Dating Diaries: I Drove My Dates Car into A Tree!

Welcome to the dating diaries, where we speak to real people about their dating experiences. We cover the good, the bad and the ugly of the dating world. Our aim is to not only entertain you, but help our readers to navigate their own dating lives, by picking up tips and learning from other people’s experiences.

Tara 32, Research Assistant dates Mark, 34 , financial consultant

Where did you meet?

We met on a night out in a club.

Where was your date?

We planned a weekend away in the countryside.

What happened?

We had been dating for around a month. It was going really well, and there was nothing I could fault him on! 

He was funny, had a good job, took me on nice dates and never let me pay, and more importantly he treated me with respect and made me feel special! 

We had planned a weekend away in the countryside at a cosy little cottage from Friday until Sunday. This was our first weekend away and I had a feeling that we would end up coming back from it as an official couple so it was a big deal for me and I was excited! 

It was a couple of hours drive away but the cottage was beautiful and had a hot tub in it!  Plus it was really quiet and peaceful and nice to take in the country air and be away from the hustle and bustle of the city! 

We had a great weekend and as I suspected we made it official! 

On Sunday, we drove to the pub for lunch before the long drive back to the city and if I remember rightly got on to the topic of his car! 

He had a BMW and he treated it as his pride and joy! 

I had not yet got my drivers license but I had just started lessons and because we were in a remote area he stated that he would give me a driving lesson before our journey home. 

I was buzzing about the idea of getting behind the wheel of a flash car! 

When we got back from the pub we switched seats and began the lesson. It didn’t even last 5 minutes before I drove the car into a nearby tree, making quite a big dent in the front of the car!! 

Because the car was automatic and I was used to having lessons in a manual car, I got confused ended up pressing the gas! I also underestimated how powerful the car was! 

Things were a bit of a bur when it happened but I remember him shouting ‘STOP’ ‘BREAK’  

He was in shock when I hit the tree and I couldn’t tell if he was going to go crazy or cry! He was absolutely gutted and I was very embarrassed and apologetic! 

Luckily it was just a dent and there was no further damage aside from scuff marks, so we were able to drive back home, however the car drive was a little awkward and we didn’t talk much! 

After he had dropped me home, he called me later on that evening and stated that we needed to talk about the damage to his car, he stated that he did not want to claim on his insurance because that would make his premiums go up, so we needed to come to an agreement about the damage and asked me outright to pay for it! 

I agreed to pay for damage as I did it so it was only fair and right! I was however worried about the cost, and he stated that he would try to get it as cheap as possible by getting a few quotes. He also stated that if I did not have the money to pay upfront then he would pay and I could pay in installments! 

The work cost £600, to get the dents out and to repaint the scuff marks! 

Did you see one another again?

He got over the fact that I damaged his car quite quickly actually! This incident was 4 years ago and now we live together, are engaged and we are expecting our first baby in a few months! 

We laugh about this incident now although at the time it was far from funny! Needless to say, to this date, he isn’t that keen on me driving his car! Even though I have now passed my test!