We all have to deal with unexpected expenses from time to time, and many of us don’t have savings built up to pay for these.
So when one man discovered his car window was broken, he was left with two choices – fix it himself, or hire a repair shop. He decided to fix it himself to save money – and boy did he ever make the right choice!
Life Expenses Are Piling Up
We all have bills to pay, and one Redditor recently shared his experience with being a bit down and out. As everyday expenses continued to pile up, a man searching for a car realized it might be out of his budget.
From paying for housing to covering incidentals, this man was so frustrated that he couldn’t make ends meet, and not having a reliable source of transportation was making things even more frustrating.
He Still Needs to Get To Work
Brand-new cars were out of the question, but even the used market was not ideal. He needed to find a bargain but still get a car that was safe and roadworthy enough to get him where he needed to go.
Without a car, he couldn’t drive to work, and without a job, he couldn’t buy a car – a real catch-22! He felt like his options were limited.
But Cars Are So Expensive!
Used cars are cheaper but can still cost at least half the price you’d pay for a used one. Plus, used cars tend to come with a whole host of issues.
Fortunately, this man came up with a great idea for how he could save some money and buy a reliable vehicle at the same time.
So He Decides to Buy a Car at Auction
With his monthly expenses piling up and no resources to spare, this man had to be selective and have smart decision-making skills when looking for a car. The used market seemed ideal – they often aren’t as expensive as new ones – but even these seemed too expensive.
He started to think he wouldn’t get what he wanted or deserved until he got some wise advice: check a police auction!
Why Would You Even Want to Buy a Car at a Police Auction?
Many people are hesitant due to the potential sketchiness of these transactions. But there are so many benefits! Not only is there a wide and varied selection of vehicles, but many people are offered cars at lower prices than those in typical car lots and online stores.
Some police auctions have surpassed traditional standards of quality that ensure any car purchased is guaranteed to have undergone careful examination. With this information in mind, the man of our story purchased a nice, new-to-him car at auction and drove it home.
One Broken Power Window = A DIY Project
Things went well for the most part. Our man fixed up the car to the best of his ability and found it was a great way for him to get back and forth to work. But one day, the power window stopped working abruptly.
The man wondered if he should take it to the mechanic but then realized that would be more money he didn’t have to spend on a costly repair. This time, he would fix it himself.
Nothing Out of the Ordinary, Until…
He busted out his tools and got to work, turning to online tutorials to figure out what he needed to do. Everything seemed pretty straightforward, so he put on his protective gear and dismantled the car door to take a closer look.
Everything looked normal at first glance, so he took a deeper dive and looked more closely at the window gears and door frame. It was all pretty basic until he made one huge discovery.
The Discovery That Made Him Pause
There was a bag lodged inside the door. He was perplexed by this – although he didn’t have much experience fixing car doors, he posited that perhaps it was an airbag or some other piece of machinery. But things weren’t adding up. Why would you put an airbag in the car door?
The man returned to working on the car door, telling himself he’d take a picture of the bag and investigate it a bit more later on.
Was This a Factory Addition?
Although the man kept telling himself he’d return to the bag later, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. And there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the car window!
He’d never seen anything like that in a car before. Why was the bag there? What was inside it? Who had put it there? The questions kept swimming around his head until one question popped up that he could not ignore.
How Did the Bag Not Interfere With the Window Sooner?
Was the bag the source of the window problems? It was very likely that the bag had been impeding the movement of the window, so it was, therefore, unlikely that it was something the manufacturer had installed or stashed there.
That meant somebody had put the bag there – but because they were trying to hide something. With that realization, he dropped his tools and ran to the bag.
It’s Not What it Looks Like!
The man ripped open the bag to discover seven bundles of something wrapped tightly in duct tape. He turned the bundles over in his hands, looking for clues about what the bundles contained. There was nothing except for a few letters and numbers written on one side of each bundle.
It didn’t make sense, and the man’s heart sank as he realized he may have discovered drugs in his car. Should he call the police?
What Could It Be?
The man was worried. Would he be in trouble for possessing these bundles, even though he hadn’t any idea that they were there? Were these bundles part of some suspicious activity?
Nobody wants to get in trouble for a crime they didn’t commit, and this man was no different. He reached for his phone, but, still curious by nature, decided to wait a moment before he dialed the police.
He’s Blown Away By What He Finds!
The man decided to cut open the bundles, knowing that if he didn’t, he’d always wonder what was inside them. If it was something ordinary and not illicit, he decided to throw the bundles away and not worry about it. If it was something shady, he could always call the police afterward.
The man slowly began to cut open the bundles and knew he had a big decision to make.
Cash, Cash, Cash – and More Cash
The man cut through all the duct tape and discovered that he actually recognized what was inside the bundles – it was money. Not just a little bit of money, but lots of money. It started with a stack of $10 bills, then another stack, then another.
Soon, he had a giant stack of money. He was drenched with sweat, wondering what to do next.
All the Benefits of the Lottery, But Zero Taxes
He had found thousands of dollars in cash, and with sweat running down his face, he knew he had a fortune in his hands. It was more money than he’d ever had and more money than he’d make working day and night.
It was certainly worth more than the car he’d bought. And that was just from one bundle! What would happen if he kept opening them?
Should He Go to the Police?
The man did not know if he should go to the police. He wasn’t sure what he should do at all! He could do so much with this much money.
He felt like a little kid on Christmas, holding close to a million dollars ($800,000) in cash in his hands but not knowing the right choice.
There Are Still Questions Remaining…
Who had put the money in the car? What should he do with it? Was it now officially his money? And more importantly, was somebody going to come looking for it?
The man didn’t know how to feel or what to do. It wasn’t his money – or was it? He wanted to make sure he could keep the money, but he also wanted to do the right thing.
Reddit Has Lots of Opinions
Uncertain of what to do, our man took to Reddit to get opinions. He posted anonymously on the platform to make sure nobody would recognize him.
Quickly, his inbox exploded with responses, with his story gaining popularity in just a few minutes. Some people weren’t thrilled and wanted to go after him to take the money. Others said he was incredibly lucky.
Going Viral Again and Again and Again
With thousands of responses (all of them mixed) he still doesn’t have the right answer as to what advice to take. How should he deal with the growing number of disturbing messages in his inbox? And how will he handle his newfound internet stardom?
Eventually, he decides to remove the post. He wanted to make sure he was protected. He clicked “delete” to stop the messages but still wasn’t sure what to do next.
What Would You Do?
Once something is on the internet, it’s there forever – even if you delete it! The man realized that even though the post was gone, his story had gone viral.
Nobody knows exactly what happened – did the man keep the money or not? He probably decided to keep the money, but nobody knows for sure. What would you do?
