slug bug

A while ago I mentioned something in passing.  Something that was–something that is–much too big to be glossed over like that.

I mentioned that we bought my baby girl a car.

For reals.

Saying that we bought her the car, though, is only half true.  We’re not talking about a free ride here {pun intended, hee hee}.  She’s long known the deal.  That is: we offered a one-time fund match.  We agreed to match the money she earned (from her part-time job) and saved.  Those funds, together with monetary gifts from loved ones, finally amounted to just enough and we set out to look for a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient little car for her.

After weeks of checking Craigslist and random used car dealerships in town, only to be disappointed, Torri finally resolved to wait just a bit longer and save just a bit more.  We all agreed it was the right decision.

Until.

On New Years Eve I spotted a promising ad on Craigslist.  It was a red VW bug and it was just a touch above our price range.  I quickly alerted Jeff, who set to work researching the sort of thing men research with regard to used cars.  Don’t ask me.  His research must have yielded positive information because within a couple of hours, we were off on a secret mission.  We didn’t dare tell Torri because, you see, this vehicle was suspiciously close to her dream car.  She’s long vocalized an undying affinity for green VW bugs.  Raising her hopes on a red one only to crush them if it didn’t work out would just be downright mean, don’t you think?

You can imagine, then, the skip of my heart when we pulled onto the car lot and immediately spotted not one, but two–two–green bugs, in addition to the red one we saw in the ad.

To make a long story short, let me just say that I refrained from joining in on the negotiations because I was too, shall we say, emotionally vested.  I did, however, sit listening with anxious ears, hoping that Jeff would be able to secure a last-day-of-the-year, out-the-door cash price we could all live with.  At one point, the deal nearly fell apart and my hard-driving man almost walked out the door.  But thankfully, the dealer caved and it became ours.

Hers.

Dare I say she was happy.  You be the judge.