Having been barred from driving her car after receiving a DUI (driving under the influence) with a $3,000 bond for refusing to take a breathalyzer test during a traffic stop on her way home from a concert, a creative 20-year-old Texas State University student switched to a different set of wheels.
Tara Monroe, a junior majoring in industrial engineering, had her license suspended and her father drove from the family’s home in Kingwood to San Marcos to take away her vehicle, leaving her with only two available modes of transportation: a bicycle or her own two feet.
But Monroe refused to downgrade from four wheels to two. So, to solve the issue, she looked on Craigslist to find an alternative vehicle – and for $60 picked up her new Barbie car.
She bought the Jeep off a small child named Charlene. “When we drove up to buy it Charlene asked where the little one was to test drive it to which I replied, ‘I am the little one,'” she said.
Since then, she has become something of a local attraction on the campus, where she can be seen cruising daily in her miniature automobile. She has dubbed her new set of wheels ‘Charlene’ in honor of the little girl who sold her the vehicle.
Social media users have also taken notice of Monroe, sharing snapshots of her going around town at 5mph in her Barbie-mobile. Confused locals have been uploading hilarious snaps and videos to social media, captured when they spot the straight-faced, RayBan-wearing 20-year-old riding around in the bright pink, battery-powered kiddie car.
FINALLY SAW HER ??? #TXST #TXST19 pic.twitter.com/IgYEFToeBn
— Nikki Stevens (@OoHeyitsNikki) August 31, 2015
Monroe said she is flattered and surprised by all the attention garnered by her second-hand toy Jeep. “This is the best way I could have gotten my 15 minutes of fame,” she said. “Basically, it was the best decision I’ve made in college, yet.”
She added: “Most people don’t find the things me and my friends do very funny, just immature, so I didn’t expect to get this big of a reaction. People who don’t know me are shocked but my friends weren’t even surprised because I do stuff like this all the time.”