Liability

[James Hunt]

If a gang of university students and one faculty member get together to create a race car, and some regular Joe wants to buy that car off the gang when they are done with it, what liability to the students, faculty member and university have?

I'm in Canada, but would appreciate to hear how this works in America.

[James Hunt]

If a gang of university students and one faculty member get together to create a race car, and some regular Joe wants to buy that car off the gang when they are done with it, what liability to the students, faculty member and university have?

I'm in Canada, but would appreciate to hear how this works in America.

[exFSAE]

How it works in America:

Cars are "sold / scrapped for parts" as under the radar as possible to avoid any contact with the university.

[MegaDeath]

Not sure how it works here, old cars just magically disappear out of the shop one day and somehow the car turns into some form of black matter out in space then comes back into the atmosphere and once it does that i comes in contact with pixie dust or something which transforms it into a check which then somehow ends up in the teams bank account. It's still a bit of a mystery as to how it all works.

[EHog]

throw it away, and then magically it finds its way out of the dumpster... nobody knows how really...

[PeterK]

We had a similar discussion about our cars as well as other items (an old mill) and according to the University (This is in Canada, I won't say where...) any items which are paid for through grants to the university are the property of the University and therefore cannot be sold without going through the proper channels. So if the team did setup an arrangement like you are proposing they consider it theft.

That being said, if you aren't using funds from the university to build the car it might be different. Plus, I'm sure every university is a bit different about how it tracks their assets.

[James Hunt]

The reason I ask is because I have lined up a potential sponsor who has agreed to pay for the materials used to construct the car in exchange for the car when we have finished competetion.

[PeterK]

I would suggest speaking with a lawyer (or possibly your faculty adviser) because what you are describing is essentially building a product for someone. Some sort of document confirming the purchaser is accepting all liability, etc. might be a good idea, but it might not be enough.

[DMuusers]

Wait. Do you guys SELL your FSAE car? Because we'll never do that. We even set up a firm so that if the team does go bankrupt, we don't have to sell the cars.

[EHog]

the person that wants to sponsor you in exchange for the car is nuts. He/she must not understand that FSAE cars break every 20 minutes.

[Dsenechal]

Better to ask forgiveness than permission...

I wouldn't call it selling, I would call it a sponsorship. and +1 on breaking every 20 minutes haha, anybody not in FSAE would be screwed!

[PabloH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dsenechal:
and +1 on breaking every 20 minutes haha, anybody not in FSAE would be screwed! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yup, was helping a freshman rebuild the diff on an old car this week, we've driven it twice, this is the third time I've rebuilt it.

[Fionnla]

Hey James Hunt, if you and your group will done this project under university guidance but I don't this you have full liability to bye it by your group your self. Then also I will get inquired and inform you.