Introducing...

Sally the Toyota Sienna!  Yes, it's true. I have become a minivan owner.  The me of a decade ago would be horrified. The me of today wonders what the heck took me so long! I love it. This vehicle was designed specifically for the parent of small children.  The automatic doors! The cargo space! The cupholders! The easy carseat installation!  It also helps that this thing is fully loaded with heated leather seats, GPS, sunroof and AWD. Isn't she a beaut?? :)

Todd's New Ride

Todd's always had a thing for old Jeeps, and although he's loved the two Wagoneers that we've had, he's been longing for a vehicle that can do all the important plowing and hauling but also double as a fun ride.

Enter the newest addition to our fleet: a 1985 Jeep CJ7. Todd bought it from a good friend of Basil's, who conveniently lives in Northport. So bright and early on Saturday morning of Memorial Day Weekend, Todd got his new Jeep! Also convenient, Todd was able to work in the shop at the cottage to make sure that the new steed was roadworthy for the trip back to Kalamazoo. She made it in one piece and even went on 131 from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo!

Posing in front of some of the beauty the Leelanau Peninsula has to offer.

All the guys checking things out under the hood.

Nathan of course had to explore every nook and cranny.

We all took it for a quick spin to the end of the road and back.

Upgrade!!

Todd surprised me today by giving my car some awesome upgrades! While I was on the road this fall he brought my car into work so that the painter could match the colors and then paint a new hood scoop (my old one was peeling and gross) and spoiler for the back. This weekend Todd commandeered my car and spent a chunk of time each day working to install them. I love the way they turned out--my car looks so sporty now!

New hood scoop--so shiny!

My super cool spoiler!

I love the way that it looks so integrated into the body of the car, but really enhances the overall look of it.

The artist!!

Outback Project

Todd finished up his latest car project today--a 1997 Subaru Outback. He installed an engine, transmission and clutch (all of which required a myriad of detailed projects) along with some other regular maintenance and a good bath and buffing. The car already has an owner, so it will be going to its new home soon! It looks pretty darn good if you ask me, and it runs like a dream!

Subaru Project: Accomplished

This week Todd finished up the work on the '99 Outback that he drove home from Grand Rapids in 2nd gear about a month ago. He removed the junk transmission from this car, removed a functioning transmission from another Subaru that is waiting in the wings to be flipped, and then successfully installed it into this car. A co-worker of Bryan Lepley's was waiting in the wings to purchase the car, and it went to its new home on Wednesday evening. Before it left, Todd took some photos of the finished product (although the vast majority of the work was done under the hood) and of course there are a few of Nathan in the mix too!

The finished product--all six gears are functional!

New rear bumper cover

The Electra in her spot in the shop, patiently waiting for the day she'll be fully restored, and the next project car waiting in the wings after donating her transmission to the white Outback.

As seen in a video in a previous post, Nathan loves the Jeep. It's been parked outside while Todd was working on the Subaru, and every time he has the opportunity, N makes a beeline for the Jeep! He loves to point out every part of the snowplow, bumper, headlight, etc.

My sweet hubby and his Jeep.

My sweet boy eating sticks.

Stones!

My car had to join in on the photo shoot--check out those two '99 Limiteds!

New Project

Todd has become quite the expert at hunting for bargains on Craigslist. In order to find a bargain on a highly desirable car, you have to respond to the posting immediately, and be pretty aggressive with your offer. After a number of near misses, Todd hit the bullseye this weekend. Thanks to his fancy phone's notifier app, he got notification at 2 am when this car went up for sale. Thanks to a nasty cold, Todd was actually up at 2 am and responded immediately.

After some back and forth with the owner, we drove up to NE Grand Rapids yesterday to check it out. After towing it out of a snowbank with my car, Todd got it running, took it for a short drive and made a deal. Just moments after exchanging cash for the title, another prospective buyer pulled into the driveway!

So there are some cosmetic issues, and there is something wrong with the transmission (it is stuck in 2nd gear), but for $600, Todd got a 1999 Subaru Outback Limited with 126,000 miles on it. The fact that it is stuck in 2nd gear means that he drove home from Grand Rapids with a maximum speed of 30mph!

The jury is still out whether this will be a flip car or a daily driver, but either way, it's a Craigslist victory!