Woman Explains Why A Minivan Won’t Work In Chicago, But Her Parents Take Offense After Buying One As A Surprise
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A generous gift can still leave someone with expenses they cannot afford.
One woman found herself in that situation after moving back to Chicago with her fiancée.
To celebrate, her parents threw them a homecoming party and surprised her with a new Honda Odyssey.
Unfortunately, though, her fiancée already had a car, and she planned to use public transportation. So, keeping the van would mean paying for parking she didn’t need.
Trying to save them money, she explained why she couldn’t accept it and offered to help sell it. But instead of understanding, her mom called her ungrateful, and now the family is upset.
Keep reading for her full story.
AITA For not accepting a car that was gifted to me by my parents?
I recently moved back to my home state, specifically its major city.
I moved to England about 5 years ago for work and met my now-fiancée. We were both homesick, so I quit my job, and she got transferred to the Chicago office!
My parents were thrilled, so they threw us a homecoming party. At the party, they revealed that they bought me a new Honda Odyssey!
Apparently, cars come with a lot of fees in her city.
Normally, it would be an amazing gift, but for us, it was the last thing we needed.
Our apartment charges $200 A MONTH just for one spot! Plus, public transportation is pretty good, so I plan to use that while my fiancée already bought a small car for herself. I also hate driving in the city. I NEVER drove in England purely because of how stressful it was!
Another thing is that a Honda Odyssey is a big car for 2 women with no kids in the city. It’s just so impractical and expensive for us to own.
She tried to reason with her parents, but they just got upset.
I explained all of this to my parents when I said I couldn’t accept the car and emphasized how, even if I did want it, I’d have to put down at least $100 a month just to park it. I haven’t even thought about gas until this very moment. It’s genuinely cheaper to just buy a 30-day Ventra pass than park a car that I can’t even confidently drive!
My mom said I was being ungrateful, and I can understand why. This was a huge purchase for them, and I don’t want them wasting money, but the only thing I can feasibly do right now is help them sell it since, legally, it’s still in their name.
I feel so ungrateful, and my whole family is ****** off, especially my mom. She hasn’t spoken to me all day, so I really need to know if I’m as wrong as everyone is saying I am.
AITA?
Oh no! What a nice thing they did for her, but it’s easy to see why she can’t do it.
Let’s check out what the readers over at Reddit think should happen.
For this person, that’s something you ask about first.
This reader also thinks her parents should’ve asked.
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The whole thing is weird for this person.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about two kids trying to earn money by mowing grass, and decide to solve their gas issue by stealing some of dad’s.
And here’s someone who just thinks it’s a bad gift altogether.
They should’ve talked to her before buying something that expensive.
Sure, it was generous, but keeping it would mean paying for a car she doesn’t need or want to drive.
And since it’s still in their name, helping them sell it seems like the best thing she can do.
They may be disappointed, but making her feel guilty won’t change whether she can afford to keep it or not.
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