She Bought Her First Car!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121775)
Gainesville, Florida
August 11, 2019 4:38pm CST
Yesterday, around lunchtime, I get a call from my 19-year old daughter, and she asked what I was doing. I told her I was relaxing, and I asked her why. She said very nonchalantly, "Oh, because I'm buying a car." I thought she was joking, but she told me she was sitting down at the dealership signing all the paperwork. I asked her, "I thought you were going to take me with you so I could help you with the negotiations and haggling?" She said "Yeah, but I think I did a pretty good job on my own, but would you mind coming down to the dealership and check everything over just to make sure?" I headed right over.
When I got there, I introduced myself to the salesman and asked him if I could look over everything. He told me I could, and I started asking questions: "What was the MSRP? What were the rebates? What financing did you offer? What discounts or upgrades are there on the vehicle? What price were you able to agree on?" And on and on. And one by one, he answered all my questions with answers that were at my level of expectation or better.
I turned to my daughter and said, "You negotiated this all on your own?" She said yes, to which I replied. "I am so proud of you, I couldn't have done a better job myself. You didn't need me at all!"
She quickly shot back, "Oh I definitely need you!" I was like, "No you don't, you did a great job." To which she replied, "Yeah, I need you to go back home and get my checkbook. I forgot it. I can't pay for my new car without it."
Haha, so old dad is still needed for something!
And now my daughter is the proud owner of a brand-new Nissan Rogue Sport!
37 people like this
38 responses
@FourWalls (69342)
• United States
13 Aug 19
@moffittjc -- I think one of the things that makes it easier for her, as opposed to us, is that babies get credit card offers nowadays. I had to have my parents co-sign for my first car 41 years ago. The entire experience is probably worlds away from when you and I went through it.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug 19
@FourWalls I'm sure a lot has changed since we were entering the adult world many years ago.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
I am very proud of her, but the funny thing is she was so nonchalant about the whole experience. I just think it hasn't all set in yet. I'm sure tomorrow morning when she wakes up and gets to drive it to work (but first she must drop off her brother at school), it will all sink in and hit her. I'm sure she'll be showing it off to all her friends and co-workers tomorrow when she sees them!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
17 Aug 19
@moffittjc These days, it seems most kids first cars are a lot nicer than our first cars were.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Aug 19
@DWDavis I thought most kids didn't buy cars these days. Or drive! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
It is a huge milestone! I still remember vividly the day I bought my first car (a used clunker of course, but still, it was my first car)!
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (51604)
• Canada
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc It sounds like she has her head on straight to negotiate a vehicle on her own at such a young age.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
@Juliaacv Definitely. And the funny thing is, she's very quiet and shy normally. But when she sees something she wants, you see this entirely different side of her come out.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
Oh yes, I told her we were going out to dinner that night to celebrate her new car, and that she was going to drive! She hasn't let me drive it yet, but I got to ride around in it with her for a few miles. Sweet little ride, I really liked the car she picked out.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (50713)
• United States
11 Aug 19
I know that you are very proud of her.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (50713)
• United States
11 Aug 19
@moffittjc it's a wonderful feeling knowing they can take care of themselves.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
@Tampa_girl7 I never really worried about my daughter all those years growing up. She always had a good head on her shoulders, and I knew she would always make good decisions. She keeps proving me right over and over again!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
I would always be proud of her, no matter what, that is the dad voice in me speaking out! haha
But yeah, it makes me smile thinking about how great she turned out!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
Good for me too! I don't have to take her and pick her up from work every day now! lol
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
@NJChicaa Yeah, that will cut down drastically on my gas bill. I told her that if I had to keep driving her around for too much longer, I was going to start charging her gas money!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
Yeah, I got a good laugh out of that one. I was 100% convinced she was going to ask me to make the downpayment for her when she told me she forgot her checkbook!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
@CarolDM It will definitely be some good memories for her!
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
11 Aug 19
@moffittjc Memories you will never forget. Happy for you.
2 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
11 Aug 19
Woohoo! 
Congratulations to your daughter and her new car. Great choice, I always like the Sport models better and loving the color she went with. Wonderful job she did on her own car buying experience. 
You still came in handy with grabbing the checkbook, hehehe.
Congratulations to your daughter and her new car. Great choice, I always like the Sport models better and loving the color she went with. Wonderful job she did on her own car buying experience.
You still came in handy with grabbing the checkbook, hehehe.1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
11 Aug 19
@moffittjc
I like the white except bird poop. Be sure to watch bird poop off or it'll stain. I have a sealant coat on my car that I negotiated in but oh boy would I love free lifetime carwashes. I would go weekly too!
I am not a big one on leather, but if its included then ok In general sport package is always a good fit! It has more than the basic models and the next model up is more advanced like hybrid or something I feel it is more geared toward older people (next model up from Sport).
Now you aren't going to be driving your daughter around! She can? 
In general sport package is always a good fit! It has more than the basic models and the next model up is more advanced like hybrid or something I feel it is more geared toward older people (next model up from Sport).
Now you aren't going to be driving your daughter around! She can? 1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
I will have to say, I was never a big fan of white cars before, but have realized over the years that living in an extremely hot climate like Florida, white is the way to go. I always didn't like the fact that white cars show dirt so easily, but the salesman said their dealership offers free lifetime car washes. I told my daughter to take that car down to the dealership every week and get it washed! haha
Yes, I agree with you that the Sport models are always the best. I love the package that was included in her car, it has just about everything you could ever even think of! Over the past year, I kept telling her to make sure when she buys a car to get leather seats, and she always said that she didn't think leather seats would be worth paying more for. But one of the first things she said to me when she showed me the car she picked out was, "It has leather seats dad!" lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
@infatuatedbby Where I park my truck in my driveway, I am under a big tree. Although my truck is red, I have black leather seats and black interior, so I need to be in the shade as much as possible to keep the black interior from getting too hot. Where she'll be parking her car, it's not under a tree so she won't have to worry about bird poop. My truck gets pooped on all the time! LOL
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30452)
• Corsham, England
12 Aug 19
How exciting for her. Now you have to lecture her about keeping safe on the road!
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30452)
• Corsham, England
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc My daughter passed her test first time and then never drove again! Madness.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
I did all that lecturing when she was getting her learner's permit when she was 15, so I think I've gotten the message across to her. From what I can see she is a very good driver!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@sprite1950 How does one get around if one never drives?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (472222)
• Switzerland
13 Aug 19
@moffittjc I was very proud the day I received my first salary. The first thing I did was to buy a gift for my Mom and one for my Dad.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug 19
@LadyDuck That was nice of you to buy gifts for your parents!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
I thought she was going to ask me to pay the down payment for her, and then she would reimburse me later.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
Maybe I can talk her into road-tripping down to WPB this winter so I don't have to drive my gas-guzzling truck!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@DianneN I told her today that I wanted her to drive me to Orlando this weekend, and she told me that she can't take any long-distance trips until she's put her first thousand miles on the car. She drives like 4 miles round-trip to and from work. It will take her a year before she puts a thousand miles on that car! lol
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247184)
• United States
13 Aug 19
@moffittjc You do that! It will be a good way to break her car in.
Come to my place, have a drink or two and nibbles, then we can go eat somewhere.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Aug 19
@just4him Yeah, I totally understand it. But I don’t like it!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
I know she will always need me, but sometimes it's hard for me to accept that she isn't a little girl anymore!
1 person likes this
@just4him (317452)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
15 Aug 19
@moffittjc That's hard for every parent.
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@Hannihar (130213)
• Israel
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc
I am sure she was smiling and was happy that you were proud of her. I love the part where she told you that she needs you to go get her checkbook for her so she could pay for the car,. See, she still needs you for something even if it is to get her checkbook for her.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Aug 19
@Hannihar She's doing great, and absolutely loving the car! She's very smart though, she doesn't want to drive it around everywhere because she doesn't want to put a lot of wear and tear on it.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
Hey, if she's paying (instead of me), I'll always be happy to go get her check book.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130213)
• Israel
13 Aug 19
@moffittjc
ok. I bet it is great having her first car that she paid for. How are she and the car doing?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Aug 19
I appreciate that she was very independent-minded enough to go down to the dealership and figure it all out on her own, but also that she was smart enough to call me to come look over everything. Over the past year or two, I have been cautioning her that businesses like car dealerships and auto repair shops would try to take advantage of her because she is a female. It looks like she was paying attention to all the things I told her!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Aug 19
@porwest Eomen are starting to become much more savvy these days, so shady people and businesses are finding it harder and harder to dupe them now.
1 person likes this
@porwest (92785)
• United States
19 Aug 19
@moffittjc It's an unfortunate truth about some females being taken advantage of.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Sep 19
Thanks Christina! How's your weekend been so far? Any big Labor Day weekend plans? Unfortunately, my holiday plans were thwarted by the potential arrival of Hurricane Dorian, although now it looks like it may stay offshore and not hit us. So for now, a lot of sitting around and waiting! Hoping your weekend is going much better!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Sep 19
@Ladanger Do a lot of people in New York clear out of the city for the holiday and head to the beaches? Every year when I visit there for Memorial Day weekend, the city is like a ghost town, relatively speaking of course. I was wondering if it was the same for Labor Day weekend, where so many people make travel plans to head to the beaches?
Unfortunately for me, I was stuck working on Saturday and Sunday getting our facilities prepared for the hurricane. My poor lifeguards were hoping we'd shut down so they could all go home to their families for the long weekends, but we've been open this whole time.
1 person likes this
@Ladanger (14578)
• United States
2 Sep 19
@moffittjc i don't have any special plans. Good thing the huricane hasn't hit. Stay safe. I just had a regular weekend.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
12 Aug 19
What a display of maturity, she did an excellent job, 'Dad!' Money? Who in the heck needs that? LOL What a beautiful photo, she's so proud and for a very good reason, too!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
She's never been bad about coming to the Bank of Dad for money, but you should see my son! Every day: "Dad, can I borrow some money?" or "Dad, can you buy me this?" lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@kobesbuddy My son is definitely like your son! He literally wants to buy every single thing he lays his eyes on!
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc As a teenager, all my daughter thought about were her clothes and boyfriend! My son wanted to buy everything he saw regardless of the price, a miniature version of EF Hutton
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Aug 19
Thank you! I am very proud of her!
1 person likes this
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
12 Aug 19
I remember my first car... A 1981 Honda Accord, a stick with no radio, no air, speedometer did not work (I had to guess how fast I was driving), etc. In the photo, your daughter looks thrilled and happy. I am sure you are proud.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
Did you ever see Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds and Sally Field? That was my first car. A 1977 Pontiac Trans Am. Splitting image of the Smokey and the Bandit car. Except I bought it in 1986! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@Spontaneo It was a very popular movie.
1 person likes this
@Spontaneo (14700)
• United States
13 Aug 19
@moffittjc I remember the name of the show but never watched it. Growing up, we had 2 channels.
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@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
Thank you! She picked out a very nice car. I really like it myself.
1 person likes this
@mrki444 (15149)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc Good pick. I would like to have something similar but it is to expensive for me.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@mrki444 It is an expensive car. But I've noticed that most crossover SUV cars (the type she bought) are very expensive. I guess it's because they're the most popular types of cars right now (at least here in the United States).
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Aug 19
I always knew she was a good kid, but in raising her I was always second-guessing myself if I was doing a good job raising her and her brother. It's never easy being a single parent. I think she turned out pretty well. Now if she would only get married and have kids so that I can have grandkids, everything will be great! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Aug 19
@Nevena83 I agree! But I don't want her to wait too long, I want to be young still when I have grandkids!
1 person likes this
@Nevena83 (65277)
• Serbia
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc She's still young for kids, she doesn't need to rush.
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
Sophie, I was thinking about you last week, and I'm glad to see you active here! I was worried about you when the earthquake struck near you! Did you feel it? Are you okay?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121775)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Aug 19
@sophie09 I am happy to hear that you are safe and well!
1 person likes this
@sophie09 (34236)
• Indonesia
12 Aug 19
@moffittjc thanks! i am okay. some of us here felt the earthquake, but i didnt. and my city was safe. the one in Jakarta or Banten felt that for sure
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