Man Bought Car With … Coins!

By Alex in Auto & Transportation, Money & Finance on Aug 15, 2008 at 12:06 am

Man walked into a car dealership … and if that sounds like the beginning of a weird story, just hear the rest:

James F. Jones walked into an office at car dealer Jake Sweeney today, plunked down 16 coffee cans of coins and said: “I want that Chevy truck,” pointing to a red, 2008 half-ton Chevrolet Silverado.

The sales staff couldn’t believe he was serious, but Jones, of New Miami in Butler County, was very serious – and he had $8,000 in coins to back him up. [...]

Jones, 70, said he has always kept his personal money in coins because he doesn’t trust banks or paper money.

“Paper money will burn, but it is hard to damage coins. I bought four or five rolls of coins each month. I don’t know how long it took me to save this amount, probably all my life, spending some of it now in then,” said Jones, who retired as an engineer from Fort Hamilton Hospital’s maintenance department in 2003.

Link – via mixx

Add this to the tips of How NOT to get Screwed When Buying a New Car – the salespeople would be too amazed to do anything but count the money …


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  1. Ty
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:10 am

    He’s probably relinquished all friendly customer service for the rest of his life.

  2. Johnny Cat
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:17 am

    haha on the car salesmen. For once they get put in their place…no different than the 7/11 guy who has to count out $7.89 in pennies when that oh-so-special customer shows up.

  3. SenorMysterioso
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 12:33 am

    Id tell him to go to the bank and get a cashiers check. In the time it would take to count, you could sell a few cars.

    I think most businesses would turn you away for paying in coins if the amount was more than$10-$20 Its just a waste of time and business to count the change while your other customers leave.

    Put them in their place? I must have had different car buying experiences than you.

  4. twodollars
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 1:27 am

    What happened to the headline?

  5. MoonCake
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 4:36 am

    yea car salesmen do suck, johnny cat. they have no souls.

  6. inna
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 8:47 am

    I guess a Chevy Silverado is ideal for a guy who doesn’t trust the bank and is wary of any kind of establishments. And with it being a new car, will he be making payments on it in change?

  7. Idil
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 9:18 am

    What happened to the money he got when he was engineering? :S

    but wow, I really respect him for managing to save up for one thing he really wants for an incredibly long time….

  8. Scooter
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 10:11 am

    I’d love to have a can of pre-1964 American coins. i’m sure they are worth more in there weight in metals than face value.
    If i could go back in time that’s what i’d do. Thanks Palahniuk, Rant was a great book.

  9. Jon Anderson
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Coins melt in a fire. I know someone who kept a coin collection in a fire safe. After a house fire he opened it to find a blob of molten coins.

  10. Lionheart
    Aug 15th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    What a waste of time for the agency.


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