I bought my dream vehicle on 12/31/18!

Let’s back up a little. My old car still worked and I had no plans of buying a car until my Chevy was dead. I’m not the type to upgrade simply because I want to or can afford it. I only upgrade when I’m forced to (breaks or isn’t worth fixing). However we were in a car accident and the insurance company totaled it. We had a feeling it was going to happen so we started seriously looking up vehicles that were both practical and orange.

The search was narrowed down to Ford Edge, Ford Escape or Toyota Rav4. As soon as we physically looked at the vehicles, we knew the Escape was out because it was a little too small for our needs. Then the battle began. Ford or Toyota? This was one of many questions on my mind for weeks with no clear answer. I agonized over the decision because I knew this would be the car I kept for hopefully the next 10 years. Finally we found it. An orange Ford Edge with lift gate, power everything and an amazing sound system (allegedly). But by the time we wanted to check it out, it was gone… The search continued.

Fast forward a few weeks and I left it all up to my husband. My reasoning was he enjoyed haggling and is into cars anyways so I might as well let him do his thing. We took a test drive for both so I knew the color would be the deciding factor. Well he came through. We had to travel almost an hour but he found it. It was orange, power everything and it had a sunroof. I would’ve been happy with the first two but the sunroof sent me over the edge and I knew I was in love. We left our son with my mom and headed to the dealership. It started off strange because no one was there. We eventually found a wonderful salesperson who was great and did everything he could to help us unfortunately no deal. We even went back but it was over what we wanted to spend by $500…

I was heartbroken and the only thing that could fix it was tasty food! We headed to a restaurant so I could talk and eat my feelings. I told my husband, while also telling myself, that it was okay and I trusted his judgement especially since he was right about the flooring (that’s another story). As I tried my best to eat my feelings and not cry, my husband smiled and said I already have a replacement I just didn’t want to drive that far. My eyes lite up as he showed me the pictures. He asked if I wanted him to call and I said yes! Everything was worked out before we went so the next day everything went smooth. I couldn’t believe I was getting my dream car at a price we could afford. I was in total shock when, after hours of waiting, I was handed the keys. It was late and we had an over 2 hour drive ahead but I was determined to get a picture with the giant bow. With pictures taken, I was off to drive my dream car home all by myself with husband and son following behind.

The drive home was the most emotional ride I’ve taken next to bringing my son home from the hospital. I laughed, cried and felt incredibly grateful. I realized a new level of trust and appreciation for my husband and the life we’ve built together. After the honeymoon glow, vacations, first child, first home, job changes, financial ups and downs and car accidents, it was the car buying experience that has taught me the most about love and trust. Leaving the first dealership felt gut wrenching but trusting my husband and proving it by following his lead turned out way better than I imagined and solidified what I already knew… My husband is amazingly perfect for me.