Let’s see if I can tell this story in 10 lines or less.
1. Have spent the last 10 days furiously scanning Craigslist for a vehicle that will get us through our next tour…. Austin à Kansas City à New York
2. After wavering between cars, vans, pimped out trucks, keepin’ it simple…. Saw this guy and fell in love.
3. Holy shit, it's in my price range!
4. Took a day off of teaching, grabbed my trusty guitarist/car expert Duncan & went to New Braunfels, planning to unload $3,500 from my bank account & drive home w/ a van that night.
5. The owner, a very nice straight-shooting responsible perhaps even booooring man, takes us for a tour. Van drives beautifully. And so so cute. Does not smell like cigarettes, rock bands, mold or old man. Extra plus!
6. Duncan & I spend 4 ½ hours & way too much money staying caffeinated at a Starbucks all afternoon while the van is inspected by a local mechanic.
7. 4:38pm… finally a call from the mechanic.
8. The verdict: brakes (front & rear), U-joint going, flush the coolant, replace original fluids, blah blah “I am speaking a language that you don’t understand & not trying to translate, but if you pay me $2,800, I can fix it all.”
9. $2,800?!! F(*&(, Sh)(*9
“I think they’re conning us, I can get that stuff fixed cheap, we should get it,” says Duncan.
10. Mulling over the next move, I ask the owner if I can d
rive it back to his place, test the brakes, feel it out some. A block & a half from his place, CLUNK! And there we were, stuck in the middle of the street… van not moving, reason not known.
Jessie still vanless (and perhaps lucky I killed that car when I did)
My fav cop shot. "sir you can't leave that thing in the middle of the road..."
Has anyone else killed a car while test driving it?
This is a first! Even for a Torrisi.
