Blue91SL
10-18-2011, 03:57 AM
Just a friendly warning, the first few posts are going to be a long story about how I came to be where I am now. So if you're not interested in the back-story, I'd skip to the next few posts and read on from there. Although, in my opinion, the back-story is what makes a restoration thread interesting, So, if you're lame, skip over them and go to the next few posts, where I post pictures and such. Otherwise, Stick to this one for the time being.
Okay, so we've all screwed up a few times in our lives. Normally, it's nothing big. Broken a body part, lied to someone, hurts but it's not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things. I have to admit, trying to part out my '91 Fiji Blue SL was the biggest mistake I have ever made.
The Story:
Chapter 1: Finding my unicorn
So, in fall of 2008 I moved to Texas to try finding a better job. South Carolina's economy was in the toilet (still is), and I had a friend out there offering to find me a better job and a place to stay. So I packed my bags, hopped a bus, and moved out. Within a few weeks, I'd scored a job at a local Kia dealer, washing cars and giving the techs a hand. Unfortunately, that dealer was a sketchy place, and after being employed there for 12 days, they laid me off, and hired two guys to do my job for as much money as they paid me. Yeah, it sucked. But, after 12 days of work, my check was over $800. Not owning a car of my own at the time, I decided I should invest in one. $800 isn't a bad starting point, especially with the wealth of cars in Texas. But I'd narrowed it down to two cars. A 1994 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon for a solid $800, or a 1993 Ford Thunderbird with a V8 for $650. My friend's uncle had been searching Craigslist, and he found a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT for $600. I'd always wanted a 3000GT, but the ad had very little information. I called the guy, arranged to come out and look at the car, and the next day, we did. Prior to that day, I didn't even KNOW that a 3000GT was ever made in blue. But I was in love. The bucket seats held me perfectly. The shift knob was perfect in my hand. Finding a battery to get the car started was difficult, but once the guy pulled one out of another car at his shop, we got it to crank up. And boy, did it! Unfortunately, someone had stolen the catalytic converter out of the car, so the exhaust comes out right underneath the shifter. But, as a 17 year old, that was cool to me. So, I talked with my friend's uncle, and decided that I should offer the guy $400 cash for the car. He seemed very hesitant, and also mentioned someone else coming to look at the car and might be purchasing it the next day, but he told me he'd call me if it fell through.
I did not sleep at all that night.
Finally, at about 10am, my phone rings. The car was too wide to fit on the home made trailer the guy brought to pick it up! So I got the car for $400. Within an hour, I was dressed, fed, and on the highway to pick up my new car. We sign some paperwork, I get in, and go directly to the gas station. The car had sat since 2002 (that's my guess, as the Texas inspection tag expired in 2003), and had gas in it the entire time. So I put some 93 octane in it, drove it into a self-wash car wash to scrub the windows clean of 6 years of grime so we could drive it home, and went to leave. But the car wouldn't start. Turns out, the "good" battery the guy gave us was complete crap. So I had to go to Auto Zone to get another battery to drive the car home. $100 later, I'm on the road and smiling from ear to ear. The leather was cracked, the radio didn't have a face plate, and the car smelled stale. But I was going home with it.
Okay, so we've all screwed up a few times in our lives. Normally, it's nothing big. Broken a body part, lied to someone, hurts but it's not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things. I have to admit, trying to part out my '91 Fiji Blue SL was the biggest mistake I have ever made.
The Story:
Chapter 1: Finding my unicorn
So, in fall of 2008 I moved to Texas to try finding a better job. South Carolina's economy was in the toilet (still is), and I had a friend out there offering to find me a better job and a place to stay. So I packed my bags, hopped a bus, and moved out. Within a few weeks, I'd scored a job at a local Kia dealer, washing cars and giving the techs a hand. Unfortunately, that dealer was a sketchy place, and after being employed there for 12 days, they laid me off, and hired two guys to do my job for as much money as they paid me. Yeah, it sucked. But, after 12 days of work, my check was over $800. Not owning a car of my own at the time, I decided I should invest in one. $800 isn't a bad starting point, especially with the wealth of cars in Texas. But I'd narrowed it down to two cars. A 1994 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon for a solid $800, or a 1993 Ford Thunderbird with a V8 for $650. My friend's uncle had been searching Craigslist, and he found a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT for $600. I'd always wanted a 3000GT, but the ad had very little information. I called the guy, arranged to come out and look at the car, and the next day, we did. Prior to that day, I didn't even KNOW that a 3000GT was ever made in blue. But I was in love. The bucket seats held me perfectly. The shift knob was perfect in my hand. Finding a battery to get the car started was difficult, but once the guy pulled one out of another car at his shop, we got it to crank up. And boy, did it! Unfortunately, someone had stolen the catalytic converter out of the car, so the exhaust comes out right underneath the shifter. But, as a 17 year old, that was cool to me. So, I talked with my friend's uncle, and decided that I should offer the guy $400 cash for the car. He seemed very hesitant, and also mentioned someone else coming to look at the car and might be purchasing it the next day, but he told me he'd call me if it fell through.
I did not sleep at all that night.
Finally, at about 10am, my phone rings. The car was too wide to fit on the home made trailer the guy brought to pick it up! So I got the car for $400. Within an hour, I was dressed, fed, and on the highway to pick up my new car. We sign some paperwork, I get in, and go directly to the gas station. The car had sat since 2002 (that's my guess, as the Texas inspection tag expired in 2003), and had gas in it the entire time. So I put some 93 octane in it, drove it into a self-wash car wash to scrub the windows clean of 6 years of grime so we could drive it home, and went to leave. But the car wouldn't start. Turns out, the "good" battery the guy gave us was complete crap. So I had to go to Auto Zone to get another battery to drive the car home. $100 later, I'm on the road and smiling from ear to ear. The leather was cracked, the radio didn't have a face plate, and the car smelled stale. But I was going home with it.