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Splitting a Vehicle with a brother

TSE

TSE

macrumors 601
Original poster
Alright so today I got my license. 😀

However, my parents have given both me and my brother the ability to split one (1) vehicle between me and my 18 year old brother.

We both agree that we should split the vehicle scientifically to avoid problems, but I can't figure out any good methods.

Any ideas?
 
Don't do it. I tried this with my younger brother when we were in our late teens. We ended up resenting each other more than at any other time in our lives.
 
I agree, don't!


If you really have to, then flip a coin if you both want the car at the same time. That way there's no argument.
But you both have to respect the result.
 
My sister and I split a car between us. We just let each other know in advance if we need it, and if any conflicts arise, she'll usually get it due to seniority. I'm perfectly fine with it.
 
I can't see how this will be good in any way for either of you.

Only solution I can think of is have your parents get a car that you can sell for a decent price then go out and each buy your own. Won't make your parents happy, but you won't kill your brother.

Parents wrath or dead brother, you decide. 😎
 
I don't really see what the problem is.

Having a car half the time is better than not having a car at all. You've managed without a car for this long. You can continue to manage without a car on the days that the car is unavailable to you: take the bus, bike, walk. And if you and your brother are civil, and can agree not to be self-centered about it, then you can work out something to help each other when possible. You can pick him up and drop him off places on days when you've got the car, and vice versa.

Doesn't this happen in everyone else's (single car) family anyway? Husband needs to make arrangements on the day that the wife needs the car. Son can't take the car out to the movies because mom is on a weekend road trip. And so on.
 
Take the engine, he can have the rest



But seriously, as long as you give each other warning about when you need it, the first person to request it gets it
 
notjustjay said:
I don't really see what the problem is.

Having a car half the time is better than not having a car at all. You've managed without a car for this long. You can continue to manage without a car on the days that the car is unavailable to you: take the bus, bike, walk. And if you and your brother are civil, and can agree not to be self-centered about it, then you can work out something to help each other when possible. You can pick him up and drop him off places on days when you've got the car, and vice versa.

Doesn't this happen in everyone else's (single car) family anyway? Husband needs to make arrangements on the day that the wife needs the car. Son can't take the car out to the movies because mom is on a weekend road trip. And so on.
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This.

Both of you are adults and have been deemed responsible enough by your parents and the state to operate a powerful machine that's capable of killing. If neither of you are capable of sharing a car then perhaps you need to rethink if you're responsible enough to drive.

Don't agree to a 50/50 split because the second either of you realizes it was actually a 51/49 split, someone's gonna get upset. Just work out who needs it when. If you end up with it more than half the time, great. If not, that's fine too. Just do what you did for transportation before you got your license.
 
twistedlegato said:
My sister and I split a car between us. We just let each other know in advance if we need it, and if any conflicts arise, she'll usually get it due to seniority. I'm perfectly fine with it.
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Lucky you. When my bro and I got to split a vehicle, he got the driver's side, I got the passenger's side.🙁 Those were the days.🙄

Here's how I'd do it today. Have an agreement in writing and let your parents enforce the agreement. That way, the elder sibling can't pull any rank BS. Give each day a value (weekends being more valuable than weekdays, holidays being the most valuable) and divvy it up that way. If your bro wants to use the vehicle on one of your days, he'll have to trade (equal or better value). Sounds fair to me.

Here's a question. Who pays for gas/petrol?
 
TSE said:
Alright so today I got my license. 😀

However, my parents have given both me and my brother the ability to split one (1) vehicle between me and my 18 year old brother.

We both agree that we should split the vehicle scientifically to avoid problems, but I can't figure out any good methods.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

whatever you do, make sure your half has the gas tank. But in seriousness, I really dont think you can physically cut the car in half. You would need at least 3 wheels. no scientific away around that.
 
iOrlando said:
whatever you do, make sure your half has the gas tank. But in seriousness, I really dont think you can physically cut the car in half. You would need at least 3 wheels. no scientific away around that.
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What about motorcycles?😀
 
This is a bad idea! Never share a car. I had to share a car with two sisters.

Lets just say "daddy, but i wanted to use the car..." happened so many times, it made me sick. It sucked
 
Xavier said:
This is a bad idea! Never share a car. I had to share a car with two sisters.
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I agree with that. When I was 17 and just got my license I had to split a car with my dad for 1 year. One of the worst times I've had since my dad needed it for his work. We fought Battle of Stalingrad every day over the damn thing. Looking back at this I can see his side since I was a novice driver and there was a risk of getting into an accident, injuring myself and others as well as leave him without a car to use for work.

So after fighting for a year he finally gave in. One lucky day about 1 month after my 18th birthday he threw the Buick's keys at me and said "just take it and leave me the hell alone". Then he went on and bought himself a minivan. That's how I got my first car. Sure it was an old beater and I spent almost as much time fixing it my senior year in high school as I did driving it but I loved it.

Now I have 2 cars of my own and when I had to share one with my uncle one summer a couple of years back I didn't like that at all.
 
Terrible idea. I see the lesson your parents most likely are trying to make (sharing and maturity, putting oneself last etc..) but frankly this is just dumb.

I'm sure you two have your own lives (maybe football practice vs band practice, dates, hanging out with friends, a job even). It'd be better for them to give you each $5000 or something and say go get a car.
 
skunk said:
Buy your own car.
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Second that, buy yourself a car worth a couple of hundred dollars (I am sure there are loads out there).

IMO if I ever have to share my "future" car with my brother I'll die lol although I don't see it happening as I am paying for half of it 😎
 
twistedlegato said:
My sister and I split a car between us. We just let each other know in advance if we need it, and if any conflicts arise, she'll usually get it due to seniority. I'm perfectly fine with it.
Click to expand...

Really this is the best way to do it. Just keep the other informed on when you need it. If you both want it at the same time it comes down to who needs it more at the time.

Do not do a 50/50spliy because when if gets unbalance fight will happen.
Real quistion is who is paying for gas and maintaince on it. That is really where things go crazy.

My brother and I never shared a car but we would borrow the others car at times because well his car was a truck and mine was a car.
Now we both own cars and I will borrow his for some things because it is a lot nicer than my car. I am the oldest and the oldest noramally gets screwed. Mind you my brother and I are 25 and27 living and home and working on 2nd degrees due to the job market
 
Odd & Even

I had a couple friends when I was younger that had to share a car. They were twins, and what they did was share odd and even days. One always got odd the other got even. So they knew when they would get the vehicle and thus would plan their days accordingly.
 
renewed said:
Terrible idea. I see the lesson your parents most likely are trying to make (sharing and maturity, putting oneself last etc..) but frankly this is just dumb.

I'm sure you two have your own lives (maybe football practice vs band practice, dates, hanging out with friends, a job even). It'd be better for them to give you each $5000 or something and say go get a car.
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So you think the Op should approach his parents with this proposal? Speaking as a Dad, that's a guaranteed way to lose ALL car privileges. "Oh, so you don't want to share a car with your brother? Fine. You don't have to share, because he gets the car."
 
Mousse said:
So you think the Op should approach his parents with this proposal? Speaking as a Dad, that's a guaranteed way to lose ALL car privileges. "Oh, so you don't want to share a car with your brother? Fine. You don't have to share, because he gets the car."
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Haha not saying to ask them, I'm saying what would be ideal.
 
skunk said:
Buy your own car.
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Great advice and you may not use. Lots to be learned and appreciate by buying your first car and not dealing with your parents buying one car for two.
 
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