Like father, like daughter
I'm bubbling with pride because Reed bought the car outright for under 20K, no loan, maintaining no debt, and keeping her emergency fund intact. Plus her mechanics gave the used car a thumbs up.
Reed's mechanics include a Subaru certified guy who left the dealership service center to join a family shop that allows their guys to change their schedule for family time. Nifty thing about a family shop where the Dad owns the businesses and his sons all work for him is that the grandkids take priority.
That family commitment extends to all their employees. Her Subaru mechanic gets to come in a little late so he can drop off his daughter at school every morning. His appointments start a little later but he is one happy dude. The other mechanics coach their kid's teams, attend school and family functions, and everyone gets paid holidays and a week off each summer. And every winter the shop completely closes for the big holidays.
Now my husband is one happy dude too, seeing his daughter in a very safe car that saved his life just last year. There is a Nader pin that locks when you shut the door. The door locks into the ring shaped reinforcement frame which completes a cage protecting the passengers. This prevents the door from buckling into the cabin when t-boned or in a roll over.
L's car rolled sideways. Every side was hit by trees, hillside, ditch, and roadway. L had a scratch and a bruise from abrasion with side impact and curtain airbags. That's it. The interior frame held him safely inside.
Luckily the driver behind him stopped and helped him climb out. Together they righted the car so it was no longer on its side. The accident report listed damage to every part of his car except the interior.
Now our eldest has a Subaru too. Peter's boxy little Soul isn't ideal but he is the safest driver I know. I'm Granny age but Peter is the Granny driver. He leaves an hour before work which is only 15 miles away. He leaves even earlier when it rains. Definitely careful, that kiddo.
As parents you have wee ones who grow and leave the nest. You hope they learned some things along the way like common sense and critical thinking. But you can only do so much because they do grow into adults with their own ideas. Fortunately some things rub off and L's passion for his Subaru is now shared with our daughter. Maybe my defensive driving courses paid off when I taught them to drive? Here's hoping for the best in the worst of times getting worse.
