DebtKid wants to know about our dumbest purchases ever. And I want his DS Lite. ’nuff said.

Two years ago now (I think), one or both of the cylinders in my transmission on my ‘94 Ranger were going out. It eventually got to the point where if I stopped for a red light or stop sign, I had to put it in to first gear as I was coming to a halt, or kill the engine and start it back up in gear (which required mashing the clutch pedal through the floor, if I recall correctly). Now, the SMART thing to do would have been to get it fixed – I loved that truck, and that was the only thing wrong with it. Other than that, my little baby was perfect. Vroom vroom.

Instead, I decided to look around for a bigger, badder truck. You see, I was getting in to off-roading at the time… well, that’s about all there is to it, so I was looking for something set and ready to hit the mud. I found an ‘89 GMC Jimmy in a local freebie car ad publication. So, I called Clear Choice Auto Sales in Manheim (STAY AWAY!) to inquire about it. Yes, they still have it, yes, a $200 deposit should be fine, come on down for a test drive, you’ve got to hear it to appreciate it. Soooo my bro-in-law and I went all the way down there to check it out and take it for a spin. Man, was he right or what – it sounds as mean as it looks! VROOM VROOM!! Took it for a spin and scared all the old people taking their afternoon walks. Speedometer doesn’t work? No big deal, I can get that fixed later… Steering gets a little jittery over bumps? No problem, I can adjust to it… I want this truck! Actually, it was titled as a station wagon, but whatever, all that means is lower registration fee and I can get away with parking in the “No Trucks or Vans” spots at gas stations. The half convertible top was a real enticement as well.

I got a loan from the credit union no problem (for a vacation, as I didn’t want to pay for collision and comprehensive insurance), and laid down $4,000 for this behemoth. Did I mention it had 35 inch tires, a 6 inch suspension lift, and 6 inch body lift? Oh wait, a picture says a thousand words:

Boy, looking back at it, I loved this truck too, and wish I still had it. Maybe I’ll get another one when I’m much more on the path to financial prosperity. Or when the wheels fall off my F150. Anyway… it’s not inspected. The dealer said they couldn’t put a sticker on it because it has no cats – no problem, I can get some thrown on there later… I then traded some emails about it with a guy from PennDOT (this is before I made the purchase) about what recourse I might have if the dealer isn’t being straight up with me and telling me everything they know that is uninspectable about it. He called the dealer, and suddenly there’s nothing wrong with the truck, which he then passed along to me. Let’s remember, my stupidity levels were pretty high and common sense levels pretty low through all this because I was so infatuated with the vehicle. After I bought it and roared home as well as around town and showing all my friends and such, I called up my mechanic and told him I bought a new truck that needs inspected. He says to bring it over right away and he’ll try to get to it today. Super! I drive across town and roll in to his lot, and his jaw damn near hits the pavement. He doesn’t want to touch it, even if it is passable, as he got busted for passing a similar vehicle before. No biggie, totally understand, so I headed over to his recommendation. As soon as I pull up, he says no way – “I could tell it wouldn’t pass from a block away watching you drive up.” Freakin great. What the hell am I going to do. I checked online to see the requirements of a PA vehicle inspection, went out and took some measurements… yeah, this is gonna be tough. Naturally, the dealer blew me off when I called. I considered my recourse, contacted the guy from PennDOT again, he pointed me to the Attorney General’s Office and advised me to file a complaint with them. I started the process… realized how long it was going to take… realized I didn’t have all the information to make a correct timeline of events, and gave up.

I drove that thing around for a month and a half, not once ever going up to the strip mine I used to take my Ranger off-roading at as I was scared to death to put it on the interstate with that crazy steering, and almost put it into a telephone pole after hitting some very shallow standing water on the side of a back road at probably 25-30mph. Seriously, I missed by only a foot. Realizing that I can’t get away with driving around lacking an inspection sticker forever, as well as just how much it would cost to get it fixed based on my mechanic’s list, I took it to auction. Know what it sold for, which I STUPIDLY accepted rather than going home and selling it privately to another off-roading aficionado who probably has a trailer and will only use it for off-roading?

$750

Yeah. Still have a couple of years of payments on it, and that was, what, oh yeah, two years ago.

P.S. I borrowed $5000 for it to take care of any immediate repairs needed, which was put on top of the $2000 or something remotely close to that figure computer loan I already had with them, which is why my balance is still $4800.

P.P.S. I came home to an odd vinegar smell… I should probably figure out where it’s coming from. Do empty beer bottles eventually start giving off such a smell after sitting around for a while?

Popularity: 15%