What have I done?

Those of you who know my reluctance to spend money on myself may be surprised to hear this, but I MAY have bought a Jeep! I've ALWAYS wanted a Jeep and I've actually been looking for one the past several months. Yesterday's paper had one that seemed to fit the bill -- 1999 Wrangler, hunter green, with approx. 38,000 miles. Plus, most importantly, it's cheaper than I've seen comparable vehicles selling for! Heck, it's just $2000 more than Bill Heard Chev. was asking for the 1997 Wrangler (with 62,000 miles) that had a salvage title and wouldn't even start.

Anyway, I called the guy yesterday and he called back today. He's got folks coming to look at it tonight, but I'm in class. He told me where it was, so I went and checked it out this afternoon. It's perfect, well almost. It's actually a little fancier than I was really looking for, but I guess I'm okay with that. I poked around under the hood -- though that would have done no good unless there was a giant sign saying, "I'm malfunctioning," on some random part -- and checked all the fluid levels. They were fine, but of course you'd top up the fluids before listing a vehicle for sale, right? The guy said he'd been driving a company car and I got the impression the Jeep hadn't been moved much lately, so I checked the pavement underneath and didn't see any signs of leaks there either. The belts looked good and the tires (a major expense on a Jeep) looked almost new. Unless the thing failed to start or some vital part (e.g., a wheel) fell off while test driving it, I couldn't see a thing that would keep me from buying it. EXCEPT there are a couple of people scheduled to look at MY Jeep tonight! [Of course I do realize he may have invented the other interested parties.]

So I came back to the office, ran the Carfax report on the vehicle, and just thought about how much I wanted it. In the end, I called John and left a message that, contingent on the factors listed above, I'd like to buy his Jeep. I also told him I realized he had folks coming to look at it tonight, so he should just do whatever he wanted with that info, but I did point out that I was willing to pay his asking price -- no haggling! Well, old John called me back in a few minutes and we made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. I'm not absolutely sure, but he may also have offered to "hold" it for me until then. I guess we'll see.

P.S. In addition to my lifelong love affair with Jeeps, lately I've discovered another reason I need a Jeep. As I've gotten more and more into the whole camping/hiking thing, I've realized my little Kia Optima is out of place in that world. I pretty much picture all the trucks and SUVs at the trailheads picking on my poor little Kia the whole time I'm gone. She hasn't said anything, but I have noticed a little "grumpiness" while shifting gears of late.