I saw this majestic beast parked in the handi-spot outside Kroger. It seems to be a mid 80's-ish Dodge Ram Van, with an identity crisis.
The conversion style rear quarter windows conflict with the 70's metal flake-faux wood paint. Every body knows you don't put picture windows on the side of a shagg'n wagon. Also, most conversion vans were long body's. The 90's American Racing rims bring us a third decade of confusion, while the luggage rack and Family Truckster double stacked headlamps complete the rape van look.
Despite this vans creeper status, I kind of digg it. I mean look at the fiberglass sun visor! Those were made for only the Chachiest of rides. Honestly, I can see Scott Baio rocking this right now! If it where my van, I'd hop on craigslist and score some cheap 13" reversed offset wire wheels, put War's Lowrider on repeat and call it a day... but, to each their own. I lift my beer in the air to you Mr. Handi Van, you may not have taste on your side, but you've got style, and that's good enough.
In part one, I told you how I stole a 1990 corolla at auction for the low sum of $250. My intent was to buy, clean and then flip the car for $500-$800. Well, the idiot tax for buying old used cars adds up pretty quick. I won the car for $250, but then come the added auction fees.
Winning Bid: $250
Auction Fee: $75
Online Bidding Fee:$39
Lot Fee: $30
Suddenly I'm into this heap for $394.00, and I haven't even gotten it home yet. Speaking of getting it home, how am I going to do that? My Ram 3500 is in the shop. I guess I'm taking a long lunch from my 8-5, renting a car dolly (+$55) and borrowing the wife's mini van.
Most of the car batteries on the auction lot are dead because most cars sit on auction lots for weeks, and even months with doors open or accessories on. My first order of business after getting the Corolla home, was to charge the battery and take stock of what works, what doesn't and what will need to be fixed.
I saw these rust spots in the auction listing (from a picture taken far away), at the time they didn't seem so bad. But then I started investigating. I wish I hadn't.
So the major problems so far are rusty quarters, a saggy headliner, a missing mirror and the bombshell in the picture below:
Dammit.
How are we going to fix all this and make a profit on our flip? Check out part 3 next week and find out.
I happened to be marching through the bureau of purple curbs when I caught this majesticness with my smartphone:
I took me 2 passes (24 hours apart) to realize this marvelous monstrosity was more than some local guy's experiment with Krylon and masking tape. No, this is a full on tribute to the 3rd gen eclipse in 2Fast 2Furious. See the original picture car in the pic below.
I was never a huge fan of the 3rd gen Eclipse, nor was I a fan of the sophomore version of the Fast franchise. I remember my initial reaction to the 2Fast Eclipse in the theater, it was something like "I don't love it, I don't hate it, but I can't think of any sane reason you would do that to a vehicle." It's now ten+ years since the film premiered, but it certainly left a impression someone.
This tribute brings us the all the essence of the original vehicle, without any of the details. Sure, the purple is not the same color, the wheels don't match, the body kit is missing and the owner can't be bothered with the rear wing. If everything were correct it would be a replica, and (as Tenacious D says) this is not the greatest replica in the world, this is just a tribute. Either way, I lift my beer in the air to you, Mr. 2Fast tribute owner, for keeping and old Eclipse on the road, and for shining your light on the most forgettable vehicle of the entire Fast & Furious franchise.
I'm not a fan of mechanic in a bottle solutions, but I'm in a situation where I need a quick fix to get a car through the next couple of weeks with a blown head gasket, until it can be properly repaired. Apparently, according to the masses of YouTube testimonials, I need a product called Blue Devil Head gasket sealant.
The guy in the above video is not me, and that's not the Gas Donkey Garage, but his video and results sold me on the temporary solution, so I wen't online to search for the best price. I stopped by the manufacturers website first, to see how much it was in the company store, and then to read up on the warranty. In order for the warranty to be valid, you must purchase the product from an authorized retailer, which means my favorite parts house (eBay motors) was probably out of the question. So next I searched the major parts houses near the GD Garage. First Napa:
I original y looked at Napa, because they sell the block tester in the above video. I rarely shop there, because back in the day they seemed to want to cater to commercial customers only. I went there once when I was 17 to get a head gasket for my B2200. I stood at the counter, staring at the parts guy 4 feet away eating a sandwich for 20 minutes without so much as a "Hi", "Hello", or "someone will be with you in a few". I haven't stepped foot in one since. Next I looked at Advanced.
Hmm...$16 more and terrible customer service? Nope. Next up, Auto Zone.
Really Auto Zone? It's 2014, you can do better. Apparently, so can I. I'll try Oreily's next.
Umm ?WTF Oriely? You've always been the most helpful, and cheaper on things that bolt to engines. I've rewarded you for your great service and cheap parts with my unwavering loyalty. Had I blindly walked in and purchased this off the shelf, I would have left walking funny, because you would have raped me.
Oreily's is $26 dollars more. That's somewhere in the range of 75% more than Napa. How is this even possible? Thank god we live in a day and age where prices are at arms length. I guess today I'll be giving Napa a 2nd chance.
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.
