Another MonkShack Blog

 I admit it. I now have a problem. I own a 2002 E55 AMG. I think this was probably COVID induced dementia, but my daughter wanted to learn about working on cars and I was bored and looking for a project car. Somehow, I found this listed in Indianapolis for a very reasonable prices. As I started digging into the car, I began to understand why. This particular car has almost 225k miles. And it has a spotty overall service record - but it does have a clean Carfax. And the previous owner spent a significant amount of money on the mechanicals. I have to admit to always harboring a desire to own a true AMG car and I'm sure that clouded my judgement on this one. When I went to check the car out, it was raining and cold. Not an ideal time to actually look at a car and I missed the failing clearcoat while I focused on the mechanical condition. In the rain. The cold rain. While my spouse waited patiently in the GL550. This was really only my first mistake. I also missed the significant crack...

After the lease for our Honda Accord Hybrid ended, we decided that we needed something a little larger. We realized that we didn't have any vehicle that could carry something larger than a small (maybe medium?) box. So I set out searching for something that might give us a little more flexibility. I looked at trucks and while I wasn't looking for something new, the used prices on any decent truck was way more than I was willing to pay. Having had a 1999 F250, I was also weighing exactly how usable a truck would be for the majority of our driving. I just couldn't make the higher cost, lower options and lesser practicality balance in my book. So I kept looking.... As with everyone these days, I started looking at SUVs - it seemed a natural progression. Apparently, I'm not alone. The demand for new and used SUVs (and the death of many new sedans in favor of SUVs), quickly showed me I was late to this game. I was hoping for something around the $15-20k range, maybe a little...