Joy A. Mead

After two hours driving up from London to Birmingham, we were prepared to pick up a newer, used vehicle and turn in our current car. Unfortunately, from just a few moments of sitting in the new car, we could tell that it wasn’t quite right. My husband and I noticed straightaway that the air conditioning wasn’t blowing out cold air, and on a test drive around the dealership, the car was making loud squeaking as it went around the corner. Most concerning was a set of warning lights on the dashboard, to do with the mechanics of the car.

Something just wasn’t right.

And yet the dealership hadn’t bothered to call us and let us know this crucial information beforehand!

The car salesman assured us that his mechanic had thoroughly checked the car over—we could go to our own mechanic and then pass the bill back to the dealership when the problem was truly located and the repairs made. Needless to say, we were completely disappointed with this newer car that we were driving away four hours later. 

Had we had more time to think about it all, we could have refused to complete the purchase of the new car and driven back in our old car. However, with the long journey, the day getting late in the afternoon, and with the insurance already arranged to switch, we felt pressured to just continue to proceed.

After what felt like an entirely disastrous let down with laying out thousands of pounds, which we didn’t really have to be spending on a new car at the moment, we were driving away from the dealership in the “new” car, already knowing that it had issues from day one. 

Tired, stressed, and hungry—as we drove past our lovely little white, family car, I just lost myself in an emotional flood of tears. I felt like we were doing the worst thing, letting that perfectly good car go and taking home what felt like an unreliable, bulky, piece of junk compared with our old, smooth, well-running car. 

None of this was what we wanted.

All of this car stress was brought upon us, due to the Mayor of London expanding the ULEZ (Ultra-Low Emissions Zone) to all of Greater London.

Switching the car was to do with a situation many Londoners have now found themselves in—either upgrade your car or pay £12.50 a day.

In fact, it was seven months ago that Charlie and I first started trying to prepare for this new agenda. Our family car was just on the cut-off to meet the new standards, but we would have to prove our car was compliant due to it being an imported car from Japan.

We paid for a special universal certificate from Japan, gathered all of the emissions data for our car, and sent what we thought was a compelling letter to the UK’s DVLA department. Instead, we were told that they couldn’t help even though our engine was exactly the same as a newer make of car that had been approved. We then went to TFL (Transport for London), who has been leading this major change for London road users. Again, another dead end.

This is how we ended up searching and purchasing an emissions-compliant car. 

After we did get home with the less-than-perfect, newer used car, we realized that we needed to get in touch with the dealer immediately. This was not at all what we had wanted or envisioned, and it all needed to be put right. 

We decided to swap to another car at the dealership. It was more money, which would mean stretching ourselves further, but it still met our specifications.

The night before my husband was going to drive two hours back to Birmingham and switch cars, he decided to do one last check by paying for a specialized Japanese car report to confirm the history of the car. To our disappointment and shock, we learned that the replacement car had been in an accident in Japan. Horrified that we nearly purchased this other car without having the dealer’s full honesty, we straight away called the deal off. 

We were still driving around in the not-quite-right, definitely-has-some-mechanical issues vehicle. 

Having lost faith in the dealer, there was no way we could purchase the replacement.

And we were feeling financially hit!

There was only one thing left to do—take the purchased car back, get our money refunded, and drive our non-compliant original car back to London to be fined for each day of driving it.

We were back at the starting line. 

With our energy draining to fumes, we gave our last ditch effort to prove our original car was compliant. Again, we gathered all our data and facts, the Japanese certificate, photos and details of comparable newer cars with the same engine, and we sent it off to Transport for London. Deflated, yet trying to give it our last fight, we surrendered the outcome to God—knowing we would need to accept their decision whether the outcome was favourable or not.

Numb with all of the compiled car stress, my husband and I were astonished that within twenty-four hours, we had not only received a response but full confirmation that TFL were approving our car based on the evidence we supplied! 

Just like that—our car storm was calmed. 

Just like that—I could drive on the school run without a daily charge. 

Just like that, our finances were better off.

Just like that—God ended the car drama!

I’m still unsure why we had to go through this rollercoaster of car stress—however, I am so grateful for a surprisingly gracious ending. God was with us during the stress, drama, and unknowing. And he was equally with us in our huge victory. 

God is close to us when we invite him into our daily lives.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” —John 15:4

God walks with us through life’s challenges.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” —Psalm 23:4

God wants us to give our burdens to him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”—Matthew 11:28

God cares about life’s daily battles. 

“He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”—2 Chronicles 20:15

Sometimes, we have to learn to let go of control or even the desire to control. 

Whatever your current unknowns are in your life, choose to keep persevering. In the middle of your storm, lay down the daily burden and ask God to carry the load, which feels like it is crushing you. I’m a firm believer that no matter what the outcome of a situation, God will show us more of his loving heart along our journey and grow us deeper into our relationship with him.