Sunday, September 22, 2013

Our New Addition

We have a new addition to the family. Ernie, the owner of the junkyard a few miles to the west of me, had it sitting out by the road with the for sale sign. Annie spotted it on the way from work. She thought Ernie just put it out there and it was going to go fast. So as soon as she got home we loaded up the kids and headed a mile to the east to pay the neighbor for the 4 dozen eggs he'd given me earlier in the day, then we headed back 3 miles to the west to look at it. There it sat with not much rust. The number one selling point for me at this time. Especially on a chevy pic-up that'll be 19 years old next year. My Chevy pic-up that my dad bought after I rolled his Bronco II when I was a junior in high school is just about ready for the place our new addition is coming from.

The next thing I was looking for was if it had 4 wheel drive. It did. It didn't work, though. By the time I noticed that, Ernie had made his way through his front yard to the truck. He said someone had swiped the front drive shaft off from it while it was sitting in the yard amongst the hundreds of other vehicles.

"It happens all the time," he said.

"That's fine," I said. "Are you pretty firm on the price?" I asked.

"I'm negotiable," he said.

"Alright, I'll go home and think about it. I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"That sounds good. But before you leave I'm going to pull it out of the way so no one misses the corner and smashes into it. That tends to happen quite a bit right here." He said.

I got home and gave it a half hour's thought. I called him up and offered him two-thirds of what he was asking. He came back with his price. I told him I'd take it.

"Do you want cash or check?" I asked.

"Cash," he answered. "You gonna pick it up tomorrow?"

"No, I've got to wait for the bank to open on Monday," I replied. I just don't keep that kind of cash on me.

"Alright, I'll look around here for the title." He remarked.

We exchanged good-byes and hung up.

Not bad. I got 4 dozen eggs and a different pick-up without leaving County Rd. E. And I'm still in line with what I mentioned to a friend this summer; we both agreed that we haven't paid as much for a vehicle as most people pay for a new riding lawnmower.

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