When my oldest son reached driving age, he took over one of our cars. Two minor accidents should have resonated in our brains when he needed a new vehicle. Alas, it did not. Bryce found a Mustang he wanted and, with a bit of help from us and his grandmother, he bought the car. I presented a prayer on my blog for his care and safety in using that vehicle.
Mere months later, we grieved the loss of that car. Again, with our middle son, we let him drive one of our cars. Sadly, because of the miles he was logging (in trips to work and to visit his girlfriend, who lives quite a distance away), he wanted to buy his own vehicle so that he could drive the amount of miles he desired and not what we dictated. We hoped to shop around for a safe and appealing vehicle, swearing we would NOT help him buy something like a Mustang (still sore memories).
Alas, things conspired out of our control. We were already feeling the crunch of three drivers and only two vehicles, when the darn Pontiac (oh, the money we have plowed into that vehicle for repairs, etc.) began to shudder during his drive home. Unwilling to plow more money into that dying vehicle, Trevor needed another car quick! I scoured the internet and found one he agreed on. It was a Ford Focus and, though it was a half-hour drive away, we were ready to go see it the next morning, last Saturday. Unfortunately, by morning the listing was down.
I went back to the drawing board and found a fantastic deal on a 2000 Chevy Impala with 1 previous owner and only 26,000 miles. How is that even possible? That owner put less than 1,300 miles on it each year. The price was a bit more than we wanted to spend, but appeared doable.
Once again, it was a half-hour distance away. As we pulled into the lot, I had hesitations. Then, Trevor saw the car and didn't like the gear shift's placement or the minimal and hidden cup-holders. I was just as glad because I had a terrible feeling about the whole place. I prayed throughout their test drive and rejoiced when he also turned down a second vehicle they showed him (green - yikes).
He had previously mentioned one day getting a convertible. Indeed, I had taken down information on a convertible for sale at a dealership in the town next to ours. It was the lowest priced car on my list. On Monday morning, we'd have to have two vehicles (Trevor heading to the ranch and Sean to pick up his retainer - yes, the braces are off - yippee!). Thus, we desperately needed to complete plans and secure a second working vehicle pronto. So, I called. We went. He saw. He drove, and we left with Trevor the owner of a 2003 (1 previous owner, 134K miles) Chrysler Sebring for a sticker price of under $4000.
I am again covering the boy in prayer: that he will drive safely, that the car will not turn out to be a lemon (the mechanic we had check it said the previous owner took really good care of it), that he will enjoy this teen-boy-dream, and that he will gain a sense of responsibility in owning this vehicle (of course, my husband officially owns it for another year and 1 month). That sounds like a tall order! Still, I pray for it fervently. Teen boys and cars - a true test of trusting God.
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