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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We really like our nanny overall. We have two kids, ages 3 and 1. She drives the kids in her own car and we reimburse her for mileage and wear-and-tear. She told us that she prefers to drive her own car and has always done this with her nanny families, even when they have a nicer car available for her to drive. We do have a car but we need it to commute.

Twice in the past 6 months, she’s had issues with her car and we’ve had to call her an Uber to get her home. The first time, she couldn’t get it to start. She ended up having to take it to the shop to get it repaired, but she was vague about what the issue was. The second time, she couldn’t get her key to work, so she couldn’t even get the door open. I’m guessing that there was an issue with the battery in her key, and for some reason we couldn’t get the physical key to work either. She had an extra set of keys at home and has been using those. The AC in her car also doesn’t work when it’s super hot, which is concerning to me.

She has admitted to us that she probably needs a new car, but she’s also said that cars are so expensive right now that she wants to wait. At this point, we’re not comfortable with her continuing to drive our kids in this car. What if the key hadn’t worked while she was out and about with them, and they were stranded there?

We’re trying to come up with a way to resolve this issue. Our contract says that she will drive her own car, but we didn’t think to put anything in it about maintaining the car to a certain standard. Here are the options as far as I can tell:

1. Tell her to buy a new car. I don’t think this is the route I want to go because I don’t think she can afford it and I don’t want to be a mean employer. 
2. Lease a car for her to use. This would be annoyingly expensive but doable for us.
3. Buy a used car for her to use while she’s driving our kids around. Again, annoyingly expensive but probably doable.
4. Give her a one-time bonus and tell her the intent is for her to put it toward buying a new car. I don’t know if this would be appropriate or how much we would even give her.

What would you do?[/quote]

OP, BTDT here.  Never give a nanny (or anyone) a new/nice condition car, and expect it to stay in new/nice condition, ever.  The new car idea should be off the table, completely. Of the options, buying her a used car, to be used for work only, is the best idea. BUT not sure how you ensure it is not used/abused outside of work, or how she would be expected to get home?  Buy what works for your family, and nanny gets no say in what you buy. ie: if you want/need the minivan, so be it. [/quote]

To add, the title and insurance must be in your name, but you may wish to consider deducting something for nanny's portion of insurance coverage payments.  You should add her to your insurance, and ask your insurance company what the price differential is for that.

Agree with other PP that you might start looking for a new nanny and stipulate that the new nanny must have and supply reliable transportation. [/quote]

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