i totaled my friend car ):

[daniellerthel]

Hello, im 22 and got my driver permit a few months ago.

last week my friend and i went for a drive, and she offered me to drive her car, so i could practice my driving with her.
i was excited and said yes. everything was fine, till the road started to get a little icy.
we started sliding lost control on the car, i panicked and stepped on the brakes, and we ended up hitting a tree. i racked the car ):

the car was a 92' and she bought it for 2000$.
to fix it now with all the damage is 4000-5000$. totall loss.

plus, she doesn't have her insurance policy doesn't cover any car damage,
which i knew only after the accident.

she wants to buy a new car now, the same kind and same year.
but found it for 3000$.
she wants me to pay the whole 3000$, the full amount.

what will be the right way to solve this?
should i pay the whole 3000$?

Im sorry for this long story, i just wanted to give as much details as possible.
i just dont know what to do and how to handle this whole story.
She is a really good friend of mine, and i want to solve this on the most right and fair way.

thank you for the help!!!!

 

[mightymoose]

This comes down to how good of friends you are. It is her own fault for not having adequate insurance and allowing you to drive.
If you feel like you should pay her anything, all you really need to offer is the value of the vehicle that was wrecked AT THE TIME IT WAS WRECKED... not the value at the time she bought it.
When it gets down to it, you don't have to pay her anything unless a judge orders you to. If you value your friendship then you will find a way to come to an agreement- but no, you don't owe her $3000. Check the blue book value of her vehicle prior to the crash and you will get an idea of a fair price. I suspect 1200-1500 is more realistic, but it really depends on the condition of the vehicle.

 

[daniellerthel]

hey there, thank you for your reply.
i dont plan to take this case to court or infront of a judge or anything like that, neither does she.
we are very good friends and i highly value the friendship.
I just need an opinion of someone from the outside that knows how to handle those kind of issues.
I am definitely going to take responsibility for what happend and pay her, after all i am the one who racked the car!.
The question is how much should i really pay considering all the facts and that we are really good friends?...

 

[army judge]

You owe her at least for the full value of her car.
You say it was $2,000.

But, she needs $3,000.

Why not offer $2,500?

She could then come up with another $500 to buy insurance.

If she isn't going to buy insurance, tell her not to buy a car.

You, on the other hand, would be wise to stop driving too!

You're lucky you still have a permit and haven't lost your ability to get a license.

 

[mightymoose]

The question is how much should i really pay considering all the facts and that we are really good friends?...

You would owe her the value of the car at the time it was wrecked- this is not the same as the price she paid for the car. You are not obligated to buy her a new car, and you are not obligated to pay anything more than what her car was worth.
Again, she has some responsibility here for not having proper coverage.