Goodbye, little silver BMW

Today's assignment, find a buyer for the soon to be no longer needed third car. By consolidating our "carbon footprint" and moving from two condos into one (albeit somewhat larger) home, we found ourselves with just ONE 2-car garage, and new subdivision rules against driveway parking.

We had kept a car in Missouri, and a car in Florida, for my wife to drive. I enjoy driving my Corvette, so it became the "up and down" car and was used 12 months a year. My wife favored the little Z-4 BMW, so the 300 convertible was the logical car to go. We decided to sell it to a dealer, rather than mess with Craig's List, E-Bay, Emily's List, the neighborhood BP station with a windshield sign, etc.

I first went to Kelly Blue Book on the Internet - they showed this car had a private party value of 18,000 to 19,700. That of course was a goal to reach should I have dealt with a private sale. I decided that, frankly, was too much trouble. I felt I had more important fish to fry, so I went to the next level - we checked into the Mannheim Auto Auction pricing. There we learned that similar cars were fetching between 13,000 and 14,000 dollars. Those auctions are where used car dealers pick up their product to later resell at Kelly Blue Book prices, or more.

So, thoroughly armed with a new reality, I went seeking a buyer, and over several days had secured two offers. I accepted the one from a local BMW dealer who was willing to pay me $500 more than the next highest offer, at the top of the Mannheim price range. In return for the money, he got a 2004 with only 29,000 actual miles on it. Having purchased it in 2006, when it was two years old and had 5,000 on the odometer, we got another 24,000 miles (over four years) out of this car. I'm sure the dealer will mark it up and be happy with his deal, but in the end the convenience made me happy as well.

Soon, we'll be down to two drivers and two cars. There's a certainly symmetry there, and I feel good about it. A call to cancel the insurance made me feel even better, from the savings I'll have. I have reduced my carbon footprint! Al Gore - you can be proud of me!

Road Trip

It is almost impossible to capture my son smiling. I cannot do it, to save my soul, and my photos of our boy generally involve some sort of gesture or grimace. Often he will display the "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign", or the somewhat more polite goofy eyes trick. My daughter loves to have people take her picture, so appropriately to her yin, he offers up a yang. So, success in positive photography fell to his friend, who agreed to help him move.

Now, when I took this photo off his friend's Face Book page, I did not take the comments that accompanied it. Suffice to say, the advertising on the trailer was false, as in two false starts with defective trailers, until a different rental location and a more skilled "mechanic" found a solution in the wiring harness. A four hour delay in starting ended up necessitating an overnight hotel stay on the road, despite heading out with a buddy, a six pack of Red Bull, and two packs of cigarettes. The best laid plans for a straight-through drive failed in south Georgia when common sense ultimately trumped fatigue. They found a place that took dogs, and the three of them caught six hours of needed rest, before finishing the drive.

Yesterday was a beach day, and a bit of exploring Sarasota. Today was a trip to the airport to send his buddy back north. The next week will be getting settled into the new job, and new neighborhoods. When I get back to Florida, we'll be three adults and two dogs in our condo for another month, then hopefully our new place will be ready to receive the northern furniture coming by moving van. U-Haul might work for thirty-somethings with strong backs, but that ain't me babe.

Welcome to Florida, J.B., and don't forget the SPF-45 suntan lotion under the sink.