The Stories of the Car Sales

This is probably going to be long--go get your cuppa (whatever) and have a sit down.

Many of you know I've had some issues with automobiles for the last few years. Well, yesterday I sold my Explorer...a very long story, and today I sold my father's Lincoln Towncar.

I received a call at 10:am yesterday from a woman who said she was very interested in my Explorer, but wanted to take it to her mechanic. I agreed it was a good idea, and then found out her mechanic is in Santa Monica (at least an hour's drive from my home). She wanted to come, drive it to her mechanic, then maybe buy it. I said I wasn't comfortable with that (duh!).

She called again, and said if I would drive it to Santa Monica, let her mechanic look at it, she would drive me home after she bought it. I said that would be fine (I didn't want to do laundry yesterday anyway).

I got there; the mechanic too 45 minutes to give the car a full physical and emotional exam. When the woman showed up, she whined and moaned that it would need not quite $1,000 to fix it. I came down $600 (in an effort to split the repair costs) and she still demanded I pay the smog check (a mere pittance of $60).

Then she demanded that I drive her to the smog check place, the bank for the money, and then the DMV with all the forms so she could make sure there were no tickets on the car. I did all that, in my Explorer, and then she decides that she doesn't want to take me home. Mind you, I've driven now nearly 100 miles for her benefit and she can't drive 50 to get me home.

She was gracious enough to find out what buses it would take to get me to a train to get me to other buses to get me home. If I left at 5:00 pm, I'd be home at around 8:00. Mind you I hadn't seen my daughters since noon. It was too long when we all thought I'd be back at 4:00.

So, I got on one bus that took me to another bus that took me to a train. I made several phone calls, and it just so happened that a friend was driving home in that direction anyway, and he offered to give me a ride from the train station to my home. What a great good friend he is!

The woman who bought the Explorer finally released me from liabilities on it at around 5:30. By the time I got to the end of the train line, it was already 8:pm. I got to finally see my daughters at nearly 9:pm! And, I had the "adventure" of travelling through some of the dankest areas of the bowels of Los Angeles with cash. A lot of cash, in my humble opinion, too. I made it though, and kept a great attitude about it all. Then when I got home with my girls, and Scott got home just a few minutes after us, I sort of realized all that I had done that day and how stressful it was. I wanted to sleep, but couldn't, so updated my blog and got to bed about 12:30am.

Fortunately, I was allowed to sleep 2 extra hours this morning. I heard the phone ring and decided to ignore it, but Sarah came into my room and said that I had to get up because someone was on the phone about the Lincoln (my father's Town car, aka, Pseudolimo). This poor woman, said she had been wanting a Town car for a very long time, but didn't have quite the money I asked for it, would I take less. I've yet to come across someone who would pay me what I ask for a car I'm selling.

I said we could talk, and since the car needed some repairs (1991 Lincoln, a/c doesn't work, needs power steering pump replaced), I'd probably come down on the price a little.

They came, the whole family, and I could tell she really wanted the car. I caved. Sold it to her for 1/2 what it's worth. Looked everywhere in the house for the title (pink slip) and couldn't find it. Called the Dept of Motor Vehicles and was informed that a duplicate title could be submitted, got all the necessary forms online, and off they went, two hours after they got here, the new owners of a nice old car.

So, nothing has been done in my house for two days, but I can park our two remaining cars in our garage!

I'm updating my blog, I think I have three more entries to make, but I've made a few entries already. I've had a life these past few days, and I think I want to run away. I don't even have any Calgon!