1999 Camry with 100,400 miles.
So my kid's 14½ which means ½ year from driver's ed. When he graduates he gets a learners permit. I like to plan ahead and have more junk to snowblow around so this came home with me. I had already looked at a Grand Marquis and two 2007-08 Ford Fusions, all very rusted out.
So I find this creampuff on FBM:
There was a thread a week or so back about buying cars from idiots and this is the exact example I go for.
The ad indicated it had been for sale for 14 weeks so I went over there with the assumption that the battery would be flat. I wasn't excited about jumping anything with my prius and misplaced my cables, so I went over there without. The seller called me 5 minutes before I got there apologizing but he couldn't get it started and wanted to abort the meeting. Nah man I said, I want to see how rusty it is and whatnot, let's keep the appointment. Made an offer without hearing it run and the car was mine, proven with a bill of sale and old New Hampshire registration. (New Hampshire doesn't title cars older than 2000, and other states have to put up with this due to the interstate commerce clause of the US constitution.)
I appear at my town hall with this suspicious paperwork and they tell me my bill of sale might need to be notarized. They called DMV HQ and find out that nope, not necessary. Which was good because the kid's car was in his mothers name and I wasn't sure where she even was-- maybe several hours away in the White Mountains. They fill out a "unusual circumstance" form and staple it, the reg, and bill of sale to my title app and hand me my plates.
I went back with my Silverado and tow dolly, and through a miracle of fate found two contiguous parking spaces on the street on Munjoy Hill in in-town Portland. Removed the dead battery and put jumper cables on it to my Chevy, and ran the motor. Chevy's smart charging sensor knew something was up, and ran at 15.2 volts. Only took five minutes of charging and the car chooched right over. With it running (and charging) I used its little 12V inflator (included in sale!) to pump up the flat rear tire and then pulled it onto the dolly.
So now it's home and I'm going through it. Original sale was to an old lady born in 1937! 2012 saw a timing belt, likely recommended due to age, at 26k miles. Rockers are intact but fuel lines to the tank need replacement. Brake lines were done, and by an extraordinarily tidy mechanic. Car also needs struts on all four corners, is rolling on 4 snow tires with 4/32 remaining, and has a wrecked spare in the trunk. Size 195-70r14, LOL.
So my kid's 14½ which means ½ year from driver's ed. When he graduates he gets a learners permit. I like to plan ahead and have more junk to snowblow around so this came home with me. I had already looked at a Grand Marquis and two 2007-08 Ford Fusions, all very rusted out.
So I find this creampuff on FBM:
There was a thread a week or so back about buying cars from idiots and this is the exact example I go for.
The ad indicated it had been for sale for 14 weeks so I went over there with the assumption that the battery would be flat. I wasn't excited about jumping anything with my prius and misplaced my cables, so I went over there without. The seller called me 5 minutes before I got there apologizing but he couldn't get it started and wanted to abort the meeting. Nah man I said, I want to see how rusty it is and whatnot, let's keep the appointment. Made an offer without hearing it run and the car was mine, proven with a bill of sale and old New Hampshire registration. (New Hampshire doesn't title cars older than 2000, and other states have to put up with this due to the interstate commerce clause of the US constitution.)
I appear at my town hall with this suspicious paperwork and they tell me my bill of sale might need to be notarized. They called DMV HQ and find out that nope, not necessary. Which was good because the kid's car was in his mothers name and I wasn't sure where she even was-- maybe several hours away in the White Mountains. They fill out a "unusual circumstance" form and staple it, the reg, and bill of sale to my title app and hand me my plates.
I went back with my Silverado and tow dolly, and through a miracle of fate found two contiguous parking spaces on the street on Munjoy Hill in in-town Portland. Removed the dead battery and put jumper cables on it to my Chevy, and ran the motor. Chevy's smart charging sensor knew something was up, and ran at 15.2 volts. Only took five minutes of charging and the car chooched right over. With it running (and charging) I used its little 12V inflator (included in sale!) to pump up the flat rear tire and then pulled it onto the dolly.
So now it's home and I'm going through it. Original sale was to an old lady born in 1937! 2012 saw a timing belt, likely recommended due to age, at 26k miles. Rockers are intact but fuel lines to the tank need replacement. Brake lines were done, and by an extraordinarily tidy mechanic. Car also needs struts on all four corners, is rolling on 4 snow tires with 4/32 remaining, and has a wrecked spare in the trunk. Size 195-70r14, LOL.
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