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Car arrived today. Shipping took ten days due to alleged mechanical issues with the transporter. In the meantime, we got about a foot of snow, which meant no getting it to my house. To make matters worse, I got the 4WD Tahoe stuck in the driveway. The shipper was less than understanding and couldn't get past the fact that had they provided more than an hour's notice of arrival, as originally promised, the logistics would have been much better.
Ended up having it unloaded at a gas station, had to drive it up to town to get it registered, then drive it to a larger city where it's sitting in a parking garage until I can get it down my road. Needs winter tires in a bad way and the process of doing this much took almost five hours.
But...
It's as described. The condition is surprising given the mileage. It took 55 miles of Interstate driving to get it settled and I'm preliminarily very excited. It ran and drove great, although the fuel pressure gauge seemed a little high. Hopefully I'll be able to get it home this weekend.
Note that the "noise" on the hood is frozen water drops from washing the road salt off. 10 degrees outside and windy today.
The transport was the hardest part about getting my car. I had no weather issues but he couldn't actually get the car to my house because he couldn't fit the truck down my streets. He got as close as he could and I drove the car for a few blocks to get her home.....
Regardless of your transport issues - the car looks fantastic. Enjoy her in good health.
Ten days isn't unusual for shipping. They have to wait until they have a full load heading your direction. They also prefer to meet in a parking lot near the freeway. Mine arrived at 10:30 pm at a supermarket parking lot about 3 miles away. When I went to start it in my garage the next day the battery was dead. Here's a tip: if it's going to be sitting anywhere for a few days, lock it! If you leave it unlocked the electronics stay on and they will drain the battery.
Congratulations- the car looks great and I'm sure you will have fun with it. As far as the purchase, you and I are cut from the same cloth- I first saw mine on Ebay the day before it closed, on Halloween, 3000 miles away, no reserve, prior wreck/rebuild, no PPI, nice Russian guy selling. I haven't stopped smiling since.
The issue with the transport wasn't the time, it was their inability to keep a timeframe. It was originally slated for three days and then a series of "tomorrow or the next day" promises started. Allegedly the truck broke down. The car mysteriously has "will be towed 1/22/19 written in white on the left window. I suspect they unloaded it somewhere and left it, which might be logical of the truck had to be towed.
This particular shipping experience reinforces what I've heard: if you do it enough, you'll eventually have an issue. It's only my third one, but the first two were so problem-free I was bound to run into something.
Went and visited it in the ramp last night at work a couple times and spent too much time today digging through the manual. Very excited.
The issue with the transport wasn't the time, it was their inability to keep a timeframe. It was originally slated for three days and then a series of "tomorrow or the next day" promises started. Allegedly the truck broke down. The car mysteriously has "will be towed 1/22/19 written in white on the left window. I suspect they unloaded it somewhere and left it, which might be logical of the truck had to be towed.
This particular shipping experience reinforces what I've heard: if you do it enough, you'll eventually have an issue. It's only my third one, but the first two were so problem-free I was bound to run into something.
Went and visited it in the ramp last night at work a couple times and spent too much time today digging through the manual. Very excited.
Thanks for all of the positive comments, guys!
I hear ya - Of my 20 or so shipping experiences all have been A+ but 1.- If you care to read it is somewhat shocking/ interesting:
When I shipped my 30' diesel fish/cruise boat from Tampa Florida to Seattle last fall, I had a few anxiety causing moments. I got shipper from USHIP who had excellent reviews = Very seasoned going back and forth to east coast and NW.
Seller was kind enough to cruise boat 4 miles to the nearest marina with large haul out facility. Boat was pressure washed and all ready 10 days before scheduled pick up.
The trucker calling me when he arrived at the marina to have them load the boat onto his trailer - Trucker said marina stored boats in the way and he couldn't get to the boat.
Then trucker start bitching about some mussel growth that needed to be removed and the next thing out of his mouth was "I can't do this shipment, I have no time to f_ck around and have to stay on schedule" - I got pissed and insisted we worked something out - I got marina to re-pressure wash boat but boat had to be moved to another marina so it could be loaded because too many boats were in the way. I convinced trucker to stay overnight and i paid for his hotel and dinner.
Seller kind enough to bring boat to a bigger marina about a mile away.
Boat loaded and will be in Seattle in 8 days - all good right?...Nope
I was pissed about the truckers attitude soI started to research his name(he has Arab last name and owns his company & truck)
Long story short after lots of internet research I found numerous road/DOT violations including his arrest for road violations/warrant last year. All happening in Idaho - After more web searches I see a court filing of trucker against the city of Coeur d'alene Idaho regarding his fighting city for a boat storage facility he wanted to build and got denied. Then I find Idaho newspaper articles of his truck being vandalized by someone with the words "Sand N-gger go home" written in spray paint on side of his black torched truck.
I couldn't believe what I was reading and couldn't tell my wife because she would have Sh_t since she was pissed I bought the boat in the 1st place.
I sat on the info and just hoped the boat would arrive safely
Boat showed up on time and AFTER it was loaded off trailer/into the water I asked Michael (the trucker) what the deal was with all the violations/warrant/truck arson?
He explained he grew up in Idaho with white mom/Arab dad - He purchased land on Lake Coeur d'alene with the intention of building a boat storage place - The city Zoning/Building Dept. good old boys denied his permit even though he had proper plans/etc. - He sued the city and people threatened his family, vandalized his truck, tried bombing his house, spray painted his house so he moved away to Washington State. (He also changed his name)
He went to school with many of the cops in Idaho who work the higway partol and give him crap whenever he drives through - He said after the warrant and false arrest spending 2 nights in jail he stopped driving thru Idaho and doesn't do pick ups or deliveries in northern states. They even tried repossessing his truck which led to major lawsuit
He also apologized for his attitude with the boat pick up - He gave me $200 cash for the hotel/dinner I Paypal'd to him but I didn't accept it.
I'll use him again of I need a boat hauled and have recommended him to a few friends and he has been A+ with his shipments
Bumping this old thread with an update. I found this thread coincidentally after buying the car. Rolled it over 155,000 miles last month. Have a second set of wheels coming and will be picking up winter tires soon. Haven't done any modifications yet. Said I would, but the summer got away from me.
Developed a recurring check engine that was for a misfire. A rough idle on start led to replacing the plugs and ignition coils, but when the problem persisted, a vacuum leak was eventually located and corrected. No problems since then. Plugs definitely needed replacing anyway. I've had the oil changed, but did not end up having the used oil analyzed. The filter had no evidence of metal shavings or anything.
Overall still very happy with the car. Don't be afraid of miles!
01-29-2019, 04:46 AM
