“I lent a car to a person I barely knew.
“Back in the late ‘80s, my cousin Bill and I pooled $150 each to buy a beater – a 1976 Chevy Nova with a 250ci straight-six, three-speed manual and power nothing; essentially the most basic transportation there was.
“Another $100 each for some new rear tires and some misc. parts, and a weekend of wrenching later, and we had our ‘spare’ car – a vehicle we kept in reserve in case either of our DDs broke down.
“Over the next year our so, our Nova was put in service several times, thus paying for itself by saving us from having to rent a car.
“One day, Bill called me and asked if I would be okay lending the Nova to HIS cousin Walter, who was related to Bill on Bill’s father’s side, and thus no relation to me.
“I had met Walter once at a family picnic, he seemed like a nice kid, and Bill said he only needed the car ‘a week or two’ so I agreed.
“Several months later…
“My POS Ford Escort broke its timing belt and stranded me in the Poconos; I had it towed off the highway, took public transportation home, and mailed the title to the towing company.
“I called Bill and asked him to start prepping the Nova for me to use (supposedly it was parked in his yard) when he informed me that Walter still had the car. I told Bill to tell Walter that I needed the car and that he needed to bring it back.
“An hour later, Bill calls – Walt still needs the Nova, he hasn’t had time to fix his car, Walt was laid off and just got a new job, blah, blah, blah….
““Sounds like a personal problem…” I remember telling Bill, “Tell Walt I want the car back by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow comes, and no Nova. I resort to bumming rides from a co-worker to get to work and taking Patco and NJ Transit for everything else.
“A few days later, Bill tells me the Nova is back at his house. I jump on the train and walk the mile-and-half from the train station to Bill’s house.
“The car is a mess. The windows are stained brown and every interior surface is sticky with nicotine. The 78 series tires have been replaced with a mis-matched set of 70-series. And the odometer is reading 11K miles higher than it had when we lent the car to Walt – nearly a year’s worth of driving in 4-5 months.
“And for some reason, there are ‘SS’ badges affixed to the grille, front fenders and trunk lid of the car.
“I take the car around the block and find the rear brakes are squealing and the low-profile tires made the car ride like a boxcar. I ask Bill if he knows the last time the oil was changed, to which he just shrugs. Bill tells me he will hit up Walter for some cash for the oil change, brake shoes, and whatever else the car needs and we will work on it the following weekend.
“The following day, Bill calls to tell me Walt has taken the car back. I call Walt, in a rage, and get his mother. The conversation went something like this:
“Me: I need the car!
“Aunt Susan: Walt needs the car!
“Me: The car doesn’t belong to Walt, it belongs to Bill and me!
“Aunt Susan: Bill told Walt he could have the car (a total lie, BTW..) and besides possession is 9/10ths of the law!
“I hang up, figuring that any further discussion was useless. I am steaming and trying to figure out my next move when Walt’s uncle/Bill’s father calls and offers me $300 to ‘buy out’ my half of the car. I agree to this since I don’t see any easy way to get the Nova back, and I want to keep peace in the family.
“I used the $300 toward the purchase of an ‘82 Fox body Mercury Capri that serves me for almost six years. Walt drives the Nova until the engine quits somewhere in Connecticut and the car is abandoned along the side of the road.
“The next time I saw Walter was at Bill’s funeral in 2012; he looked away when he realized who I was and wouldn’t speak to me, let alone shake my hand.
“Total dick…..”
Is the mistake here buying the car, being friends with Bill or loaning the car to Walter? I’m so confused.