DanRealtor

DanRealtor’s Excellent Adventure

This past Friday I’m minding my own business (literally) and getting my daughters ready for the new school year (it starts tomorrow) and my wife is in Florida for a couple of weeks, and I’m negotiating a couple of multi million dollar deals, and then not one but two of my SoCal LX friends call me to invite me to go see the Challenger in Irvine.

Hmmmm. What to do?

Well let’s see. The “Responsible” thing to do was to say “See you guys next time”, my plate is full.

Yeah right.

So, after spending Friday clothes shopping with teenagers (such fun) what the hell. Irvine is only 391 miles from my house. I can probably be there in 3 or 5 hours.

Unfortunately, with all that I had to do, there was no time for sleep. Who needs sleep anyway?

At 12:30am, I tucked my girls in, went to the office and handled a few time sensitive items, then off to Cali. My mapping software and my nav unit said 6 hours 36 minute. Yeah, okay. Try 4 hours and 47 minutes. Not much traffic between 1 and 6 am. (I Love Coffee).

So I arrived in Irvine without incident or roadside chats and there were only a handful of cars including a red Jeep GC SRT-8, I parked next to him. Then I saw the Challenger drive in. Everyone just migrated to it like a magnet. I met the guys from DCX: Mark & Steve & a few others. Great guys. All car guys (like Ralph & Adam). After checking out the car I asked if I could take it for a test drive. They said “No”. I was shocked. Then, the guy with the keys (my new buddy) was asking another DCX guy (Steve I think) to drive the Challenger. He declined the offer. Again I offered, but, well, no. Then Steve volunteered me to ride shotgun. Thanks Steve! We drove around in the Challenger and ALL eyes were on us (the car really). No one could look away, they all just stared, and drooled. BTW the 6.1 sounds AWESOME and the manual tranny felt very firm & precise.

I spent some time with the guys from DCX and got a few business cards (you can never know too many people on the inside) then after a bit we all rolled out to HB for some breakfast. We parked on the roof of the parking garage. Inside the garage, I may have lost traction, once or twelve times. I seem to have a traction issue of some sort.

After a tasty breakfast we rode in formation to Ricky & Ronnie’s. We met a new friend on the way. He was driving an Audi. That was yesterday. After educating him properly (I’ll let someone else recount the details of his education), he is probably online pricing out an SRT-8 by now.

After Ricky & Ronnie’s (I counted 25 LX’s there) I hit the beach. I had a great time body surfing & swimming, then back to AZ.

The ride home was great. I talked to Scott at GSM at 5:33 pm. He was just finishing up a long day & locking up the shop. I was at the 91 Freeway & Imperial (90), 45 minutes later I called him from La Quinta East of Palm Springs. I made good time.

Then a guy in a Volvo station wagon tries to just sail past me. Not. 110mph, Hi, that’s me in your rear view mirror. 120, still here. 130, me again. 140, hola…… He kept it at or below 140. I kept it at or below 155. His car said “Test Vehicle” on the back window, and he had manufacturers plates. WE played all the way from La Quinta to the AZ border. He never lifted, except for lappers. I slowed a bit as I went under each overpass, he kept going. I just reeled him in repeatedly, that was fun. So I’m wondering. What kind of license does he have, and how do I get one? In AZ I let him check out and I just cruised at about 100. A few minutes later I saw him on the side of the road talking to Officer Friendly. I set cruise at 84 all the way back to Phoenix. Well, except for running with that white Charger for a while, and arrived home at 10pm.

So yesterday, I left my house at 12:30am (with zero sleep), was in Irvine by 6am, Did the car stuff, hung out, swam in the ocean, left HB at 4:30pm, and was home again by 10pm