In reply to Steve_Jones :
Even with how rampant the problem is, so far I've only found one that needs the cat replaced due to theft. There are some with salvage titles, probably because they were stolen and replaced at an astronomical cost, but there are none for sale with the cat actually missing, and the one I found earlier has sold already.
For now we have a large enough stock to look through without checking forums or FB groups, but that's a good idea if all the good ones sell. We're really locked into the purple SC, so hopefully it doesn't sell in the next 2 days, and we can go see it, verify it has no deal breaking problems, and be done on the first try.
I messaged the purple Element guy, we have a showing set for 10am Saturday. We'll see how it goes, but I'm hoping that's the only one we have to see. I'll probably message a couple other ones today, just to see how many of the backup ones are available.
Update Friday morning: I didn't message anyone else, since we're pretty locked in to this purple Element. I did set up a time with the seller, and confirmed it has a clean title. If all goes to plan we'll see it around 10AM Saturday.
If it doesn't work out, we'll start messaging the other people and see what's actually available. I just don't want to make a bunch of tentative appointments today and then cancel them all.
And the quest is over. Got $1000 off the asking price. Nothing wrong with it other than some sun-baked clearcoat and one cracked trim piece on the seat.
The seller seemed like a good guy. That other Element was his, he bought this one for his daughter, but then she went into the military so no one needed it. He was saying if no one bought it, he'd keep it as his daily. He's definitely an Element fan.
The title was never transferred from the previous owner, which may have been a problem in California, but I got a bill of sale and picture of his license, so it should be no problem in Michigan. I've done it before without any questions.
Most importantly, my girlfriend really likes it. It's actually more of a root beer color in person, and hence has been given the name A&W.
Thanks again for all the advice, especially steering away from the Beetle/Cube, and confirmation that the Element (especially the SC) was a good choice.
It's more root beer in person because that's actually the color. Root Beer Metallic (color code YR569M). I thought you were calling it purple as a joke knowing it was brown :)
Glad it all worked out , check the traffic to Las Vegas , they always seem to be doing some construction out there ,
Happy trails
I called it purple...I thought it was. Either way, a neat color! Glad it worked out!
The jumped title (title not in his name) gives me a little concern. But, you seem to know MI requirements and worst case, the GF likely still has family/friends in CA to work it all out.
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Luckily we don't have a hard arrival time there, we'll pretty much leave Wednesday morning as soon as we can get the tow dolly and have the Element loaded and all the stuff packed. Since we're stopping to visit her friends, we're barely trying to get to the Utah border by the end of the day, so we should be good.
In reply to John Welsh :
Yeah, if I hadn't dealt with it before, I'd be more concerned. Having the bill of sale, his license photo, and his son's phone number (he mostly spoke Spanish so his son was there to translate) helps too.
It is funny that a couple of us thought it was purple, and others knew/thought it was root beer colored.
Here's a found photo that highlights the color better.
In my mind, I guess I was thinking it was more the color of the Chrysler TC (a color I like too.) Officially named Cabernet but I was just referring to it as purple for simplicity
Huh. In person it still looks somewhere in the middle between that brown and the purple we thought it was. Something closer to that TC is essentially what I thought it was.
There will probably be some pictures in the (hopefully uneventful) road trip thread, and we'll have to see how it looks in those.
So I meant to post a road trip thread, but I've been really busy with work (second shift up to 12 hours a day, plus extra commute time), and trying to get stuff done at the house. The drive was relatively uneventful, but we did take some pictures, so I may still post a thread some day once things slow down. I've also been too busy to get the Yukon ready to sell, but I'm hoping to have it listed this weekend.
Just figured I'd update here, since we took the Element to the Secretary of State today, and were able to get the title transferred and get a plate put on it with no issues. They didn't even question the $1400 sale price, or the 2-month difference between the date the seller wrote by their signature, and the date we signed.
In reply to JShaawbaru :
I figured that for your road trip it was a situation of no news was good news. If there was vehicular drama, I'm sure you would have posted for help (and we would have done all we can.)
Its also a different game now. Major life change bringing the girlfriend back with you to live in Michigan. That changes a lot. You now have someone by your side and less need for help from rando guys on the internet!
Glad to here that all is well.
