I fell in love and bought an Alfa Romeo. I have not ever seen the Alfa in person. I have never driven an Alfa. I have never even ridden in an Alfa. The Alfa is 2800 miles away from my home in California. The Alfa is being worked on by a mechanic I have never met. He is rectifying a condition I have not experienced. I sent money to a dealer I do not know. Didn’t shake any hands, didn’t hear any stories. Just said ‘I’ll take it.’ Just like that.
I handled banking and financing from the comfort of my laptop. I received the title in the mail. So far so good. My insurance company has added the car to my policy. People trust me. I trust them back. There is a limit somewhere I am sure.
I made an appointment at the DMV to get the car registered. I have my Year of Manufacture black California license plates ready, along with all my paperwork and the CA sales tax (!)
Once some needed brake work is completed on the East Coast I will ship the car to California using a guy with a sophisticated shiny rig who says he will call me when he is close by.
I really love the looks of the car and I hope that the driving experience is as pleasant as she is to look at.
I will provide full details as time goes by. My faith in my fellow man is spurred by the apparent popularity of today’s sharing-economy: Zipcar, Uber, Airbnb and Couchsurfing (huh?). Have not personally tried any of those. No one in this transaction will let me down. I am certain of it. Fingers crossed.
Stay tuned. Part II follows..
Happy motoring!
Terry Sullivan