Tony D Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Scenario: 1990 Chevy 3+3 Dually, 454 Big Block, new registration and smog current. Late 70's 22 Foot enclosed trailer, with rollaround box, workbench, dual lighting system (110 and 12V) This package has towed for the current owner for years, and he's lost storage so has to sell. Price is "Dutch Auction" due to possible tow/impound starting 1Jan (and the police have been cruising his place daily to monitor 'the disposal') Price was $6000 for the pair, now down to $5000 'Negotiable'. MUST BE BOUGHT TOGETHER WILL NOT SEPARATE! Besides my attempts, what on earth can convince my wife that 'Dually' is not a bad thing, and really, if I buy the package for $4000-4500 and sell the dually for $1K I'm still out ahead on the deal. Was a former Drag Racer's Pit Trailer, and because it was bought and paid for they never really considered selling it because they just parked it at their shop. Now, that is no longer possible, so 'fire sale' pricing. Nice trailer (though heavy) with 1.5" Box Tubing skeleton (including overhead) which you can attach a beam to the roof and pull a Big Block Engine inside the trailer if need be. How, gentlemen. How do I convince her that I need this. I have already offered up 7 Z's to the Crusher/Scrap man to clear more than enough space for this acquisition. Give me some ideas, men. I'm at a loss... Did I mention this is my 24th wedding anniversary today. So any of your suggestions has to be broached after today... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4xwellmurd3r Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 gas is CHEAP now! there's one thing going for it. and you never know when you need a big truck. but remember. gas is STUPID CHEAP NOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amorfin Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Approach her nicelly and find out exactly why she is saying no. Basically find the real objection, and sell her on it. If it's space, tell her about the Z's you are willing to let go (maybe give me one or two if they are in any decent shape ). If it's the money, explain to her how good of a deal it is and kind of promise not to spend money on something else or whatever fits for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Well... it is better to beg forgiveness than ask permission... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jap tin Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Well... it is better to beg forgiveness than ask permission... Thats how my buddies last divorce started over a R1 Yamaha. He told me the same thing about the begging for forgiveness deal. She said talk to my lawyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Give her the equivalent in cash back to her. If you don't have it, then I would not do the purchase. However, It doesn't seem money is your issue. You could always ask what would be fair to her, that would allow you to purchase it? Something she wants built? Somewhere she wants to go? Find the magic button. You never did mention why she doesn't want you to have it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlalomz Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Tell her she has 22 ft. of storage in the off season. Also it would be easier to haul the 7 Z's up to Sacramento to give me:) Good luck, it sounds like a helluva deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairjj Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Tony, My wife didn't know about my love/obsession with Zcars when we got married. (It was dormant waiting for the right job ($$$) to come along to support my habit). Once I started again, I quickly filled every storage space in the house with parts. She still doesn't understand it, but she is ~mostly~ agreeable but the following have helped me considerably: 1) Honesty... "Honey if I don't get those JDM headlight covers... my doctor says I'm a goner" (p.s. Having the doctor write a note helps). 2) Barter... "Honey if you let me get ANOTHER RHD 280ZXT 2+2, I'll process all outstanding items on the honey-do list"... 3) Begging... "Honey... PLEASE let me get this part... (get down on knees) PLEASE... PLEASE... PLEASE (continue ad nauseum)" 4) Embellish... "Honey... you don't understand, it is made from 110% Mr. K approved genuine JDM unobtanium... I mean from an island that small, and far away (like 10,000 miles) this HAS to be the ONLY one like this left" 5) Economics... "Honey (with spreadsheet of calculations) If I buy this, my buddy Larry's friend's cousin Phil said that his brother-in-law's boss, Curtis needs _______ from what I'd be getting and that will pay for what I'm spending (er... spent)... So, see... I'm saving us money...." 6) Romance... Plan a REALLY nice dinner and night out now... for the Anniversary... This one is tricky as you have indicated that you want something, this is best saved as a preemptive maneuver... 7) Quid-Pro-Quo... Buy her something that she wants but would never buy for herself because "it costs too much". This was an embroidery machine in my case (As GOD as my witness, I had NO idea that sewing machines cost that much). 8) Subterfuge... Buy it, sell off what you can and put profit in the bank... when questioned about the transaction, blame the appropriate "ISTS" (Leftists, Rightists, Communists, etc) In the end, you know her best, if honesty and sensibility don't work... is torquing her off worth it? Happy Holidays! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Roses, dinner at Joe Greensleves in Redlands, and watch "Legends of the Fall" with her and don't make any snide comments about Brad Pitt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garvice Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Why not today. That would make a lovely anniversary present. Sorry, I know I am not helping, just couldn't help myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 don't make any snide comments about Brad Pitt. LOL:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Jeff, Jay & John seem to have it down pretty darn well: find the hot button and exploit it It's really not devious because this is for the greater good and will help your family in the long run, right? However, let me caution you that using romance as a tool to get what you want is very shaky ground and can land you in heaps of trouble. It's a subtle form of manipulation (and never mind that women use sex to get men to do what they want us to. For some reason, they always get a pass with that one) I think laying out the facts on a list and showing what you will do to offset the space issue and perhaps the money issue is the best policy. Plus, it shows her respect. If she doesn't see eye to eye with you after all that, buy it anyway Good luck! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 Thats how my buddies last divorce started over a R1 Yamaha. He told me the same thing about the begging for forgiveness deal. She said talk to my lawyer. There was more there than simply an R1, if you think it was about the bike, you're woefully wrong. If your friend thinks it's about the bike, he's woefully wrong as well. As for Legends of the Fall, we watched that a week or so ago. I like Bradd Pitt in that movie, though not as much as Anthony Hopkin's character. Shohuld have checked back on Joe Greensleeves in Fontana...now I have an ace in the hole to go as a special surprise... I think she has preconceived notions about what the truck is... I really wasn't looking for a combination, and I wasn't looking for an enclosed trailer. BUT... Several times over the past year she has made the comment that "why don't you buy an enclosed trailer like Daves, so you could use it as a portable garage and store one of hte cars in it?" (Seriously...she has said that to my response of "Dave's trailer was $14,000 and I'm not paying 14K for a damned trailer!") I will need this trailer in the future for some stuff, so it's really a 'target of opportunity', and really the truck is coming along for the ride. I would 'fire sale it' for $1K to anybody who wanted it once the trailer was at the house. I will buy a smaller truck, but when will you find a set trailer with storage and the ability to pull and engine using the roof beams for under $5K??? It's not what I wanted, but the plans for the future, as well as convienence of transporting some of the cars to and from the painter's it would come in handy---and if need be I can borrow someone's F350 Diesel to tow it for that purpose. But it's getting the trailer. And having it at that price. The truck is her sticking point---she is convinced that another trailer will come up that is cheaper...or somehow 'a perfect match.' "But it's a dually" is her refrain. IMO, it's an overbuilt trailer and that's a good thing. If it sits for a comple of years, at least its enclosed storage for a car, or a nice easily heated with a space heater portable shop for the back yard (plus, I can store building materials inside it for the drywall I need to do... But we won't get into the selling of my Moby Van back in '01 because that phase of home improvements as done...bought it off-lease for $900 from the company, sold it three years later on Christmas Day for $3500!) Frankly, all I want and have a need for immediately is the TRAILER. I would sell the damn truck for whatever I could get for it and move on with my selection of an older Chevy C20 or C30 from 67-72 for a work truck (which I don't really need since I don't technically do any wrenching any more, but having a truck to pull up onto a jobsite is psychologically soothing for customers compared to a rat-trap Blue 260Z with a 'You are being Overtaken' flag painted across the hood.) I think I will mention the building materials storage angle. She seems to have a soft spot for the old White Chevy G30 Van I had, and she knows the only reason I bought it was to store drywall and building materials, because it was mobile, and cheaper than a Tuffshed at the time! Kinda the exact same situation now, in my mind at least. I think my holding on to vehicles once I get them (please see my list under the thread 'how many S30's do you own') makes her think I will keep this Dually around for a while. Other than an immediate couple of scrap runs (including some of the Z-s I'm willing to part with) if someone comes up with the cash---it's gone. So that's a non-starter in my mind. But not in hers. I think this afternoon I'm cashing a check for my offer, and will set up a viewing of the package tomorrow since we will be in the area for a party. MY CONCERN: I didn't inspect this truck, someone else FAR more finikey that I did, and by his description it's pretty nice. I am afraid once we take a look at it she will want me to KEEP the truck longer than I have any plans for it! This is kind of what happened with my Van. I wanted it gone. I hate big vehicles unless I have a constant need for them (er...like towing a 20 foot trailer). I usually go with the smallest vehicle that will do the job reliably. I just need to get her to go look at it. There, it's fleshed out some more. Space is not an issue. Money is not an issue. And as for giving her an equivalent ammount...christmas is two days away, and there aren't any visible presents under the tree from me to her... Lets say big $ can come in small packages. If not an equivalent ammount, it's far more than I would ever spend on such foolish baubles to ornament my body... Oh, and she knew about my car craze when we got married. She painted her Supra when we lived in Japan. I had headers hanging in the spare bedroom closet there! I had a house on a small lot and 6 Z Cars, her 1980 Suzuki Jeep, her 1980 Celica XX (Surpa) and my Yamaha XS650 Special on that little postage stamp lot...with a HiAce Van up at the hobby shop for Body and Paint Supply Storage! And I forgot to mention my last words on the subject to her on the 21st: "And don't think just because I don't buy it, that means it won't end up stored in our backyard anyway, honey!" The guy I sent it to for his purchase, doesn't have the space, so the bastard batted it back to my court! If I don't buy it, he's already lined up a buyer for the truck, and would end up storing the trailer at my place anyway (with the Lemons Car in it!) Oh Oh, now John C can deduce two of the players in this Shakesperian Drama... As for using sex as a tool against me...remember I am a Field Service Person. By nature, I have evolved into a Sexual Dromedary. One hump can last me for months through the drought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(goldfish) Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 The sticking point is the truck huh? Pick a date with her that the truck will be gone by. If you can't sell it then won't the "State" buy it back for some piddly amount so they can crush it? Then she knows how long it will be around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 You know, that is a damn good ploy, except that it's recently passed smog and has good registration for hte full year... But if there were no takers at the end of that time...pulling a couple of vacuum hoses to intentionally fail smog, then going in, having it tested (failing miserably) and then using the crusher rebate program to pay me $1000 for my efforts seems a laudabule way to milk the state of California out of a $1000 rebate of my tax dollars. It's all in the name of saving it for our kids, right??? I hadn't thought of that angle of attack to discard of the behemoth.... It meets all the criteria for the crusher programs: Currently Registered, Forced to be a Gross Polluter, everything there looks functional... Muahahahaha! The deviousness which it now incites goads me to persistence! LOL Only drawback is the sin of wasting a perfectly good rat motor that could well go into the Norskog just for S&G! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Before going to the crusher, transplant a 4 banger in there. Tell them it gave up the ghost and quite running. Be sure to be waring a globle warming tee shirt, and pick a cold day;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I might be interested in the truck. Maybe I can trade some S30 parts for it...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 26, 2008 Author Share Posted December 26, 2008 I might be interested in the truck. Maybe I can trade some S30 parts for it...? Oh, you bastard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Tony, seems to me the deal is as good as done if you can get her to go look at it with you. Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 Methinks it's gone, or the guy went out of town for the holidays... My only hope is that he returns and finds my calls on his machine. I've started looking at open deck trailers as I got crap I got to move now, while I'm home. And I needed one of those anyway---in addition to needing an enclosed unit 'down the road'. I just don't think women get the whole 'target of opportunity' unless it involves shoes or clothes or something relatively cheap. I tend to look well into the future on some things, and stuff will sit for extended periods. Then when it 'happens' things move really fast and people wonder how something so complex got done so quickly. It's 10 years of planning and 6 months of feverish activity...that's how! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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