Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisinhouston
... But is that the ethical thing to do? ...
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Yes.
You're responsible for returning the vehicle in the same working condition it was in when you borrowed it. Your fault, their fault, no one's fault, in the absence of a specific loan agreement you're responsible. They've probably already put a lot of money into the vehicle maintaining it for their own use from which you benefitted. That should come at no additional cost to them in terms of money or convenience.
If the mileage you put on their car was the straw that broke the camel's back; but, the water pump failed the very next time one of them drove the car, you wouldn't be offering to pay for it ... not even half.
There was no quid pro quo regarding watching their children as you do that as much for the benefit of your relationship with the children as for the parents. Any work you did for the adults was pro bono as was them loaning you the car. They haven't been charging you a rental fee have they? It's a wash.
Considering the disparity between your incomes, it would have been magnanimous of them to pay for repairs even if it was just half. Perhaps they like you, but not that much.
If you're going to borrow cars, get your own towing insurance or join an auto club. They cover you in rental and borrowed vehicles. Trying to put any towing expense on the vehicle owners was low class. It added insult to injury.
Filling the tank and cleaning the vehicle was a nice gesture. Considering your relationship with them, the money would have been better spent being put towards a rental car. It may make the difference between being frugal and being cheap. The latter can come back to bite you in the wallet.
