In which we have a new Reindeer in the driveway to pull the trailer
Finally: I'm mobile again!
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| We were thrilled with our car salesman: a half-Korean man named "William." He has a beautiful smile like our Will. |
Wait, what?
Didn't we just buy a truck recently?
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| Bye-bye, dastardly blue truck |
We thought we were making good choices when we sold the original Illegible in 2016. It had 320,000 miles on it, and the electrical systems were becoming untrustworthy.
Buying a newer truck with fewer miles on it seemed sensible.
And it would have been, if we hadn't bought a 2004 Ford with the notorious 6.0liter engine.
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| Not a good fit for us, in so many ways |
We gave it a valiant try, but I am really, really not a Ford girl. I missed the Dodge truck!
When the blue truck broke down yet again after we delivered the piano to Waldron Island, I'd finally had enough. I spent a day washing and vacuuming the thing, and put it on Craigslist.
And waited. And waited.
And finally, it sold.
And then ... I had no truck.
So I stole one.
(Well, I borrowed Duana's truck. EVERYBODY borrows Duana's truck. So that was okay.)
And I went riding.
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| It has now pretty much rained every day since I took this photo |
I wrangled a while with the credit union, and cruised autotrader and carguru and Craigslist and talked to people and did my research and shopped around.
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| Gas engine, not diesel |
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| "lifted" so high that I would need a rope ladder to get in. |
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| manual transmission, no thank you |
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| Trailer plug held on with bungee cords and too much duct tape in the engine compartment |
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| Untrustworthy dealer in a bad part of town |
and finally...
I found a truck.
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| 2001 Dodge quadcab. Diesel, 4x4, no lift. |
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| We've named this one "The Reindeer." |
We have a few modifications to make this week,
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| Drop the hitch down a notch so it will attach properly to the trailer |
but soon I will be ready to hitch up The Reindeer and go for a ride.
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| Mandatory horse-related sticker applied |
And that is Good.
This is the most comprehensive car shopping blog I've seen. Thank you, I love it. I love cars. And trucks.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm not allowed to like Fords or Dodges by my family. The only alternative, I enjoyed: Guenter. My Chevy 2500 crew cab left in Moses Lake on my last weekend in America, an endurance ride, and as I flew away forever (!) my parents had to go get my truck, broken almost to ride camp.
No German believes me when I said, "I had a truck - it was 7.1 meters long (21 feet). No, no way. I relished switching from tenting it to just leaving my bedding under the canopy. It was J and my first weekend together, at the Renegade camp.
And you know, I'm not allowed to pull a trailer here with any vehicle, no matter how small the trailer. Cuz Washington state does not specify trailer on our licenses.
Well if no one believes me, I have photos: ) I love your new truck though, I hope it serves you as well as the last Dodge, and lets me in the passenger door.
Theoretically I love Chevy trucks, but Jim hates working on them. The alternative to Jim working on a truck is ME working on a truck...and voila! I am a Dodge Girl. :-)
DeleteThis truck is a "modest" 19.7 feet (6.02 meters) stem-to-stern (I didn't measure it, I looked it up), and it shifts in all the right places--like dancing with an old friend--or riding a familiar horse. The bed is a "short" box, 6.5 feet long, I wanted a longbed but this will be fine and it's a lot easier to park!
There is always room for you in my truck. And room for your horse in my trailer, too.
Yay!!!!! A good year model too. So excited for you! A good trustworthy truck is worth so much tonpeace of mind and for adventures planning
ReplyDelete