Day 114, Wednesday, November 30, Salina, Day 12
The exit has started. Fedex came today to pick up the four cartons of gear i am shipping back home instead of shipping them with the Defender.
After FedEx left, I called Montway Auto Transport to find out the status of my order and they told me that they are still working on it. The rep today told me that the Defender's height, the fact that it is not running, the cross-country delivery and the request for an enclosed trailer are delaying the booking. They could give me no assurances, mainly because they are only brokers. The rep also told me that requesting an open or closed trailer would increase my chances of a speedier booking. I told her that i wish someone had told me that last week. Because (a) last week they told me that bookings could take five days, and it has already been five days with no booking in sight (b) every person i call at Montway gives me a slightly different answer, (c) Montway is only a broker,and, as such, has no control over or leverage with the drivers, and (d) Montway cannot guarantee the transport of my roof rack or gear left in the vehicle, i instructed them, to place my order on hold.
I then called Intercity Auto Transport, which ships all of Jay Leno's vehicles, and booked with them. They have their own trucks (27 enclosed) and drivers and gave me an approximate date of December 8th for pick up, with my vehicle to be loaded last and unloaded first, and promised that my roof rack and gear inside the vehicle will not be a problem as my vehicle will take up two spaces. Their cost is $1900 more than Montway, but i do not have to hire someone here to manage the loading and i save at least $1800 by possibly not having to ship the roof rack back by UPS or buy a new rook rack ($3500) if i abandon it here.
Despite the extra cost involved with Intercity, after i booked with Intercity, i felt an enormous burden lifted from my mind. Of course, the person who buys the Defender, should i decide to sell it, will ultimately be paying for all of this as it is part of its history. I will simply hang onto it until the right buyer comes along. I have amply demonstrated recently that patience is a virtue i possess in abundance. Of course, i have to first get it running again or it is virtually worthless except for parts. But if i solved what i solved in the Yukon, this one should be much easier.
As readers of this blog know, I occasionally refer to possibly selling the Defender. While I would hate to part with that magnificent machine after 23 years and tons of experiences with it, it would not be, at least not only, because i do not have confidence in it as a 23-year old vehicle for more long road trips. That certainly is a factor, but also are matters like its soft top, its short wheel base (i.e., my inability to sleep in it in emergencies), the difficulty in getting parts, etc. This vehicle is part of my identity. Perhaps i will hang onto it until the right replacement vehicle and the right buyer come along, and use zip cars and Uber to get around town in the meantime.
As for that new vehicle, there are only two possibilities: a JEEP Wrangler (i owned a CJ7 for 12 years before the Defender and they are great vehicles, and before that for 11 years an International Harvester Scout II, also a great vehicle) or the private replacement to the Defender rumored to be a possibility. The Jeep and other options can be seen at the below link. (For those who do not know, my license plate is JEEP.)
While i may not know what vehicle i will be driving next year, I do know one thing. I am not giving up these long road trips, with or without the Defender. In the meantime, i will wait until Donner, the Defender and i are safely home before i focus on this. First things first.
More tomorrow.
1 comment:
Safe travels, Eddie & Donner. We're rooting for you!
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