drivetofive

Odometer (Integra sedan):  75,604

Trip Distance:  2,155 Miles

I sold my 28-year-old Integra sedan on Tuesday, and the buyer drove it as many miles in his 3-day trip home to Tampa, Florida, as I drove the car over my nearly 2 years of ownership.  Needless to say, he’s enjoying it more than I did!  More in a little bit about who the lucky new owner is and how the exchange played out.

I was walking down High Street in north Phoenix a couple of weeks ago at a car show, glad to be wearing a fleece jacket because it was downright chilly (by Arizona standards) in the shade.

“I like your jacket,” a guy said as I passed by him.  I paused for a second and looked down because I couldn’t even remember what I was wearing.  I realized it was my Nissan GT-R jacket.  The guy then pulled up his shorts a little to show a brightly-colored GT-R tattoo on his thigh.  I said, “Awesome; I wish I had the car but I just have the sweater!”  I guess Nissan people are just as passionate about their cars as Honda people are.

The occasion for the day was the 5th annual Future Collector Car Show (FCCS), an event that started in 2016 as a small production sponsored by ClassicCars.com to recognize and embrace the movement of the ‘new’ definition of classic.  The show has grown and evolved over the years, attracting 150 vehicles for the 2020 program that were selected via an online application process that kicked off last fall.

I had the lone representing Integra, while there were a couple of RSXs on the roster.  Here are some links to prior years’ coverage of this event.  (I’ve been to all five!)

• 2016 – Legend coupe
• 2017 – Legend sedan
• 2018 – Integra GS-R
• 2019 – Integra GS-R (again)

Over the course of the day, I got the chance to reconnect with a lot of great friends and I enjoyed lunch at Mellow Mushroom while taking a break from the social scene.  The variety of vehicles on display was wide, and while most were modified, there were a few super clean ‘preserved’ original cars like this sweet 1980 Prelude.

One of my faves was this older Lexus SC sitting on new IS wheels.

Three “Bullitt” Mustangs in a row!  One had the license plate “CHSECAR” (chase car)

Wandering High Street

And bumping into friends

Meanwhile, my 1992 Integra sedan was on display, and I’d left a For Sale sign sitting on the dash in case anyone had interest in sending me a message to inquire.

At the end of the day, I received just 1 text message.  It was from a high-school-age kid who came to test-drive the car 2 days later.  Except, he couldn’t drive a stick.  So I drove him around.  He didn’t end up making an offer.  I actually discovered how frustrating it can be to deal with car buyers.  A few of the things I observed or heard:

• “What’s the lowest you’ll take?”
• “Does the car need anything now or in the future?”  <Hello, it’s nearly 30 years old, the answer is YES>
• “Will you take $XX plus 10 monthly payments of $XX?”
• “If only you were in X location.”
• “Can I trade you my XX vehicle?”
• “Why are you asking so little?”  <This one surprised me>
• “You know Blue Book on this car is only XXX.”  <Facepalm.  I hate ‘Blue Book’ when it comes to vintage cars>
• “You’ll regret selling it.”
• “I wish I had the money, but I have XX kids.”
• “I like the 2 door better.”

I survived all of that, and a legitimate offer did come, however, from a nice gentleman named David in Tampa, Florida who is a dedicated Honda-fan who’s restoring a 1989 Prelude “S” model.  We corresponded a little by email and then text, and arranged his visit for Tuesday January 21st.

Below are a few photos from the transaction as well as photos he sent me from his drive home.

Gift I made up for David of his digital car rending from Darren at I Drew Your Car.

About to leave the garage for the last time.

Key handoff on a rainy Phoenix morning.

Arrival in Florida – that sign looks familiar.  I was just there in October.

Final odometer reading after a successful journey to the other side of the country.

Congrats, David!  Here’s a 1-minute video memorializing the occasion.

PS – If you haven’t already done so, check out the YT Channel “Out Motorsports.” My friend Jake and his crew of skilled journalists are going to publish regular updates on car reviews, performance/track events, and more.

This entry was posted on January 25, 2020 at 9:05 am and is filed under Arizona, Car Show, Integra. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.