The truck story

People have been asking, so here's the full story of the truck fiasco. I try not to dwell on it.

A little over a month ago, I needed a brake job on my truck so got on craigslist to find a mechanic. I've found all sorts of good things on there, so I figured it was a safe bet. Ryan came out, fixed my brakes, and I think I got a good deal. I was also leaking water, which he identified to be the water pump, so we planned on doing that next. I told lots of friends and clients about this great mobile mechanic I found. Before he made it out again, I checked my oil and it looked like a chocolate milkshake. Even I know that's not a good sign. Turns out I needed a whole new engine. After some consideration, I figured it was a good investment. I need it for work, and it already had a new transmission and brakes. A new engine, water pump, wires, etc. would essentially make it a new truck, and it was going to run around $1900.

That's when things turned bad. The engine in the truck had already been replaced once with a junkyard engine that turned out to have a block of wood in it. (I have no idea. No one has any idea.) Ryan got a new engine that was what should have been in the truck, but they had put a smaller one in. That's when the parts started not fitting. And when Ryan stopped showing up when he said he would. Or calling. Sometimes he was waiting on parts, or his uncle died. The latest was that he was supposed to be here Wednesday. No show, no call. I call and leave a message Thursday. No response. I call him this morning, he answers, says he'll be out today and it'll be done by the end of the weekend. No apology, no explanation. Now it's 9:00 and no show, no call again. There are parts all over the garage, he has one of them, and I'm not sure how I'd fire him and bring someone else in at this point. Sunday will be four weeks since I last drove the truck. I'm really really really broke and pissed off.