Throughout the winter, I continue to replace vacuum lines and a few more sensors on the 1989 Aerostar, but nothing would correct the surging, which helped me to decided that the problem was connected to the original engine gasket defect, which to fix it, I would have to either rebuild or replace the engine. I determined that to do so would not be cost effective and began looking for a replacement van.

I drive to League City to help my sister Susan and her family move to central Texas. After that, I drive to the bottom of Texas and when it begins to get too warn there in late January of 2019, I begin my drive upriver again, taking up my snowbirding route north.

Each time I stop to overnight, I go online and look for another Ford Aerostar. I see a couple that I am somewhat interested in, but then finally, I see one advertised in Dallas that really made me look twice, despite the fact that it costs two thousand dollars plus tax, title and license, which would be about $2400, as the car salesmen say, out the door.

The fact that it was a six and a half hour drive of nearly 450 miles kept me from going directly there, not to mention I had to drive into a major city, which I never do any more. I hesitated for almost a week before deciding to make the drive to Dallas.

However, what kept me interested in this van is that it was listed as only having sixty-four thousand miles. I prayed about this and then finally decided to go, telling myself that I will never know about if it was real unless I drive there and look at it.

Earlier this day, after calculating the travel distance, I determine that I can arrive within fifty miles of the location, overnight Thursday evening in a nearby d-mart. Then when I awake the next morning, I can drive in to the city to look at the van. If the van is in fact a beater, then I will drive right back out. However, if it proves to be a keeper, then I will deal with being in the city at that point.

I drive in and stop at the truck sales lot, ask to look at the vehicle, and determine immediately that the odometer is correct. I thoroughly check out the van and find it has quite a few things that need to be fixed but nothing beyond what I was able to do. I mentally make a list of the discrepancies and repeat them to the owner.

Then, I ask him, what is you bottom dollar price to which he says, $1500 out the door. Since this was four hundred dollars lower than my top price, I agree to the price, pay him the money and make arrangements for me to be picked up the next morning to come take possession of the van.

I drive the blue jammer to the nearby d-mart in the location where I will overnight while moving my possessions. I locate a good spot in the d-mart parking lot which adjacent to a local w-mart. Next, I walk to the w-mart and use an internet sales app to put the blue 1989 Aerostar for sale online, and I ask $700.00 for it.

Immediately, I get responses from ten people who want the van, most offering $500.00 cash for it. I reply to each of them that I have purchased a newer van and the 1989 will be available Sunday afternoon when I have finished moving my things into the newer van.

On Saturday, at six in the morning, I walk to the w-mart to await my ride where I purchase coffee and check my com. Tony calls to tell me he is outside and I ride with him to the car lot. I then drive the white 1997 Aerostar back to the d-mart and park it right next to the blue 1989 Aerostar.

It is eight this morning, right after a cup of coffee, I begin moving my things from the blue van into the white van. I find out very quickly that the newer van is a little smaller than the older one and my furniture does not fit, so I need to make some temporary changes to how I install the boxes in order to store all of my stuff. I also realize that this move will eventually necessitate my down sizing one more time, but decide to make the changes later and not to do it while I am here in the city.

By sunset, I am finished moving everything, clean out the blue van to get it ready to sell. However, I still have one more task to do and that is to transfer the wheels and tires between the two vans.

The rubber tires that came with the white 1997 van have good tread but they show some age cracking so, I will put all of those tires and wheels onto the blue 1989 van. My my five painted rims with new tires will come with me as I will install them on the white van, but that will not happen until tomorrow after the weekend meeting.

On Sunday, 17 February 2019, after the early meeting, I drive back to the d-mart to do the wheel transfer. Arriving back at the camp site just after mid day, get out my floor jack and jack stand, afterwhich I begin switching wheels between the two Aerostars. It takes much less time than expected and by three, I am done.

Then, I put the notice online stating First One with $500 Takes the Aerostar! I do not have to wait long before the first person arrives to test drive the blue Aerostar.

Both he and his friend take the blue van out to drive it and when he comes back he hands me the five hundred dollars in cash. I check the serial numbers and see that each is different and then we sign a sales agreement.

After the sale is finalized, I get into the white 1997 jammer and get out of Dodge, or was that city called Dallas. After three long days in the city, I am so glad to be on my way driving out of that megalopolises and back to the small towns that I totally prefer, only now in a 1997 Ford Aerostar van with less than sixty five thousand miles on it.