I love my cars, not quite in the biblical sense but I really appreciate being able to drive cars that I'd never be able to afford to run if I was still living in the UK.
Wife 23 was a Lexus fan because her brother had owned a few and it was her that convinced me to buy his old 1992 Lexus LS400. It was a beautiful car, although at the time it was over 14 years old. When I took it out for a test drive I wasn't too impressed because the interior showed signs of wear but there was something special about the ride and the quite of the cabin.
Later after the death of my youngest daughter and the subsequent release from her constant need for cash infusions I was able to buy a 2002 Lexus SC430 from my best friend Vandy. He'd bought the car when it was first released to the market and when he took me for a spin I was totally green with envy and then he took the top down! I never dared to dream that I could own such a car but we did a deal and thanks to his generosity I was able to become the second owner of the most wonderful care I've ever owned.
At the time I was talking to a colleague about buying his Porsche Boxter but his initial price was way too high and there was no way that we could meet anywhere close to a figure that I could afford. Interestingly he ended up selling the Boxter for much less than I'd offered. I think he'd over estimated my interest in the car and he'd no idea that I was also looking at my friends Lexus. Of course to any red blooded male the Porsche name is something special but the moment I sat in the SC430 drivers seat I knew I'd been born to own that car it was a hard top convertible that drove like a race car but had all the luxury items a man of my stature deserved.
Several years later the son of wife 23 totaled my Lexus LS400 and when the insurance check arrived I decided that I needed to buy a newer Lexus LS430. I'd been looking around on Craigs List and Ebay to get some kind of idea about what I'd have to pay for a really nice car but never felt able to pull the trigger on any of the cars available. Then one Saturday morning I was on Ebay and discovered a 2003 white Lexus LS430 that was reasonably priced with average miles and all the extras I was looking for. The location of the car was Boston but that didn't deter me from thinking about making a bid.
I really didn't know what kind of strategy to use and I've never been a wheeler and dealer. I called my dad and he took a look at the listing. Looking back I don't know why I involved my dad but it was nice just to get some kind of support. The LS430 was listed at a Buy It Now price of $14,500 which was just a bit above my $14,000 limit. At the time the highest bid was $12,750 but as the end of the auction was getting closer the price was slowly going up and up.
My dad said what would you pay for the car and I told him $14,500 because that seemed a fair deal, so he asked me to explain why I wasn't pressing "Buy It Now" instead of putting the potential purchase at risk. Of course I didn't have and answer to that other than I was hoping to get it cheaper. Writing about this now everything seems so calm but in that moment my emotions were all over the place. I noticed that the highest price was $13,250 and decided that I'd abandon my last second bid strategy and press the "Buy It Now" option. Unbelievably as I reached for the mouse the "Buy It Now" price dropped to $14,000 and in that instant I pressed the button. I'd won the car exactly for the budget I'd set myself.
Instantly I contacted the seller and he asked me to confirm that I wanted to buy the car, I found this a bit confusing because I'd pressed "Buy It Now" but the seller didn't like the fact that I'd come from nowhere and won the auction. Later he told me that several potential buyers were in direct contact about the car and he was concerned that I wasn't real. We agreed that I'd send a scan of the bankers drafts that I'd get from my bank and to calm his nerves further I also included details about my flight from Atlanta to Boston.
Two days later I was arriving by taxi at the sellers address in Boston and there was no sign of the car or the seller himself. I started to panic but fortunately he picked up his cell phone on the third ring and he told me that he was on his way back from the car wash. You can't imagine how relieved I was to hear that. True to his word the seller arrived 5 minutes later and we went for a test drive, 30 minutes later I was on my way home to Atlanta driving a really nice 2003 Lexus LS430. You can't imagine how excited I was, I turned south for Atlanta before I'd had chance to play with all the new buttons and functions.
I drove all day and decided to stop just over halfway in a cheap hotel. I had a quick dinner at a local pizza place and set my alarm for an early start the next day. When I checked out and walked to the car I was delighted to see that the car wasn't just white but it had a great kind of metallic edge to it. The LS430 turned out to be everything I hoped it would be.
Just outside of Charlotte, NC I was pulled over because I had no license plate. The cop was so excited and had lots of questions but when I showed him my insurance and bill of sale he was quite disappointed, however he needed revenue and so he contacted his HQ to see what laws I'd broken and he came back 15 minutes later with two tickets, something like failure to display a license plate and non payment of car registration.
While he was getting advice I broke out a sandwich and a coffee from my thermos thinking I could enjoy a bit of a break, when the cop saw this he wasn't happy. He almost revealed a nervous twitch when I offered him a coffee and a biscuit, I guess it was the first time he'd met a Yorkshireman on a happy day out. I asked the cop what I could have done to avoid the tickets and he said he had no idea, I remained polite, friendly and calm because there was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of getting pissed.
He was much happier as I waved goodbye, but even the prospect of a $100 fine couldn't take the edge of my day. For the cop it was obviously all about the money. I was now the owner of two Lexus luxury cars, I never for one moment thought about the fact that they were both over 10 years old.
It's not the cost of the cars that would have prevented me from owning a Lexus in England more the 15 miles per gallon that these cars return but over here in the USA gas prices are ridiculously cheap compared to the highly taxed petrol of Europe.
When I'm driving the convertible it's my favorite car but when I'm driving the LS430 that becomes my favorite car. Each model has it's own plus points. If I had to choose between them I'd probably choose the convertible just because of the romance of having the top down and driving beneath the stars.
However if I'm in a mature kind of mood there's nothing like the smooth, quiet and stately ride of the LS430 and a certain type of refined woman really appreciates such a thing or so I'm told.
That's my reality,
Jobsonian
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