Saturday, February 14, 2009

Getting to the CRX of the matter

Since my car died, I’ve started looking for a new one. Well, not a new one. I prefer to get a used car because I drive a lot and new cars lose value quickly when you put a lot of miles on them.

So I was looking at craigslist yesterday, focusing on the two areas closest to where I live. I saw a few possibilities, but nothing real promising.

Then I decided to look in a region of my state that’s a little farther away. Not sure why, but I thought it was worth a look.

On there I saw a car that I’ve wanted for more than 20 years — a Honda CRX. For those of you unfamiliar with the CRX, it’s a sporty little car that gets great gas mileage. It’d be perfect for me since I drive so much.

The ad said the fellow was selling the car because he had bought another one. The CRX was just sitting in his yard so he was selling it for $500. He said he was going out of town for the weekend and wanted to sell it by the time he returned on Tuesday.

I immediately replied to the ad, sending an e-mail asking if Tuesday was the first opportunity to see the car. If not, I asked when I could see it.

The car was about a three-hour drive from my house, but I was willing to make the trip.

Last night, I got an e-mail reply from the guy’s wife. She said “a kid” had seen a “For Sale” sign on the car and stopped to look at it. She sold it to him for $400. Later, she checked her husband’s e-mail and realized after seeing all the interest that she probably shouldn’t have sold it.

I replied, thanking her for her response. I told her I was sorry that she’d sold it, because I would have driven up and paid at least $500 for it based on what it looked like in the photos. But then I told her that the way I looked at it, that kid must have needed a car more than I did.

Later, I thought about how bummed I could be since I missed out on a great deal on one of my dream cars. But then I thought about some kid riding around happy as all get out over his good fortune. Thinking about his joy is a lot better than sulking over my missed opportunity.

And another good deal will come along.

2 comments:

Gary McElwain said...

Steve

That was a little different ending than I was expecting. But like I have heard. "All things happen for a reason"

I'm sure that red CRX with the silver spoke wheels is out there calling your name right now!

Gary McElwain

SteveDeVane said...

Gary,

To be honest, it wasn't the ending I hoped for, either. But it's all good, anyhow.

Thanks for the comment.

Steve