Thursday night, while flat out at work I got a message.....The owner was asking if it was ok if she gave me a call.... *Gulp*
Being ever the optimist I assumed that the call, well before when it was expected, was to say she didn't need any more time, she wasn't going to sell... I couldn't have been more wrong!
She announced that she had decided to sell to me and we needed to sort out the details.
To start off we agreed on a price, slightly below the already very reasonable asking price to allow for some of my out of pocket expenses, and I got some bank details and fired off a deposit to seal the deal. This is starting to get real...
Next was the logistics, I am in Sydney, she in regional Queensland, I had a few days off to work with, the next day, Friday through to the following Wednesday inclusive. Should be easy, right?
Ummm, there was actually quite a bit to get done as it turns out...
First was the when, as I mentioned she was going away for the weekend so that was out. Then she was too busy on the Monday, so we settled on Tuesday, it's starting to get a bit tight for going back to work on Thursday, although it was a late Thursday evening sign-on.
As it turns out I needed most of the intervening time to sort 'stuff' out!
So first order was transport, the what, when and where. I settled on 3 legs being the fastest way to get there, Taxi -> Plane -> Bus.
A direct flight from Sydney was possible but for some reason had two legs, with a layover in Cairns and added ~5 hours!
So a 5am pickup by the airport shuttle, a 6:30am flight and an 8:50am bus to arrive at 11:45am.
Booked and paid for... Done! I let the owner know the details and she agreed to meet me on arrival at the bus interchange.
Now just to keep things in perspective, I was flying on faith at this stage, never having seen the vehicle and made it clear that the transaction was subject to inspection. If there were issues I would just have to turn around and bus it back to BrizVegas.
Next was payment, she worked at a Mazda dealership and had seen just how insecure Bank Cheques are, so that was out. Bank transfer? Our respective banks wouldn't allow for direct transfer of such a large amount instantaneously and I had no interest in waiting around for a couple of days for the funds to clear, so nope. Ummm, cash? That's the most viable option... Yikes!
So the first job on Friday was to head down to the local branch and book a stupidly large cash withdrawal for Monday. Despite being completely legal it's amazing how difficult they made this.
Everything else was just logistics;
- Finalise transport arrangements
- Organise insurance
- Get roadside assistance coverage (just in case).
- Choose a route home and sort out accommodation on the return journey. I have some friends near Lismore I haven't seen in ages so easy choice.
- Roadworthy authority
The roadworthy ended up being a bit of a saga in it's own right.
The owner wasn't willing to let me travel on the Qld rego and cancel it when I got home, despite offering to hand over a signed document accepting all liabilities for traffic infringements and tolls incurred during the journey. So an unregistered vehicle permit would be required, with the attendant hassle of driving around with no plates. Hey Mr Police-person... Pick Me! Pick Me!
As it turns out every state has their own version of an unregistered vehicle permit, each with their own rules, conditions and fees. So long as you either start or complete the journey in the issuing state they are valid nationwide.
Much to my astonishment the NSW one was a far better deal than the Qld version, must be some sort of mistake...
Qld -> $90 for the first day, then $40 for each day after that.
NSW -> $28 for up to 28 days inclusive of CTP insurance, just travel by the most direct route.
On Monday, after battling with Sydney traffic to get to one of the few 'Service for NSW' facilities (now there's an oxymoron if ever I've seen one!) to get the unregistered vehicle permit, it was down to the bank for round 2.
They were still being difficult and seemed genuinely upset that the seller wasn't willing to accept a bank cheque... Listen, she isn't so just give me my money! Sheesh.
Then, with a death grip on my backpack, it was home for an attempted early night, and a good nights sleep.... yeah, good luck with that knucklehead!
, tomorrow was going to be a very long day...
Last job was a quick message to the seller to confirm we were still on for Tuesday.
Mercifully she responded relatively quickly with a yes and off to bed!
Next Episode: Looks like I've found the right car! Now to bring it home.