NEED TO KNOW
- On Reddit, a woman said she refused to let her cousin borrow her car after the cousin previously totaled two vehicles
- The cousin and aunt are upset, arguing that “family helps family,” while the woman says she can’t risk the only car she owns
- Reddit commenters largely defended her decision, saying occasional rides aren’t the same as handing over her keys
One woman is giving her cousin the hard truth.
In a post on Reddit, the 27-year-old explained that she’s extremely close with her 29-year-old cousin. “We grew up like sisters,” she wrote. But when it comes to cars, responsibility has never been her cousin’s strong suit. Over the past four years, she’s totaled two vehicles: one from speeding and the other from neglecting basic maintenance.
Recently, she said her cousin’s current car went into the shop, leaving her without transportation, and she’s been asking every family member for rides. The poster said she’s helped when she can, but last week, her cousin went a step further and asked to borrow her car “for a few days.”
She says she declined politely. Her car is fully paid off, the only major thing she owns outright and she can’t afford repairs if something were to happen. But her cousin got upset, accusing her of “acting brand new,” especially since she knows the cousin is trying to keep her new job.
The situation escalated when their aunt called, saying she should “have more compassion” because “family helps family,” and claimed she was setting her cousin up to fail by refusing to lend the car.
But the poster says she worked hard for her vehicle, and there’s a difference between giving someone occasional rides and handing over her keys like she’s “Enterprise Rent-A-Car.”
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Now she’s asking Reddit if she’s in the wrong for saying no, even if it makes her cousin’s commute harder.
Since posting, hundreds of people have flocked to the comment section to share their thoughts on the situation. One person said, “Uber is her new best friend.”
Another user suggested, “Tell your aunt that you aren’t setting her up to fail because her new job [has] nothing to do with you. But your aunt can help her out by paying for her car repairs and your cousin can pay her back from the salary she gets from her new job.”
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