That's right Questees, The Giving Quest finally has a trusty steed. How trusty it is remains to be seen but we have got a good feeling about it!
So 2 days ago we went for yet another jaunt into Illinois. Seriously we have almost spent more time driving around those highways than we have sitting in St. Louis. We had 3 trucks lined up to view; one that was far too cheap, one that was far too expensive, and one that was just right... but 3 hours away and still more expensive than we wanted.
First stop was Highland, about an hour away from home. Such a cool little town! Lots of independent stores set around a well kept town square. It had a Gilmore Girls vibe to the place. Unfortunately that didn't stop the truck we were going to see from being a rust bucket. It looked so good online but one glance at the support beams under the truck bed and this was a no no, didn't even take it for a test drive. Annoying but it did give us a chance to wander around.
A gift shop with an oddly similar name...
We love old theaters, and Tris matched the sign!
After scoffing a pretty baller chocolate dipped strawberry since Zora stuck her bottom lip out about not getting one on Valentine's day, we headed next to Collinsville. This truck was way way better. A 1997 Dodge Ram 6.4l, 24 valve, V8 Cummins. It was nice! I'd like to think that I've learnt a bit over the past few weeks about what to look for in a diesel engine, that and the fact that a website had specifically said that this was one of the best engines ever made helped impress us both. It wasn't very clean, but there was not a speck of rust on the whole thing. Travis took us out for a good test drive and the truck really performed extremely well. However the price tag was $13,500. It was probably worth it but that is just too much for us. The trip wasn't wasted however, because we saw another middle America tradition... a novelty water tower!
This one's for you Tom.
The final stop of the day was a convenient two and a half hour cruise up to Peoria. Ugh. If this one was a bust then our day would have been totally wasted and I would have driven for 7 hours for nothing. Fortunately this was the one! Zora had been talking to Phil, who seemed like a really nice guy and was selling the vehicle for his father in law, and he managed to change his plans at short notice to come and show us the truck. It is a beauty. A 2001 Ford F-350 Super Duty V8 Diesel with only 143k on the clock! It drives great, it pulls like a black hole, it has been kept super clean and tidy, AND it has a tape deck (bring on the audiobooks!).
Also it is reassuring to meet someone who will go out of their way to help you out, and is not so cynical that they wont trust a stranger. We didn't have cash on hand for the purchase, and the bank wouldn't wire the money through that evening, but Phil didn't want us to have to travel the extra 5-6 hour round trip again to pick it up, so instead he gave us the title and let us drive home with the truck that night. We left a check and photos of our licenses with our address. The deal was that we would wire the money from the bank first thing, then he would send a photo of the check torn up and delete the license photos. And wouldn't you know it that's what we actually did? So thanks Phil, you are the best!
Our ride back was of course harrowing, because Zora was behind the wheel of the van as I drove the truck. Every time she has to drive for more than 20 minutes it is invariably dark and raining and treacherous! This was no exception. Plus we were on mostly unfamiliar roads and I was driving a strange and very large vehicle. But we got here, AND NOW WE HAVE A TRUCK! It needs 4 new tires, and we need to purchase some brackets so that the front jack stands on the camper will be wide enough to fit around the dually wheel arches, but after that we are good to go! This is extremely exciting and very real and totally wonderful!
Oh, and by the time we got back to St. Louis my new axe had arrived!!!!! That was just the icing on a big, fat layer cake of a day.
It snowed. What do we do with this stuff? I think this is the first time we've seen in properly snow in years. Can't wait to dump the rats out and see what they make of it!
Eagerly awaiting a 3000 lb camper to balance it out.
Can you believe that this thing is 17 years old? Most teenagers are disgusting!
Zora is very excited about the truck and the snow. But not enough to actually come out into it. It's too cold!!