Saturday, July 28, 2007

PEP Boys -- Suzukis

Mandy, Moe and Jack
Jack has died, and Mandy and Moe are on the way out.

We bought this Suzuki in March 2000 and drove it for a few months until the engine blew. Since then, it has been the "parts Suzuki," "the dead Suzuki," or the "junker."

In January 2001, we saw this one advertised at the district attorney's sale. It had been seized by the police. We went to the auction just to see what it brings and ended up buying it for $750. This one has run well most of the time, but we did have to replace the engine in about 2003 because it kept spewing antifreeze out after about 10 miles of driving. This was Mary's Suzuki.



We kept seeing a ragtop Suzuki parked along 625 in Bowmansville occasionally. One day on my way home from school in September 2002, it had a For Sale sign in the window. We took it for a test drive and bought it for $800. It had a standard ragtop on it when we bought it, but we did some work to it to turn it into a little pickup. We used a back door from the "dead Suzuki" to make a back wall behind the seats. I bought new canvas to cover the back and top (the original canvas leaked and needed replaced anyway). I also bought a fiberglass hard top to put on in the winter. This was my Suzuki.

July 28, 2007 we parked the last two out by the road with For Sale signs in the windshields and by that evening we had sold mine for the same price I had paid for it although I am sending the hardtop along in the deal. It has been cheap transportation. Mine did not have mechanical problems like Mary's did, but it is rusting quite a bit. The trim pieces under the door are screwed on and the screws will soon rust out. We have screwed steel plates to the floor because my foot went through the floor one morning on the way to school.


The end of the Suzuki era has come. We no longer have the time to keep them running. We are trading 15 wheels for 5. All three Suzukis are to be sold, and we have bought a Ford Ranger pickup.








Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Our Newly Discovered Gray Lane Resident

Several weeks ago we found a small snake, but today discovered, without question, that we have a black snake living in our wood pile.



Later this evening, Mary went outside to close the chicken house and this snake (its entire length of 4 feet) was stretched across the doorway.

We are not thrilled with its presence, but we haven't decided what to do about it either.