Buying Back My 1989 Turbo Trans Am:
Here is my story of my 1989 Turbo Trans Am. It all started when I was 17 years old and my grandparents set money aside for me to buy my first car. I ran across a very special Trans Am that was limited in production and was all white. The only two options where the leather interior and the t-tops. This car also had the distinct honor of being the Indy Pace Car for 1989.
I really wanted this car, but my mother was totally against her son having a Trans Am because of the V-8 engine (Old Days). Well, lucky for me this particular car had a V-6! After many visits to Taylor Pontiac in Akron Ohio and discussions with my mom, she reluctantly agreed to the purchase. Once the car was undercoated and the code alarm was installed I drove MY Turbo Trans Am home on a cold and rainy Ohio morning for the first time! Number 1460 and VIN Number 1G5FW2175KL248463 was my dream come true!
I drove my car sparingly through the years, but when the car had 1600 miles on it, I was making a right turn into McDonald’s on the corner of State Route 91 and 224 in Akron, OH and a drunk driver tried to go around me on the right side. My car suffered passenger side fender and front nose damage from the accident. The other driver was cited for the incident and my car was repaired at Akron Classic Auto Body (330) 376 – 8222. I had the guys at the body shop REPLACE the fender and the nose with GM replacement parts. Those parts were used on a drag car that I built later on.
Some more time had passed and I began college. I decided to move the car down to a house that we had in West Virginia. My family stored the car for me there for the next 15 years. When we would go down to our house, we would visit the car and I would drive it into town. During one summer, lightning struck the house and damaged the roof. The people who were hired to fix the roof had to gain access to the attic by using the trap door that was right above my car. They were careful, but not careful enough. There was a woodpile that was located right next to my car and one of the workers knocked some of the wood into my car and damaged the front passenger fender (again), the mirror, the rear quarter panel, and nicked the rear bumper. This caused scratches in the paint that went down to bare metal and 3 deep dents. I went down to Kelly Pontiac GMC in Buckhannon WVA (304) 472-2200 and bought some touch-up paint and “fixed” the car.
Hard financial times began to hit my family, like every other family in the country and we had to sell our house in WVA.
Upon the sale of the house, the car would not start. The fuel pump had seized up due to age. I had it flat bedded to Kelly Pontiac GMC in Buckhannon WVA (304) 472-2200 where the tow truck driver damaged the front nose along the bottom of the car causing a lot of spider webbing along the bottom of the nose. Now it would seem that, that would have to be repainted as well.
It took the dealership about a week to get the car running again. They also had to put a new ignition key with a new diode in the car because that had failed too. I finally picked up the car and drove it home.
What was heartbreaking about the entire episode is that, I brought it from a garaged environment to where I live now. For two years, it had to sit outdoors. I watched it deteriorate and I knew that it was time to let it go. I listed it on eBay. The last auction number was: 360219391918. I wanted it to go to a good home and for someone to appreciate the car for what it was and for what it stood for.
Hard times continued to rock my family. We have endured our house burning down, me getting laid-off, breaking my ankle, and finally I got really sick at the end of 2009, when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I had back-to-back exacerbations and I was in a bad state in December. I had an offer in January for the car from an individual and after talking things over with my wife, because at that time our own situation and future seemed so uncertain and bleak, I sold my dream for 12,000!!! I was not sure what our future had in store and it seemed like the right thing to do to keep my family going. I was told that the car was going to a good home and it would be well taken care of. January 17th 2010 came, teary-eyed, I watched my car being hauled away on the back of a flatbed. As a wave of regret washed over me, I turned and walked into my house. I was totally inconsolable for the rest of the day.
The next week our little pug Suki wound up with a neck injury. 3 bulged disks in fact! Great timing because she needed to have two of the three discs removed from her spinal column and that cost $3,000. I can say that, that was the best thing that came from selling the car. It saved her life and she is recovering nicely.
A few months have passed and it has come to my attention that the person who bought the car has sold my car for $22,000!!
The bottom line is that I have decided to get my car, number 1460 back! My grandparents bought this car for me and now my grandmother is very ill and having mini-strokes! She has expressed that she would like to see me get it back somehow and pass it onto my children, especially something that I had for 21 years! I had no business selling this car in the first place, but I did what I thought was right to support my family.
So here is the deal! I am going to others with MS by donating monies to Multiple Sclerosis Research Funds! During my quest, I am donating 15% of every eBay sale to some MS Foundation Charity to help the cause. Once I raise the capital to get my car back, I will donate 100% of the amounts collected minus the costs of general upkeep and storage costs for the car. I intend to take this car to shows, races, swap meets, etc. with this story and raise peoples’ awareness about MS and what it is. At these events, any donations will go to benefit the research to find a cure.
I can honestly say, once you have a disease like this, you can either let it control you, or you can take control of it.
You can check out my 2 ebay user id's: ltinc or buybackmyturbotransam.