PROJECT: AUTOBAHN · STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL · FAMILY BOARDROOM ONLY
01 / 10
A formal proposal · prepared for Mum & Dad

Please buy me a German coupé

D Toyota Corolla "the sensible choice" · what you think I need
▸ tap the car to reveal its final form ◂
Top speed
adequate
Style
beige
Safety
fine, I guess
My gratitude
a polite nod
Press to begin the presentation
Executive summary

One slide. Three facts.
Zero exaggeration. (Some exaggeration.)

The ask

One (1) pre-owned German coupé

Gently used. Sensibly priced. Extensively researched by me at 1am on many consecutive nights.

The investment

Less than you think

Depreciation has already done the heavy lifting. Full financial breakdown on slide 4 — I made a chart and everything.

The return

A safe, punctual, grateful child

Plus airport pickups. Forever. At any hour. Without sighing. This clause alone is worth thousands.

Disclaimer: this presentation contains forward-looking statements about chores.

Argument 01 — Safety

You want me in the safest car possible.
Incredible news: so do I.

  • 1.1Built like a bank vault. High-strength steel safety cells engineered for a motorway with no speed limit. We have speed limits. So it's basically over-engineered for our roads. That's free safety.
  • 1.2Five-star crash ratings across the range, plus airbags in places you didn't know cars had places.
  • 1.3A co-pilot that never sleeps. Automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring. It literally nags me electronically. You'd love it.
  • 1.4Engineered by people whose motorways have no speed limit. Driven by someone who will absolutely, definitely obey ours. (Hi Mum.)
Argument 02 — Economics

Depreciation: someone else already
paid for the expensive part.

$$$$$
BRAND NEW
(first owner pays this)
$$$
3 YEARS OLD
(still not our problem)
▼ we buy HERE (genius zone)
$$
6 YEARS OLD
(same car. German. Ours.)

A six-year-old German coupé costs about the same as a brand-new boring hatchback. This is called value investing. I read that somewhere credible.

Figures illustrative. Gratitude figures independently audited and found to be enormous.

Argument 03 — Practicality (yes, really)

Two doors. Fewer passengers.
Fewer distractions.

Research consistently shows passengers are a leading distraction for new drivers. A coupé is parental control, expressed as bodywork.

Some four-door sedan

Five seats = five opinions, four snack requests, and someone asking to "see what it can do". No thank you.

German coupé

The back seat is technically a shelf. I physically cannot drive the whole friend group anywhere. You're welcome.

Bonus: nobody asks for a lift in a two-door. This is a feature, not a bug.

The shortlist

Any of these. I'm flexible. (Please.)

Candidate A

BMW 2 Series Coupé

The driver's one. Balanced, planted, sensibly sized. The autojournalists' darling — and who am I to argue with journalism?

2 doors5★ safety100% gratitude
Candidate B

Audi TT

The stylish one. Basically a design museum with cupholders. Small, light, famously easy to park at Nan's.

2 doorstimeless100% gratitude
Candidate C ★ as seen on slide 1

Mercedes-Benz A200

Technically a hatchback. Emotionally a coupé. Spiritually, the correct answer — you witnessed its final form during the opening ceremony.

4 doors (compromise!)5★ safety100% gratitude

Pre-owned warmly welcomed · colour fully negotiable · manual transmission = built-in anti-theft device.

Risk analysis

Objections you're about to raise,
pre-handled.

"German cars are expensive to service."
We buy one with a full service history, and my part-time job covers maintenance. Also: fewer doors, fewer door repairs. Maths.
"You'll drive it too fast."
It has the same speed limit as a Corolla. I value my life, my licence, and my future no-claims discount, in that order.
"Why not something boring?"
A boring car and I would both be sad. Sad drivers are distracted drivers. I'm simply thinking of safety. Again.
"First cars always get scratched."
That's the beauty of pre-owned: the first scratch is already there. It comes pre-scratched. Factory option, basically.
The deal

My commitments, signed in blood.*
*washable ink

  • Fuel: I pay for every single litre. Forever. Even when petrol prices do that thing.
  • Care: washed & vacuumed fortnightly. Weekly during magpie season.
  • Conduct: grades stay up, curfew stays respected, P-plate rules followed to the letter.
  • Service: free airport pickups for life. Any hour. No sighing. Includes baggage handling.
  • Errands: unlimited grocery runs, Bunnings runs, and visits to Nan (she will love the car).
  • Culture: the family playlist may be played in full, without commentary.
Mum
Dad
enthusiastically yes
Me (pre-signed)
The decision

So… can we?

This is a safe space for the word "yes".

both buttons are fully functional. one of them is just shy.
Fin

Thank you for
your consideration

Questions? Comments? Concerns?
I have rebuttals prepared for all of them.

Prepared with love (and mild desperation). No parents were harmed in the making of this presentation.
Press to relive the highlights. Slide 9 accepts resubmissions at any time.

Danke, Mum & Dad!

Decision recorded. Legally binding.** You may now be hugged.

Voucher · one (1) enormous hug · redeemable immediately · no expiry

**not legally binding, but emotionally? extremely.