you know it's you, babe

I sold the Corvair! Long live the Corvair!

Those who knew her know what a heart breaker this has been for me. Never was there a more stylish, handsome car. I mean, look at this beauty! Man, did we turn heads...

A couple of years ago I got a hankering for a new hobby. I wanted to learn how to work on & maintain my own car. Given the complexity of today's computerized engines, this meant looking for something older, simpler.

And then our eyes met...a 1964 Corvair Monza. It was love at first sight. I have never fallen for a car like I did for Babe. Sure, she may have been Unsafe at Any Speed*, but I was completely taken with her clean, classic lines. And I loved the sound of the air-cooled rear engine (trunk in the front). Alas, that was shortly before the fates took my life & threw it at the fan. In addition to some parental crises that occupied my energies and weighed down my spirits, the stick shift became difficult to operate when I had a numb, pained right arm. Same with the clutch & my left leg. So every time I didn't drive her for a spell, she'd stop running.
*What is it with Nader? Why is he always making trouble?

I made a meager attempt to sell when she was still running, but my heart wasn't in it. After she died yet again from lack of use, I made a more concerted, but still not enthusiastic attempt to sell her. I think I was still lingering in denial. It's a comfy place!

Now, in the context of a new lifestyle that does not include filling every last minute with responsibilities and appointments, I sold her. And it was a pleasure. Here's why.

I ran a new ad, slashing the price lower than ever, which generated a lot of response. One gentleman, Mark, was very interested. I would even say that based just on the photos & description, he was downright smitten. Ahhh, a sorry sap, just like me. I knew he was my man. He wanted to come by that very evening, but lived out of town & couldn't make it before darkness fell. The next day, I saw a man pull up & start looking Babe over with eager interest. I came outside, extended my hand, and said, "You must be Mark!" No, he says, "Dave."

So after a little while, Dave says, "you mind if I just try to get her started right here? If I can, I'll probably buy her." Sure, good luck! I went inside & discovered 2 messages from Mark. The first was letting me know he was on I-5 heading my way. The 2nd message was to "sincerely apologize" for the "inexcusable language" he'd used on his previous message. Apparently, someone nearly ran him off the highway, causing his to scream an expletive right before he hung up. I was glad he called back to explain, as I was concerned about the guy with Tourette's heading my way.

A few minutes later, I see another fella has joined Dave & they're both ducked under the hood. I head out, extending my hand, "Mark, great to finally meet you!" No, he says, "Allen." So Allen sticks around chatting us up & we establish that he's 2nd in line for the car if Dave doesn't end up taking it. Right then, Babe's engine roared to life and within another minute, Dave was driving her around the neighborhood. I can't tell you what that did for my heart. It actually swelled & I became teary eyed. What a sucker.

Ok, so just as Dave comes pulling back around the corner, another truck pulls up & a good ol' boy pops out, looking alarmed to see the car running. "Tell me that's your dad or your husband that just got her running," he says as he comes toward me. "Mark?" I say, extending my hand. "Yeah, great to finally meet you, Kate."

I had to break it to him that not only was Dave not my dad, but that he'd likely buy the car, and if he didn't, there was a 2nd guy in line already. Oh, Mark was a sad looking fellow then. After Dave pulled up, the 3 of them started talking about the car, and Dave & Allen could see how much Mark had his heart set on it...Dave actually started to waver. "Well, maybe not. You really want her? If you want her, I guess I could step aside." I am not kidding...within another minute, the 3 of them had (d)evolved into a Chip 'n Dale routine. Oh no, I couldn't! Oh, but you must; I insist! Indubitably!

I told them I'd give them some time to talk amongst themselves while I went inside. The sad thing was that I knew this wasn't the car for Mark. See, along with his big heart came an even bigger gut. I mean really big. Babe is a small car. Without even seeing him try, I knew he could not physically fit behind the wheel. Not even possible.

Which is probably what led to the final conclusion, that Dave was the proud new owner of Babe the Blue Corvair. He paid me right then, cash. (It should be noted that despite this long & sordid tale, I sold her for $400 more than I originally paid.) Mark told me that it was worth the trip just to meet such a "peach of a lady." Awwww! The guys stood around talking with me a bit longer before we all hugged (yes, hugged) goodbye.

Craig's List, my friends. It doesn't just help you buy & sell things, it helps build community. The next day, Mark sent me an email saying that while he was disappointed not to get Babe, she couldn't have gone to a nicer guy. And further, he was so glad to have made 3 new friends out of the deal.

Indeed. -k8-