Stupid is as stupid does.

I've been doing pretty well since the "Divorce Bomb" blew my life to E36 M3 a few years ago. I have caught up finincially, made a deal on a house with a real garage, managed to put away .75 Challenge Credits, I moved my "down on his luck" nephew and his daughter into my apartment to help him get a fresh start as well. I helped him get a job at the same Tier 1 Automotive Manufacturer that has helped me to turn my life around so quickly. On the Challenge front I made some moves to pick up a SN95 Mustang and an Expedition from a board member and things were looking sky high!

Then I found out that the deal to get into the house required an additional $2500 out of pocket for the legals and a well repair that I agreed to and that my nephews truck wasn't his. It is his grandparents from the "other" side of the family and they need it back. Oh and everything needs to be done immediately.

On the house I have one option:
- Pay the damned money.

With my nephew I have three options.
- Do nothing.
- Pay Dean for the Mustang and Expedition, drive to Massachusetts and pick up vehicles, fix Expedition brake issue and sell the truck to my nephew while Challenging the Muffedstain.
- Work some extra shifts, clock some holiday pay, pick up a local beater here in Battle Creek, push Dean off for four more weeks and still make it to the Challenge in a relatively stock car.

Dean is okay with route C so I took that option, I went and grabbed up a 345,000 Lexus LS400 with a 4" thick book of maintenance records including a timing belt and transmission within the last 35,000 miles. At $750.00 this car is a no brainer. Hell Brent was even considering dragging it down to the Challenge to run it as is!

Then Saturday happened.

The car was in desperate need of a tune up. I had the day off and the resources so I picked up $200 worth of Denso plugs, wires caps and rotors and hopped into Lex Luthor to go give it once over. The battery was dead. I'm a pretty good uncle, so I pulled the battery out in the light mist and ran down to Sears. $132.00 later I had a Silver Die Hard in hand and I proceeded to install it in a torrential downpour. No biggie. Get the juice box in and all I have to do is fire it up and get it over to Kellys. I can't do tune ups in the parking lot at the apartment and I don't have the keys for Casa de Mofo en Climax as of yet... I turn the key and it rumbles to life. It's pretty wet out and man she is misfiring like a pig! good thing I got those wires! A four mile city drive and I'll be golden. I get it to Kells and do me best "Grumpy Mechanic" impersonation. stupid Toyotas. I finish up and decide to take her for the ten block test drive. Rolled out onto the main street and I realize "I gots a prollem". Holy carp this thing is way down on power. like a big flat miss. Not like its dropped a cylinder but something worse. I nurse it bac to within a block of Kellys and it becomes audibly apparent that there is something else going on. At this point I can here what I assume is either 1/2 of a connecting rod beating the ship out of what is left of a piston, rod or the block... At first I thought maybe I missed a plug wire loose or crossed a wire at the cap. Nope. Visual inspection reveals a severe loss of black gold out of the drivers side of the block mid way up.

So I'm out $1085.00 and my girlfriend has a crappy looking paperweight in her driveway...

I'm still rolling on with Plan C and worked tonight and will be again tomorrow to get to where I need to be financially to fulfill my obligations with Dean.

Looks like my nephew will be driving an Expedition. I really wanted that truck for a snow hawg.

Unless you have a line on a dirt cheap car to sell my nephew? Anything?

Dude, that sucks, are you going to seek another engine?

Wow, a lot of Sux in that story!
I'm not sure I really recommend continuing down the rabbit hole but if you do...

'95 Lexus LS 400. Priced To Move. - $1200 http://lansing.craigslist.org/cto/5209319717.html

That would leave you with $1085 worth of spare parts.

Man that's rough!

Story needs more Amy though

We should talk. I am much more about freeing up space than the $$$.

The Alabama trailer park look of my yard is waring thin on my wife.

Datsun is right. Your backstory tells me you really need a win. But you have crappy cards at the moment. Under those circumstances playing a safe sounds smarter. I'd get the house money done now. That won't wait around forever.

Yep. House first. No if's and's or but's. Get your house I order (literally).

You are mostly spot on Datsun.

The house deal is done. When I say I saved up .75 Challenge Credits I mean specifically for the challenge. I also busted ass for a good chunk down to put on the house, it just happened to be $2500 less than I initially planned for.

You are right, the nephew needs to handle his own. He is at the precipice of being able to do so. The difference between him and I right now is that I make $8/hr more and can stack overtime up like crazy. I've overcome a $10,000 deficit and put $27,000 into the house (and let's not forget a Lexus)

The Lexus was a shot at me helping and it backfired. I have managed to overcome much more, this is minor. I just feel foolish for deviating from my original plan.

Dean, we will talk soon.

john,

challenge credits - if you're flying solo we can split a room as my family isn't staying with me.

i am not opposed to a teammate/co-driver for the Z if you have no wheels. very few people would i trust with my steering wheel in their hands, but you're on the list.

aussiesmg wrote: Dude, that sucks, are you going to seek another engine?

A WAY down the line thought is to build a 5.5L stroked UZ hybrid using an offset ground 2UZ crank, modified Chevy rods and proper pin height Chrysler slant 6 pistons and the 1UZ heads and electronics. Thgen assemble them into a lightweight body with an adapter plate bolting a World Class T5/T45 on and a 4.30:1 gearset. Then go have fun with it. The car is bought and paid for and isn't worth parting down or rebuilding at this point. If a cheap enough 4.0L or 4.7L block shows up then I may reconsider.

JohnRW1621 wrote: Wow, a lot of Sux in that story! I'm not sure I really recommend continuing down the rabbit hole but if you do... '95 Lexus LS 400. Priced To Move. - $1200 http://lansing.craigslist.org/cto/5209319717.html That would leave you with $1085 worth of spare parts.

Not really ready to pull another Challenge trigger. Fill my current obligations to Dean and in turn get my nephew rolling and then after the challenge there will be enough time to work out that nightmare ;)

KyAllroad wrote: Man that's rough! Story needs more Amy though

I've had far too much Amy in my life ;)

patgizz wrote: john, challenge credits - if you're flying solo we can split a room as my family isn't staying with me. i am not opposed to a teammate/co-driver for the Z if you have no wheels. very few people would i trust with my steering wheel in their hands, but you're on the list.

We can split a room no doubt. Save us both on costs.

I'll be there with the Muffedstain.

Quasi Mofo wrote:

patgizz wrote: john, challenge credits - if you're flying solo we can split a room as my family isn't staying with me. i am not opposed to a teammate/co-driver for the Z if you have no wheels. very few people would i trust with my steering wheel in their hands, but you're on the list.

We can split a room no doubt. Save us both on costs. I'll be there with the Muffedstain.

Can do, im calling for reservation tomorrow for thursday night through sunday morning. Half price hotel room is great with me.

In reply to Quasi Mofo:

I have a dirt-cheap car to sell your nephew - '97 Nissan 200sx auto. Runs/drives great, heat & a/c work great, General Altimax tires with less than 2k on them. It's solid underneath, but the fenders rusted through behind the front wheels, there's some rust showing in the rockers & rear wheel arches, and it has a slight exhaust leak. $1500.

Edit: Here's the thread.