Selling The Machine...

So, I put The Green Machine up for sale. I tell you, this was not an easy decision. But I figured it was best for the car, you know, instead of sitting on the street and rusting to death....

First, I called Bubba, who told me to not take less than $2,500.00 for her. Then I called several numbers of folks who had expressed interest in the car in the past, but, although some of them said they'd call me back, they didn't.  Then I took a billion pictures of it and posted it on Craigslist. Or I tried to post it on Craigslist -- but for some reason, even though the website said it was posted, The Green Machine was not showing up on the site... hmmm....

So I did it again. And again. And finally, the third time, it really did get posted.

Then, I posted For Sale signs on the car. An hour later, I walked outside, and the signs were gone. Both signs had fallen off. So I got out the masking tape and tried again. Two hours later, both signs had fallen off again..... hmmm....

Finally, I gave up and slapped the sign under the windshield wipers.

The first time I started The Green Machine up (after I put her up for sale), she wouldn't start. She sometimes (if she's been sitting a week or more) takes two or three attempts before she starts, but it took six attempts to get her going. I really didn't think she was going to go... Then, when I drove her around the block a few times, the radio would not work. This is weird. Because the radio always works. If fact, it's the only reliable part of the car. And now the radio was completely dead.

Right away, I got an offer of $2500 from a guy who lives down the block. He told me he needed "a couple weeks" to "get the money together." I took that as code for him having to make a few more drug deals to get the money together. A couple of weeks passed. I never saw him again. I mean, really, the guy just disappeared from the neighborhood. I do wonder if he finally got arrested...

And another neighbor wanted to know if I'd take $500 now and $500 a month for four more months. That neighbor, too, has since seemly disappeared off the face of the earth. I do hope he's OK...

The second time I started The Green Machine up (after I put her up for sale), she didn't start until the fourth try and then, BLAM!!!!! THE RADIO CAME ON FULL VOLUME AND NEARLY BUSTED MY EAR DRUMS OPEN!  I drove her around the block a few times, and she was running really, really rough.

I then got an offer of $1000 from another neighbor. This guy told me he wanted to paint The Green Machine orange and put on mag wheels and use her for drag racing....  You can imagine how that made me feel, I mean Orange? ORANGE? Drag racing??? Mag wheels??  The Orange Machine?!!  GA!

I told him I would think about it. But truth be told, I couldn't imagine such an ill-gotten fate for The Green Machine....

The next offer I got was from someone on Craigslist, it was for $1500 and only tentative,  he wanted to come see the car first.

The third time I started The Green Machine up (after I put her up for sale), she took four tries again to get going, then, the gas gauge died.  I mean, it just sunk to empty. Heck, it sunk to below empty. And I knew it was wrong because the last time I drove her it had a half a tank..... And still she was running very very rough.

The guy from Craigslist did not show up to see the car. Another neighbor offered $1000.00. He wanted to paint it purple and give it to his 18 year old son... yikes! Then he told me he couldn't offer me more, because he would have to stick $3000.00 into it....

And I'm thinking $3000? Because I thought it would cost a heck of a lot more than that. So I called Bubba and asked him how much it would cost to restore The Machine.

And, really, it's not as bad as I thought.

So, I took the signs off the car and took the posting off Craigslist and Bubba is going to hook me up with a guy he knows who does bodywork and won't screw me over.

The next time I started The Green Machine up, she started right up, the radio worked perfectly, the gas gauge sprang to 1/2 a tank and she purred like a kitten....

And I guess she's here to stay.....