Good karma
In the seven years since I have known Stephen, I have seen him pass on used vehicles to his friends and family, always at a cheaper price than what they are worth. These people have gone away valuing their deals and Stephen has too, knowing he has helped his mates out, even if he has lost a grand or two in the process.
So, it was incredibly pleasing yesterday to see the tables turned and Stephen this time on the receiving end of a good car-deal, with the two fighting over the price, the seller wanting less than what Stephen was offering and Stephen wanting to pay more than he was asking. Quite the opposite of a normal transaction.
A friend had rung Stephen when his friend told him he was selling the car he had owned since new, just over 20 years ago – a Holden Berlina. Stephen had once expressed interest in buying this friend’s four-wheel-drive and remembering this, the friend thought he might still be after another car.
Yesterday Stephen and I made the 80-minute drive to view the Holden, not really sure we’d be interested. But at first glance, one could tell this car was in immaculate condition. And Stephen liked the colour too, a pleasing blue. The owner had serviced the car regularly and kept it polished and garaged. It really was a fine example of a well-looked after vehicle. And at an asking price of $3000, one couldn’t go wrong.
Even if Stephen had liked the car, we hadn’t really intended to buy it that day – go away and think about it were our thoughts, but upon seeing it, Stephen knew he definitely wanted it. One of the main reasons for a new car, was to have a tow bar. His current one is a lovely reliable car but its uses limited without the tow bar and with its low wheels, is difficult navigating the multitude of potholes on our roads at the moment.
Being a Saturday, we knew Stephen wouldn’t be able to withdraw the money from the ATM. A solution, I have phone banking, whereas Stephen does not. I was happy to do it this way, with Stephen able to reimburse me when the banks open tomorrow. Now I had a bit of a dilemma. The seller wanted 3k and Stephen offered 3.5k but I was the one now doing the transaction. I decided to make it 3.25 k, in other words, splitting the difference. I knew they would both be happy with this. We were also able to complete the change of ownership, thanks to the internet being readily available on our phones.
We called into the markets before returning home, Stephen driving his new Berlina and me the trusty Hyundai, doing my best to dodge the dodgy pot-holes. Stephen’s car glided over these effortlessly, he informed me, once we reached home.
Cars like this one don’t come up very often and it is usually someone else that one hears about that has this great deal. I am so pleased that this time it is Stephen. Karma is operating after all.