Yesterday was a busy day for me. I used my new Bosch miter saw extensively, which was good. Today I haven't touched it. Sian's dad is visiting from Malta in 3 weeks. We had hoped to have the laundry room done and the office/guest room in a condition suitable for occupants. That ain't gonna happen. Anyway, since her dad will be here for a month, he decided to buy a car rather than rent one. Once he goes back to Malta, he's giving the car to Sian. Of course, she needs to learn to drive first... it isn't a priority for those who live in London, but it is in rural Indiana.
We had thought we'd found an excellent car - a 1996 VW Jetta that was listed on eBay as an automatic and included pictures of the interior which SHOWED an automatic shifter and no clutch pedal. When I called the seller after winning the auction for $2500, he mentioned that it was a 5 speed. Huh? I pointed out that the auction listed it as an automatic and the pictures showed an automatic. He said that they might have been "stock photos". Let's see...the picture shows the same landscape visible through the window as the other pictures.... right....
Now we're waiting for our deposit to be refunded. And waiting. And waiting.
By the way....he's filed a "non-paying bidder" claim against me. Jackass.
So, we looked here in town. When told that our budget was $3000, we were laughed at. So, back to eBay we went. This time we bid on a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2. I started at $2000, but the reserve wasn't met. I asked Sian. She looked at it, liked it, and told me to bid more. I tried $2500. No go. She told me to go ahead and go for it. $3000. Reserve met with 45 minutes left in the auction. We won. The car was at Butler Ford in Indianapolis (40 miles away). We went to pick it up today.
I knew there was no stereo in the car from the auction listing. Inside, that was the only thing I could find wrong. The seats, dash, etc are perfect. No cuts, burns, scrapes, etc. Outside... there are a few small dents, a few scrapes, a few chips. Nothing too major. It seemed to run ok at the dealership, and the AC blows ICE cold. The aftermarket wheels are a little scraped and the tires are almost bald.
So, after handing over the credit card, taking our paperwork, and heading north toward I-465 to avoid Race traffic, we got our first real drive in the car. First stop light...car dies. Start it back up and take off. Dies at the next light. Grrrr.... I decide that it's probably just tune-up related (fuel filter HAD to be about 4 years old...), so I brake and hit the accelerator at the same time for the rest of the trip at every stop.
We stopped at Wal-Mart for a stereo (Sony CD with built-in iPod docking port), air filter, and kitty air freshener - LOL. Then we went to Car Quest and bought spark plugs, PCV, throttle body cleaner, and fuel filter. Back home, I replaced everything but the PCV valve, cleaned the throttle body, and took it for a test drive. About 30% more power, and no more dying at stop signs. Yay! I also got the stereo installed. Now I just have to find out what's wrong with the rear speakers.
Anyway, you'll find pictures below of the laundry room and of the "new" car. It's time for bed, I'm thinking.
A bit of baseboard
The new "pantry".
The pantry is also used for overflow plate storage.
Here's the plate part mostly trimmed out.
I promised a profile shot of the baseboard that I'm making with the router...here it is.
The other built-in is all trimmed out now.
My shiny new block plane.
...and the plane I'd been using. The small one is a REALLY good one, but it's...well...small. Planing the doorway trim flush needed more planing power, hence the new plane.
Here's Elmo checking me out. You can see our shiny new Dyson vacuum behind him. Our 5 month old Bissell gave up the ghost.
Here's Sian's pretty, "new" car. It's really fun to drive.
Comments to date: 5. This is page 1 of 1.
Sian The Old House
Posted at 12:54pm on Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
We got back the deposit money, btw.
Patricia Jackson ,Mich
Posted at 5:28pm on Thursday, May 24th, 2007
He lives in Malta? How cool is that? That's a nice looking car.
Ebay does not do enough to punish and go after unscrupulous sellers. I also think that sellers should be required to leave a buyer feedback before the buyer is allowed leave them feedback. I pay via PayPal 99% of the time and about 90% of the time the seller will wait to see what kind of feedback I leave them before they leave anything for me and here I've paid within 15 minutes of the sale and sent them clear, concise communications. It's a crock of crap.
Anyhow, you guys are on a roll and getting so much done. I love the cabinetry! and the tools of course!!!!
My aunt is the luckiest e-bayer when it comes to buying cars. She just bought her second car from ebay last month. A 2003 Mercury Sable, 70K miles, clean title and all service records. Winning bid: $2,335.00 How does she do it?
Luis&Laura (VJ) Puerto Rico
Posted at 3:12pm on Thursday, May 24th, 2007
The car looks pretty good to me! Hope you learn fast and will be driving around very soon.
