We have a truck.
It’s a wonderful truck. It was divinely provided at a pivotal time in our journey. Bruce had a list of requirements,
Chevy 250 diesel
100,000 miles (or less)
No rust (it causes car cancer)
Year 2009-2012
Intact interior (not black, that’s for me)
$20,000 or less
We’ve never owned a truck before. Bruce kept asking, “how hard can it be to find all of this?”
Turns out, pretty hard.
He looked for months at ads, went onsite, called, researched, almost resorted to begging.
At the time, we had 2 vehicles. A 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, and a 2014 Toyota Camry. Both were excellent vehicles, and both were well maintained, (Bruce is a sticker for maintenance).
We returned the Hyundai to the dealership in March of 2023. They offered a buyback with every service appointment. Knowing our future plans, going down to one vehicle made sense, and why keep the one with payments?
Good call! We ended up with cash in our pockets. The very next week, insurance companies began to pull their coverage, because Hyundai had neglected to put some kind of anti-theft device in them, and they were being stolen at an alarming rate. If they didn’t pull coverage they were charging exorbitant rates, ones we didn’t need to pay anymore.
Bruce started truck shopping…
Down to the Camry. We juggled one car with minimal fuss, Bruce was working from home so, no hassles. End of April saw us wrap up our apartment lease and move in with a family from church. We’d been through a season of downsizing and storing things. We were waiting on a legal resolution for a rental house we wanted to sell. Timing was everything just then. Being in a family was a blessing.
Bruce kept truck shopping…
The last week of May, our Toyota came to a halt. Bruce was on a highway and it suddenly stopped. He had it towed to Joe, our mechanic, who looked it over and told him,
“Bruce, you did it. You broke a Toyota. I’ve never known anyone who could break a Toyota.”
Not great news. We were counting on it till we found a truck. Joe knew our future plans so, instead of replacing our engine, he patched it together enough to keep us running temporarily.
Bruce kept truck shopping…
On Memorial Day weekend, Bruce saw an ad at a dealership for a truck that had potential! Monday saw us quickly making our way there, prayers going up, fingers crossed, and hopes high.
When we arrived, Bruce found the truck at the front of the lot, up on a display rack, angled toward the road. He was elated. He could look at every part of it and inspect it for – RUST! For those of you who don’t live in the mid-west, rust is the absolute worst body illness a vehicle can contract. It infects and spreads like a virus.
A total deal killer for Bruce.
Another plus for this particular truck was that it already had a 5th wheel hitch in the bed. It had a few extra miles on it than he’d hoped, but it was a Chevy 250 diesel, with a custom suspension, and everything needed to pull our future wheely house, everywhere we wanted to go. Price was spot on, and to top it off, the interior was intact and it wasn’t black.
Unfortunately, it was already trying to be purchased by a couple of men who needed it as a work vehicle. They were going through the credit check process.
We hijacked a salesman and told him if their deal fell through we’d like to make an offer. He started the paperwork, theirs fell through, and voila’ we had a deal. As we were signing the paperwork I asked if they took trade ins. He said yes, and I pointed him to our disabled, but running 2014 Camry. He went outside, checked the odometer, never even turned over the engine, went to the sales office and came back to say,
“$5,500”
Needless to say, we took it, signed the paperwork and ran!
Bruce has shamelessly told this story a gazillion times. He loves this truck. Every time he’s taken it for maintenance, dealers offer to buy it from him. For him, it’s a tangible expression of God’s provision and makes him feel very loved.
And now, it’s been down for 3 weeks. Filters, sensors, gaskets, and all kinds of parts have been replaced. We thought it was finished last night. We’re on our 3rd mechanic from 2 different cities. We’ve layed hands on it and prayed daily for its revival. Friends of friends have loaned us a car here and there. We’re going through groceries fast. Unfortunately we’re between contracts, cash flow is tight.
Bruce is spending a lot of time on his metaphorical knees…
I’m using up scrap fabric at an alarming rate…
We rerouted our entire journey after this breakdown. Right now we’d be in Texas and Louisiana, directly in the path of Hurricane Francine, and its stormy aftermath. Indiana has been gorgeous. Cool nights, hot days, plenty of sunshine, minimal rain. Even a few things to do, when we have available wheels!
But until then, we continue to depend on the kindness of new friends and affordable mechanics and the beautiful campground we happened to land in.
And as always, we depend on the provision of our Heavenly Father.
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