Friday
Jul162004
The eBay/Jeep Adventure, Part Two
Friday, July 16, 2004 at 07:08AM
eBay shoppers, especially you newbies, never ever forget: No matter how great the deal is when you win the auction, you, The Buyer, are responsible for getting your purchase from wherever it is, to wherever you are.
Case in point: My new, old Jeep Grand Wagoneer was in Chadds Ford, PA (?). I live in Atlanta, which is 750 miles from Chadds Ford according to MapQuest. There are shipping options available--about $600 to ship on a flatbed, open railcar; about $1000 to ship in an enclosed carrier (eek!).
At first, I was thinking I would just go up and get my car all by myself. I figured I could get a cheap flight to PA and drive home--only 13 hours. It sounded perfectly reasonable. It was two o?clock in the morning when I was thinking this way. By the next afternoon, after I had ?won? the auction; after I had emailed back and forth with The Seller a few times regarding payment, condition of the vehicle, and delivery or pick-up; after I had confessed to Russ--there was no question of doing this by myself.
I had asked the seller if the car would get me home, and he had very carefully expressed his assurances that I shouldn't have any problem. But what if I broke down somewhere between PA and Atlanta? Besides that, what would I do for 13 hours, driving by myself?! We all know that the rapists, highway murderers and bad cops prey on stupid women in situations like that. I was glad there was the assumption without discussion that Russ and I would dump the kids on Grammy and set out on this adventure together.
I checked out all our various travel options and did all my research. The Seller mentioned there was a train station just a mile from his house and that many of his Buyers took the train up and drove back home in their new cars.
"You really think we could make it? No concerns, nothing we should have checked out??
No worries. In fact, there had been a recent "state inspection", a recent tune-up, "new plugs and everything." Seller said the rear brakes would need to be replaced before the next annual inspection, but they were "fine".
I looked into planes, trains and rental cars. It ended up working out perfectly that we could take the Amtrak train out of Atlanta Friday night, and be in Philadelphia by noon the next day. I paid extra for a sleeper car and made the reservations. In addition to convenience and timing, the money worked out about the same as flying.
The biggest card in my favor was Russ?s dislike--fear--of flying. He did it when he had to for business, but only with a couple of pre-flight glasses of wine, and preferably first class, closest to the emergency exit. After 9/11, he went on the train for a couple of business trips to the Northeast. It took twice as long, but he loved it.
So the train was the solution. He wasn?t that excited about the Jeep, especially having to go get it, but an overnight on the train, with the sleeper, without the kids--that got him excited. Our 14th wedding anniversary was on the Tuesday that I won the auction, so this was turning into a romantic--and adventurous--anniversary trip.
The train was an adventure. Our little compartment was the size of a porta-potty. All we had was two seats facing each other (which would later convert into the lower bunk), a pull-out tray table, a bunk above, and a small sink and toilet. The sink flipped down and the cushioned lid of the toilet flipped up. To execute, you pull the door and window shades down, flip the lid up, slide over and go--the toilet paper is conveniently located right in front of you, underneath the little side table/miniature television. Definitely gives a whole new meaning to no secrets!
Still, the train was wonderful--intimate, romantic, fun. We talked and laughed and read and had a fantastic time. The food service, served in the dining car, was incredible. After dinner, the porter came to each compartment, pulled down the upper bunk and made up the beds. It was just like our wedding night on a booked-at-the-last-minute cruise ship: stacked bunks, half the width of a regular twin bed. Anniversary sex was a challenge, but do-able!
We enjoyed a full breakfast early the next morning, a shower in a little closet down the hall, and then we were in Philadelphia. We made an easy connection with a local commuter train that took us right out to where we needed to be in the suburbs, and the Seller picked us up at the station for the quick drive to his house--and there she was, my 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer--gorgeous, all cleaned up and looking good.
The paperwork was all ready, and we were ready to get on the road home. Kind of a strange thing, though--the Seller started her up so we could ooh and aah, but when I suggested Russ look under the hood, Seller quickly suggested he and I go inside to handle the paperwork. Meanwhile, Russ checked under the hood. The spark plugs were new. Everything else was in the original, 1988-with-150K-miles condition: dry, cracked hoses and belts, lots of rust, lots of rattle. Reasonable cause for concern.
I just wanted to get on the road and get home. I had bought "As Is", had made a good deal after doing my research, and I knew there would be some work and additional expense. Silly me, I had no idea...
© 2003 Sherri L. Caldwell. All rights reserved.
Case in point: My new, old Jeep Grand Wagoneer was in Chadds Ford, PA (?). I live in Atlanta, which is 750 miles from Chadds Ford according to MapQuest. There are shipping options available--about $600 to ship on a flatbed, open railcar; about $1000 to ship in an enclosed carrier (eek!).
At first, I was thinking I would just go up and get my car all by myself. I figured I could get a cheap flight to PA and drive home--only 13 hours. It sounded perfectly reasonable. It was two o?clock in the morning when I was thinking this way. By the next afternoon, after I had ?won? the auction; after I had emailed back and forth with The Seller a few times regarding payment, condition of the vehicle, and delivery or pick-up; after I had confessed to Russ--there was no question of doing this by myself.
I had asked the seller if the car would get me home, and he had very carefully expressed his assurances that I shouldn't have any problem. But what if I broke down somewhere between PA and Atlanta? Besides that, what would I do for 13 hours, driving by myself?! We all know that the rapists, highway murderers and bad cops prey on stupid women in situations like that. I was glad there was the assumption without discussion that Russ and I would dump the kids on Grammy and set out on this adventure together.
I checked out all our various travel options and did all my research. The Seller mentioned there was a train station just a mile from his house and that many of his Buyers took the train up and drove back home in their new cars.
"You really think we could make it? No concerns, nothing we should have checked out??
No worries. In fact, there had been a recent "state inspection", a recent tune-up, "new plugs and everything." Seller said the rear brakes would need to be replaced before the next annual inspection, but they were "fine".
I looked into planes, trains and rental cars. It ended up working out perfectly that we could take the Amtrak train out of Atlanta Friday night, and be in Philadelphia by noon the next day. I paid extra for a sleeper car and made the reservations. In addition to convenience and timing, the money worked out about the same as flying.
The biggest card in my favor was Russ?s dislike--fear--of flying. He did it when he had to for business, but only with a couple of pre-flight glasses of wine, and preferably first class, closest to the emergency exit. After 9/11, he went on the train for a couple of business trips to the Northeast. It took twice as long, but he loved it.
So the train was the solution. He wasn?t that excited about the Jeep, especially having to go get it, but an overnight on the train, with the sleeper, without the kids--that got him excited. Our 14th wedding anniversary was on the Tuesday that I won the auction, so this was turning into a romantic--and adventurous--anniversary trip.
The train was an adventure. Our little compartment was the size of a porta-potty. All we had was two seats facing each other (which would later convert into the lower bunk), a pull-out tray table, a bunk above, and a small sink and toilet. The sink flipped down and the cushioned lid of the toilet flipped up. To execute, you pull the door and window shades down, flip the lid up, slide over and go--the toilet paper is conveniently located right in front of you, underneath the little side table/miniature television. Definitely gives a whole new meaning to no secrets!
Still, the train was wonderful--intimate, romantic, fun. We talked and laughed and read and had a fantastic time. The food service, served in the dining car, was incredible. After dinner, the porter came to each compartment, pulled down the upper bunk and made up the beds. It was just like our wedding night on a booked-at-the-last-minute cruise ship: stacked bunks, half the width of a regular twin bed. Anniversary sex was a challenge, but do-able!
We enjoyed a full breakfast early the next morning, a shower in a little closet down the hall, and then we were in Philadelphia. We made an easy connection with a local commuter train that took us right out to where we needed to be in the suburbs, and the Seller picked us up at the station for the quick drive to his house--and there she was, my 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer--gorgeous, all cleaned up and looking good.
The paperwork was all ready, and we were ready to get on the road home. Kind of a strange thing, though--the Seller started her up so we could ooh and aah, but when I suggested Russ look under the hood, Seller quickly suggested he and I go inside to handle the paperwork. Meanwhile, Russ checked under the hood. The spark plugs were new. Everything else was in the original, 1988-with-150K-miles condition: dry, cracked hoses and belts, lots of rust, lots of rattle. Reasonable cause for concern.
I just wanted to get on the road and get home. I had bought "As Is", had made a good deal after doing my research, and I knew there would be some work and additional expense. Silly me, I had no idea...