'Took My Kid's Money to Buy My Bronco Back..' -- Reddit Story 

This “grey area” completely disappears when you realize it’s his in-law’s money that they gifted to his daughter and NEVER his money. The audacity to even suggest that it was his and try to pass it off like he worked for it. Also, let’s say he did work for that money- he’s in a marriage. A marriage is a partnership in life. While it’s okay to have individual funds (in fact, I recommend it) when you open an account, such as a college fund, that is an agreement you both reached. It is promised to your child when they go to college. Because of this you also need to reach an agreement of when to use it and what to use it on if it ends up not being used for college. This guy has absolutely no backbone and he definitely sounds spoiled and entitled in every way possible. Go cry to mommy.

he should have just took the penny from the bronco and kept that as a memory.

He really tried to set his wife up to be this "hormonal angry" woman to try to make himself look better 🙄

“Hey mama, remember papa?” 😂💀😆

The audacity to buy something so expensive for yourself with money that isn’t even yours is insane.

I do not believe that his father would’ve wanted him to have this truck at the expense of his marriage or integrity/character.

He had to time to call his mother and wait for her to bring a $4k check. He had plenty of time to call his wife. He knew she would say “Absolutely not!” and thought it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. He thought, “If I just present it to her all done and irrevocable, she’ll just have to deal with it.”

If it was his money, then whatever but it's not. It's mostly his wife's money put into their child's fund. Don't talk your wife or child's money for a car you don't need, especially when you didn't discuss it with you spouse

Not only did he waste a massive amount of money on a car he doesn’t need, he also says that the car needs a lot of work that he can’t afford. So who wants to bet that future money that he really should put into his daughter’s college fund will instead end up being spent on the car? He’s TA. Massively TA.

He sold the car and lost his dad then bought the car to possibly loose his wife. Gotta love when things come full circle. Also, I don't know much about cars but is a 40 year old trashed car worth 20K?

This man, from the get-go, had zero intention of ‘bonding with his daughter’ over this car. This was purely selfish motivations and was never his money to spend in the first place. 1000% TA.

I love Sara's points of view. Guy is an idiot. If my husband did something like that it definitely would be grounds for therapy and possibly divorce. It is just a level of selfishness that I wouldn't expect from a grown man.

i would be absolutely furious growing up finding out my father took my college fund over a vehicle.i was irritated about him stealing $80 from my wallet when i was 9 for YEARS let alone 12k for my education.

Stories like these make me really mad. 1. He used 12.000$ from his in-laws, that they had given to them, to use on their grand-child’s college funds. He not only used thousands of dollars that were designated for his daughter, but also thousands of dollars that were never his to begin with. Also he spent the in-laws money without talking to his wife first. That’s the first major asshole-move in my opinion 2. He didn’t have any savings of his own, so he had to max out his (or possibly their?) credit card. Considering the bronco was 23.000$ , he used 12.000$ from his in-laws and his mom contributed 4.000$, he must have paid the remaining 7.000$ with his credit card. So not only was he using money that wasn’t his, he added 7.000$ plus interest of debt for him and his family to pay off. So they not only have to save up for their daughters college fund, they now also have to pay off at least 7.000$ worth of debt. Maybe even more, if he also needs to pay back the 4.000$ his mom contributed. 3. He said, the bronco needs repairs, that he can not afford right now. This kind of suggests to me, that him and his wife are not bathing in money. If they were, they likely would have had some sort of savings, so he would not have had to max out his credit card in the first place. So I would assume their monthly budget could be a little tight without a lot of disposable income. Which makes me question how the fuck does he want to pay off the debt he just created AND save up 12.000$ and more for his daughter then?! Essentially he bought a car that they simply cannot afford for his own nostalgias sake. Yes, I understand the desire to own that specific car, especially when you truly regret selling it in hindsight. But by purchasing it, he really fucked his wife and daughter, because HE felt like he needed to own that car again for HIS nostalgia. He did it, without considering his wifes and daughters interests and needs. He put himself first. Which generally is fine, we sometimes do need to put ourselves first. But not, if putting ourselves first costs yourself and the other people involved 23.000$ total that they don’t fucking have! He was being a reckless, inconsiderate, ruthless and selfish asshole for doing it. He needs to check his current priorities and apologize to his wife! I know for a fact, if I was her, I would be furious!

Umm absolutely the TA. It wasn’t even his money that he used to buy it, It was an impulse decision, he knows his wife is struggling not being at home with their child and he still bought it?!?! 100% TA

$23k and its "kinda beat up"? No one was coming with $21k to buy it. The OP is a total rube and the seller sensed it.

Dude got swindled! From a quick internet search 72 Broncos go from 10-26K That are working and restored. There was no guy coming to buy that car.

If the bronco was so important to him, why did he sell it in the first place? I understand Morgan’s story about her necklace because she didn’t sell it, she lost it through no fault of her own, and it also probably wasn’t $20,000.

... He stole thousands of dollars from his wife that was being given to his child, to throw it at a nostalgic gift for himself. That's not a "grey area". Like put that in literally any other context. If it hadn't been sentimental and he blew it on a car he had wanted as a teenager because the money he was holding onto started burning a hole in his pocket? That's, at bare minimum, HORRENDOUS money management. The fact that he STOLE the money, didn't tell his wife before impulsively making a HUGE purchase... The "sentimentality" of it is hardly even a mitigating factor, much less a justification! His only saving grace in this is that that coffer is getting refilled so he's not shortchanging his kid's future -- BUT HE'S TRIPLING DOWN ON LYING ABOUT HOW HE GOT THE MONEY? WHY?! Just to protect his fragile EGO because of REDDIT? It's like *_he snatched DEFEAT from the jaws of VICTORY._* I'm so heated right now.

I hope this guy feels absolutely stupid. Dude got massively ripped off. Whoever that guy was saw he was massively emotional over this vehicle and asked for a random number and ended up getting a massive amount for a nice new vehicle.

I watched this with my mum and we think if the dad actually wanted to bond with his daughter he would have waited till she’s older and seen what she was into. Like he brought this car for ‘them’ to bond over but what if she don’t even like cars? What if her thing is soccer, wood work or ballet, etc? This car was for him and only for him. And if he wants to have this experience with his daughter like he had with his father why not buy her a car when she’s like 17 and they fix it up together so in the end SHE ends up with a car that means a lot to her because it has memories with it of her and her dad.

If I was the wife Id divorce him take the truck and fuck off 😂 I understand the sentimental value of the truck but the fact that he lied to her at the end after he found a solution even though yes his mother did bail him out would piss me off so much especially with the hiding part so yeah I would divorce this bad and then take that truck 🤣

Sarah👏always👏has👏the👏right👏take

Ohhh I remember this one! Infuriating. He stole that money. The ILs had gifted the family money for their daughters college fund. He had no business making that decision without his wife’s involvement and then tries to paint her understandable anger and betrayal as “hormones.” Also, he got played. The whole “buyer on their way” but he as time to go to the bank and wait for his mom? 🙄🙄 It’s a way to overcharge for some beat up old truck that he admitted had sentimental value and OP bought it.

As far as the “parents giving money now instead of waiting for inheritance” that definitely is a big thing. My parents want to do that for me and my sisters. My mum’s main reason is that it’ll help us avoid massive amounts of inheritance tax, and my dad says he’d rather see us enjoy the money whilst he’s alive rather than after he’s dead.

Absolutely the AH. It’s a stupid car. Had that car never popped off you would have never even blinked about it. My husband is obsessed with his yellow mustang from High school and we sold it a few years ago and it was very emotional. But I would’ve been furious!!!

He should’ve asked just to take out the wheat penny, then could have saved the penny to put in a new future car that he fixed with his daughter. Boom bam money saved, and the sentiment would still be there.

OP is way too hung up on something from his past while completely forgetting about his present and future responsibilities. He buried so much money on something that he has to spend even more on to fix. Not to mention it's not even his own money. I get it's something sentimental, but he has to realize he has different priorities now. He's the AH all around.

I bet his wife is mad all the time because he is not helping at all with the baby.

I would legit divorce him. How dare he use the money THAT ISNT HIS that way

he spent money given to THEM by his wife's family for his child's future and gambled it away on a money pit. The important thing is the feelings and the TIME spend re-doing that car with his father, not necessarily the car itself- now the car will represent his selfishness to put his own desires over that of his family with no consideration for their needs.

You made a $23k purchase without consulting your wife? That alone would make me livid. You used money that wasn’t yours to do it and maxed out a credit card? You would, at the very least, not be sleeping in my house for the foreseeable future. I would also be calling your mother and letting her know what she contributed to.

He used the money his wife’s parents gave them for the college fund? The money wasn’t for him. That’s stealing. I hope the in laws go after him legally and this is divorce worthy. He is a loose cannon & this is just the start.

I'm new to your channel and am currently on a binge of your videos but so far I LOVE Sarah xD what a mood

i mean, take the penny or whatever it was, take a photo and get your closure and move on. you can force a tradition, what if your kid wants to bond over something else

He freaking said “this Bronco means everything to me.” BIHHHH TF. EVERYTHING?! What about your new fricking daughter????

He felt it was important to mention to us that is wife is always "angry" so we'd see this supposed "gray area" he's trying to create. Sir you are not a child you're somebody's husband, and now somebody's father so making hasty decisions like this is a no no. And the fact that your in-laws gifted that money for your daughter's college fund means you should never have touched it unless it was a life or death situation. You wasted the money to buy such junk that still requires more money which you don't have to do repairs? Make it make sense.. You are most definitely the AH in this situation. No gray area here...

He doesn’t even know if his daughter will want to bond over that with him. She’s 6 months if this “gift” is for her wait until she’s 16 and actually into cars to buy one and work on it together. This was completely selfish he knows he’s TA and he’s trying to make it seem right by bringing up his emotions

I get that he has an emotional bond to that car. Definitly understandable. I also get that he wanted to own that car again. But the way he went about it, just buying without consulting anybody and using money that wasnt his, is horrible. Dude couldve called his wife right then and there. Pretty sure 10 mins wouldnt have made a difference. Also fucking terrible dad. Mum better watch out!

"Hey mommy, ma ma remember Pa pa?" 🤣

I understand his feelings, I really do. I've been looking at things I wanted or had as a teenager, so I get the need for a nostalgia item. BUT not sacrificing your present and your child's future for the sake of your past. The money was not even his. Like I wouldn't get a bunch of debt for nostalgia and I'm single and childless. And the worst part for him? Now the memory of getting OP's car back will now be tainted by his own a-hole actions.

Seems like a slap in the face to his father's memory.

Yes the asshole... it wasn't even his money. I understand where his mindset was. And as a sensitive emotional sentimental person myself... I get it... however that money was his kid...

At the very end all I could think was, how would your dad feel about you taking your daughters money to buy a beater car. I would be very disappointed in my son for doing that. What made the car special is the family time you spent together and the memories you made together. You don’t need the same car to recreate those memories. Imagine in the future working on the car with your daughter with the money your stole from her, smh.

The verruca salt comment has me on the floor dead.

Means everything to him? He got rid of the bloody thing. I feel kind of bad for him when he said about his dad and stuff but he got rid and that money wasn't even his.

I don’t like the justification of “she is only 6 months old” yes she is, but that means in the 18 years of saving she won’t have to pay a DIME towards her education and THAT should matter more than a vehicle. That’s coming from someone who’s dad died 10 months ago. I have my sentimental items and none of them would put me in debt

As someone who has lost both of her parents and all of her grandparents sentimental items are literally legacies to pass down to your children. You get to teach your kids about these items and about the people who either gifted you those items or owned those items before you. It’s like keeping a piece of those people that you will never have again and passing those family heirlooms down to future generations. My Dad bought me my dream car a couple years before he passed away and so I truly understand. I will never sell this car even though it needs a whole new engine. The thing with Money is you can always make more money but you can’t always bring back lost memories with lost loved ones. Besides he could start fixing that car today as the baby is six months old and I will still be shit to fix decades down the line because that’s literally how far is work something is always breaking. All that being said he should have atleast talked to his wife to some degree.

He stole his baby daughter's college fund. For an unnecessary car. And he has to ask?

No wonder the wife wants to be a SAHM. She has 2 newborns to take care of

omg i just realized Sarah Shauer is the "schmilly-do melting by candle light" story lady on tik tok!!!! yes i knew her voice sounded familiar!

1) It was money from the in-laws for childcare- not his; 2) he considered his feelings but not his wife's postpartum stuff as important (rather made her out to be hormonal because of it); 3) the present value of that money growing in a savings account is lost; 4) he can't afford repairs on the car; 5) how is he going to afford saving up money again; 6) more car expenses, plus daycare if his wife has to work; 7) never asked for permission- there was time- what if she bought something with that money and he had no money for the bronco (it was her parents' money after all); 8) you can't force a car as a connection between you and your kids- that's your connection to your dad....while it's important, you can't force it; will the connection be strained now because of how you obtained it?

This guy is a piece of work! Someone please find this guy’s wife and send her his post.

at first i was with morgan, i can totally understand the value of something that you had when you were young. but wow, he wen wayyy too far with it

There’s absolutely no grey area. Why would an old ford bronco cost 21-23 THOUSAND dollars??? I wish Justin was here for this story lol

This is one of the best co-hosts

Absolutely ridiculous. This man blew 23k for nostalgia AND haS a 6 MONTH OLD??? The point the family was making was they’d be able to live comfortably and the wife would be able to stay at home with her baby smh. Also 23k is a bloody lot, and depending on how life goes don’t you want a decent fund for you kid?

LOL just imagine his wife watches this 🤣😂🤣

He freaking said “this Bronco means everything to me.” BIHHHH TF. EVERYTHING?! What about your daughter????

I don’t want to be rude but girls do not need to wait till twelve to learn about cars or to help their fathers with a rebuild. My dad was a mechanic and farmer and I remember helping when I was like 7 years old. My cousins daughter Ellie she was like 4 when she started hanging out with my cousin in law while he worked in his personal shop. It’s never to early for girls to spend time with their fathers and help.

"I chose to be myself over my kid. AITA?" That's that it all boils down to. The amount of time a 'barely getting by' family to save 15k finally invest it VS investing that 15k immediately means his kid might barely have anything ready for college.

I completely understand how desperate he must've felt after realising he found his and his Dads car. It was his one chance to feel like he got a bit of his Dad back. But he went about it badly and when he was given a solution, he turned that into a problem too. So stupid.

"if he makes it right" - still means it's wrong. I understand the feels but the financial stability of it was insanely wrong! It wasn't even all his own money. He didn't even call her. He sacrificed potential future memories with his daughter and wife and their future for his nostalgia, as amazing as it would have been to see it again, take that moment to heal and say goodbye to your dad properly. YTA

If I was the life, I just tell the husband “congratulations on your third and second job” just make him work like a dog for a year or two

This story pains me. My husband is a car guy and has a sentimental car. We've had many conversations about how we have too many cars, but he can't come to terms with getting rid of it. It was passed around throughout his family and finally came to him when he came of driving age. I also have a sentimental car, but reluctantly agreed that I'm fine to crush mine just to save space. Idk if he'll ever be able to sell it or crush it. If he did something like this though I don't think I'd be able to stay with him. It's too big of an expense to impulse buy. I don't think he's the asshole though because men are allowed to have extreme emotions, too. This was just emotional manipulation on the sales person's part and he felt the need to snatch it up. Fake supply and demand. 😕 I feel bad for everyone in this story.

🎵🎶 He likes bread and butter. He likes toast and jam and that's what mamma feeds him cause he's her little man!🎶🎵

I find it odd that he says the bronco needs a ton of work that he can't afford to do right now but it was being sold for $21,000? (He went up to 23k) That makes no sense. That vehicle was not worth even close to that.

What’s going to happen when his mom says something about the car in front of his wife?! Because the wife is gonna say something to make the mom mad and then she’ll say something about the car in anger.

(regarding the inheritance) the way I interpreted it is the mom would rather spend her $$ now before she dies and has to divide it into an inheritance.

He could've taken a picture or gotten the VIN number to track it down.

You sign up to parent. One way or another, you know it’s coming. No matter what. Your child comes first. Period. End of sentence. All kids deserve parents. Not all parents deserve kids.

He said he cant afford to fix it up. So first of all he spent money thats NOT his and caused financial insecurity. How does he know that he would be alive and well in the future to save up? Also its literally an item that has little value but memories.... you need to be an adult and let go. Its money for BOTH parents to decide on yet decided for himself. Wrecked havoc on plans and security a mother could have for her child. Hes an asshole and immature.

"I don't want to disappoint her" TOP LATE BUD

I feel like you can't judge this properly unless you've lost your dad. Especially at a young age. My husband's dad died two years before we met, and my dad died last year. Even before my dad died I would completely understand my husband doing this. Like he said he has 18 years to contribute to his daughters college fund. Would I be pissed initially, but once I got his side of it I would have been like ok, just pay it back and we'll be good.

He literally stole his daughter's money and justified it as how this car would be something they could bond about. She might not even be into cars. Maybe she'll just want to go to college, and you just put that opportunity of hers at risk. Your daughter should be all the happiness in your life not an old car. Get your priorities straight.

Money grows overtime in a savings account or college fund. If he makes the money back before she’s 18 is not the same as having it now and adding more and overtime to grow

Sarah is awesome.

i only processed until the end that it was 23K, i was thinking 2,300 which is still f*cked up but once i processed and realized i was like bro that’s next level bad

My first husband did shit like this all the fucking time. Would make huge financial decisions without talking about it with me first. Like he seriously would by the stupidest shit like "signed" stuff from his favorite football team, that we didn't actually need and could have spent that money else where. He also one year returned a bunch of gifts we got from a charity (including some of mine and our kids gifts) so he could buy the newest Xbox. I later found out after he passed from cancer that he once stole money from his own freaking grandmother! He cleared out one of her accounts that she had to take care of horses (which she loved doing) and she had to sell the horses she had cause she couldn't afford it anymore. I really hope his wife has a separate acct that he cant get to cause if he is in charge of all the accts he is in control and she will have no way out, especially if he is able to drive her away from her family like mine did. My husband now tells me about every purchase he does even with his personal acct and keeps me informed and I have access to everything so I can check for myself and I don't have to blindly trust him.

It’s taxes. If you liquidate now, it’s less taxes.

I hope that man still has that car, I will admit he went around it the wrong way but if my husband came back thrilled he found his old car his dad who died brought him, I would be mad but not nearly as I would be happy for him. Yes, it took out a lot, yes they may struggle, yes that wasn’t his money to begin with but he isn’t wrong about making that money back. A stay at home mother is a privilege not a right, this is exactly what marriage is about, over coming hurdles, getting through the thick of it together. If that means you have to work to help provide then that’s what needs to be done. The money is gone, there is no use crying over it. The best thing about money is it can be earned back, it’s replaceable, that car was not replaceable.

You steal money from your child that was given by their grandparents. But wife's mad cause she's hormonal.

Morgan bring back Sarah pleaseee. She’s my favorite co-host! 🙏🏽

My dad had a 67 Chevelle that he sold so I would have a car to go to college. I would trade anything to be able to get that car back. Including homeless life and hungry. It means different things to different people

No,no, no. Literally that kid is not even a year old. Y’all can get more money like seriously it ain’t that deep. That female going off is insane

I also spend money without telling my husband but never over $1000. I got a couch once and a switch just last week without telling him. But he gets things without telling me. As long as the bills and paid and we have a savings 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think OP got swindled. I bet there wasn’t anyone on the way, and the guy jacked up the price because he saw OP coming a mile away.

I woulda given him some leeway if it was a fraction of the amount. He spent a large amount of money impulsively that he can't get back since automobiles only depreciate, and not only did he take money allotted for his child's college fund, but then he also got in the hole with his mom by getting 4k from her, and got himself even more in the hole maxing out a cash advance on a credit card. That's incredibly irresponsible and he even said the bronco needs work so it's not even like he got it in great condition. It's just a material item. He made a terrible choice and that's just showing where his priorities lie. Saying it was to pass down to his kids sounds like a lame excuse to further take the bad guy image off of himself.

I feel for the dude driving all the way from Colorado to see/buy this bronco just to be under cut by this loser

I really like Sarah as a guess, she doesn't miss ahah.

Left a comment about how I understood... but after the end of this... nope...

I agree there's something about Bronco owners, old roommate totaled 3 cars in 2 years then bought a bronco and is now sitting in over 40k in debt for a car while also taking out student loans. Whole personality is surrounded around a very basic looking car... bronco people are strange.

13:40 YUP BIG OLE LIAR. You were SPOT ON here. I also think he's just an entitled "I want it now" boy.

23k on a beat up, needs a lot of work but can’t afford it truck???? Nope that’s irresponsible. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

23,000 dollars, that's literally 1725000 rupees in Indian money. That's f ing lot. That much money has never been in my dad's bank account. My mom is out of the question to have this much money as she is a stay-at-home wife. That much money is a lot but it has a sentimental value so yea. But not even talking to your significant other about it, that's like so messed up. But when you said that his mom was buying it and he said sorry, I was like at least this man in owning to his mistakes. Then Morgan said it gets worse, and I was like what could it be, even if I was f ing drunk I would not think he would be idiotic enough to lie like bro was probably on drugs or something cause no one was in the right mind would do this. Well, I wasted my precious time writing about this man. I could have gotten my biology project ready by now but I am petty enough to right about him.

I think maybe because she was also relying on the money when the mom died

I understand that this car means so much to him but he f***ed up.

Yes, you should’ve talked to Her about it

If the money had been his, there may have been a door to a gray area. But the money wasn't his and was given FOR the kid's college. It was given with a specific purpose. If my parents gave me money for my child's studies and my husband spent it on a car because "memories" I would be so mad and embarrassed. I wouldn't even know how to defend that in front of my parents. Hi, dad, sorry, we don't have the money anymore cause husband wanted his High School car and bought it on a whim.

Idk if it were me I wouldn’t be upset, his dad passed away and that car is something that he and his dad shared. Where you are wrong is the way you spoke about your wife, that would’ve pissed me off. I get that the money was something for their child but it can be replaced, that car has many memories of her grandfather that she will never get to meet so now she has a physical visualization of the stories her dad can tell. Edit:// I take back everything I said. In this situation we’d be divorced. I’m not playing those games.