Sometimes I get dumb ideas. This blog is one of them. Other times I get really bad ideas, like buying a car online without having seen it in person, and with no other information other than "it starts". Meet the newest addition to the Gas Donkey Garage, a 24 year old 1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe, which I stole for the bargain sum of $250. Or so I thought.
The above picture is from the online auction site where I purchased the car. First impressions imply a relatively straight body with some clear coat issues. I wasn't really concerned about the clear coat, because the age of this econo-box means I'm relegated to the land of the sub $1k flip. Also, the car's listing said it "runs" and "drives" which made me cross my fingers for luck and dive into the bidding process. I mean, can you really loose money on a $250 car? It has to be worth that much in scrap, right?
Bidding on the Corolla started at $200, and someone had beaten me to the first bid. I had predetermined that I would pay no more than $250 for this car, and since bidding raised in $50 increments, I had one shot. I clicked "bid" just before the timer ended and (as it turns out) I was the new owner. Well, not really. After bidding (and winning) I was informed that the vehicle had a $400 dollar reserve, and that I could up my bid to $400 and buy the vehicle, or wait for the seller to approve/disapprove the transaction. A few moments later I got an email saying the seller approved the sale, and I got an email saying I had to have it off the consignment lot in 5 days or I start racking up storage fee's. It was this moment that I realized my first costly mistake, My normal tow vehicle was out of commission with transmission issues, and none of my other vehicles were heavy duty enough to tow the Corolla strapped to my 16' car hauler.
How does a guy, with a full time job and no tow vehicle, retrieve a car 50 miles away, on a lot that's only open bankers hours? Tune in next week and find out.
Bidding on the Corolla started at $200, and someone had beaten me to the first bid. I had predetermined that I would pay no more than $250 for this car, and since bidding raised in $50 increments, I had one shot. I clicked "bid" just before the timer ended and (as it turns out) I was the new owner. Well, not really. After bidding (and winning) I was informed that the vehicle had a $400 dollar reserve, and that I could up my bid to $400 and buy the vehicle, or wait for the seller to approve/disapprove the transaction. A few moments later I got an email saying the seller approved the sale, and I got an email saying I had to have it off the consignment lot in 5 days or I start racking up storage fee's. It was this moment that I realized my first costly mistake, My normal tow vehicle was out of commission with transmission issues, and none of my other vehicles were heavy duty enough to tow the Corolla strapped to my 16' car hauler.
How does a guy, with a full time job and no tow vehicle, retrieve a car 50 miles away, on a lot that's only open bankers hours? Tune in next week and find out.
No comments:
Post a Comment