6/29/12

Ok, well, so, remember how I was looking at a MINI the other day?  Remember also how the dealer called back the other, other day to ask if I'd found anything and was going to look into making the deal happen at $5,000.00 plus T’s?  Well, last night I was on the phone with… aw shit, I might as well admit it, John is going to find out who it is eventually…  I was on the phone with Gregg talking about his plans for all of his car projects and stuff.  He mentioned the Miata he has.  That got me thinking.  I think I'd rather be the coolest girl in my sorority with a Miata rather than the coolest girl in my sorority with a MINI… not to mention he wants a lot less than the Nissan dealer wants for it.  I asked him how much for me and he gave me a number.  Now, I got him and the previous owner together on that deal so I know at least one of the previous owners before Gregg had the car.  I'm pretty secure in the fact that they didn’t abuse it too much, not to mention I know what he paid for it.  The good news is, Gregg installed frame braces, straightening out 90,000 miles worth of convertible flex in the process, and a roll hoop, then he added new KYB shocks and tires of some rather sporting ilk all with the intention of using it as a Track-Days car.  He then got bone cancer and pretty much had no opportunity to flog it.  Sure, it has seen spirited street driving, but nothing I'd be worried about.  I think it is a solid car.  Ok, now for the bad… well, to the rest of the world but not to me, it has some hail damage on the hood and trunk lids… and probably the tops of the fenders.  But, like I said, I couldn’t give two shits about that.  No, with all he has in it, the price he’s asking is fair I think.  Sure, it is more than the car is “worth” on the open market, but it already has a bunch of stuff I now don’t have to buy and install.  Yes, I AM justifying this.  Shut up.  I told mom about it and her eyes lit up at the fact that it is cheaper than the MINI.  She is still willing to loan me the money so I think I'm going to do this… no, I know I'm going to do this.  In fact, I told Gregg last night I was going to do this.  We decided that we’d wait until next weekend, after he’s had a chance to go to Houston and get the title from his father, before I came to get it.  I'm thinking now that I might go tomorrow and get it so I can take it to the Japanese Nostalgic Car show on Sunday.  We’ll see.  He and I also discussed future locations for Dimlight Racing.  We talked about building at Boyd.  A proposition which is becoming increasingly unlikely due to (tee hee, I said "doo doo!") the cost and other things.  We discussed building next to the house on Burkett, which, after he crunched the numbers, is beginning to look unlikely.  He suggested that I stay where I am and just keep renting.  I don’t, on the surface of it, have a problem with renting/leasing, but I would like to get somewhere cheaper and more convenient.  Now, the big question is: do I make it more convenient just for me, or do I factor in John, Gregg, and possibly Pat in the location?  There is that inconvenience store on Chapin road still available.  I'm about to call the realtor about it to see what it would cost to lease.  In fact, I'm off to do that right now.  Hang on.  Ok, when I picked up the phone to call the realtor, Gregg called.  He’s getting cold feet on the Miata deal.  I know that it would be ever so much better for me to back out so I'm not going to be upset if he does.  Here’s the thing, I don’t need the Miata… but, if it would work as a daily driver, I could put Fiona up for sale and try to get out from under that loan.  As of today, I owe just shy of $23,000.00 on it.  It is worth at least $23,000.00 according to Kelly Blue Book.  Assuming I could get that (John, still want a Genesis Coupe?); I'd be sitting pretty without that loan sucking up my first of the month paycheck.  Hells bells, I could stay at the Beenbroke shop without that Sword of Damocles hanging over me.  Is it redundant over and over again to add the “hanging over me” to the allusion of the Sword of Damocles?  I mean, the whole thing about the Sword of Damocles is that it IS hanging over his head.  Right?  So I guess it WOULD be redundant over and over again.  Then again, it isn’t really an apt metaphor for this situation but I'm so committed to it that I can't go back now.  And we’ll just move on.  So, I guess I'll just wait to see what Mr. Flighty has to say about the Miata sale.  I'm going to go ahead with the plan to replace the steering wheel in Fiona because those Blue-tool and audio controls do nothing but piss me off right now.  I'd put the stock wheel back on if I tried to sell it, or at least let the buyer know that it is in the trunk, depending on who they are… sort of thing.  I honestly do not expect to sell it, so it is probably all moo.  We’ll see.