First, there was Samantha.
Then, there was Dorothy. And now, the trifecta...
A lot of stuff has gone down in the past 2 years. I mean a lot. To make a long story short, I decided I wasn't happy with a pickup truck, even though I pretty much was, and traded in my cherished Tacoma for a POS hatchback. Problem was, I truly couldn't stand the hatchback - so I ended up falling in love with a sports car, one I couldn't afford, one I wasn't wise enough to select uninsured motorist protection on since I couldn't afford the payments... see where this is going?
I get paid out $18k for a car I owe $43K on. Yeah. I ended up buying a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage - awesome car, love it, 50 MPG is exceptionally good for a non-hybrid - but when the prospect of actually moving out of this house cropped up, the fact I'm over 20 stacks in default leads to a very sobering reality of bankruptcy - and the likely possibility that I'd have to part with my wonderful Thai assistant, Nariko. And so it began.
The hunt, I mean. The hunt for a good, cheap, rugged car. Condition first, fuel mileage second. I tire-kicked my way through shady used car dealer lots and bouncing off of already-sold Craigslist ads, I found myself at a delaer with a half-decent reputation. I knew exactly which car I wanted. It was a looker alright, a '85 Nissan Maxima with just under 120K on the lot for $1,000.
Sold.
Okay, next best thing, a rugged K car, a '94 Acclaim with the bulletproof 2.5.
Gone.
Okay, can't leave the $1,000 range really... '87 Cherokee? No way. I can't. They drive too miserable.
Then I laid eyes on her, a beautifully stealthy '93 Grand Marquis. She didn't have much to her... no keypad or keyless entry, no fancy schmancy features, not even a CD player. What she did have was less than 110 on the clock and a healthy sounding Romeo under the hood. Everything seemed kosher, give or take the tires were kinda rotted and the A/C only worked selectively... but hey, it's a 4.6, those are bulletproof, right? But $1,500 was too much ask for a car with UV-blasted clearcoat. I spent 15 minutes haggling back and fourth... eventually he wouldn't budge at $900. Hey... little underside rust, why not? So here she is, guys. It's been a while, hasn't it?
Meet Trinity.
I'll post more as I go along, a lot of typical sub-$1,000-car issues have cropped up but so far WHAT A BEAST! I mean oh man, I know this is going to piss a lot of box guys off, but you don't know what power is until you step into a Modular. Hot damn.
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