When a friend says "Hey, I just bought an old car off Ebay close to your house, would you want to go pick it up?" My typical response is, "You bet! When and where?"
Turns out, this particular purchase was about 1 hour from me. We quickly arranged for me to pick it up.
First attempt: car made it out of the guys driveway and as I shifted into second gear, it started sputtering and back-firing. Ok, no big deal. Just adjust the choke and see if it smooths out. Well, that didn't work........now how about I limp it to a stop light and plan the next move? Or, it could just stall out and leave me sitting in the middle of traffic.
Let's fast forward to Round 2....
It was a nice day, the owner had fixed the 'issues' and ensured me it was good to go. With my friendly neighbor trailing me, I was ready for any problems that may have crept up. Out the driveway I go, for a second time! First gear, smooth. Second gear, smooth. Third gear, still strong. Fourth gear, good deal! I thought to myself, 'is this real? Could this beast actually be allowing me to drive it all the way back?' Back roads were the route of choice as putting a 51 year old micro-car on the freeway next to modern-day semis probably wouldn't be the smartest decision. It cruised smoothly along at 3,000 rpms (what, did you think the speedometer worked?). After a while, the temperature started climbing. We stopped about half-way for lunch and to let the car think about how it was acting. Subway was the only place around. I still don't know how Jared was able to eat all those subs. Subway is TERRIBLE!
Round 2.5: Starting the car is apparently an art form and I'm not an artist. First, you put the key in, turn it, then hit the push button start. Sounds simple, right? Well, 1/2 hour later, I called my friend who purchased the car to let him know just how awesome his new 'toy' was. Turns out, it was just flooded and eventually gave in to my cussing. Back on the road! This time, I kept it running around 2,500 RPMs and it didn't warm up as much. For some reason though, it started running rough. Any time you tried to accelerate at more than a Ms. Daisy pace, it would start missing. I ended up limping it back to my house with the choke pulled all the way out. Any time I tried pushing the choke in a little, it would give me fits. Best part of this scenario: NOT MY PROBLEM! No, just kidding. I made it back safe and sound and the little TR3 patiently waits for it's new owner. One thing I failed to mention, this purchase came with a parts car too. No hands will be raised to volunteer to pick that up!
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