Thursday evening brought a lovely holiday surprise
My great favorite and thank you so much, dear giver.
On Friday, after many reminders, to make sure I would be present, at home, in person, with all the documents, fobs, everything, car emptied, all diamond rings removed from under the seats, Buyer David showed up bang on time.
At first I saw him driving right past the house. This routinely happens the first time anyone visits, because instead of the street being numbered odd one side, even the other, the quirky builders numbered the housed sequentially.
Sooo people think they are looking at the side they want and suddenly they aren't. Number 65 is next door to 66 etc. It's baffling to newcomers.
Anyway I talked him in, and it went very smoothly. All the paperwork was fine, and when it came to title signing, where any mistake voids the title, he filled out everything except my signature. Many, many papers to sign, I've sold a house with less paperwork.
The offer was considerably higher than their estimate, and much higher than the other offers. This was clearly a good time to sell a good car. In the middle of it I even got a text from a neighbor who'd seen the company car, to make me an offer. Too late! I wouldn't sell to a friend anyway, it's a business transaction I'd rather not mix with friendship.
So now it's out front, plateless, the plates now in the house, the car not my property. I'm carfree and carefree. Check deposited, and now there's funds for ride services. One hour start to finish.
Then there was clerical work, to cancel the auto insurance and set up a refund, cancel AAA, find they won't refund because I should have canceled before November 1, arghgh, inform the HOA of the situation so nobody reports it as an abandoned car, and they were fine.
No more worrying about tire pressure, nonstarting battery, weird alerts, moving in snow to let the plow in, it's lovely.
Happy day everyone, I hope you can give up a burden of any kind, it's great.
Happy carless rest of your life. Cars are a huge admin burden (and expense) for the freedom we believe they represent.
ReplyDeleteI often felt I was serving the car instead of being served.
DeletePeople mostly celebrate getting the keys to their first car, not giving up the keys to their last one! Prising my father loose from his little yellow fiat 500 was a tricky business needing patience and tact, but eventually he saw it was necessary; after all he was pretty deaf, had trouble with eyes and memory and mobility and was 94! Plus we only lived five mins away and could take him anywhere he wanted to go. I felt for him.
ReplyDeleteI gave up driving last year; I'm only 69 but didn't feel confident or safe anymore,with now I'm on supplementary oxygen; my SATS can fluctuate wildly with stress and then I get flustered
You made a wise decision, for your dad and you. Traffic is too hazardous to add in drivers who aren't really well enough.
DeleteYay! Glad it went so smoothly and the money was better than expected. Enjoy the freedom.
ReplyDeleteI plan to! A friend already offered a ride to next week's knitting group. So that was nice.
DeleteQuick and neat - a great way to do business.
ReplyDeleteDavid was very good at his job, so it went well, no sudden surprises.
DeleteThat sounds very painless. Glad it all went smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI was happy it went well, no setbacks.
DeleteImagine a car transaction being a pleasant experience.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was surprised too.
DeleteThat went well. And money for rides too. Great!
ReplyDeleteThe check cleared overnight.
DeleteI'm sure you had a few mixed feelings but the overall sense is relief. I assume that now they will come and tow it away. So glad to hear that the final amount turned out to be more than expected so now you can get ride shares for a long time. Happy dance!!
ReplyDeleteYes,they arrange with a transport company to take it in the next few days. I instantly translated the price into rides! It's so unusual to be offered a better price than the estimate.
DeleteCause for celebration indeed! I recommend a piece of fruitcake.
ReplyDeleteYes to that. You were right about used cars being in demand. I had five offers.
DeleteAnd no more waiting for any repair work...your last being an experience to certainly do without! Enjoy your car-free-ness!
ReplyDeleteYes, no more garages! Yay!
DeleteI'm so glad it went smoothly for you. Congratulations on a job well done!
ReplyDeleteSuch a relief to be done.
DeleteGlad the car sale went smoothly and at a great price. Always good to remove those diamond rings from under the car seats, LOL. And that looks like a delicious fruitcake. I do like a nice fruitcake myself, in more ways than one.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, the various meanings of fruitcake. It describes some of my world!
DeleteNice gift. Glad you are happy about not having a car and that everything went smoothly.
ReplyDeleteI feel free! Free!
DeleteHuzzah! My mum loved fruitcake and in the last few years of her life, I made them for Christmas for her, heavily soaked in rum. Mum never drank but she did like fruit soaked in drink:)
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to love that kind. She made it, and would inject spirits into it for weeks leading up to Christmas. It's a wonder the kids weren't reeling about after a slice.
DeleteJoy abounds indeed! I was never so happy as when I sold my car and we moved here, where we don't need to drive. Congratulations on freeing yourself from the motorized ball-and-chain!
ReplyDeleteI love Claxton fruit cake. Haven't had it in years. I may need to buy some when we go back to the states in December.
I think Claxton may be southern. I don't think I've seen it here. I just had a slice with a cup of tea, great. And yes, I feel free now. A friend instantly offered me a ride to the next knitting group
DeleteFantastic - that the car sale went so smoothly, so quickly, and that they offered a better price for a good car. Well done Boud! Agree that this deserves a slice of Caxton's. Chris from Boise
ReplyDeleteIt was a good surprise that it went so well. I don't know any car buying companies so I just picked one. Clever me!
DeleteFruitcake!! My favorite!
ReplyDeleteSo glad the car sale went smoothly.
It's a relief to have got it done. It's been on my mind so long, and in the end it was simple.
DeleteCongratulations on your freedom!! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you. That's how it feels.
DeleteWhat a satisfying read. I love the way you capture both the small details and the bigger relief of finally letting go of a burden—it’s almost a ritual, seeing it all unfold. Your joy comes through clearly. I just shared a new post too; would be lovely if you stopped by to take a look.
ReplyDeleteMaybe not quite a millstone lifted, but a relief for sure, and it all went so simply for you, from the decision to the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteYes, just my speed: decide, do, done. Fast, painless.
DeleteCongrats on the car sale. And the gift of fruitcake.
ReplyDeleteTwo good things!
Delete"diamond rings under the seats"? 😂 Yum, fruit cake!
ReplyDeleteI got that phrase from a nice guy at a dealership long ago when I was trading in a beloved old car. He said he would check for diamond rings before the handover.
DeleteI'm happy for your for to be on the receiving end of that fruit cake! And I'm thrilled for your new car-less freedom! What a weight off your back! I had no idea that anyone other than dealerships or individuals paid actual money for cars. I thought the 3rd option would be a wholesaler who paid bottom dollar. How did you even know who/where to call?
ReplyDeleteI read a bunch of websites about buying cars from individuals, then looked at some reviews, then I just picked a couple to check. I liked how responsive this company was, no trying to sell me another car, and they even upped the estimate before the visit, because they refigured the trim, low mileage etc. Other companies were busy selling themselves to me after I was already paying attention. This company gave me plenty of ways to ask questions, gave names to ask for, and it was easier than I'd expected. And the rep was very respectful of my house, always a good sign.
DeleteThank you for filling me in on your process: research, evaluation, and outcome. I will be keeping this in mind for when I next sell a car.
DeleteIt entailed a bit of blundering about!
DeleteI do love ❤️ fruitcake.
ReplyDelete