Dad buys daughter a car - and finds a very moving letter inside

Well if this doesn't make you want to go out and buy a secondhand car then we don't know what will! 

Kevin Duke bought his daughter, Jada, a car for her sixteenth birthday. As it was a secondhand buy and her birthday's not until March, he decided to do a bit of "tinkering" around to iron out any kinks.

No doubt expecting to find some marks and scratches, we're pretty sure the idea of a secret letter hidden away until the right person found never crossed his mind.

But he did find one; under a rubber mat in a storage compartment on the dashboard (we're assuming glove compartment here) was a letter addressed to the 'New Car Owner'. 

Taking to the Love What Matters Facebook page, the dad shared the letter in full, admitting that it made him "shed a few tears." 

Written by Sabrina Archey, it shares a heartbreaking story about how the car – lovingly called Sylvia – is the last piece of her family. 

“To the person that gets this car, I just wanted to let you know what a special vehicle you’ve bought. This car belonged to my mum. She passed away Feb 25, 2015 in a house fire along with my 6 year old daughter and my aunt. The last time my mum drove this car was the day she left us. Her and my daughter went out shopping and got their hair cut.

“This car holds a lot of special memories for me. My home and everything in it is gone, this car is all that I had left to touch. There was a mix up with paperwork and that’s caused the car to not be paid off by insurance. It’s very upsetting that I have lost my family, my home and now I’m losing this last link I have with my mum and child through no fault of my own.

“I’m not mad at you. I hope this car is the best car you’ve ever owned. I hope it runs for 100 more years. I hope the back seat is filled with kids and toys and random things. My family filled this car with lots of love and other sticky things.

“We took road trips, blared 80s and country music and rolled the windows down. I’ve changed more diapers in the back seat than I can count. There’s probably a sucker stick or a crayon hidden somewhere that belonged to my baby. Maybe an entire chicken nugget. Ha!

“Love, joy, and adventure was had in this car. So now that it’s yours, please remember it isn’t just a car. It’s a memory. This car, with all its quirks, is the last piece of my family. Be nice to it. Play it a country song, ‘Big Green Tractor’ was my daughter’s favourite sound ever or some Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Freebird’. That song meant so much that I played it at their funerals."

“You’re riding with angels. My angels. Talk to them if you like, I’m sure they’d like to see and hear about any new adventure you take in this car.”

“Be blessed, be happy, live and love like we did. I wish you, and Sylvia, all the best!” it ends.

Spotting Kevin's Facebook post, Sabrina urged everyone to hug their loved ones. 

"Give your babies extra lovins, call your mom and go visit your grandparents if u still have them. Tomorrow is not promised! And again, thanks to all of u for your support! [sic]"

Do you have a story that you would love to share? Click here and you could be in with a chance of winning €250.