1992 Oldsmobile Toronado

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

I have news.. I have a huge confession to make. As you recall, I had bought the wrong Toronado twice!! Recall I wanted the one on Ebay as it was what I always wanted and the color and interior was correct? Well... This is how it started.

The very next day after I sent that weekly email a friend stepped up to the plate. I was busy in my office. He came on the messenger. He asked me had any of my friends offered to help me get that Toronado? I said no. Jo said she told me she was concerned about me. He said do you want the car? I said yes, I do but I do not have all the funds. I have some, not all. He said It is your dream. We are going to to get you that car. I said what!! He stepped up and said We are going to get you that car.

He said God sent me. He is using me a vessel. I then begin to realize what was going on and there was a lesson in this for me. I did not bid. I waited from all the last week of August until September 3rd the last day. God used that time to tell me what was going on.

He then told me August 31st what I needed to do. He said do not go to the grocery store. Do not go to the Third Planet. Do not spend any money. You will understand later. I did. I then told Joshua and asked him would he drive the car here should I win. He agreed. He was ready as he never had met me before, but we have known each other for years. I went to God and asked should Joshua drive the car. The answer came on that Monday September 3rd.

In the meantime, Jason and I were making our plan, going back and forth online. We talked on the phone. I had to wait with the right attitude and not be anxious or fear or step ahead. As I was waiting, I realized had I bidded early I would have driven the price up. I had to keep a cool and level head. I realized a lot about being driven by being anxious and what issues it will cause.

Joshua came forth on September 3rd and was honest and said he could not drive the car to me. I appreciated that because he came and told the truth. He was sad because he would not get to see me.

The time came for us to bid. We waited until 20 minutes before the end. We took turns bidding trying to meet the reserve. Each number we put it was not the reserve. Jason finally hit the mark. After each bid, we kept going back and forth on the telephone and the computer counting our money and seeing how much could we bid. We won the auction! We met the reserve. By not going to the store and waiting the right way, that extra money helped us win.

We paid the initial deposit.

God then told me on August 31st what was going on and how the second Toronado came into play. As I was driving home, he cleared so much up. He said when I told you do not fix the engine, I meant exactly that. Do not fix the engine. Do not fix the car. You almost missed that message because you kept fixing the car. That car needed a lot of things done. It was going to cost your more to save that car than what you paid for it. That is why you saw the Toronado I wanted you to have. This is why you never drove that Toronado in your driveway after May 11, 2007. The last day I drove it was the day of graduation for the Spring 2007. You were never going to get ahead trying to fix that car. I wanted to show you what being anxious almost cost you. I am going fix your mistake you made. Do not step out ahead of me. You will sell the yellow Toronado and use that money to get the new one titled in Texas and to start paying your friend Jason back. The long term impact is to give you your life back. I am removing your burden. You have not been able to live life or do the things you wanted to do for months because of that yellow Toronado. It is like business. You are cutting your losses in order to get ahead. You will owe your friend less paying him back than trying to fix that car. The money you were going to use to fix that Toronado will go to Jason. I added it up. It is true. I in fact will owe him way less....

I then posted the yellow Toronado car online on at least 6 different places to sell it.

What about the new Toronado? Jason talked to the owner. It was the daughter selling it for her elderly mother. It is close in mileage to my Ninety Eight, and the owner drives like I drive my Ninety Eight. The color is right, the cloth was right. The mother had owned a Oldsmobile before that. They talked about the car and relayed the information to me. I ran a Autocheck on the vehicle history. It came back clean.

On September 4, 2007 I went and took my share of the money out of the bank. God spoke to me about my next step. He said we first must get the black Toronado here. Once that is done, and it is on your insurance, then the yellow one will be sold. What you will do is swap cars on your insurance policy.

Jason wrote this to his friends and family:

There comes a time in all of our lives when we stumble upon a dream... often, not one of our own choosing. It may come upon you suddenly, without warning, or the semblance of it may grow in your heart over a period of years, even decades.

I have known Landis for several years now and without fail, in every email he sends out to friends and family, there is always a mention of Oldsmobile and GM. He is the Master of things Oldsmobile and GM worldwide. I have to say I was most impressed by the lengthy letter he wrote to GM about their organizational/car development problems one or two years ago. This letter received a thorough response from GM that thanked him for his input and knowledge.

Well, Landis acquired his 2nd Olds not too long ago -- an early 90s Oldsmobile Toronado. He has had a lot of problems with it and it looked like it was time for a new engine. Just a few days ago, someone posted on eBay the exact model car he had been looking for: a 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado coupe -- just 1,000 or so are left in the entire US. Unfortunately, he mentioned in his e-mail he had poured money into fixing the one he had and it still had a long way to go. Financially, he was looking at a long haul. The sad thing was the one on eBay was in excellent condition, had only one owner, and only 75,000 miles. And, it was the exact color he originally wanted -- he was looking at the expense of painting his current car, too.

I said that's a shame... he'll be stuck in that car he has for a long time trying to fix everything. I instant messaged him and asked him what was happening. He said he was learning his lesson for being so anxious to jump at the first Toronado he could find. He took the first one he could get but he got one with problems.

So, he was going to have to watch this one slowly disappear as the days of the auction winded down. It then hit my heart, I said I know how much that car means to him, and how big of a part Oldsmobile plays in his life. We came up with a plan, got our finances together, Landis decided to put his old Toronado up for sale, and here I was thrust for the first time on eBay to bid!!

We had a number of discussions about how to bid and when. The owner of the Oldsmobile had a hidden reserve price -- a price they were not willing to go below to sale the car. We ended up using a "sniping" strategy -- bidding in the final seconds to try and get the car with the highest bid -- leaving no time for other bidders to respond.

It worked!! We won the car!! Now comes the part of payment, shipping, etc. It was quite the experience and a lot of fun, too. And, soon, my buddy Landis will have a 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado in his driveway... it will be the realization of his dream... and of mine.

Perhaps it is the bond of friendship that allows others to share in dreams... maybe even that is not needed. Maybe in some metaphysical sense, we can share in anyone's dreams. I hope that you, too, have the occasion to share that experience.

We felt really blessed by God yesterday... and for me, it was a labour of love. Dreams... dreams are a powerful part of our lives.

story continued in next post..

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Continued....

On September 4th, I met Jason at the bank. I gave him my money, he then put his with it. We got the cashiers check to mail to the owners of the Toronado. Jason spoke to the owners again. He mailed the check to the owners.

On Sunday September 9, Jason messaged me:

jason michael: Susan has received the check -- her parents will deposit it on Monday and let us know if there are any problems.

On September 12, 2007- I spoke to the daughter of the owners. She called me and told me congratulations on your new Toronado! We talked and I learned they are a GM family. The mother has owned nothing but Toronados. She had the 1979-1985 body style, the 1986-1989 body style and the last generation 1990-1992. They have a Buick Park Avenue in the driveway. We talked and I told her about me and my experience with Oldsmobile. She was relived I was not going to modify the car in any shape form or fashion. She said it has been garaged, and they just put new tires on the car. I do not have to do anything to it. She gave me their contact information. The car has been inspected too. The check cleared with no problem.

I spoke to the shipping company the same day. They are in Washington state. The state I went to in 2003. I got that lined up. We are waiting for a truck. My insurance company was great too. They put the new Toronado on my policy. They left the old Toronado my policy for free. It has free 30 day coverage while it sits in my driveway until I sell it.

I spoke to the owner himself Wednesday night September 12th. He was telling me about the car. I told him what happened to the Toronado I had. He told me the work done on the car and told me everything about the car. I asked questions. All the stuff I had to fix on the yellow one did not need to be done to this one.

September 13- I heard from the shipping company. They gave me the name of the company. They got a truck. They will be picking up tomorrow. The car should be here in Texas between September 20 and 21st next week. I called the owners to tell them the name of the shipping company and when to expect them. My Oldsmobile friend Chris contacted me. He says he wants the Toronado. I emailed him back and got a shipping quote for him. I am waiting to see if he will buy it and what we will agree on for price.

September 14- I came home to show the Toronado. I had a potential buyer. He came and looked at the car and drove it. He was impressed. He brought his girlfriend and his mother. He had emailed me today. I met him in my driveway after work. He said and his mother said they noticed the Toronado and looked at it. He was like you did a lot of work on this car. He connected some vacuum hose and all that rough idle sound it had when it starts and drives was gone. It sounds better. I took his drivers license and mother as hostage and I let him drive the car. He drove it with his girlfriend. He was like wow! That car is nice. He was shocked at the luxury features too. His mother was the one who noticed. She stopped by the other day and looked at it. They were like wow everything works. They asked about my Ninety Eight too. They asked was it for sale. I said no. They said your cars are in great shape!! He said he would call to let me know later. They left I put the signs back on the car. He offered a fair price too.

My Oldsmobile friend told me he was interested. He is still trying to see what kind of deal he can work. It is not looking promising.

The owner called me at work to tell me they had not seen the shipping company all day today. I called the shipping company. They in turn called the people who sold me the car to assure them the shipper was on his way. He was in Maine where the car is. The owner who sold me the car called about in the 7 pm hour to tell me the shipper is gone. They came and got it. He and his wife drove it to the trailer truck. He said they could not get down their street. They met at the parking lot at John Deere. He said to contact him when I get the car. He said the shipper told him I should have it by Wednesday next week. I was like wow!! I was told Thursday or Friday next week.

continued in next post.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

September 26- My neighbor saw me this morning before work. He said I see you either got a new car or you got the yellow car painted. I told him it is a new car. I told him I want people to think I did get the yellow painted. I let him look at it. He said d*** man. I bet an old grandma had this car. This car does not even look like it has been used. He said I figured you had the other one painted. I figured you got tired of tinkering with the yellow one. I said I want to people to think I did get it painted because I do not want people in my business. I told him that is why no one saw it being delivered. Later in the day when I got home, I received the check from the former owner as he promised.

September 27- I called to make an appointment to go take the emissions and state inspection test. I will go after work. I went to see Chuck and got the oil changed, the oil filter changed and air filter. I told him I would bring the car back to fix the power window. I went around the corner to the inspection place. They said it was an easy pass. They asked me where was the Ninety Eight? I said at home. They said I hope you did not get rid of that one. Then they said you always find the good cars! Where do you find these cars? They thought the new Toronado was the one yellow too. I told them no, it was not. I drove that car, and I was most impressed with the ride, the feel and more. I have no complaints. I now have to take it to the tax accessors office and pay tax, title and license fees and I am done. Both of my cars now have inspection due in September.

September 28- I got instruction from God before I even got out of bed. He said go to the tax accessors office today and pay your fees and get your title. I had planned to do this Monday October 1st. I drove the car again with no license plates as I had done last night. I drove past one police car. I got to the tax office on Chimney Rock and stood in line. It was an interesting drive in the Galleria area that time of morning. I was helped by this nice woman. She was strong in her faith. She had me laughing too. She said "Don't make me get to preaching in here this morning". I laughed. I had all my paperwork in order. I handed over the Maine title, the application, proof of insurance and more. I then paid the fees. They charge you tax based on the value of the vehicle, not what you paid for it. I then went out door at the office, and put the license plates on the car, and the sticker that goes in the windshield. I then drove off and went back through the Galleria and went to Auto Zone to get a license plate frame. I put that on the front, and I went to work. The journey ended today. There is one more step. To finish paying my friend Jason back.

The scary thing is everything I did today, I had dreamed about before. A lot of the parts of this journey I had dreamed.

September 29- I took the car back to Chuck( my mechanic) and he fixed the drivers door power window. Something I found a bit odd.. When they fixed the power window, the hood was up. I knew they had not disconnected the battery because all the station presets and other things were still set. It was when I got into the car to drive it, I noticed something seemed better or right about it. I think Chuck and his gang checked the car out and may have adjusted or did something. I figured this out by how kind he was to me when I left , and his brother Boyd kept saying check it out. Another sign was the fact there were stains or mechanics grease prints on the door panel. You would not have grease stains from changing a power window motor. I also waited from 8:00 am until 11:00 am. They are good people. They went through the car. Jason called me to see how things went today. He asked me what happened and was the window fixed. I told him. He said he was going to go on Ebay had give the seller a good review. He asked was this the end of the journey? I said no, I must pay you back the rest of what I owe, and then it will be.

continued in next post.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

October 8, 2007- I have been driving the car daily with no problems to speak of. I still need to take it back to mechanic (Chuck) to look at the throttle body and belt and fuel injectors. I do not know if they have been serviced. The co worker I took to that training at work rode in the Toronado, and LaRissa did too. I told them do not tell anyone. This is a secret for now. They have kept their word.

October 18,2007- I have been driving the Toronado everyday. The gas mileage is starting to get to what I normally would get. I got the title from the state of Texas today.

October 22, 2007- Luke came over to pick up his paperwork. He asked you got another one? I said yes. I said nothing more. He left then called and said I like the color black. That one looks nice. He said how long did you have that car? I said since September. He said huh? You did not tell anyone? I said no. I am not ready to tell just yet. He said do you drive it to work? I said yes.

November 1st, 2007- I sent Jason another installment of payment for the car.

November 3, 2007- Chuck went through the car completely. It was not bad at all. There are some things I need to do to get the car in top running order. I do not know what the previous owners did. It is no where near the previous Toronados I owned. I have to start fresh. He cleaned the mass airflow sensor. The gas mileage went way back up, and not only that, the performance went back up too. The vehicle is no longer sluggish. That one thing was causing my poor fuel economy. I was impressed with the performance. That car is quick!!

List Of Things To Do From Chuck:

It will be done over several months well into 2008.

Toronado:

Get 4 Michelin white wall tires for Toronado. The current tires are fine. They are black wall Michelin's. They just need to be rotated and balanced if I had kept them. This will be the last thing I will do.

Step 1:

Engine belt( current one is starting to crack)

Tension pulley

Brake flush

Power steering flush

Radiator flush and new cap

Step 2:

Clean throttle body

BG 44K fuel system cleaner. ( Chuck put one in today with good results)

Gas filter

Step 3:

Automatic transmission flush

Spark plugs and tune

Front motor mount ( removes vibration)( one is weak out of the ones on the car)

Rear struts or

After market rear struts

** All Toronados have a problem with the struts:

Battery may go dead overnight on cars with electronic level control (1990-92). The struts are computer controlled air struts. They will drain a battery quick. Chuck said I should switch to regular struts so I will not have this problem, plus the factory struts are 1,300 to replace.

Get under body and under hood of Toronado sanded for rust and rust proofed.

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Edited November 3, 2007 by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

[Delta Force79]

That is quite a story, but shows that sometimes good things do happen to those who wait. Congrats on the new Olds! I love the black on grey.

[quantum110]

Nice story and congrats on the car. I would love me a solid black Trofeo...IMO the chrome ruins the futuristic look.

[bobo]

I'm glad you got the exact car you wanted. Congratulations! I always enjoy your personal stories.

[ocnblu]

ooo, nice Toro. I am so glad you didn't paint the cream-colored one.

[Sixty8panther]

Congrats!!! You have a very good insurance company.... 30-days FREE

coverage for your unregistered car? My insurance company would

laugh at me if I asked about something like that. Best of luck with this

one, keep her shinny-side up!

I'd rahter have the cream colored one cause I like weird stuff & rare colors.

[Sixty8panther]

Oh and if you think $1300 is expensive for your struts... try $2000 on an STS.

[z28luvr01]

Congrats!!! You have a very good insurance company.... 30-days FREE

coverage for your unregistered car? My insurance company would

laugh at me if I asked about something like that. Best of luck with this

one, keep her shinny-side up!

I'd rahter have the cream colored one cause I like weird stuff & rare colors.

You know, given that you seldom own cars longer than 30 days, you might want to try looking up that insurance company .

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Nice story and congrats on the car. I would love me a solid black Trofeo...IMO the chrome ruins the futuristic look.

Thank you sir. You kind words are appreciated. They mean a lot. There is a solid black Trofeo on Autotrader:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_...amp;cardist=947

Wow! Is that car clean! I'm glad you were able to buy one that's so nice since I know you'll take good care of it.

You've inspired me to take up the search for another Olds. My 88 rarely did me wrong and I'm tired of my Mercury failing me on a regular basis. With God's help you were able to find the car you always wanted and with his help I hope to find one too.

I hope so. I wrote the story to encourage others. If it touched you, and you are about to search for an Eighty Eight, then it served its purpose.

I did not post it to say look at me. As you see, I have been keeping it a secret since August. There are still good people out there.

I'm glad you got the exact car you wanted. Congratulations! I always enjoy your personal stories.

Thank you Bobo. I am glad you enjoy my stories. I only tell the truth and how it impacted me. It means a lot to me you enjoyed it.

ooo, nice Toro. I am so glad you didn't paint the cream-colored one.

I am glad I did not, because it really would have cost me big time!!

Congrats!!! You have a very good insurance company.... 30-days FREE

coverage for your unregistered car? My insurance company would

laugh at me if I asked about something like that. Best of luck with this

one, keep her shinny-side up!

I'd rahter have the cream colored one cause I like weird stuff & rare colors.

I was selling it. I offered it here. No one took me up on the offer.

Oh and if you think $1300 is expensive for your struts... try $2000 on an STS.

You are not kidding!! I agree with you there.

Edited November 4, 2007 by NINETY EIGHT REGENCY

[vonVeezelsnider]

Thanks 98... Your post gave me hope that there's a low mileage 3800 Pontiac Trans Sport or 3800 Lumina APV LS of the 1994-1995 Vintage out there for me as a project car (The Silhouette sadly wasn't sold in Canada during the first generation). Some day. Some day.

Edited November 5, 2007 by vonVeezelsnider

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Thanks 98... Your post gave me hope that there's a low mileage 3800 Pontiac Trans Sport or 3800 Lumina APV LS of the 1994-1995 Vintage out there for me as a project car (The Silhouette sadly wasn't sold in Canada during the first generation). Some day. Some day.

That is the whole point of my story. To give people hope. To inspire. If you believe it, you can and will achieve it. Have hope. I did not know they did not sell the Silhouette in Canada. I learned something new today.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I learned something new today.

They started selling it here in 1998... although there used to be someone with a Grey-Market 1995 that he imported from the US in my neighbourhood (it was the same colour as our 1994 Trans Sport).

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Congratulations Ninety Eight! That's a sharp Toronado you got there. I agree with you 100% regarding if you believe it, you can & will achieve it. You are an inspiration.

I hope that it will inspire many. That was the hole point of it. It is not about me or what I own, but rather to inspire others to go after what they want and they can achieve it. I hope others like wildmanjoe will go find that Oldsmobile Eighty Eight and be happy. No matter what it is in life, I hope many will go achieve their goals and dreams. Thank you too sir.

[GMTruckGuy74]

That's a great story Ninety-Eight. I'm glad you were able to get the car of your dreams. Your story will inspire those of us that have been wanting, but have lacked the motivation, to get what we really want. Due to my current financial situation, and the fact the SKY has yet to find a buyer, it will be a while longer before I can hope to find the '55-'56-'57 GMC I've always wanted. I looked on eBay the other day for sh*ts and giggles and of course there were like eight '55-'59 GMCs being offered. One day I too will have that classic dream truck I've pined after all these years. For now, we celebrate your success!

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

That's a great story Ninety-Eight. I'm glad you were able to get the car of your dreams. Your story will inspire those of us that have been wanting, but have lacked the motivation, to get what we really want. Due to my current financial situation, and the fact the SKY has yet to find a buyer, it will be a while longer before I can hope to find the '55-'56-'57 GMC I've always wanted. I looked on eBay the other day for sh*ts and giggles and of course there were like eight '55-'59 GMCs being offered. One day I too will have that classic dream truck I've pined after all these years. For now, we celebrate your success!

Thank you sir.. It is appreciated. That is the whole point. That is to show people to go after their dreams. It was to inspire. When your financial situation is where it needs to buy, you go after your dream. We are only limited by our thinking and in some cases our circumstances. You carry on..