A $250,000 Rolls-Royce as collateral

From Life is a Joke, 100 Life Lessons by John and Gordon Javna.  

—2— Leave Me a Loan

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

—Thomas Edison

A wealthy woman goes into a New York City bank to ask for a loan. She tells the loan officer that she’s going on vacation and needs to borrow $5,000. “Well,” says the banker, “do you have anything you can use as collateral?”

“Yes, I do,” the woman replies. “I’ll use my Rolls-Royce.”

“You mean you want to put up a $250,000 Rolls-Royce as collateral for a $5,000 loan?” asks the stunned banker.

The woman nods and hands over the keys. The loan officer can’t believe she’s for real, so he has an associate check her credentials to make sure she’s the legitimate owner. Sure enough, everything checks out, so the banker parks the luxury car in the bank’s underground garage and writes her a check for $5,000.

Two weeks later the woman comes back from vacation and immediately goes to the bank, where she pays off the $5,000 loan—along with $15.41 in interest. The loan officer takes the money, and as he’s handing her the keys, he says, “Miss, we’re glad to have your business, but we’re “puzzled. We did some research and found out you’re a multimillionaire. So why would you need to borrow $5,000?”

The woman smiles and replies, “Where else in New York City could I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?”