...that's been this past year for me.
Then imagine actually getting the car back after not knowing if it still existed and innumerable broken promises or failed meet-ups where either the owner, the car, or the business itself doesn't show up.
The full story is long, and repetitive in a Groundhog Day sort of way. Here's the gist.
I bought a 96 Prelude that was in a paint and body shop, stripped for painting. The paint job was already paid for by the seller. It was a risk, but it was worth it to me in parts alone. Best case I'd get a "free" paint job, worst case I'd get enough parts to finish my other project Prelude.
For the next 50 weeks the shop owner told me my car would be done, "next week." Or I was told nothing while the shop owner went incommunicado for a month. At one point I even gave him a little money on top, half now-half on delivery, to make it a two-tone paint job. I figured if the business was living hand to mouth he might be prioritizing jobs that bring new revenue, so maybe some cash might bump my car further to the front of the queue. It seemed to work at first: communication increased, but ultimately it didn't produce the desired effect.
During this time the shop moved locations several times, adding to my anxiety as I would show up unannounced and find nothing but an empty, locked building.
It being a Honda, I was resigned to the idea it was most likely my car was parted out, stolen, or resold without title. There didn't seem to be any other logical explanation. I'd already told the guy I didn't want a refund and didn't care what condition the car was, as long as I got it back. I felt as long as the shop owner kept nominally trying to work with me, I had to keep trying.
It left me in a weird headspace all year, because I couldn't take on new cars or make final decisions on my other projects while this was unresolved.
Last month the shop owner let me know he was folding the business, though he still intended to paint the car before the lease ended. As we approached the date he said his lease ended I became concerned the window of opportunity was slamming shut. I contacted him again; he said he'd already moved cars that had been in the shop to "storage." He could give me a day and time to meet, but not an address (claimed it was "up the road" from old shop but not marked).
When that day came and went still without hearing back, I finally started dropping words like "stolen," "small claims court," and "lawyer." The shop owner called me back to assure me it was nothing like that, it was just that he hadn't been able to get ahold of the guy who owned the property. We resolved to try again next week.
The next weekend's morning meet up also fell through. I'd been fabricating a mount for a flat tow hitch (they don't make an off the shelf one for the Prelude), so instead of waiting by the phone all afternoon I threw my flat tow setup into my AWD Element and set off. I'd decided to drive down the road by the original shop to see if I could figure out on my own where this alleged "storage" was. To my amazement, the car was visible from the street (!) in a fenced-off field. Unpainted, bumper missing, windows open getting rained in - but IT EXISTED.
I noticed the gate was unsecured so I let myself in. An older gentleman, the groundskeeper / yard hand introduced himself by first name. He was sympathetic but said he couldn't let me just take a car. He asked I hang back so as not to spook the owner, who turned out not to be in after all. I did finally learn the first name of the person who owned the yard, although the hand said he didn't know the guy's last name. He recited a contact number he wasn't sure was right, because he himself didn't own a phone. I got vague directions to the day job where the property owner might currently be.
I figured in this far, might as well continue: I drove out to the square mile that was as far as the directions narrowed it down, which was a district with a couple Mexican tire shops. I walked up to the open bays and asked techs and mechanics where I could find '{Hispanic-first-name}', mostly to silence and cold stares. However in the midst of this I got a call from the owner of the former paint shop, apparently the property owner had heard I was asking for him and told him to tell me he was going to meet me at the storage yard. However the paint shop owner would "not be able to make it out there for at least a couple hours."
I finally got to meet the man who could release my car, but immediately I had to leave and meet up with the paint shop owner so he could give me the key to the car. Again with the vague directions, but I found the place. He wasn't real sure it was the right key (spoiler: it wasn't) because the shop had been broken into. As he gave me the key I asked him, "The only thing I don't understand is, why the Hell not tell me 'come get your crap' any of the three times you had to move all the cars?" He said he felt bad about taking my money and not painting the car. That he still hoped to make it up to me someday when he gets back on his feet.
Back at the storage lot / field they'd moved some cars around to let mine out, and that's when we found the key wouldn't work in the ignition. I later figured out it was the key to the door but not the column. Since we couldn't unlock the steering I didn't think flat tow was a good idea. The yard hand (same one I'd met earlier) offerred to use his car dolly and truck to tow it to my house. After we unloaded it, I pressed a $100 bill in his hand. A tow truck would have been at least $160 anyway. He said thank God; he was broke and had gas to get to a job tomorrow but not to get back. I was touched he'd offered to tow my car despite it meaning he wouldn't have gas to get home the next day.
So now I've got this... thing... in my driveway. It's pretty trashed, 50% rainspots and 50% bondo. My wife said, "You've got your work cut out for you," then asked the no-win question, "Was it like this when you bought it?" This certainly isn't the first time I've gotten in trouble with the wife over buying a car, but it is the first time I've gotten in trouble twice over the same purchase.
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