Gypsy

The van has a name: The Gypsy Wagon. Coined by Jef’s mom, the name seems rather appropriate. I’ll probably refer to her by her nickname, Gypsy.

She’s quite pretty, isn’t she? Sadly, her sleek form won’t last long. She’s slated to get her hair restyled into a pompadour in a few weeks (having a 30″ camper top put on). She won’t be as pretty, but she’ll be functional. Maybe an antenna decoration with soften her hard lines.

Gypsy came with a few blemishes, and being 9 years old, that’s to be expected. At the risk of advertising my ignorance, I will confess that I should have inspected her more thoroughly before plunking down the money, instead of waiting until I brought her home. The dealer might have given me a larger discount if I’d pointed out all her flaws. Clearly, I am not an experienced car buyer. Lesson learned.

Today’s inspection revealed another rust spot that will have to be fixed prior to the high top installation. The paint next to the left drip rail has peeled away, exposing a channel of rust. Since the high top will sit right in that channel, I’d better take care of it soon.

The peeling paint on the roof now seems insignificant compared to the drip rail. It’s hard to see, but I think rust might be coming up through the paint. Does rust even do that? I don’t know.

There’s an odd bolt going up through the roof. It happens to be in a spot that may or may not be cut off when they install the high top, so I’ll wait to take care of that.

The manager at the dealership and I agreed that he would keep the passenger seats in exchange for a discount. I think he got the better end of the deal, but at least this way I don’t have to hassle with selling more stuff on Craigslist. Not 30 seconds after I signed all the papers, I mentioned that I’d be removing the headliner, and all interior panels. The manager’s eyes widened with interest. Had I mentioned it earlier, he would’ve had his guys remove it all for me, for a bigger discount. Now I’m stuck hacking through removing the interior panels, and the dealer will probably buy it all back. A lesson for future van dwellers—if you’re buying from a dealer, you might both benefit by getting them to do the grunt work for you.

Sake has already made herself at home.