Since we here seem to report quite our share of not so successful stories, I decided about a week ago to post a successful one. But then, until I came around to write home about it... it had to take a sad ending... but yet, I feel the story has it's good sides, so here I go:
When I came to settle here around a year and a half ago, I had, with the help of this Forum, quite re-shaped my idea of desired vehicle.
Then, after I saw the "Infomercial" below, being the down to earth kind a guy I can at times be and my childhood fascination for all flying objects, I set my heart on such a vehicle:
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So, after a month of driving something which closely resembled a Hoover vacuum machine I rented, I brought a one year old Toyota Hilux home from Santo Domingo. I never liked the color but it was a great deal and still quite nice looking vehicle, at least, that's what the girls said.
After a couple of months, It occurred to me to add a "camper" roof to the bridge, so I could haul stuff around safer and protected from the rain, but then, the sex appeal of the truck was gone.
Anyway, I always thought that if I'd ever had to do some repairs, I have it's color change to a lighter non-metallic one.
And then one day I passed a Hilux just like mine but with what a purdy roof on the back
Now THAT was IT... nothing like my funeral vehicle roof. So, I decided to stop the guy on the road and "make'm an offer he couldn't refuse".
So I got my sport lid... but in a different color than my car.
I was facing having to throw the dices and decide whether painting the vehicle to the roof's color or the roof to the car's color... I decided against both and settled on painting both in a light cream white.
I proceeded to do what I mostly do when I am about to do something; I posted on this Forum about it, inquiring about a good body shop.
I got several options and after hitting it off quite well with the owner of Arturo SA in Puerto Plata and Rocky's recommendations, we cut a deal.
Arturo is not cheap... actually he is the most expensive guy around, but he has a reputation on delivering good work ON time (something seldom around here). The deal was, that I would disassemble the vehicle completely and put it back together after they'd be done with the body work and painting. I was also welcomed to suggest some body changes I came up with to the back of the truck.
I had done these jobs when I was 18 and never since. So, middle age crazy as I am often said to be I felt kind'a good about the prospect of doing it myself. My cousin is here and he felt equally. So, we went out and bought some beer and wrenches... then when ol' J-D sets his mind up to disassemble a vehicle... that's what he does:
But it's not like we just disassemble things here, we also knew to put things back together after Arturo's body parts maker and his painters did a fantastic job... and, believe it or not... ON time! They polished that thing so good I thought polishing paste and white paint may eventually run out on this island. PERFECT!
Back to hunting for screwdrivers, screws, new clips and plugs and the sorts of things... It took my cousin and me a full week to get her back together but the result made it worth all the time.
Here she is with a nice rounded "Dominican style" ... erm, tail!
And here she is fully completed:
A true success story!
Well, sort of.
If only this hadn't been the last picture we taken of her! :ermm:
Then only three days later, we crawled out of this (surprisingly unharmed):
Which after it got turned over, doesn't look much better.
Some nutcase just rammed our vehicle on an intersection between Bani and San Cristobal... fast and apparently with no brakes. His old truck got totaled too but he was fit enough to continue his hi speed journey... running.
The local police later on dragged in a "driver" who had only a sketchy idea of what happened and didn't look like he had been in an accident recently or been running much lately to declare.
What's left over is in the hands of the insurance companies to work out... meanwhile, I am set on going to Santo Domingo and...
get me another one :tired: (I still got that roof... so, this is not yet over!).
Morale of the story... thinking it over, there really is no morale. We're glad to be fine and even to know that the idiot who did this to us is too... at least enough to run!
... J-D.
When I came to settle here around a year and a half ago, I had, with the help of this Forum, quite re-shaped my idea of desired vehicle.
Then, after I saw the "Infomercial" below, being the down to earth kind a guy I can at times be and my childhood fascination for all flying objects, I set my heart on such a vehicle:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YpI0q52wHxg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YpI0q52wHxg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
So, after a month of driving something which closely resembled a Hoover vacuum machine I rented, I brought a one year old Toyota Hilux home from Santo Domingo. I never liked the color but it was a great deal and still quite nice looking vehicle, at least, that's what the girls said.
After a couple of months, It occurred to me to add a "camper" roof to the bridge, so I could haul stuff around safer and protected from the rain, but then, the sex appeal of the truck was gone.
Anyway, I always thought that if I'd ever had to do some repairs, I have it's color change to a lighter non-metallic one.
And then one day I passed a Hilux just like mine but with what a purdy roof on the back
Now THAT was IT... nothing like my funeral vehicle roof. So, I decided to stop the guy on the road and "make'm an offer he couldn't refuse".
So I got my sport lid... but in a different color than my car.
I was facing having to throw the dices and decide whether painting the vehicle to the roof's color or the roof to the car's color... I decided against both and settled on painting both in a light cream white.
I proceeded to do what I mostly do when I am about to do something; I posted on this Forum about it, inquiring about a good body shop.
I got several options and after hitting it off quite well with the owner of Arturo SA in Puerto Plata and Rocky's recommendations, we cut a deal.
Arturo is not cheap... actually he is the most expensive guy around, but he has a reputation on delivering good work ON time (something seldom around here). The deal was, that I would disassemble the vehicle completely and put it back together after they'd be done with the body work and painting. I was also welcomed to suggest some body changes I came up with to the back of the truck.
I had done these jobs when I was 18 and never since. So, middle age crazy as I am often said to be I felt kind'a good about the prospect of doing it myself. My cousin is here and he felt equally. So, we went out and bought some beer and wrenches... then when ol' J-D sets his mind up to disassemble a vehicle... that's what he does:
But it's not like we just disassemble things here, we also knew to put things back together after Arturo's body parts maker and his painters did a fantastic job... and, believe it or not... ON time! They polished that thing so good I thought polishing paste and white paint may eventually run out on this island. PERFECT!
Back to hunting for screwdrivers, screws, new clips and plugs and the sorts of things... It took my cousin and me a full week to get her back together but the result made it worth all the time.
Here she is with a nice rounded "Dominican style" ... erm, tail!
And here she is fully completed:
A true success story!
Well, sort of.
If only this hadn't been the last picture we taken of her! :ermm:
Then only three days later, we crawled out of this (surprisingly unharmed):
Which after it got turned over, doesn't look much better.
Some nutcase just rammed our vehicle on an intersection between Bani and San Cristobal... fast and apparently with no brakes. His old truck got totaled too but he was fit enough to continue his hi speed journey... running.
The local police later on dragged in a "driver" who had only a sketchy idea of what happened and didn't look like he had been in an accident recently or been running much lately to declare.
What's left over is in the hands of the insurance companies to work out... meanwhile, I am set on going to Santo Domingo and...
get me another one :tired: (I still got that roof... so, this is not yet over!).
Morale of the story... thinking it over, there really is no morale. We're glad to be fine and even to know that the idiot who did this to us is too... at least enough to run!
... J-D.