the insurance industry.

If someone (doesn't matter who) asks if they can drive your car, say yes or no, for whatever reasons YOU decide. It's your car.

Or that I posted the link! FWIW, he cited the reasons...

"...due to business and personal financial issues..."

Exactly......and the reason I said for unknown reasons is because if he took the advice that many seemed to offer, which was divorce...that could very well have to do with business and financial issues.

has nothing to do with being male or female, it has to do with her being 70 years old, hasn't driven a stick in 10 years and probably can barely push in the clutch pedal. Me thinks you're making it out to be more than what it really is. :yesnod:

My wife wants control of everything in the kitchen and that makes her happy. ...and in return, the agreement is no one else gets to drive my car.

Actually he said about 60, which is an age quiet a few on this forum happen to be :)

Why is this thread still being discussed :cheers:

Maybe she is only joking.

It's a crazy thing that happens when people post, a discussion ensues. :D

I've got to agree with this post. It should be 'their' car, not his or hers. And before anybody says anything, right now the 2013 Mustang GT is basically mine, while the 2014 Charger SRT is basically hers, but at the end of the day the cars belong to both of us.

The new Vette will basically be my car, but she will have a set of keys and be able to drive it anytime she wants. She is also 57 years old, just a couple of years younger than the mother in law in the original post.

I don't think anybody should lose their 'man card' because some female wants to drive the car and he allows it.

After 30 plus years of marriage I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that compromise and sharing go a long way to keeping a happy home.

If it really bothers you, then just tell your wife and say no. Then again, if she won't take no for answer, f**k it and let her mom drive it. That is why you have insurance for.

you can give it away or get a divorce just kidding good luck with that

The right play here is to grow a pair

So now besides giving advice to a guy who sold the car months ago and doesn't need the advice, we're into personal insults. Nice.

Perfect!

Wow, I don't get this thread op? Wtf are you thinking. Not just no, but hell no. But its reasonable to take her for a ride. Yes its a car butt its a performance car. The minute she hits the gas hard she will have trouble with it. She can go test drive one at the dealer if she has to drive it.

Actually one way you are screwed and the other way you won't be :lol:.

:iagree: