We’re trying something we’ve never done before to be a blessing to our middle son, Landon. If you know Landon, you know what a kind and laid-back guy he is. This is his senior year of high school and his 18th birthday is just around the corner. These should be the most exciting days of his life.

For three years, Landon has been meticulously saving his money to be able to purchase his first car. He worked extra hard over the summer to make extra money and obtain his driver’s license. He told us what car he wanted (a Toyota 4Runner) and asked us to start looking around to find one for him. He was responsible in determining a reasonable budget, and we started researching and scouring listings to find a quality vehicle in his price range.

At the end of September, we found “the car.” A 2004 Toyota 4Runner from a private seller on Facebook Marketplace in great shape with low(er) miles. We asked a ton of questions, asked for service records, test-drove the vehicle, got it negotiated into our price range, and went the following day to pick it up. He was so excited. He bought new seat covers, a new key fob, and immediately got to work making it “his.” Twelve days later, on October 12th, it started having steering issues. We took it in first thing Monday morning (October 13th) to our family mechanic. Immediately after putting the car up on the lift, they called us with the devastating news that there was a serious, undisclosed issue that the seller knew about, and it has rendered the car unsafe to drive and too costly to repair. We were devastated and didn’t know how we were going to break this news to our boy.

He took it so graciously… which is expected given his kind heart. But we didn’t take it as well. Our Mama and Papa bear instincts went into overdrive. We called the shops that have done work on it in the past to get as much information as possible and see if we have any legal recourse. We reached out to the seller and pleaded with her to show compassion to our 17-year-old and let us return the car for a full refund. She refused. We asked if she would at least refund the portion he paid out of his personal savings, and she won’t respond. As much as we, as his parents, would love to blast her on social media and let everyone know what kind of person she is, that isn’t going to help our son. This isn’t about her; it’s about Landon. HE is our concern, and we want to help get his money back. He has lost his first car and thousands of dollars from his savings. Our hearts break for him that this has been such a negative experience and that the person responsible refuses to do the right thing.

He doesn’t know we are doing this, but we decided to reach out to all the GOOD and caring people we know to help us make this right. His 18th birthday is on November 26th, and we would love to be able to surprise him with his money recouped so that he can purchase another vehicle. We hope you’ll consider helping us reach our goal! Every little bit helps. You can give to this GoFundMe, or I will share my Venmo in the comments if you prefer to give without fees. Thank you so much for your help! I think by working together we can be a huge blessing to our sweet boy!