Bye-Bye Tacoma...

[cuse69]

Did the new ride show up today? How about some more photos.

[crunchysue]

I'm a heathen; I just go through the automatic car wash a couple times a year.

"Claying" a car finish is how you remove contaminants from the paint finish, which is necessary before putting anything over the paint. Never wax over dirt! Most people - by far - won't invest the time to put on a proper finish on their cars, but for those of us that are fanantical about our cars we do that sort of thing ...

[drcollie]

On the transporter - somewhere between Atlanta and Washington DC.....

Automatic car washes?! ACK! Nevah! (of course, I wash cars by hand in 20 degree weather - lots of folks think I'm nuts. They could be right).

[drcollie]

I closed the store an hour early today so I could get home and clean and wax the Tacoma up for the new owner who is coming 2 and a half hours away for the truck tomorrow morning. My wife thinks I'm nuts to detail it out like a new car dealer would and deliver it with a full tank of gas - off a Craigslist ad. But hey, I can't help it! People work hard for their money and getting a new vehicle is a big deal, it should look as good as it can. I even wound up waxing the whole exterior and shampooing the carpets. When I got it all done my wife said its 'too pretty to sell' and I should keep it. I thought about that for like....15 seconds and said 'I'd rather have that BMW that's coming/" I hope the lady that's buying it likes it - I have it all shiny and ready for the Dance.

[cuse69]

Don't forget to take off the tags. I once sold a car to a private party and had to drive an hour to retrieve them.

Good luck with the new ride, have fun.

[MJM_CA]

Meticulous, Duane! Have you ever heard of Griots garage (www.griotsgarage.com)? His products and catalog would be right up your alley.

[drcollie]

Oh yes, I've used Griot's stuff many years ago - but I've moved on to the next level now and use professional grade products. I'm a bit of a car nut....

[drcollie]

Arrived Monday morning with 3" of snow on it as it came off the transporter. Less than glamorous! The car was filthy and had a layer of crud on it from not only being transported, but sitting outside at the dealership or wherever it was until I bought it. First I went over it with a Clay Bar and removed so much dirt and crud that I used up one entire clay bar, and I've never done that before on any car. Then I used 3M rubbing compound (by hand) to get rid of the light surface scratches and acid rain marks on it, and that's one way to work up a sweat in a 50 degree cold garage at night! After that, a coat of Opti-Seal, then 24 hours for it to cure followed by a specialty spray carnauba wax. NOW its ready to show off a little...lol. Can't say that I'm missing the Tacoma....

4,200 miles on it, year 2012, about $ 13,000 less than buying a new one.

[Vegas]

Whoa doggy, that car is beautiful and what a detail job you did. My oh my. The Tacoma also looked fabulous and your just an upright kind of guy.

[Scuba]

NICE RIDE! Do you feel like turning cars? JK