Now, back to the purchase…

The car costs $27,000.00
I had exactly $27,000.00

I could not get the car if I didn’t have it insured, so I had to take into account insurance. I also needed to get the car shipped still, so that was about $800.00. I called the owner again and explained to him my situation and told him I was running dry on funds and options. I asked him if there was ANYTHING else he could do to come down on the price. Being the gentleman he was, he was willing to work with me and actually came down to $26,000.00! Yes, let me repeat that. The car was now at $26,000.00! In order to come down in price, he took out a few things, like the nice Alpine CD player and the amplifier, but he did give me an old CD player he had lying around just to be a pal. So with the final price at $26,000.00 I signed a purchase agreement and a bill of sales for this beautiful machine. Little did I know, it would change my life as much as it did! Oh, I also wanted to mention, the car was originally Appraised at $51,000.00 back when it was first built. Woa!

The day the car arrived, I met the transporter at the local mall. Man, when that car came down off the trailer it drew a crowed I was not expecting. People were stopping their cars left and right, getting out, looking to see this amazing sight. With all the pictures that were taken, you would have thought I was some sort of movie star making my appearance, and you know what… I FELT LIKE A MOVIE STAR! This was the most amazing day of my life and judging from the smile I had, it showed.

Life Changing

How does a car like this change someone’s life?

Well, it may sound a bit silly saying a car can change somebody’s life, but then again, we are not talking about an ordinary car. This is one of the most Exotic cars out on the streets anywhere the most outrageous thing on wheels in a 15 mile radius from my neighborhood! I never knew that it could be so much fun, just going to get gas. Remember at the begging of this book, when I spoke of how I pulled a quick u-turn to go see the black Lamborghini that was sitting at the gas station? Well, I got to be on the other end now. People were literally pulling u-turns to come see my car! Immediately I gained the respect from people everywhere I went. This was amazing! Men older than me called me sir and wanted to eagerly shake my hand. I did not lie to anyone about the car being a replica. I simply told them it was a Lamborghini Countach replica and they all stood there with a smile! Driving this car was amazing! People literally moved out of my way driving down the highway. When I pulled up behind people in the left lane, they would move over to let me pass. Yes, you heard me correctly, they moved over and let me pass! Trust me, I’m not exaggerating, it was awesome! So many looks, smiles, “Thumbs up”, waves and fans!

I had been pretty big in the local car scene over the last few years from having my hot rod Mustang. I still had the Mustang and the Buick daily driver, but now I added a 3rd car to the stable. When I pulled into car shows driving the Lambo replica I always drew a huge crowd. I constantly stole the show! People knew me and wanted to be my friend. It seems like I became a local celebrity over night! I remember a few times when I was out shopping, people came up to me because they recognized me from my car. I say this again with all seriousness, it’s like I became a local celebrity over night! I stepped up my status in the local car scene a bit because of this car and it enabled me to set up two car shows with a great turnout, to raise money for a local Children’s Hospital. I was continuously gaining the respect from others and it was all because of my car. Of course keeping a good head on my shoulders and respecting others as I would have them respect me was in order. I also got to know the guys in the local Exotic clubs and set up a couple of cruises with a nice group of local Exotic car owners. I was invited to Lamborghini of Dallas events and spent time hanging out with the local Ferrari Club. Again…It was because of my car. Are you starting to understand how a car like this can change somebody’s life? I don’t have enough time for all the stories and cool things that happened from this investment.

Red with Envy

One day, through friends, I met another local guy named Mike, with a nice Exotic car. Remember me speaking about dreaming of a Ferrari Testarossa, as a child. Well, his is the one on the far left, the Testarossa 512M replica, in the picture below, with my car in the middle and another good friend of ours on the right. I went from just cruising around with a few Mustang guys, to running the streets with some of the most amazing Exotics in town.

The picture does not do the car justice because (really bad, older cell phone pic), but it is one of the cleanest exotic cars I have seen in person. I wish I had better pictures, but it’s one of the few pictures I have since he sold the car about a year ago. It is a replica of a Ferrari 512 TR and here is the big kicker about the car. Ready for this? Mike paid $10,000 for that car! Yes, I will repeat. That car cost him $10,000.00! Mike and I became great friends and even ventured off into some small businesses together because of our cars. I don’t know how to explain it, but these cars like this are so much more than just a car. They are incredible investments. They can be used as marketing tools and for other business purposes. When we would go cruising around on the weekends, we would usually stop off for some fast food and you know how much we paid for our food normally? Nothing. That’s right, people would usually give us our food for FREE! Just to have the marketing and advertising from an exotic car sitting out in front of their restaurant is enough that people are willing to give you free food, just so you come back and park your car there again! The cars bring in so many curious people and onlookers, that it brings in business! Like I mentioned earlier, Mike recently sold his car to peruse other exotics like his recently acquired dodge Viper and guess how much he sold his car for… Remember, he bought it for $10,000.00 and he drove it around for 5 years before he decided to sell it. Well, here is the magic number… the car sold for $10,000.00! He bought the car, drove it for 5 years and then turned around to sell it for $10,000.00. Does this even seem logical?

Mike’s car was virtually maintenance free for him, besides replacing a broken belt one evening. So Mike got to own and drive an Exotic Car around for five years for absolutely FREE in the end! If you saw this car going down the road…. $10,000.00 would be the last thing on your mind.