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13 year old buys mom a quality used car the auto connection

Imagine you’re 13 years old and your mom needs a quality used car. What would you do? William Rabilo knew exactly what to do: He traded his video games and manual labor (article originally published by Car and Driver).

  • Young teen, knowing his mother needs a car and can’t afford one, goes all out and finds a bargain on Facebook Marketplace for her.
  • The car, a 1999 Chevrolet Metro, was a trade for video games and labor, although exact terms were not disclosed.
  • The family consists of the mom, three children, and three dogs, which should be a tight fit in the four-door subcompact.

File this one under heartwarming: William Rabillo, 13, traded his Microsoft Xbox game console for a 1999 Chevrolet Metro so that his mom would have transportation to and from work. He knew his single mother, Krystal Preston, had been struggling so he took it upon himself to pitch in and help.

The car may be a little worse for wear, but C/D has a certain grudging respect for these cars. We found out that these particular commuter nuggets are pretty hardy when we challenged a group of our editors to a multistate rally using four Craigslist-purchased Geo Metros.

Preston called her son “a lawn mowing, yard cleaning, money making machine” in her emotional post on Facebook, in which she shares a picture of William standing next to the white four-door Metro. William found the car for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and he says the seller initially rejected his offer to trade for the video games.

William told local ABC news affiliate KOLO 8 TV that he was inspired by YouTube videos that show adult children surprising their parents with their dream cars. We’re sure a 1999 Metro is far from his mother’s dream car, but she seems to appreciate his generosity. We can’t imagine how shocked she must have felt when he broke the news.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for this family. At time of publication, the fund was over $5000. We hope some of that money will go toward a well-deserved new video-game console for William.

If you’re in need of a quality used car, come to The Auto Connection. We’ve been putting people just like you in the driver’s seat for over 20 years. At The Auto Connection, for just $1 down, you can ride today!*

Stop by The Auto Connection today and find your perfect quality used car. Our Virginia locations include Danville, Norfolk, Newport News and two locations in Richmond. Get the approval process started from home with our easy online application.

*$1 down subject to approved credit. Excludes titles, taxes and license fees due 21 days from purchase.

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