QotW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done to fetch a car?

[Mike]

Most of us car guys can’t even be bothered to assemble a respectable outfit for the social rituals that humans have to endure, such as weddings, dinner with the in-laws, or going to stores that are not Autozone. But then your friend sends you a Craigslist link … Continue reading →

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[siteunseen]

I flew into New Orleans, took a cab from the airport to the French Quarter.  Ate some lunch with the seller of a ZX1100 and did the paperwork.  Left at 1pm, pulled in my garage at 6pm.  All I carried was a backpack with my helmet in it and cash.  Horrible riding a cafe bike for 400 miles but I rode it all summer and still made $1,000. 

[Gav240z]

I shipped a car from Ireland to Australia. Bought it from Cork, drove it back to Dublin used it for a few years then decided to bring it back with me to Sydney.

[cbuczesk]

I found a 1970 Plymouth AAR 'cuda for sale up in Michigan back in January. The seller agreed to meet me half way so we met in New Lima, Ohio. There was a good chance of a little snow late in the afternoon but we should have time to get the car and stop to look at another AAR near Pittsburgh on the way back. Well, by the time we met the seller it was already snowing. The end clip on my right wiper blade broke so I used a hair tie to hold it on.

 

We took smaller roads that were twisty and hilly to get to the other AAR. Roads were slick and it was hard to see. I debated on going straight home but I'm a car guy and HAD to see the other car. The guy behind me starts flashing his lights. Great. I wonder if my car is falling off or something like that. We pull in to some place and he comes over and starts asking about my car. Seriously? Snow is sticking, roads are slick, it's single digit temps, near white-out conditions and he wants to look at my car??? So now I'm stuck in a slick, snow-covered parking lot with cars all around and I have to back up to turn around.

 

When we got to the other AAR the roads were very slick. Temps were single digits, winds were blowing very hard and it was pretty much a white-out.There are a lot of big, steep hills near Pittsburgh, too. The truck's tires would spin going up the hills and we'd start going sideways with the car and trailer. There were 4"+ inches of fresh snow on the ground now. We looked at the other AAR and then stopped to eat while hoping they would clear the roads. They didn't and things got worse.

 

Now the forecast had changed to 6-8". Great. On the way out of Ruby Tuesday's I decided that we should find the closest hotel. It was less than 5 miles away but was white-knuckle all the way. I was following a USPS truck that would slow early for every light at the top of every hill and leave me sweating as I try to pull the trailer to the top without spinning. I had visions of spinning and then sliding down the hill backwards taking out everything in my way.

 

We made it to the hotel and got a room. I think I parked in the parking lot. I couldn't see the lines and could barely see passed the hood. At this point I was just happy to be alive and shocked that I didn't have an accident. We got up in the morning and headed back to south-central PA.

 

They still hadn't cleared the roads and temps were in the single digits. They salted the highway which painted my windshield white. Since it was so cold the washed fluid was frozen and I have to pull over every 15-20 minutes. Many drivers were in the same situation. One of those drivers decided to pull back on the interstate directly in front of me as I was passed by a semi. Somehow I was able to slow just enough.

 

And that's how we spent our Valentine's Day weekend. BTW, she's still with me!

 

Chuck