Wheels

 Nikolas, being an employed young man and a newly licensed driver, has been planning to make his first vehicle purchase.  The journey from transportation dreams to reality is always interesting.  Like many dreams, where you begin verses where you end is usually not the same vision.  Nikolas began dreaming of fun sporty cars and moved his way into sturdy and reliable work horses.  Not that owning a fast car isn't great fun in its own way, but that when you are a young man, those modes of transportation are fraught with expenses of various kinds, which is why so many men own race cars in their golden years.  :-)  

When Jozsef embarked upon his vehicle ownership quest, he did not begin with many preconceived notions about which car he needed, rather he pretty quickly decided to go with a reasonable car that would fit his budget and his personality.  Enter the HHR.  :-)  Now, Jozsef did admit that a truck would have been great, but he was well aware of the cost and was not willing to spend such money.  Now that Nikolas was in the market, there were many conversations about vehicle models and their pros and cons as well as their expenses.  In the end, the boys devised a plan to combine their purchasing power and to buy a truck so that they could add a beneficial vehicle to the family.  Though the truck would be rightfully theirs they found great advantages to having a truck to load up for hauling and/or towing and they loved the idea of having 4x4 capabilities because we do actually get quite the weather out here.  The boys also decided that sharing a vehicle was far more economically beneficial for the both of them rather than each of them owning their own car, paying their own insurance and paying gas for two cars--especially when they always carpool to work and they both still live at home.  Now, don't go worrying about when they move out--they've already discussed several scenarios and potential resolutions for how to handle the truck ownership and the possibility of needing another vehicle.  :-) 

With a target model and price range decided, they began the search in earnest.  In truth, Jozsef, having already purchased a vehicle, gave some input but truly let the brunt of the truck search fall on Nikolas so that Nikolas could lead the hunt and gain the knowledge that comes with such a first big buy.  The search lasted about two months and entertained many discussions before a very promising Dodge Dakota surfaced.  Nikolas got very excited and a bit anxious as he realized just how competitive the car market currently is, yet he remained grounded in God's faithfulness and did not neglect praying over the situation (and we joined him) which helped to let him go into the deal open handed.  Still, things moved very quickly and before we knew it, John and the two older boys headed out in the HHR to see if the listed Dakota looked as good in real as it did in photos.

The guys were greeted by dealers who were quite experienced and very client oriented.  The truck had an impressive history--one owner who took great care of his truck and barely put any miles on it.  Jozsef negotiated a trade in and got almost as much as he paid for it (minus $500)!  Such a blessing!  God was definitely in the details and the boys came home beaming!  :-)  Nikolas had made his first vehicle purchase, Jozsef had successfully negotiated his first vehicle trade in, and the boys were officially truck owners.  Oh happy day!  

Now the boys will set out to personalize their new ride and they will enjoy every God given moment in it as well.  :-)  Congratulations Boys!