Well, it was bound to happen. Not that I was looking forward to the sad day when I would have to part with my beloved Park Avenue Buick, affectionately named “The Couch”. Why was it crimsoned which such a name? Quite simply. it was akin to sitting on ones cozy couch, while driving in ultra classic 1988 style. It even had a Hi-Fi Delco Sound System! It was a great car that had an awesome Highway horn, which allowed me to literally blast any knuckle headed driver before me! Oh what tremendous joy and mirthful laughter did that horn produce! Well, thankfully to my good buddy Mark, I now have a new vehicle, a Ford suv/truck, which at this point I am calling Toady2, named after the original Toady, my previously beloved Nissan pickup truck, which was a predecessor to the Couch. Given enough time, a new name might might be deemed better suited, so we shall see. Three tips I can share with you if you are going to “ditch” your car and buy a new one. First, put the time in calling every car salvage shop. Eventually, you will come across one that will give you a fair deal for your car. Second,  have a Triple AAA membership. I didn’t have to deal with the hellish and devil filled Department of Motor Vehicles. I just walked in to my local Triple AAA location, dealt with a courteous and helpful employees and best of all it was fast! As in less than ten minutes fast! Third, if your car does not pass its initial smog test, don’t fret. You get a second chance. Put in the highest octane fuel, have your mechanic put in a new air filter, and any other little doodads that your mechanic thinks may help and then drive it for a while before you have it smog tested again, since a warmed up car has a much better chance to pass. It took Toady2 a second go at the smog test. Thankfully, Mark is also my mechanic, which works out well! I owe him a dinner with taking the time to fiddle faddle with truck to help get it to pass. So there you have it! A new used vehicle to get around the mean streets of LA! I know I am going to miss the old Highway horn, but driving a truck again is a lot of fun! The Couch before being hauled off…I do miss her! Spent the morning doing some interior cleaning of Toady2…how many years of dirty is this???? How thoughtful of Mark, he left me all of his change!!!! Woot! And he gave me an extra tire and other truck stuff! Toady2 ready for her new missions!