woww!!! that’s one heckofa friend! :) i def. would be feeling a bit weird about it too – esp with such a NEWER car. But – and I say this being on both sides of similar gifting experiences – it’s also very nice to *let friends* do things for you as it makes THEM feel just as great too. Having the means and ability to help out a good friend like that. So while it does prob feel pretty selfish, just think about the gift you’re giving them too in accepting it :)

And this applies to ANY event in life, big or small, when someone is offering kindness like this. Even when I don’t want or need the “thing” I still accept when I know it’ll bring the other person joy (like when my grandma used to offer up $5 to ‘treat myself’ or force leftovers on me, haha… i didn’t need or want either but after rejecting her once and seeing the sadness in her eyes I always said yes from that moment on! ;))

Cheers Matt, and congrats on the new Prius! You’re right about trading in while there’s still a bit of value vs. waiting until it’s worth absolutely nothing. Problem is, there’s no real way to tell when it’s gonna blow up. :)

Have a great weekend!
Joel

Anecdotal, but my friend’s 2009 Prius’ battery completed died and refused to hold a charge in October. They were having some other minor issues with the car and didn’t want to any money into replacing the battery and replaced it with a new car. That got me thinking about my 2009 Prius and how much battery life I had left. Since I recently paid off our other car, I was willing to take on a new car payment and started shopping around. End of December, we upgraded to a new 2021 Prius and I’m loving it. I hope you get 5 or more years out of your Prius and maybe I would have too, but preferred to replace it while it had trade-in value and when I was financially ready, instead of surprised by a dead battery. A no payments used car from my parents or in-laws would have been even better, even if it meant my insurance and gas expense.

Hi Hilary! I’m a big fan of trusting the gut! Thank you for stopping by and commenting :)

Virtual high five back!

Definitely! Good luck!

Wow thanks for sharing. Goes to show that even the best of intentions can morph into feelings later that aren’t pleasant. Sorry you had to go through that, but I hope it made the relationship stronger in the end and you came away with a learning opportunity!