My disgust with new cars and all that they entail has had me perusing Marketplace and CL looking at old cars. More of a daydream than a serious search. I needed another vehicle like Carter needed more peanuts.
But then this thing popped up on Marketplace, trades only. It wasn't just another Ford A or T, which intrigued me since I love something different. He was only wanting pre-1950s cars but on a whim, I sent a reply offering a trade for the Bentley. The Bently was a dream car of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it but it is every bit as complicated as any new car on the market and worse than some. I was willing to trade it for something from a simpler time.
A little bit of back and forth and we agreed to meet about halfway to take a look-see. Naturally, it was pouring rain Saturday morning but the meet was still on. I had planned to tow the REO back to town so I hooked up a trailer, loaded up my eldest son and eldest grandson, and with my middle son driving the Bentley, we headed south to the Walmart parking lot in Beaufort SC. The trip down was uneventful and we parked in an empty spot on the outskirts of the WM parking lot and waited for the REO to show up.
For some reason, I assumed the REO would show up on a trailer. Travel from where the owner lived in Bluffton SC to the meet was about 45 miles. Rain had been coming down like a cow pissing on a flat rock most of the night and morning but about 10 minutes after we arrived at the Walmart, here comes the REO. He had driven it those 45 miles, at 45 mph, with manual wipers, no defrost, and rear-only drum brakes. I was pretty much instantly sold when I saw it rolling down the road. I prefer a well-loved driver over a trailer queen even with the bumps and scratches of daily life. One of my issues with driving the Bentley was the fear of scratching the damn near perfect original paint. The REO doesn't have that problem.
So we showed each other what we had and closed the deal. Paperwork signed, I loaded the REO on the trailer and we headed back to town. It was about 80 miles back to my house. That's farther than I wanted to drive a car that is different from anything I've ever owned before.
From there, we made a quick stop by my parent's house because my Father loves old cars and headed home.
We unloaded the car, took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood, and put her in the shop. I have promised myself I'm finishing projects before starting another. The REO is going to stay in the shop for a while. The next on the list is the Falcon.
I neglected to take many pictures, these are from the Marketplace ad.
So, that's where we stand at the moment.
Where we go from here is up in the air. Part of me wants to restore it from the ground up. Part of me wants to leave it like it is and just drive it. What will probably happen is something in between.
I'll leave you with this.