Writer ordered to pay $174,000 dollars for a test drive

[Nik00117]

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...210104855.html

Basically the writer asked a owner of a porches worth $2 million to do a test drive. They agreed. The writer hired a racer to race the car and shit happened and the engine blew.

Owner sues the writer and wins $174,000

Here's my take on it, to own this car you must be very wealthy, you loaned your car out for personal satisfaction and it was destroyed by accident you pay the bill.

Also I'm going to assume the owner isn't a moron (he's rich) so why didn't he pull out insurance on the car? Maybe he is self insured (you can do this if your rich).

If I'd be the owner of a old race car that was worth millions and I was going loan the car I'd make sure to make the people who want to borrow my car pay an insurance. That way if anything goes wrong insurance pays.

[Sponsor]

[GreenEnvy]

Doesn't work that way. When you rest a car is the rental company responsible?
"British journalist Mark Hales arranged with retired racer and collector David Piper"
The writer arranged with the owner, he was also the one that drove it for the photo shoot for exclusive shots. In other words he was also doing it for monetary gain. The writer should have known enough to take out a policy for it just like any other job he does.
I've been on the losing end of the stick from a friend "borrowing" a car then dissapearing. Only for me to find out from the police it had been totalled, along with 2 other cars. Yeah great, I'd still had insurance on it altho he was supposed to have gotten some. but you know what, it cost me alot altho I had absolutely no involvement... a car, impound fees, insurance going to high risk, as well as various tickets for parking and such, time off work to try and straighten the mess out, etc.
Will I ever let a friend borrow a car again? not without insurance on it first to make sure my butts covered and my car is covered. especially if it were to be used for something such as this. I'm not paying for someone elses fun and profit and neither should this owner.

[Elizabeth]

Well, the guy driving should have clarified the 'contract' to drive the car before he jumped in.
Either he accepted the responsibility for NOT blowing up the engine. Or didn't.
Seems to me from the article the driver DID accept responsibility to not over rev the engine. And then he did over rev it. blowing it up.
That makes the driver responsible.

[bringler26]

Sad story. I think both parties are at fault for not signing a real contract.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

We don't know how the engine was blown either. It could've been a shift screw-up- totally the driver's fault. I bet nobody else will drive it after that, or who knows, maybe the owner will appreciate driving it more.