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The 25th Conv TA was meant to be in my garage........
I had been searching for quite sometime before I bought the 25th TA on 07/06/02, in fact, the Auto Trader print out that I have for this car is dated 02/20/02. (Auto Trader is where I found it, more on that in a second) I wanted a 25th TA to go along with the 20th TA and since that car is one of the many with leather and all the options, I decided the 25th should be something a little more rare.
So the hunt started I chased after many just to find out they weren't as described once I got there.(Always happens that way.
) My focus was on a Hard Top car (338 built)...they were cheaper than a Conv at the time .....just as rare in some cases. I found a Hard Top that I just loved, but I have to confess I tend to have a little claustrophobia and after driving it I knew it would never work.(Should have figured that out before chasing all over the Midwest
)
Back to the search...now what? Do I just break down and buy a T-top car(1412 built) which is what they made the most of or do I wait a couple more yrs til I can afford a Conv (250 built). I couldn't stop searching I wanted another TA and I wanted it now. So I started looking at 15th TA's, but everytime I looked at one I couldn't help thinking I was settling for something I really didn't want. (Now I'm on the hunt for one of those...go figure.)
So the wife convinced me to just sit back and wait. Which I did, about 2 months went by before one day while cleaning out my desk at work (No, I hadn't gotten fired, I just like things neat and orderly.
) I came across a bunch of Auto Trader ads that I had printed out on 02/20/02. In that stack were some I had looked at and some I hadn't, but ruled out for other reasons. I decided to go through them all again before throwing them out, when I came across the ad for my 25th TA the seller was asking $15,500 and it had 44,000 miles. The price was about $3000 more than I had budgeted to spend and it was located in Altanta, GA. (probably why it was in the ruled out pile.) I called the number and to my surprise the car was still available....the seller said he had alot of calls from all over the U.S., but no one ever came to look at it. (I think he thought I was another non-looker)
After two weeks of back and forth calls we came to an agreement on price, based on it being as he had described over the phone. Problem was we were in St. Ignance for the car show when I made the final agreement and had plans to stay through the 4th of July. The seller agreed to hold the veh for me, but I had to be at his house at 7am Sat. the 6th.
Well after driving straight through from St. Ignance to Alanta, GA to pick up the 25th TA we (my father-in-law and myself) arrived in Alanta at about 3am, no sence in getting a hotel room for 4hrs, so we slept in the truck at a local Home Depot parking lot. (The things guys will do to get the car they covet) Met the seller at his home at 7am and thankfully the car was better than described.
We finalized the deal and were off to the local U-Haul dealer to rent a car trailer. Did you know that if you rent a car trailer one way it cost $800, but if I had gotten one in Holland and hauled it both ways it would have cost $60. (I think someone thought they would take advantage of a dumb Yankee) Needless to say the TA and I became quite acquainted as I drove it back home, straight through!! (Man was I tired on Sunday morning)
So I say it was fate.....If I didn't have claustrophobia, if I hadn't cleaned my desk, and if anybody who had called on the car before me would have went through the trouble to go see it....Well, I wouldn't own a 25th Annv Conv TA!!
P.S. I know the whole claustrophobia thing sounds dumb...I mean after all when the top is up on a Conv it's just as confined as a Hard Top car...and more so on the Vette we own.....but there is a difference in knowing that top can go down vs knowing the top is never coming off. Hence the reason I drive the cars with the top down 90% of time.
I had been searching for quite sometime before I bought the 25th TA on 07/06/02, in fact, the Auto Trader print out that I have for this car is dated 02/20/02. (Auto Trader is where I found it, more on that in a second) I wanted a 25th TA to go along with the 20th TA and since that car is one of the many with leather and all the options, I decided the 25th should be something a little more rare.
So the hunt started I chased after many just to find out they weren't as described once I got there.(Always happens that way.
) My focus was on a Hard Top car (338 built)...they were cheaper than a Conv at the time .....just as rare in some cases. I found a Hard Top that I just loved, but I have to confess I tend to have a little claustrophobia and after driving it I knew it would never work.(Should have figured that out before chasing all over the Midwest)Back to the search...now what? Do I just break down and buy a T-top car(1412 built) which is what they made the most of or do I wait a couple more yrs til I can afford a Conv (250 built). I couldn't stop searching I wanted another TA and I wanted it now. So I started looking at 15th TA's, but everytime I looked at one I couldn't help thinking I was settling for something I really didn't want. (Now I'm on the hunt for one of those...go figure.
)So the wife convinced me to just sit back and wait. Which I did, about 2 months went by before one day while cleaning out my desk at work (No, I hadn't gotten fired, I just like things neat and orderly.
) I came across a bunch of Auto Trader ads that I had printed out on 02/20/02. In that stack were some I had looked at and some I hadn't, but ruled out for other reasons. I decided to go through them all again before throwing them out, when I came across the ad for my 25th TA the seller was asking $15,500 and it had 44,000 miles. The price was about $3000 more than I had budgeted to spend and it was located in Altanta, GA. (probably why it was in the ruled out pile.) I called the number and to my surprise the car was still available....the seller said he had alot of calls from all over the U.S., but no one ever came to look at it. (I think he thought I was another non-looker)After two weeks of back and forth calls we came to an agreement on price, based on it being as he had described over the phone. Problem was we were in St. Ignance for the car show when I made the final agreement and had plans to stay through the 4th of July. The seller agreed to hold the veh for me, but I had to be at his house at 7am Sat. the 6th.
Well after driving straight through from St. Ignance to Alanta, GA to pick up the 25th TA we (my father-in-law and myself) arrived in Alanta at about 3am, no sence in getting a hotel room for 4hrs, so we slept in the truck at a local Home Depot parking lot. (The things guys will do to get the car they covet
) Met the seller at his home at 7am and thankfully the car was better than described.We finalized the deal and were off to the local U-Haul dealer to rent a car trailer. Did you know that if you rent a car trailer one way it cost $800, but if I had gotten one in Holland and hauled it both ways it would have cost $60. (I think someone thought they would take advantage of a dumb Yankee
) Needless to say the TA and I became quite acquainted as I drove it back home, straight through!! (Man was I tired on Sunday morning)So I say it was fate.....If I didn't have claustrophobia, if I hadn't cleaned my desk, and if anybody who had called on the car before me would have went through the trouble to go see it....Well, I wouldn't own a 25th Annv Conv TA!!
P.S. I know the whole claustrophobia thing sounds dumb...I mean after all when the top is up on a Conv it's just as confined as a Hard Top car...and more so on the Vette we own.....but there is a difference in knowing that top can go down vs knowing the top is never coming off. Hence the reason I drive the cars with the top down 90% of time.
357ci LT1, cammed, stalled, and driven.
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