Blog posts without photos are boring, right? This blog post will have no photo and when you finish reading it .. you will understand why there are no photos.
Vince is vehicle challenged. The challenge comes when it’s time to get rid of them. He cannot get rid of a vehicle. The last two vehicles we got rid of were donated to charity (and probably sold for junk metal!).
I’ve been telling Vince that we need a full size pickup. We have a 2007 Toyota Highlander that’s our “new” car, the one we use for trips. We have a 2001 Honda CRV that is Vince’s work/run around town vehicle, and we have a 1996 Chevy S-10 . . a little bitty worthless pickup! It was fine for city use . . a while back . . but it’s getting kinda old . . it’s too small for the things we do now and . . it’s just time for a new pickup! Three vehicles for two drivers means we’re not getting anything until we get rid of something and since we can’t get rid of anything . . we have this big dilemma about needing a full size pickup.
We’ve been discussing pickups for a while. Major expenditures don’t happen quickly around here. We’ve gone and looked at new pickups a couple of times. Our friends who are coming to visit .. he works for Ford and I was hoping he could talk Vince into buying a new pickup while he’s here.
At lunch today, we had this conversation.
Vince: Oh, you’re finally getting your pickup.
Me: Really?
Vince: Yes, this guy at work has a pickup and I’ve been trying to talk him into selling it and he decided he would sell it.
Me: Is it a Ford?
Vince: Hmm . . it’s either a Ford or a Chevy.
(At this point, I’m getting concerned.)
Me: What year is it?
Vince: I’m not sure.
Me: What color is it?
Vince: Cream . . might have been tan at one time but it’s almost white now.
(I’m getting more concerned!)
Me: How much are you paying?
Vince: A little more than he could get selling it for scrap
Me: Does it run?
Vince: Probably not now . . it’s too cold. He said it probably wouldn’t start.
(Did you know some vehicles don’t run when it’s cold? I guess we’re betting a summer vehicle . . like some folks get summer homes!)
Me: OK . . so it’s a summer only truck. Is it air conditioned.
Vince: Yes, and the tires are good!
Me: Can we get it painted?
Vince: No! I’m not spending any money on it.
Me: Oh, so we’re getting a yard ornament?
All of our other vehicles need tires .. not because the tires have too many miles on them but because they’re just old. The Highlander is 6-1/2 years old with just a little over 30,000 miles. The tires look brand new but I’m going to replace them before the next trip to MO. The Honda needs tires but we never drive it and the S-10 has the last tires on it that we took off the Honda because the new tires we had put on it were for an off road vehicle and were way too noisy.
Seriously, I’ve been wanting a pickup with a carburetor . . something with no electronics on it and this is the vehicle Vince is getting for me. But, don’t expect to see me driving it! 🙂
So . . I don’t know what year it is. I don’t know what color it is. I don’t know if it’s a Ford or a Chevy. Heck, I don’t even know if it has an automatic transmission or not. And, it sounds like I won’t get to see it til it gets warmer! 🙂
But, think about it: Vince doesn’t want to buy a new pickup. He knows we’re never going to pay insurance on 5 vehicles. He isn’t going to get rid of anything we currently have so it made perfect sense to him to buy this old pickup. For a small price, it will give him a very good excuse not to buy a new pickup.
Sharon in Michigan says
Do you still have a smile on your face? I’m sorry, it’s funny…but it’s really not.
Susan says
Do you ever think about serious bodily mayhem?
De says
Just wait until he has an out of town trip and go buy a new one while he is gone. That’s what I did years ago. Do I need to mention that I am divorced now?
JudyL says
I can assure you that will never happen. I prefer to stay married. I kinda like him! 🙂
Donna says
just too funny!
Claudia W says
Judy, you are WAY WAY more ‘understanding’ and nice than any other woman I know.
Michelle says
My husband knows every detail of every vehicle he owns…just because he knows what engine is in it and what parts it needs to run doesn’t mean it’s ever gonna move again.
About the tires (and since Vince likes shopping for bargains) look for used tires with a decent amount of tread on them. A couple of weeks before our SUV got wrecked, we put tires on it that still had 90% tread and cost a third what new tires would have cost. With older cars that might not outlive a new set of tires, it’s a good option.
Marion Morgan says
Best line: . . .so it’s a yard ornament. I’m still laughing.
Linda in NE says
I feel your pain. My DH can’t get rid of vehicles either. (Or anything else, for that matter.)There’s a ’92 Geo Metro sitting in the garage that is so rusted out your butt might be dragging on the ground before you get where you’re going, but hey, it still runs! And was replaced by a Metro in much better shape a few years back. My last two cars I went and bought by myself because DH thought what I had was good enough for me, even though they were no longer reliable. He wasn’t happy either time, but he’s learning. Oh, yeah….the carbureter may be fine, but fuel injection starts better in cold weather. With a carburetor you want to be sure it has a manual choke too.
Linda in NE says
Oh yeah, we ARE paying insurance & registration on five vehicles—-drivable Metro, Equinox, pickup, ’55 Chevy sedan and ’55 station wagon.
JudyL says
I don’t think it’s old enough to have a manual choke but . . since I have no idea about the year, I could be wrong.
Ranch Wife says
Our one and only pick up is 15 yrs old. I love that pick up. We bought it new and they don’t even make that engine anymore. We’ve talked abut getting a new one for a couple of years now and we may go look at them this week. Want me to see if they’ll give us a 2 for 1 deal? 🙂
Michelle in Co says
That is too funny. We just paid our van off in October and traded it in the day after Christmas for a 2012 GMC Sierra. I told my husband this vehicle had to last him until he died or couldn’t drive anymore. The van just didn’t drive worth a crap in the snow and we need a truck – makes it easier when owning a house. So now I am in the 2006 Saturn Vue with only 45000 miles on it and have to wait to get my last new one. We don’t do much driving either the van only had 65000 miles on it.
Pam says
Ask your friend who works for Ford if they have a “friends and family” program. My father-in-law is retired from Chrysler and he always gets us an authorization that lets us by any new Chrysler two percent back of invoice, plus we don’t pay dealer handling. That’s about as good as you can get on a new vehicle.
Freda Henderson says
Just think, you can put Christmas lights on it as it will be a yard ornament at that time of year.
Linda says
Wow. I know Vince loves to shop, but a pickup that doesn’t run under certain conditions and is not reliable is nothing to expect his wife to use. I’d say it’s no bargain at all.
Helen1 says
Hmmm – I wonder if Vince is somehow related to my son. My son has a lovely red car. The engine block (?) is cracked and basically it won’t go and is too expensive to fix up. It also has a leak in the roof that allows all the moisture in the world to go INTO the car! My son also has a nice size large pickup truck and a lovely black car that RUNS and is his “baby”.
For 4 years now I’ve tried to “encourage” my son to get rid of his red sports car. You know, the one that won’t run and doesn’t even reside at his house – but sits in MY driveway taking up space! And my son WILL make noises about getting rid of it. Uh huh! For 4 years going on 5 he has made noises about that – and periodically will find the title which lasts until the car is no longer snow bound – at which point he can’t find the title again!
Yup! i think Vince and my son are related!
Evelyn Starfishy says
Funny! Growing up we had cars where you could see the ground racing by because the floor boards were so rotted out. You had to be sure to put the groceries in the cardboard boxes or you might loose them on the way home! My first few cars were similar and finally my very kind-hearted mechanic told me that HE would go car shopping with me, LOL! Now, my car and truck are both 2003 and I love, love them! I am hoping to keep them at least another 10 years (fingers crossed). I finally stopped bringing my truck to the dealership for oil changes because they ALWAYS try to get me to trade it in – now I go to a Jiffy Lube type place. NOT trading! Insurance is cheaper and also in my town you have to pay a yearly “excise” tax on the worth of your vehicle. Might be the perfect “summer” truck! Cheers! Evelyn/Starfishy
Mary in VA says
Too funny. I traded up when I went to a smaller pickup. I had an 84 Chevy full-size pick up. I now have a 91 half-size pick up. The difference is I can drive this one! It has lousy tires, needs work on a front end, and once belonged to a quarry so you know what the interior looks like. It gets worked on when I finally lose my temper – like when the door opened on its own or when the turn signal handle was laying on the dash. Good thing I only use it for going to the dump, or to get compost or mulch….