Chris had been saving up for two years to buy a car. He allocated a certain amount that he could spend on a car so that he could pay cash instead of getting a loan.
On Monday, I drove Chris to a nearby Mitsubishi dealership because, after researching for weeks, he hoped to get a used Mitsubishi Lancer, preferably with low kilometres and in excellent condition. On their website, there were two such cars, and Chris was interested in both of them. So off we went to take a look.
To Chris' disappointment, one of the cars was in poor condition and the other was an automatic with high kilometres. He asked to look at other used cars in his price range. The salesman's eyes lit up and he immediately told Chris about a used Mazda RX-8 Shinka that just came in. The salesman said that several of the men in the office wanted the car for themselves, but when they phoned their wives about it, their wives said, "No." I had no idea what a Mazda RX-8 was, but when I heard this, the car had my interest, only because I wanted to see what this car looked like that men would loose their minds over.
When I first laid eyes on the car, I was awestruck. My eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped opened. The car had one sweet body! It was black cherry in colour. Its condition was immaculate, both inside and out. It also had with very low kilometers. It was a dream car! I looked at Chris expecting to see drool, but he was more self-controlled than I was. I know . . . it should have been the other way around, but what can I say? I liked the look of the car. I had no idea about the engine or anything else.
After Chris inspected the car closely and took if for a test drive, he turned to the salesman and surprised both of us by asking if he could also look at the used Ford Fiesta in the parking lot. It too was in excellent condition. The only problem was the colour was bright yellow — not very manly.
Then Chris paused for a while, deep in thought. When he looked at me for a response, he saw the slight smile on my lips and the stars in my eyes. This was the approval he wanted. Chris then turned to the salesman and told him. "I'll take the Mazda RX-8."
"Yes!" I thought. "I hope I will be able to drive it too!"
The only problem: when it came time to negotiate, the salesman took control. Talk about manipulation and taking advantage of a young person's inexperience in dealing with salesmen. When the salesman left us alone, I recommended an offer for Chris to make. We each prayed that if it was God's will for him to have the car, his offer would be accepted. When the salesman returned, he would have none of it.
I had been quiet the whole time, but no longer. You should have seen the shocked look in the salesman's eyes when I finally spoke up. I told him that we weren't going to back down. Chris' offer was exactly the price the car was listed for, but Chris asked that the price include good winter tires, rims and a block heater. The salesman responded by repeatedly telling us that the price was already several thousand dollars lower than it should be because of the time of year. I just took that as another reason Chris should have some bargaining power. Anyways, the salesman refused to even take the offer to his boss, so I got up, thanked the salesman for his time and walked out with Chris.
On the way home, I had a headache. On days like this, I wish I didn't have to be both father and mother. Chris was quiet and never said anything, which made me feel even worse. Trying to make Chris feel better, I quietly reminded him that we had prayed. The offer was reasonable. After all, Chris was paying by cash. There should have been some negotiating and the truth is that he wouldn't have enough money left in his account to pay for insurance and gas. The car was $700 more than his limit. The salesman knew the limit when he showed Chris the car, and he knew that, where we live, winter tires and a block heater are necessities.
To try and get our minds off it all, we stopped to have lunch and got a few groceries before going home. We started to feel better about not getting the car, but we weren't looking forward to going to any more car dealerships. If we do, Chris should probably gag me.
When we arrived back home, the red light on our answering machine was blinking. We had a message waiting. The salesman had phoned Chris to tell him he could have the car with the new winter tires, rims, and block heater.
A very ecstatic Chris turned to me and said, "Thanks, Mom!'' I can tell you that the thanks from my son made the stressful experience and my headache well worth it.
Feeling good at being thanked by my son afterwards, I then remembered to thank the One who was with us the whole time. I said out loud, "Thank you, God!"
Chris added, "For answering our prayers!"
"Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious Name."
1 Chronicles 29:13
It is very important for us to never forget to thank God when He answers our prayers. He is the One who most deserves our thanks.
Chris picks the car up tonight. He is really excited and can't wait! I can just imagine the happy look on his Heavenly Father's face when he does.
I will post a picture of his new car later, but here are a few pictures of my handsome son dressed for his graduation ceremonies this morning.
Chris is in Taekwondo and won several medals last week in a tournament, so he posed in one of his stances.
Here it is! Isn't it a beauty? There's not a scratch on it and the car was only driven in the summer time.
This is just one of God's many blessings for Chris!
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