August 27, 2024 at 9:33 pm

New Dad Takes His Infant’s College Fund To Buy His Beloved 1972 Bronco Because They’ve Got 18 More Years To Save Up Money, But His Family Think He’s Got His Priorities Out Of Whack

by Heather Hall

Source: Reddit/AITA/Pexels/Mike Delima

We all have to grow up, and as we get older, we tend to look back with rose colored glasses.

When we see something that reminds us of our childhood, sometimes we can’t help but want to get it back.

This guy jumped at the chance to buy the exact car he drove in high school, but his wife was upset that he used an account that was meant for their daughter’s future.

Check out all of the details below!

AITA for using money we “earmarked” for our 6 month old’s college fund to buy back the exact 1972 Ford Bronco I owned as a teenager?

When I was a teenager, my dad bought me a classic 1972 Ford Bronco. It was my true passion, and I don’t recall a memory from high school that somehow didn’t involve that truck.

Plus, my dad and I would spend hours and hours working on it together, and we went through that especially father/son rough patch when I was a teenager.

It was always that Bronco that brought us back together.

I made a huge mistake and sold the truck when I turned 19, and my dad died of a heart attack two months later, so while not logical, I’ve always felt a karmic connection between the two events.

We had a baby in early February. She is our first and the light of my life.

My wife is doing well, but she’s back at work, and she’s realized that she hates all the daycares we’ve tried and really wants to be a stay-at-home mom.

Plus, she’s still very hormonal from delivery, lack of sleep, and breastfeeding, so she’s having a rough time and is angry a lot. I guess I need to say this.

He’s met with the deal of a lifetime.

Two weeks ago, I was driving through our town’s warehouse district and saw a Bronco that was pretty beat up but resembled mine.

I stopped just for nostalgia’s sake, and the owner came out and let me take a look inside.

My dad and I had glued a wheat penny under the dash as a sort of security measure, so I just sort of checked, and it was MY EXACT BRONCO!

I asked him if he’d ever consider selling it, and he said that someone was on I-25 as we spoke from Colorado to buy it for $21,000.

I freaked out and asked him if I could buy it right then and there for $23,000.

He said if I could come up with the cash, yes.

I had been procrastinating setting up a 529, so I had $12,000 in savings that my wife’s parents had given us.

I maxed out my credit card to Venmo, and my mom brought down a check for $4,000, and I drove away in my old car.

Here’s where the problem lies.

It was like a dream come true – a literal dream come true.

It needs a lot of work, which I can’t afford right now, but it’s mine – like in my driveway. Again, I can’t even describe what a joy this is.

My wife and her parents are furious with me.

They feel I was deceptive, that a “real” man would have sacrificed anything and everything so my wife could go stay at home with his kids, and that’s setting aside the fact that they gave us the money for a college fund.

My point is that my daughter is only 6 months old, and we have 18 years to set up a college fund for her.

But this Bronco means everything to me, and if I hadn’t acted, it would have been gone forever.

Now, it can be that same connection between me and my kids. To me, it’s the literal meaning of happiness.

AITA?

It’s easy to see both sides of this disagreement.

Here’s where the readers over at Reddit stand on the issue.

According to this person, he’s very selfish.

Source: Reddit/AITA

This person didn’t mince words with him.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Here’s someone who would’ve kicked him out.

Source: Reddit/AITA

Wow! That’s a list of really good reasons!

Source: Reddit/AITA

Was this the smartest move? No. But is it really going to destroy his infant’s future? Likely not.

Everybody should just calm down.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.