Bethany's Sweet Ride

Bethany and I have recently purchased a new Toyota Corolla to add to our fleet. We now own 8 wheels which are all Toyota’s. However the acquiring of this latest addition was a mystery fraught with uncertainty.

It all began one dark night on Craigslist. I found an advertisement for a nice looking white economy car being sold by a man named Tony. I called Tony asking if I could meet him the next day in a nearby parking lot and he agreed (public places are key). Craigslist is a somewhat risky move for buying a used car because Arizona has one of the highest rates of auto theft in the country due to the fact that it is near the Mexican border. The cars which are stolen most often are small, popular economy cars; exactly what Bethany and I wanted to buy.

Tony and I met the next day and our conversation went as follows. “Hi Tony, I’m Eric. Your car looks nice. Can you tell me about it?” He replied, “Hi, Eric. My name is actually Brian.”
“Oh okay, Brian. So do you work around here?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you where I work because it is a secret.” He replied.
“Oh okay. Well do you have any paperwork from the maintenance you did on your car in the past couple years?”
“No, I don’t really keep track of that stuff.” Brian said.
“Do you have the title for the car?” I asked.
“No, that is at home.”
“Do you have insurance or the registration for the car?” I was getting worried.
“No, not with me. I have them somewhere but I can’t find them.”
“Do you have the two original keys which came with the vehicle?” I asked him.
“No, I lost those.” Brian replied. He still didn't seem to understand the problem.
Long story short I told Brian I would not buy his car unless he showed up at the DMV with his title and we did the transfer at the DMV. Only then would he see my money. He responded sourly, “What you do not trust me!? Then I am not selling you my car!”
I replied, “Okay I understand. Best of luck to you.” 15 minutes later I received a phone call and the person on the other end said, “Hi, this is Brian. I decided I will go to the DMV with you because I need the money.”
“Great! Glad to hear it Brian. I will see you then.”

The next day Brian and I went to the DMV and I got a level one inspection done to ensure the vehicle was not stolen, the title was real, and that Brian had legal rights to sell me the vehicle. We then went to my bank and I took out a cashiers check for $4,000 dollars which I put in my pocket. I had chosen to wear running shoes that day just in case something bad went down. We drove back to the DMV. Before Brian got any money I had a license plate, registration, and brand new title in my possession. I then handed over the check to this sketchy Brian guy and said, “Nice doing business with you.”

I was grateful Bethany did not have to part of this long awkward transaction because she is not as fast as me when the situation requires a speedy getaway. I then got to pick her up at the airport on her way home from Vancouver, BC in her new car. I was very happy to have my wifey home.
Praises: God gave us one of our favorite cars! A 2002 Toyota Carolla with 130,000 miles for $4000. They are supposed to be very reliable! Thank you Jesus.

Prayers: Pray for Brian/Tony. That guy is wack and needs the Lord.