The SUV known as "My Broom", was never the same after she was rear ended in April of 2009. Snowmaggedeon of 2010 didn't do her any favors either. Yes, the old gal didn't owe me a thing, as I put over 175K miles on her, and drove her in any and all kinds of weather. Rest easy, old friend.
But her passing did put a cramp in my plans. I was counting on her to run for another 18 months, as this would have given me the room in my budget to by The Teenager a used car sometime between January and May of 2011. And in 2012, when I'm done paying for Catholic school, I was going to trade her in for my dream car:
Look at her.... isn't she gorgeous??!! I used to have one, you know. Bought a 1985 used in 1987. Here she is:
This was "My Toy 2". I drove her for a perfect 7 yrs, then The Teenager came along. Well, technically she was The Baby then, and I quickly found that getting The Baby and her car seat in and out of the cavernous pit that is the backseat of the two door Camaro pretty damn difficult and annoying. So, away she went. Traded her in for the worst car I've ever owned - a 1994 Dodge Intrepid, that I unaffectionately dubbed "The Bitch." But that's another story.
And yes, I give my cars titles. So what? Shut up.
Anywho, so now the type/price of car I was looking to get The Teenager, I'm now looking to get for myself. This? Is SO not cool.
My search began in two places - The Pennysaver online and craigslist.com. Right away I found three cars that looked great, had really low mileage, and unreal prices - a 1997 Toyota 4Runner, a 2002 Nissan Murano, and a 2005 Honda Accord. So I contacted all three sellers, and asked them each, in a short email, 2 direct questions - has the vehicle been MD inspected, and where were they located so that I can see the car in person.
What I got in return were very long emails that never answered my questions. Here's what I did learn about the sellers:
"David Burke", seller of the Toyota 4Runner - he owns a Wendy's franchise in Canada, this economic crisis is killing him so he's selling all of his stuff, the 4Runner is actually located in Dallas TX, and he's going to need me to send him the money for the car via Western Union.
"Sgt. Martin Lobek", seller of the Honda Accord - ironically he's also in Canada stationed there with his unit, that's where the car is, and he wants me to pay him for the car through eBay, sight unseen.
"Jessica Reid", seller of the Nissan Murano - she was a tad more creative in that she said she was a cruise line worker and just never used the car, but she still wanted my money before I ever saw the car. She never told me where she was located, but I bet her cruise line goes to Canada.
ALL of these sellers went into great detail about their situations and personal lives, which struck me as not only unnecessary, but strange. As life and Gavin DeBecker have taught me - when some one blurts out all their business after just meeting you, it's a huge red flag. So it seemed to me that these jerks were just trying to sucker some one into handing them a few thousand dollars. I? Am not that sucker.
It did, however, really piss me off. I'm currently in crisis, having to buy a car that I NEED (versus wanting to buy a car that I LOVE), and having to do so in a short amount of time for a really low price. And so it angers me that I have to take time to sift through scams and lies to get to some one who really does have a car to sell. It's wrong and it's bullshit.
So as I try to keep my bitterness to a dull roar, I strive ahead looking for that perfectly priced 4 door Japanese car with an automatic transmission and CD player that's not the color of baby poop or dry wall screws. It's quite trying. Anything not a Camaro feels like a consolation prize. But wish me luck in my search, regardless. I'll be sure to post pics of the "new to me" generic piece of blah I end up purchasing. :-|
