Today we took our Jacob shopping for his first car. My brother referred us to a very small used car operation that a hunting buddy of his operates. We were quite surprised and a bit confused when we pulled up. There was no advertising outside or flashy signs. Not a car lot in sight. I double-checked the address to make sure we were in the right place, and we were.
It was a small two office operation, wood paneling from floor to ceiling, and unbeknownst to us a garage in the back with about 20 cars or so in it. We were greeted by a very nice and very laid back man about my dad's age. We told him we were referred by my brother and he was happy to help. At this point we were still unsure about where the cars were, but he instructed us to follow him to the garage hidden in the back.
We were shown a handful of options in our price range and all three of us agreed on one in particular. When asked if Jacob wanted to take it for a spin, his eyes lit up, of course he did. I stayed behind while Jacob and Tom went for a spin.
They rolled back around and after checking the car over and asking a few questions, it was decided this was the one. A few signatures, a call to the insurance agent and an exchange of cash and away we went. Tom and I in our car and gasp, Jacob behind us, with his younger brother in the passenger seat.
Being the mean parents that we are, we made an agreement with Jacob to pay for only half. As much as I wanted to foot the whole bill, we saw this as a great opportunity for him to learn responsibility. When he got his job a year ago, we set up his direct deposit so that $75 from every paycheck would automatically go to his savings account for this very occasion. Tonight, he is one happy kid!
