Posted on 12/26/2007 11:48:41 PM PST by BGHater
Paul Brant calls himself a "penny pincher."
People who know him - including the staff at Mike Raisor Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep - might agree.
Accompanied by a police escort from the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Friday he drove his old diesel pickup into the Raisor parking lot and bought himself a brand new, 2008 half-ton, shiny red Dodge Ram truck.
What made the $26,670 purchase even more interesting was the manner in which he paid for it.
Brant's payment was made up entirely of quarters and gold dollars he'd been saving since 1994 - the last time he traded enough of his hard-earned coins to buy a vehicle.
Friday, he handed over the coins, neatly rolled and stored in various containers - water jugs, coffee cans, piggy banks - that had ridden in on the bed of his pickup.
Lt. Joe Mink and Chief Deputy Mike Hensley of the sheriff's office were right behind him.
Being thrifty, Brant said, comes naturally.
"I reckon I was just brought up that way," he said.
His father always paid cash, he said, and it's a tradition he carried on.
Besides, he added, "Checks are no fun."
He makes it a habit to save his loose change, he said, explaining that he cleans out his pockets every morning, and doesn't hesitate to pick up stray coins from the ground wherever he goes.
"Once you drop them out of your hand, they're gone," he said. "They don't last very long."
The 70-year-old Clinton County native graduated from Frankfort High School in 1956 and went to work at the Kokomo-based Chrysler plant the same year.
Thirteen years ago, Brant bought a car and a truck from Kincaid's of Lebanon. That purchase cost him $36,000, he said, which he surrendered in coins - 100 percent quarters.
After that, while he continued to stash away his quarters for the eventual purchase of his next vehicle, a couple tellers at The Farmers Bank notified him that they had plenty of rolled, gold dollars available, if he wanted to buy them. He did.
"I just took them home and threw them in the jug," he said.
Keith Gephart, a sales consultant for Raisor, said he'd been after Brant for all those years to do it again, this time at Raisor's. With the numerous spectators and news people milling about the showroom, Gephart said the publicity will likely be good for business.
The truck, with several extras added on, retails for about $35,000, he said. Brant's price reflects his Chrysler employee discount and rebates, plus taxes, he explained.
As for how Raisor's cashier planned to handle $26,670 in coins, Gephart said, "No bank wants to take them. We've got a Loomis armored car coming."
Loomis personnel will count the change, he said, and let Raisor know the total within three days.
"Their count is final," he said.
Must be talking about gold colored dollars.
They’re talking about the “gold” Sacajawea dollars that were around for a while and have since been replaced by the “gold” Presidential Dollar.
I think they may have the dollar coin figured out this time.
“he’d been saving since 1994” — $26,000+ in change — just exactly how much must he have SPENT, to get $2000/yr back in change?!
“Brant’s price reflects his Chrysler employee discount and rebates, plus taxes, he explained.”
Brant is probably a UAW worker.
I think they may have the dollar coin figured out this time.Yeah, we've never been able to figure out how to make dollar coins before.
What, no pictures?
Gold colored dollar coins, The article says “gold dollars”, like they are made of gold.
Cool about the truck, but here we give our loose change to the poor (decent charities).
He was saving $5.62 a day.
No, no. I mean they’ve figured out how to get people to distinguish between the dollar coins and other coins by touch alone.
The SBA dollar failed because it pretty much looked and felt like a quarter, right down to the milled edge.
The Sacajawea dollar has a smooth edge like a nickel and could be mistaken for one by touch.
The new Presidential/Liberty dollars have a uniquely engraved edge that feels different to the touch from any other coin.
It’s the media, you expect them to write that? :P
Well, he says he pays cash for everything. That would tend to leave him with more change than the average person.
I’m from that area and I remember the last time he bought a truck with quarters.
I save my change and roll it about every 6 mos or so. I also save 1 dollar bills. You’d be surprised how fast it adds up. When I need emergency money I alway have a few hundred laying around just from that.
My local deli also knows that whenever he runs out of change and cant get to the bank (3 day weekends, etc.) he just calls me up and places an order :}.
Otherwise, the money goes into bank accounts for my grandkids. I just bought them those ATMS for kids for Christmas and they love them. I sent each one a roll of each type of coin plus some singles.
My oldest grandson is now going to get his own real bank account with atm card and when his atm at home gets full Daddy will take him to deposit it. (reminder to self, make sure they use a NO FEE ATM bank) Those fees kill ya!
“a couple tellers at The Farmers Bank notified him that they had plenty of rolled, gold dollars available, if he wanted to buy them. He did. “
Looks like this is more of an attention getting device. Why would he BUY change.
I recently cashed in the change we'd been saving for @ 5 yrs. It came to $2,011.14.(The bank has a machine in the lobby that'll count it for ya and then give you the bills.)
We're not in the same class as Chrysler Guy, but, I guess, the Mrs. & I are doing our part to keep the economy rolling.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.