Etc.

You couldn't write a check?

There are people who believe in buying what they need only if they can pay cash for it. And then there's Paul Brant.

Earlier this month, he drove off the lot of an auto dealership in Frankfort, Ky., in his main Christmas present, a fire-engine red 2008 Dodge Ram pickup truck that, "living in the country, I figured I'd better get ... to help me through the snow." But that's only the end of the story.

He arrived at Mike Raisor Chrysler Dodge Jeep with a police escort because he'd brought with him most of the purchase price in ... rolls of quarters. Brant, it turns out, is a compulsive saver of change. To hear him tell it, at the end of each day he tosses whatever is in his pockets into old coffee cans or any other available receptacle.

In 1994, the last time he patronized the dealership, he bought himself a pickup and his wife, Judy, a Dodge Neon sedan with the coins he'd saved. This time, he figured he had about $26,000 to put toward the new vehicle. Or roughly half a ton worth of quarters, using the calculus that each $200 weighs nine pounds.

"As long as you don't put your hands back in the till, it really adds up," he told reporters. And that's the problem, said salesman Keith Gephart, who wasn't about to forfeit the deal just because it was in coins but had to call for an armored car to haul them away because "no bank wants them."

Still, everyone was happy – even Judy. While Paul took all the quarters, she said, "I get the dimes, nickels, and pennies to spend how I want."

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
QR Code to Etc.
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1231/p03s01-nbgn.html
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe