Kids' car and gas. How do your teens share the gas?

[school17777]

My twins share a car and they are responsible for paying for their own gas.

 

They don't want to (and don't) do my suggestion about keeping a log of their mileage so we can use that when they disagree about who used the gas and should pay to put more in. However, they want me to be in the middle and make the other pay for gas when they each feel the other used their gas up. I told them without a notebook keeping track of their mileage, it's not fair to put me in the middle.

 

How do your kids who share cars and pay for their own gas deal with this?

[school17777]

One idea that I have is to fill the tank, they split the cost, and then they fill the tank every time they drive it to replace the gas they used. We live very close to gas station, so that's not an unreasonable thing to do.

[StephanieZ]

If they won't keep a log or follow another of your good suggestions, I'd tell them to stuff it. When/if *one* of the teens is willing to follow one of your good suggestions, then I think it'd be fine to use the mom-card to enforce compliance by the *other* teen, but if neither will do something so reasonable, then it's both their problems. Set some firm consequence for bothering you with it, or just ignore it, but in any event, don't let them make it your problem!

[redsquirrel]

If they don't want to go to the trouble of keeping track of mileage, then you simply have them each pay half every time one of them pays for gas. Each driver doesn't have to fill up every time, just when it looks low.  If I drive the car and put in 20$ of gas then I get paid back 10$ by the other driver. And vice versa. You just need a receipt. 

 

You either pay by mileage which requires keeping track, or you split it evenly. That's pretty much the options. It's like going to a restaurant with four friends. You can either split the check four ways or divide it equally. Those are the choices. They have to pick one and leave you out of it.

 

If they complain you could always offer to relive them of the privileged of driving. That would be much easier in terms of the gas costs.

[Haiku]

They don't want to (and don't) do my suggestion about keeping a log of their mileage

 

Waah. So sad for them.

 

I don't do these types of situations. When kids have a perfectly obvious and reasonable solution to a problem but they refuse to use it and instead whine at me, I tell them to stuff it (maybe a little bit more nicely, but probably not much). 

 

This is a situation where they just need to suck it up and grow up. A car is a privilege. I'd tell my kids (and I will have kids sharing a car in a few years) that if they aren't responsible enough to handle the gas situation, they aren't responsible enough to drive. Period.

 

ETA: This kind of teenage BS gets on. my. last. nerve. "Waah, waah, waah, I want privileges with no responsibilities."  :willy_nilly:

Edited June 15, 2016 by TaraTheLiberator

[Annie G]

Our policy has been to charge a 'use of car' fee and we 'pay' for gas.  So we looked at how much it costs to insure the car they use and add in some wear and tear, and a tank of gas a month.  Divide by two, and that's what each kid pays.  They each have a credit card that's from our account and when they buy gas, we just pay for it when we pay the credit card bill.  (But of course it has already been built into their monthly fee)

 

We found that to be easier for us because they run errands for us quite a bit. We just didn't want to keep track of who used it when.   And even more weird, our youngest dd doesn't actually drive but her brother or I take her to and from work so she still pays the 'use of car' fee. 

 

We live in a small town and their car rarely uses more than a tank of gas a month so their car expenses are pretty reasonable.  When they've taken trips out of town they have covered their own gas. 

[happi duck]

One idea that I have is to fill the tank, they split the cost, and then they fill the tank every time they drive it to replace the gas they used. We live very close to gas station, so that's not an unreasonable thing to do.

To me, this is the best idea...even better than mileage because ime being stuck in traffic uses more gas.

 

They will need to commit to the plan...stopping for gas on the way home no matter how short the trip is now park of driving.

 

Since there's been disagreement before:

 

I think the penalty for not filling up would be reimbursing the other person for all of what they put in the next time.

 

Also, I'd make a spot for them to put the receipt as proof they followed through.

[JFSinIL]

Did they buy the car themselves, or is this a hand-me-down family car they are using?  If the latter, then tell them the next time they try to make you solve their gas problems, you take the car back.  If they are old enough to drive, they are old enough to figure out a system they can both live with.  Call it a "life skill": for when they eventually have to share expenses with roommates in college or real life. 

Oh, and if you have to take back the car, they can take a bus/walk since you are not driving them.

 

Oh, and they are paying insurance, or reimbursing you for being on your policy, right?  If not....tell them they will have to do that, do, if the squabbling continues.

Edited June 15, 2016 by JFSinIL

[Lolly]

Yep. Fill up the tank before it is returned to the house...every. single. time. the car is used. Both going with one as passenger, split cost to fill. Otherwise, pay for your gas and return the car with a full tank.

[scoutingmom]

My aunt had a system for her family (7 kids, 2 sets of twins) so lots of teens at once. And yes, it required writing mileage. There was a cost per mile, and that cost went towards gas, insurance, maintenance, etc. If they bought gas, the receipt counted towards their payments for car usage. Not sure what happened if they didn't write the milage... but they would all check before and after so they didn't accidently pay for someone else's milage... with that many drivers......

 

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[Tita Gidge]

I'm not an attention-to-detail person, plus I'm always running late ... I'd struggle with keeping track of mileage. I'd just as soon overpay my portion of the bill to avoid having to track everything LOL. But I agree that this is the most reasonable solution and that you shouldn't really be involved in this disagreement of theirs.

 

My first reaction was shared by someone else up thread - the car is grounded until the twins figure out their own solution or accept the one I (you) offered. I'm happy to serve as an invited mediator if requested, but more likely I'd rather they get one of my friends or a different relative for the job.

 

How do your kids who share cars and pay for their own gas deal with this?

 

We opened up a gas card in their names. It was to help them establish some credit and to serve as a safety net so they never ran out of gas somewhere ... or said, "Sorry, Moms, can't run your errand because I can't afford the gas!"

 

They split the bill. I usually chip in some, just a small amount like $20-30 (about a tank's worth) because I'm a nice lady and I'd rather they run my errands in their car instead of mine. I hate when people move my seat and mirrors!  And leave their trash :glare: .

 

Sometimes they come up ahead, sometimes behind. This works because they use the car a pretty equal amount. If one used it significantly more than the other, like to get to work or something, we'd adjust their payments accordingly - say, 1/3 to 2/3 or something.

[school17777]

Did they buy the car themselves, or is this a hand-me-down family car they are using? If the latter, then tell them the next time they try to make you solve their gas problems, you take the car back. If they are old enough to drive, they are old enough to figure out a system they can both live with. Call it a "life skill": for when they eventually have to share expenses with roommates in college or real life.

Oh, and if you have to take back the car, they can take a bus/walk since you are not driving them.

 

Oh, and they are paying insurance, or reimbursing you for being on your policy, right? If not....tell them they will have to do that, do, if the squabbling continues.

All of us contributed to the cost of the car. We pay insurance and maintenance, they are just responsible for gas.

[katilac]

 

  And even more weird, our youngest dd doesn't actually drive but her brother or I take her to and from work so she still pays the 'use of car' fee. 

 

 

 

*bows down to you* 

 

Rock on, hard-ass mom, rock on. 

[JFSinIL]

All of us contributed to the cost of the car. We pay insurance and maintenance, they are just responsible for gas.

Tell them they may be having to split the insurance on car, too, between themselves if they keep drawing you into their fussing over gas. I suspect they will come up with a plan rather than be out more money or lose the car.

[Pippen]

Tell them they may be having to split the insurance on car, too, between themselves if they keep drawing you into their fussing over gas. I suspect they will come up with a plan rather than be out more money or lose the car.

 

This. I'd pull out the insurance bill so they can see the amount, and also point out the next due date. If they can't be bothered to go through the effort of logging their miles so you don't have to be pulled in every month, tell them you won't be bothered to pay for insurance.

 

In fact, I might collect up front, and reimburse when they've proven they can handle this aspect of being a driver maturely.

[AngieW in Texas]

We actually pay for all of the gas, but we have kids dropping each other off and sometimes dropping me off and picking me up. Because there are three of them sharing one car, the ride-sharing can get kind of tricky. Sometimes that one car won't do it because of the way their schedules overlap and one of them has to drop me off and pick me up to have a second car available.

 

I send the kids out on errands for me all the time.

 

Instead of having the kids split the gas bill, maybe have some other system for splitting costs, like a flat fee that they pay monthly as a car-use fee.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

if they don't want to keep a log - they can take turns filling the tank.  if they don't want to pay to fill the tank - the one who does get's preference for use of the car and the other one can forfiet access.  I'd step out of it and tell them it's their problem.  you can always sell they car if they'd rather not work things out . . .

 

I don't remember all the details when they were sharing. the one with the busiest schedule also tended to be the one filling the tank and having nearly exclusive use of the car. they were eventually expected to also make sure they did their regular oil changes, etc.

 

 

[Haiku]

I just realized that the twins you are talking about are in college. Everything I said in my previous post, times two. There is no reason that college-age students should be bugging mom about this. I assumed the twins were newly 16 new drivers. It's not acceptable at that age, either, but more expected that sixteen year olds would behave in such a self-centered way. But for adult college students ... no way. You can tell them I said to work it out on their own and leave you alone.  :D

[Pippen]

I just realized that the twins you are talking about are in college. Everything I said in my previous post, times two. There is no reason that college-age students should be bugging mom about this. I assumed the twins were newly 16 new drivers. It's not acceptable at that age, either, but more expected that sixteen year olds would behave in such a self-centered way. But for adult college students ... no way. You can tell them I said to work it out on their own and leave you alone.  :D

 

I'm with The Liberator. Tell them the WTM Posse said to work it out on their own and leave you alone. 

Edited June 16, 2016 by Pippen

[Caroline]

Brilliant!

 

Our policy has been to charge a 'use of car' fee and we 'pay' for gas. So we looked at how much it costs to insure the car they use and add in some wear and tear, and a tank of gas a month. Divide by two, and that's what each kid pays. They each have a credit card that's from our account and when they buy gas, we just pay for it when we pay the credit card bill. (But of course it has already been built into their monthly fee)

 

We found that to be easier for us because they run errands for us quite a bit. We just didn't want to keep track of who used it when. And even more weird, our youngest dd doesn't actually drive but her brother or I take her to and from work so she still pays the 'use of car' fee.

 

We live in a small town and their car rarely uses more than a tank of gas a month so their car expenses are pretty reasonable. When they've taken trips out of town they have covered their own gas.

[4arrows]

If they won't keep a log or follow another of your good suggestions, I'd tell them to stuff it. When/if *one* of the teens is willing to follow one of your good suggestions, then I think it'd be fine to use the mom-card to enforce compliance by the *other* teen, but if neither will do something so reasonable, then it's both their problems. Set some firm consequence for bothering you with it, or just ignore it, but in any event, don't let them make it your problem!

I'd have to agree with this.  Teens seem to love to put parents in impossible situations.  

[school17777]

I'm with The Liberator. Tell them the WTM Posse said to work it out on their own and leave you alone.

I told them what the consensus was (before I saw this post!). They were like, "What? You posted about this on your forum?" We shall see what they do - I told them need to fill up the car every time they drive and I don't want to hear about it.