Sunshine Shelly...it felt sinful... like finding a $100 bill on a deserted sidewalk.
I am shopping for a car. My youngest is going to inherit my Nissan Altima at the end of the year. I'm not a "car person" and find it exhausting looking for a car. I need it to be utilitarian, a little bit sexy, representative of my travel business, and it has to stand out. That's difficult on a budget! Tell me I'm wrong. I challenge you. Days, weeks, months have gone by...then it happened. I found her. Why "her"? No idea. She looked happy. She looked independent. She looked sassy. She looked vintage but in good shape....I could totally relate. She was a 1967 Volkswagon Bus Camper. I had dreams about what I would do with Sunshine Shelly: we would take selfies at the beach, by a campfire, with my dog (I don't own a dog.) This vehicle is the epitome of all family vacations in the 60's, the vehicle in which many a virginity was lost in the 70's, and the image many travel agents use in their logos...she was perfect!
Then, I heard Dave Ramsey's voice, "MAKE YOUR MONEY BEHAVE!" Ironically, the money was feeling rebellious and making promises money cannot keep. So, I did what I generally do: I reached out to the seller to ask if they would accept less than asking price.
They answered, "We don't think you're serious."
I was embarrassed but also stubborn. So, I created an account on Bring A Trailer and waited patiently for a few weeks for the live auction. When the alarm went off on my laptop notifying me of the start of the auction, I grabbed my credit and debit cards (this is where I usually come to my senses, stop in my tracks, look around for witnesses, and slowly walk backward to my wallet and gently replace the cards.)
In this instance, however, I gleefully sat down at my laptop, giggled wickedly, pulled up the website https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-volkswagen-bus-19/ and watched as bidding became frantic. Time ran out and bidding was halted...Sunshine Shelly sold for $37,250 to "Falky," who upon closer inspection had also purchased my second choice: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1967-ford-bronco-7/
Well done, Falky. Well done. Take care of her.