Newest Stealth Owner in Town

I parked in the middle of the cheapy grocery store parking lot today, got out & started walking towards the entrance - oblivious to all around me, when some guy's voice says "that's my dream car". He sounds close, though it didn't register with me what he said for a few seconds, I turned around and there he is. I say something like "oh really?". I'm mostly shocked someone just started talking to me out of the blue when I'm going over "milk, bread, paper towels..." in my mental shopping list, and he says yeah I just bought a Stealth though I looked everywhere for a 3000gt and couldn't find one. Then tells me how awesome my car is and asks me if I want to trade.

Dude. I'm floored. That's all I can think in my head but don't say it. I tell him nah, you don't want my car, it leaks everything, though I spare him the slow seepage details and don't mention the miles.

I proceed to ask him about his car, he says it's right there, I turn around it's bright shiny red & clean with a 1st gen GT skirt on the drivers side. I think oh cool he's already started to make it look how he wants. He asks if mine's the turbo and I say nope, just the SL and he says some words about that being cool and that he "just" has the base Stealth. "BUT," I ask, "it's a stick right?" And he smiles big and says yeah 5-speed. I tell him then he's all good then. He was so excited about his car it made ME happy for him, lol. I remember my own car honey-moon phase and slow down to listen to him some more.

He continues on about the 3000gt, and I tell him it's the SAME car inside, looks exactly the same, I swear, and he's amazed, almost disbelieving. I promise, and he seemed convinced, lol. I mentally kicked myself yet again for not cleaning out the car after weekend garage sales trips like I knew I should have! I was so not ready for a side-by-side car comparison, gah! I would have enjoyed walking backwards through the lot to let him see for himself :-) I still remember being AMAZED when my neighbor bought a Stealth after he fell in love with my GT, and he showed me his that they really are the same inside.

By then we separated at the store entry door and I just shake my head thinking if I had my car at his age, whoosh, wow, jeez, I'd be so freakin' dangerous. So bad. So not a good idea. I was way too crazy at that age. Then I realize - wait - just because I would kill myself in it at 21, doesn't mean he will! If it's his *dream* then he'll surely take care of it. He's already started to fix it up his own way. Whew. The guy can drive a stick, he picked the best car possible, he's all good, it's okay, I relax.

Who knows which guys (or girls) will end up hanging on to their first *real* car until it rusts away, which ones will end up with SEVEN Stealths, which ones will wreck their only one & then forget all about it? The newest Stealth owner in town went from "kid" to "guy" in my head in about 3 minutes flat.

I should have got his name, and told him about the red 3000gt I saw a few weeks ago over on 46th street, the white 1st gen 3000gt TT down past 164th, because that guy races his at the speedway - at least he used to. Hmm, time flies. I wonder if he still even has it. Kicked myself for not keeping in touch. I really wanted to buy that one as a parts car if he wrecked it, 98k but very nice interior, dang, too many things going on.

Then I think, oh, he's definitely going to need 3si.org. Wow he didn't even know they're the same inside! I go into panic mode! The mechanics around here suck!!!! Does he even know what he has? I mean there are so many possibilities!!! So I rip off a piece of paper out of my purse, clearly write "3si.org" on it, and go find the guy in the store and give it to him. Tell him he needs it for his car. If he's going to wreck it or mod it or keep it forever, he'll need to know how to fix it up.