Wish my relationships with people were this easy to sort out
So. I am no longer a Mustang owner.
After two years and change I felt it was time for me and the Mustang to part ways. There are various reasons, but the main one is that the car and I never really bonded. I'm a "car guy", and since cars are one of the last things that I actually still am able to get worked up (you may say "passionate") about, it's kind of a big deal to me that my car and I enjoy each others company. And that it wants to kill me. At least in the case of a sports car, any way.
The Mustang was a really great car. I liked it very, very much. That's the problem - that "like" never advanced any farther than "like". And recently I became aware of the fact that, well, I was taking the car for granted. Driving it became more an exercise of comfort and contentment instead of adventure and excitement, and that (with cars or people) is usually a bad sign. (Disclaimer - I do not believe that all of life should be about drama. Far from it. Drama is like ice cream, a bit is great and leaves you wanting more, too much leaves you asleep on the couch with a tummy ache.) And yes, I do consider cars to be "people" of a sort. Most of them have treated me better than most flesh and blood people, so they have that going for them.
The car has been officially for sale for a few weeks now, but I have really not received any interest in it, even though it was in great shape, lots of options and relatively low mileage for the year. In a random chain of events, I ended up at a local "powersports" dealer to peruse the models of random "Off Highway Vehicles" they had on the showroom floor as they are a dealer that services several brands as well as pre-owned toys. I was speaking to a sales guy about what I was looking for, and mentioned that I needed to sell the car first before purchase. His eyes lit up and he told me that they did indeed work trade-in deals there, and would I mind if his manager looked over the car? (another in the chain of random events was that I actually was driving the Mustang for the first time in a few weeks) Yes, I know he was looking for a sale, but he knew I was ready to walk away at any moment if something went sour and I knew I was ready to walk away in my own head, so nobody got taken for a ride, I promise.
Long story slightly less long, I ended up walking out the proud owner of a new Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. ATV. Bright red and built in Minnesota, US of A. Yeah, wants to kill me. Does it look more Autobot or Decepticon to you?
And, of course, minus one Mustang GT, without all the title, paperwork and bank payoff nonsense that I had been dreading having to deal with on my own.
The upside is that someone else will be able to enjoy the car, still in it's prime, before all the mileage issues, wear and tear etc. takes it's toll. It really was a nice car and it deserves somebody that will appreciate it for all that it could be. And even if they sell the car at full retail value, after the trade allowance and them repairing the dents on the passenger side, they still will only make about 15% profit (not counting staff overhead, etc.), which is more than fair.
I know since I was dealing with a "dealership" I probably got hosed somewhere, but the guys were nice, helpful, not pushy and did do a lot of running around to get the paperwork and everything done for me. Can't imagine in this economy that these things are flying off the showroom floor lately, but I didn't sense it was desperation for a sale, so I'm taking it at face value. Besides I ended up with a brand new ATV (2012 model), with everything I wanted (4x4, auto transmission, true all wheel drive, locking storage compartments and a bunch more stuff) and a free winch and 2" receiver hitch for trailers and towing plus a 36 month manufacturer warranty. Trust me, I saw the price for the winch, it was a pretty nice freebie on their part. And yes, I saw the prices and invoices on everything - it really was free - and since it is dealer installed, covered under warranty as well.
As I drive a small truck, I will be borrowing a trailer to pick it up on Monday. I wasn't really looking for the whole thing to happen on Saturday, so I had to call sister one of two to give me a ride home after leaving the Mustang with them after cleaning my CD's out of the changer and the accumulated coinage out of the cupholder. Can't wait to get it in the dirt and mud, pull some things around with the winch and just generally be semi-destructive around the house for a bit.
Can I be passionate about slinging dirt and jumping small hills?
Will I be able to convince my little niece that she's too young to drive it?
Will she be willing to give up her covered parking spot for her Barbie Jeep so I can park there?
Guess we'll find out.
After two years and change I felt it was time for me and the Mustang to part ways. There are various reasons, but the main one is that the car and I never really bonded. I'm a "car guy", and since cars are one of the last things that I actually still am able to get worked up (you may say "passionate") about, it's kind of a big deal to me that my car and I enjoy each others company. And that it wants to kill me. At least in the case of a sports car, any way.
The Mustang was a really great car. I liked it very, very much. That's the problem - that "like" never advanced any farther than "like". And recently I became aware of the fact that, well, I was taking the car for granted. Driving it became more an exercise of comfort and contentment instead of adventure and excitement, and that (with cars or people) is usually a bad sign. (Disclaimer - I do not believe that all of life should be about drama. Far from it. Drama is like ice cream, a bit is great and leaves you wanting more, too much leaves you asleep on the couch with a tummy ache.) And yes, I do consider cars to be "people" of a sort. Most of them have treated me better than most flesh and blood people, so they have that going for them.
The car has been officially for sale for a few weeks now, but I have really not received any interest in it, even though it was in great shape, lots of options and relatively low mileage for the year. In a random chain of events, I ended up at a local "powersports" dealer to peruse the models of random "Off Highway Vehicles" they had on the showroom floor as they are a dealer that services several brands as well as pre-owned toys. I was speaking to a sales guy about what I was looking for, and mentioned that I needed to sell the car first before purchase. His eyes lit up and he told me that they did indeed work trade-in deals there, and would I mind if his manager looked over the car? (another in the chain of random events was that I actually was driving the Mustang for the first time in a few weeks) Yes, I know he was looking for a sale, but he knew I was ready to walk away at any moment if something went sour and I knew I was ready to walk away in my own head, so nobody got taken for a ride, I promise.
Long story slightly less long, I ended up walking out the proud owner of a new Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. ATV. Bright red and built in Minnesota, US of A. Yeah, wants to kill me. Does it look more Autobot or Decepticon to you?
And, of course, minus one Mustang GT, without all the title, paperwork and bank payoff nonsense that I had been dreading having to deal with on my own.
The upside is that someone else will be able to enjoy the car, still in it's prime, before all the mileage issues, wear and tear etc. takes it's toll. It really was a nice car and it deserves somebody that will appreciate it for all that it could be. And even if they sell the car at full retail value, after the trade allowance and them repairing the dents on the passenger side, they still will only make about 15% profit (not counting staff overhead, etc.), which is more than fair.
I know since I was dealing with a "dealership" I probably got hosed somewhere, but the guys were nice, helpful, not pushy and did do a lot of running around to get the paperwork and everything done for me. Can't imagine in this economy that these things are flying off the showroom floor lately, but I didn't sense it was desperation for a sale, so I'm taking it at face value. Besides I ended up with a brand new ATV (2012 model), with everything I wanted (4x4, auto transmission, true all wheel drive, locking storage compartments and a bunch more stuff) and a free winch and 2" receiver hitch for trailers and towing plus a 36 month manufacturer warranty. Trust me, I saw the price for the winch, it was a pretty nice freebie on their part. And yes, I saw the prices and invoices on everything - it really was free - and since it is dealer installed, covered under warranty as well.
As I drive a small truck, I will be borrowing a trailer to pick it up on Monday. I wasn't really looking for the whole thing to happen on Saturday, so I had to call sister one of two to give me a ride home after leaving the Mustang with them after cleaning my CD's out of the changer and the accumulated coinage out of the cupholder. Can't wait to get it in the dirt and mud, pull some things around with the winch and just generally be semi-destructive around the house for a bit.
Can I be passionate about slinging dirt and jumping small hills?
Will I be able to convince my little niece that she's too young to drive it?
Will she be willing to give up her covered parking spot for her Barbie Jeep so I can park there?
Guess we'll find out.