Six years ago, my family got our first car. It was 2012 and the car looked so cool so sleek then.

Six years on, though on the exterior the vehicle does not look outdated and it is as glossy as before, many internal problems have turned up. The engine often stalls without any warning. Therefore, my father plans to get a new car.

A new car still costs an arm and a leg for a working-class family like ours. Father is extremely cautious about his choice. After much deliberation and comparison, he has decided on a model he likes very much.

Father had thought the second car would come into his possession easily. The fact is that Mother stands in the way. My mother holds the purse strings in our family. Without her permission, shopping for such an expensive item would be impossible.

Father tried to persuade Mother to agree to the purchase. He presented all his pros for it. When he finished, Mother listed all her cons against it. Whatever Father said, Mother remained unswayed. They ended up in a blazing row. When their quarrel was raging, I stayed put in my own room. Had I gone out and got a word in, their verbal fight would have been more heated.

After the quarrel fell a cold war upon them. My parents refused to talk with each other for days. Luckily it did not last very long before Mother agreed to shell out for the car in the end.

How hard it was for Father to get a new car!