Greetings, dear readers!
Ladies and gentlemen, meet our Bessie 2.0, Mathilda:
Armed with a temporary registration permit and updated insurance cards, my husband went with the owner to get the car and have the title notarized. Just before they left, the wrecker arrived and unceremoniously towed away our Oldsmobile. The old car served us well, but it was no longer safe to drive.
It'll take a little getting used to, with only two doors and inside handles that are a bit sticky, but otherwise I'm very pleased with our new car. It's still in need of a little fine-tuning, but it won't be a big expense to do so. At some point in the future, I'd like to repaint the car a different color. I don't care much for the color green in the first place, but this shade of green makes it look like a cholomobile (the spoke tires add to the effect, but that is an easy problem to remedy).
Tomorrow, we'll go to the DMV. Since the vehicle changed owners, we have to go to the location and wait in line with everyone else all day to make this change official. The good thing is, we'll get to keep the copper plates showing that it's an antique vehicle. And since the car was made before 1967, the state of Arizona classifies it as emissions exempt.
While putting some necessities in the glove box, my husband made an interesting discovery. Still in its sleeve, was the original registration tag from when the vehicle was first purchased. In addition to the VIN, the original owner's name and address were on it though they had been rendered with raised tape. While the letters in the tape were barely legible, I was able to make out a name and an address from South Bend, Indiana. It was interesting to think about how the car made its way from Indiana to Arizona where it now resides. It's in remarkably good shape, so either the car didn't spend much time in Indiana with its humid temperate climate which kills cars with rust after about ten years, or it had the good fortune to be blessed with a line of good owners who took care of it and kept the effects of the elements to a minimum.
But the most unexpected boon from this purchase? Our insurance rates dropped significantly! Though we won't know until tomorrow, it may yet be possible to insure me to drive the car! Given that I haven't been behind the wheel of a car for a few years because it was too expensive to insure me (I've never had even so much as a speeding ticket, much less an accident, to my name and yet the insurance companies see my age and deem me high risk with gouging rates to correspond to that assumption), I'd like to be able to drive again. We'll see what becomes of this.
Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!
Today was the big day! We got our new car, a 1966 Chrysler Newport. It has a 383 Magnum engine with a dual barrel carburetor, two doors, automatic transmission, air shocks in the rear (which explains why the back is lifted the way it is), gets around 12 miles per gallon, includes plenty of space, and not a single electronic feature to be found anywhere in or outside of the body. It's totally off the grid, which is good news because my hubby has huge issues with computers and electronics being in cars.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet our Bessie 2.0, Mathilda:
 |
| Ridin' around in my cholomobile! |
Armed with a temporary registration permit and updated insurance cards, my husband went with the owner to get the car and have the title notarized. Just before they left, the wrecker arrived and unceremoniously towed away our Oldsmobile. The old car served us well, but it was no longer safe to drive.
It'll take a little getting used to, with only two doors and inside handles that are a bit sticky, but otherwise I'm very pleased with our new car. It's still in need of a little fine-tuning, but it won't be a big expense to do so. At some point in the future, I'd like to repaint the car a different color. I don't care much for the color green in the first place, but this shade of green makes it look like a cholomobile (the spoke tires add to the effect, but that is an easy problem to remedy).
Tomorrow, we'll go to the DMV. Since the vehicle changed owners, we have to go to the location and wait in line with everyone else all day to make this change official. The good thing is, we'll get to keep the copper plates showing that it's an antique vehicle. And since the car was made before 1967, the state of Arizona classifies it as emissions exempt.
While putting some necessities in the glove box, my husband made an interesting discovery. Still in its sleeve, was the original registration tag from when the vehicle was first purchased. In addition to the VIN, the original owner's name and address were on it though they had been rendered with raised tape. While the letters in the tape were barely legible, I was able to make out a name and an address from South Bend, Indiana. It was interesting to think about how the car made its way from Indiana to Arizona where it now resides. It's in remarkably good shape, so either the car didn't spend much time in Indiana with its humid temperate climate which kills cars with rust after about ten years, or it had the good fortune to be blessed with a line of good owners who took care of it and kept the effects of the elements to a minimum.
But the most unexpected boon from this purchase? Our insurance rates dropped significantly! Though we won't know until tomorrow, it may yet be possible to insure me to drive the car! Given that I haven't been behind the wheel of a car for a few years because it was too expensive to insure me (I've never had even so much as a speeding ticket, much less an accident, to my name and yet the insurance companies see my age and deem me high risk with gouging rates to correspond to that assumption), I'd like to be able to drive again. We'll see what becomes of this.
Thank you for reading this post and please don't forget to share, comment, and subscribe!
This is so great what a classic car! I am sure you are a really proud owner cause I know I would be too. I am really passionate about cars and so my wife and I often go to auctions to purchase cars to rebuild and then either sell or keep. It really is addictive and fun, thank you again.
ReplyDeletePaul @ Viva Nissan
Yeah! I'm very proud of this vehicle. My husband and I often get complemented on it when we're out and about. I guess you can say I'm becoming something of a Mopar fangirl, haha!
DeleteI'm definitely getting a few lessons on repair and maintenance from my husband since he's had many years of experience owning and restoring old vehicles. Old cars are good for those sorts of skills because there's nothing in the way of electronics to complicate things
I wanted to share with your followers a simple tip that could save them a ton of money when buying a new vehicle. Always do your homework and bring in the competitions sales flyers if your dealer is charging more. If they do not meet or beat the ad, they will get worried you are leaving and will do whatever it takes.
ReplyDeleteDiana Hayes @ Baldwin Subaru