L.A. is VAST and CARS (for sale) are few and far between... (SCAMS abound)

How to land your "pre-owned" vehicle in a very few days?

What a joy and relief it is to finally be in L.A. Everything is new and different, so that even walking down the street to find a shopping center and purchase SIM cards is fun. Defying expectation, teen-age Max rolls out of bed in time for breakfast. "Why am I not groggy?" he wonders. Pst! 9 am in L.A. is 6 p.m. in Trondheim, a most respectable hour at which to be served waffles ;). 

The air is balmy, the food is tasty; this fellow has two wheels and a can of gold spray paint: what more can one ask for? He'll tell you: a bonafide SUV! But whose birthday is this? An SUV does not top his "old man's" wish list, nor can he be swayed. RETRO models abound: Aerostar (groan), Previa (ugh!), Town and Country (you gotta be kiddin'?) and Grand Caravan ("ya Rookie!"). Will this young dude's smile last? 

Monday Aug. 10. Optimistically, we attack the online search. Allan looks exclusively at minivans to press the price down; Max points out snazzy SUV's and pushes for an extra grand in the budget; Alison looks at anything in a medium price range.The hope is that we will resolve this issue quickly on Allan's birthday and everyone will be happy. But the first appointment (a modest silver SUV) proves a disappointment, and the second (a white minivan) is no better. Hungry, we find a Chinese place in the parking lot where we happen to be and each orders according to personal preference.  Oh, will we ever agree on a car? Taste in vehicles proves more challenging than taste in food. 

1999 Dodge Grand Caravan (with leather "bucket" seats)

Night falls too soon and we have to quit making phone calls... Allan tosses and turns, unable to sleep what with the combination of jet lag and the unresolved issue of transportation to Boulder City where lease-signing looms both welcomingly and unsettlingly on Thursday at 1730. By early morning he has decided that "the thing to do" is drive the rental Ford Explorer to B.C. and take our time with the search. But determination bucks up, and luck follows suit. While pow-wowing around a Starbucks table (in breezy Riverside, CA), a fresh new ad appears. It's within reach financially and geographically, and boasts low mileage, bucket seats, and only one owner (a grandmother)  We make appointments and chart a course. The young man's hope fades as his "old man" eyes a good deal... 

 It becomes official. This minivan is the first that would work for us. It has space for our ample baggage, and equally comfortable, reclining seats for all three of us. It's delightfully smooth and quiet (compared to the minibus in Trondheim)! The exterior leaves something to be desired, displaying the results of widespread industrial experimentation, around the turn of the millennium, with lead-free paint, but the price is right -- and a glance around the highway reveals that we are in good company regarding the 'sunburned' look. Another family is on its way to view this listing, and we are afraid to lose it. Allan returns quickly to make an offer and it's accepted. In our mind's eye, we see Max pouting in the back seat of the SUV outside the office where the deal has just been closed.
That's when the seller really steps up to the plate -- just in time. Max returns with an ill-concealed frown, and the man picks up one of the crisp one hundred dollar bills and presents it to Max! We are all stunned. (We'd already gotten a good price for this car.) But it works like magic: Max is smiling again! 
As we depart the office, the other family does indeed arrive on schedule, disappointed that the good deal is gone, and we breathe a sigh of relief. (This was not merely a line as has been the case in our experience with other sellers.) We are in business! The next challenge is returning the SUV (one day early!) at LAX and picking this one up in Whittier. Allan researches public transportation, which is horrendous, takes his walking sticks, and sets out from the hotel after rush hour. It takes him until 130 am to return in good stead with our 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan ready and waiting in the hotels parking lot for morning. The night may be short, but he sleeps a whole lot better! 
Meanwhile, I consume the "doggy bag" from last night's Chinese dinner, roll out my yoga mat for the first time; Max rolls off to Walmart only to return and fetch me for more spray paint to complete the black details on his now-gold scooter. He says, "What do 14 year olds use spray paint for?" The answer is GRAFITTI, so it's required for someone over 18 even to CARRY the cans in the store. The elderly lady at the back of the store is so weary as she hands the paint over to me and says to Max, "Thank you, dearie, for gettin' your mom!" Max scoots off again to KFC, content with his independence.