Teen gets outbid for late dad’s car at auction – then highest bidder says “here’s your car”
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video.
Tanner Brownlee had very little to remind him of his father. He tried to get his father’s car in an auction but couldn’t afford it. Luckily, the winner knew his story.
Sam Brownlee died suddenly in 2010 at work, aged only 43. He left behind a wife and two sons. Tanner, the eldest son, was a teenager at the time.
The teenage years are hard for anyone. But Tanner suddenly had to cope with the loss of his father.
Tanner, his brother and his mom went on, but there was always a huge hole in their lives that they could never get back.
The teenager was given some of his father’s possessions, which he then prized. One such possession was a motorcycle jacket, which sadly would never fit.
Five years passed. Then Tanner learned that his father’s squad car, a Dodge Charger, was being auctioned off.
Tanner had recently become old enough to drive. He saw it as a sign.
The teenager and his younger brother, Chase, tried to raise some money to buy the car.
They started a GoFundMe and managed to get $3,340. It wasn’t much, but they hoped that it would be enough.
So Tanner and his family went to the auction, determined to get this connection to their father and husband.
Tanner had never been to an auction before, but he looked and learned. When the car came up for auction, he bid and bid.
Sadly, someone else outbid him to the point where he couldn’t compete.
The auctioneer handed the winning bidder the keys to the car. But then something shocking happened.
The winner turned to the crowd and made an announcement.
He explained that he knew how much the car meant to Tanner. He couldn’t possibly keep it. So he handed the keys out to the teenager.
Tanner held onto the keys, which his father had held for so many years. He couldn’t keep back tears.
Then he stood up and hugged the winning bidder.
“This is just so huge. I mean, me and my dad built a fence and stuff. But having something I can use and drive around that he drove around, it just means a lot.” – Tanner Brownlee.
That day, Tanner drove his mom and his little brother home, just like his dad had done in the past.
A news team then made a report on this story, which appeared online. It soon went viral.
To date, over 37 million people have watched the video. It also has more than 427,000 likes and 19,000 comments. People have been saying things like this:
Tanner and the rest of his family will be sure to treasure this car. Nothing can bring back their father and husband, but at least they have this important connection to him.
And the winning bid for the car, which was for $60,000, would end up going to charity. It was a large sum for the bidder, especially as he gave up what he won. But he was happy to make the world just a little bit better.
Tanner and his family are sure to have many happy years with the car.
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