[TR] lending cars?

[KingsCreekTrees at aol.com]

Hi Gary;
 
Sounds like you have a difficult decision to make. I think one thing to  
bear in mind is the distance and time the car will be borrowed/rented for. In  
2003, a good friend's dad was about to celebrate his 69th birthday, I 
think, at  a restaurant with friends and family. This good friend of ours told us 
about how  her dad always wanted to get his old TR3A back, which was black 
with red  interior. Mine's black with black interior, having been red 
originally, and our  friend asked if we could show up at the restaurant with the 
car.
 
We showed up, our friend's parents came out and started drooling over the  
car. I knew the insurance policy we had then would cover him, so I handed 
him  the keys and said "you two take it for a drive". I knew they wouldn't be 
gone  long because there were friends and family waiting for them back at 
the  restaurant. It had been probably 50 years since he'd driven a car like 
that, so  as far as I was concerned he was totally unfamiliar with it.
 
My point is that our cars, despite their age, are very durable. Although I  
knew this guy wouldn't abuse it, I also knew he'd likely be hard on the 
clutch  and possibly other components. Then again, I knew they wouldn't go much 
farther  than just around the block, and it was in a small village with 
hardly any  traffic.
 
So, if it were me making the decision, I'd take into consideration not only 
 insurance and how much you trusted the individual, but the probable 
distance  they'll go and the time they'll be in the car.
 
Good luck with the tough decision.
 
Tim  

Tim Dyer,  Kings Creek Trees and Ornamentals
427 Kings Creek Road, RR3
Ashton, ON K0A  1B0
Canada
Phone/fax: 613 253 4126 Website: _www.kingscreektrees.com_ 
(http://www.kingscreektrees.com/) 

Proud  member of Landscape Ontario (the Ontario association for 
horticulture  professionals), the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association, the 
Ottawa  Botanical Garden Society, the Carleton Place Horticultural Society and 
the  Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario