Vanya has only ever owned cars with manual transmissions, and she would like to keep it that way. A quick check of Craigslist revealed that used Subarus were thin on the ground, and cars with stick were scarcer still. I also discovered that the Denver area is a hot market for used Subarus - all were priced well above blue book and late model cars with tens of thousands of miles were going for just a couple of thousand dollars less than a new car would cost. I visited the Subaru dealer in Boulder, an auto broker in Centennial (way on the south side of the Denver metro area), and the participating Costco program Subaru dealer, also in Centennial. All the places had an Impreza Sport Premium with manual coming in shortly, so it was a matter of choosing the color combination and the best deal. However, that day there was a new posting on Craigslist for a 2008 Subaru that fit all the requirements, and it was close to Boulder. On Tuesday morning I called the seller and we agreed to meet in the early afternoon. That same morning Vanya called me to say that there had just been a Craigslist posting for a 2010 Outback (based on the Legacy platform and larger than the Impreza). Vanya has been driving a borrowed 2010 Outback, and she liked the car and wasn't put off by the larger size. I called the seller, who was in New Mexico and headed for his home in Evergreen, which is near Golden, Colorado. We arranged to meet at a gas station in Ken Caryl (!) that evening. The seller also said that there was another interested party who was meeting him there.
The '08 Impreza was a nice enough car, but it was a little tired and, while it had been maintained, it looked like it hadn't received much love, so I didn't make an offer right then. The '10 Outback had many miles, but the owner was a sales rep so most of them were highway miles, which are easy on a car. The car drove fine, the tires (Michelin) were almost new, and it had been maintained by a dealer except for oil changes, which the owner performed himself every 5000 miles using Mobil 1 synthetic. The other potential buyer arrived, and he drove the car and made an offer (the owner was professional enough to keep us separate). The owner had priced the car according to blue book, so it was below market value, and I bid a bit higher and got the car. I gave him a small deposit and we shook hands and went on our ways. Vanya should get the car next week.
I was very relieved to have this business taken care of. On Tuesday I'd received a call from Moon Motorsports, the shop in Monticello that was repairing the bike.The service manager said that the rear universal joint was almost frozen, and that the driveshaft assembly (front and rear U-joints and the shaft) would have to be replaced. There were only four available in the country, and they would have the part sent next day delivery from the warehouse in LA. If all went well, the bike would be ready late on Thursday. Wednesday morning I awoke to a hard, cold rain and I was glad that I was in a car. I let the GPS send me on the quickest route, and I followed the directions to Fort Collins and then east on I-80 to I-76, and then in North Platte US 83 north to I-90. The rain eased up by noon, and the route was mostly the one that I'd taken three days previously on my way to Boulder. On the Interstate I noticed many motorcycles going west to the rally in Sturgis, SD, and I stayed in the same motel in Chamberlain, SD where I stayed on Saturday.
This morning was cool and dry, and I listened to the CDs I'd purchased a few days ago when I started out on the unexpected car trip - Stones, Elvis, Janis, Dylan, Credence, Beach Boys, Dead, The Band, and Rascal Flatts (just to get one group from the 21st century). I had breakfast in Canistota, which is a few miles off I-90, at a restaurant in the Ortman Hotel. There were quite a few Mennonite customers there, dressed in dark and conservative clothes. I'm familiar with the Amish, but apparently the Mennonites embrace the new technologies; it was slightly weird to see a woman, whose hair style and clothing looked like she was from the 19th century, talking on her cell phone.
The rental car was a Chrysler 200, which was pleasant enough, but not a car I would buy myself. It is priced in Honda Accord territory, but it doesn't seem to be as good a car - it feels heavy and ponderous, the engine works hard, and the driver's seat doesn't offer much support. On the other hand the speakers are quite good, the car is quiet on the road, and at the motel an older (my age) gentleman commented on what a pretty car it was - perhaps he was taken in by the ruby red paint job.
I arrived at Moon Motorsports at 2:30 PM to find that they still had some work to do on the bike, but that it would be ready in a couple of hours. On the sales floor was an '07 R1200R with 22k miles that had panniers and a top box. At $8000 it wasn't a bad deal, and I reflected that if they hadn't been able to fix the bike I could always have purchased the R1200R. I went to the post office to mail home the jeans and CDs that I'd purchased as well as a few items that I picked up at the rally. After a much-needed cup of coffee at a nearby Caribou I unloaded the car at Moon's, returned the rental to Enterprise (just half a mile away), and walked back to the dealer. The bike was ready, I paid the bill, examined the old parts, loaded the bike, and headed south on MN 25 at 5 PM. The bike felt fine and it felt very good to be riding again, especially through the green Minnesota countryside on a balmy summer evening. The people I've met here in Minnesota have been very pleasant and helpful (rather like Canadians), but I'll be glad to finally get out of the state tomorrow.
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| The offending U-joint |
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| The drive shaft assembly minus the rear U-joint |
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| Trinity Lutheran church in Montrose, MN |
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