Just A Little Pick Me Up

I’m in the market for a new vehicle. Have been for awhile, as a matter of fact. I was rear-ended early last month and my car was totalled by insurance (bent frame…dammit). So for the past few weeks, I’ve been scouring Craigslist, Cars.com, AutoTrader, etc. looking for a new vehicle. 

At first, I was looking for a car that is similar to my old car, a 2002 Honda Civic, a non-descript Hondayotassan that will run forever, have minimal upkeep costs, and not be a pain in my ass. But I’ve changed my mind. Seeing as I ride my bike as often as possible for commuting and just getting around in general, and we have a large yard that would be easier to manage if I had a pickup on occasion to haul stuff to and fro, I’ve decided to find a runaround small truck. A Ford Ranger, a Toyota or Nissan or Mazda whatever, it doesn’t really matter to me. As long as it is relatively rust free, has decent mileage, and doesn’t have a silly-ass lift kit with huge mud tires, I would be interested in buying it.

But really, no matter what I’ve been looking for, I’ve ended up nothing but frustrated. I had a seller lie to my face about the history of his vehicle, a nice 2007 Kia Rio hatchback, even as I was getting the VIN number to run a CarFax report on it before agreeing to buy it. I’ve had innumerable sellers either not respond to my calls or emails or respond once, then fall off the face of the earth when I want to schedule a time to meet up and see the vehicle in question. In fact, I was supposed to look at a 1977 Datsun 620 today. I called and left a message after getting an email last night from the seller saying that yes, it was still available and yes, he would be around all day long for me to come look at it. Never heard back from him. Now the listing has been taken down. Fuck that guy.

Part of me wants to let shit like this slide. Buying a used car is a ruthless first-come, first-served, Mad Max-style Thunderdome, so being jilted or ignored entirely is going to happen. But this has gotten ridiculous. I WANT TO BUY YOUR CAR AND/OR TRUCK! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!

One positive is that this search has reminded me of my long-hidden desire to own a pickup, even if it is a small, 4-cylinder one. I grew up in pickups, whether it was my dad’s Ranger, my grandfather’s truck, or the myriad of beat-up farm trucks I found myself either riding in or driving for the first 18 years of my life. I guess a small part of me has always wanted to climb back into the cab of a pickup at some point. Hopefully, that point will be soon and that pickup will be mine.

Assuming a seller will actually allow me to buy their pickup, of course