Well the story starts with the purchase of a donor vehicle. After a few months of looking at multiple cars, I decided on a mini SUV (as they are known apparently). I decided against a car as it just doesn’t seem to fit my lifestyle. Looking at the future, a 4 door is a necessity in case I have kids and I mountain bike a lot and run a soccer team. These all demand space, so a mini SUV is a good compromise.
I found this Grand Vitara on Craigslist and I’m pretty sure the guy thought I was crazy. Engine made quite a racket when it ran (good old timing chain issue) and had a massive oil leak, but I was more concerned with rust, and shape of the vehicle.
Overall the vehicle had never been in a serious accident, had always been maintained by the same family and the son who owned it now was moving away in short order. $1000 and the car was mine. Drove it home and parked it in the driveway till I could deal with it.
