thewheelman

IT ALL STARTED WITH COVID....



In early 2020, I was an essential worker. My 2008 Mazdaspeed3 was at the dealership waiting for a few parts since late 2019, when the lockdown began. I was driving a new 2020 Mazda CX-9 as a loaner, and it was involved in accident in March late at night as I was on the GWB heading back to NJ. The Transit Police did not show up, so I exchanged info with the owner of the other vehicle and limped home. Since the dealership was not open to new business due to the lockdown, as was their body shop, they agreed to let me bring it to my body shop for repairs. Though my body shop was open, the adjusters for the insurance company were not travelling, so it took 2 months of back & forth between the dealership, the insurance company and the body shop to get things straightened out. I did like the CX-9, and made the dealership what I thought was a more than fair offer for the SUV, my point that it was involved in an accident that was more than $ 4000 which would be required to be reported to CARFAX, and the fact that it had more than 13,000 miles and would soon be a model year older in 2 months. The new Used Car manager balked, boasting that he would get full sticker price, regardless of the factors I had stated. I had been doing business with this dealership since 1991, and knew the ownership and GM of the franchise, but I was so turned off by this guy, I just didn't want to press the issue. After all, it's an SUV, not something special - Right ?



NOW FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL....



Back in 2005, when the kids were young and household, college funds and mortgage finances were appropriated for just that, I remember driving through Ridgewood, NJ, where Brogan Cadillac once had a location. One particularly bright day in the spring. I saw this beautiful black XLR being driven by a well to do octogenarian chomping on a cigar, his balding pate and conveyance shining brilliantly in the sun. I said to myself, "someday I'll be that guy, hopefully just younger". Fast forward to 2020. I opened up the CARFAX website on Monday June 22nd and chanced upon an add without a picture, just the heading Coming Soon - 2006 Cadillac XLR-V, Silver, one-owner, 46,982 miles, $ 23,998. On Thursday, the photos posted with the car on the showroom floor ! I flew to the phone and spoke to a Salesman, who stated that the original owner had passed away. The estate was being contested for 2 years, while the car sat neglected. Once the estate was settled, it was sold back to the dealership. The interior was flawless, but the outside looked to be a lost cause, and the decision was made to wholesale it. Someone had the foresight to give it to their longtime detailer just for kicks. And what do you know - the original paint came back to life ! That was the reason that it was not wholesaled, and they posted pictures of it on the showroom floor. He stated that it had generated a lot of buzz – Go Figure ! I had the copy of the CARFAX, which showed that the car was originally purchased by a man who lived in Glen Rock from - you guessed it - Brogan Cadillac in Ridgewood, NJ. Though I was originally interested in a black one due to the nostalgic vision in my memory, the silver was appealing, and did not have chrome wheels, which I did not desire and truthfully only looked good on a black car in my opinion. I asked him if the price was firm, and he stated that the $ 998 was taken off the top and dispersed to the investors of Auto Nation. He then stated that unfortunately the car was already sold to a collector from North Carolina, who would be flying in on Saturday to pick up the vehicle. I asked him what he had in the house form the buyer, which he did not understand. he transferred me to the Sales Manager. I figured that maybe if I offered more of a deposit, maybe I could get him to sell it to me. When I explained that "had it in the house" meant a deposit, he said, "Oh no, the collector didn't wire over a deposit, he was just going to fly in and buy it". I said "Pull out your Credit Card machine, so I can send you $ 5000 RIGHT NOW !". The Sales Manager must have been taken aback by my voracity, and agreed. The process required a notary and courier service for the documents to be signed in NJ, as it was an out of state purchase. They would not be available until the following Tuesday. I explained that I have a vendor that runs cars out of Florida to the Tr-State area weekly who could pick up the car on Monday. After speaking to the General Manager of the dealership, they agreed that they would accept faxed documents of everything the courier would be bringing and provide a bill of lading for my vendor on faith that I would meet with the courier on Tuesday. I couldn't thank them enough ! My vendor met me the following Thursday at 4:00 AM in the Vince Lombardi rest stop on the NJ Turnpike, which was partially closed for renovations, and pitch black. When we met him, he had just pulled the car off the trailer, and it was sitting there, burbling away with just the parking lights on. The scene must've looked pretty sketchy by any passerby ! I cashed him out and slid behind the wheel of my dreams from 15 years ago. I am getting the same goosebumps while writing this as I did that night. So it turns out that the vehicle was purchased and serviced at Brogan Cadillac in Ridgewood, and then at Mahwah Cadillac in NJ once Brogan left the area. The car was then transported to Florida annually during the winter by the owner, who had it serviced at Auto Nation when it was there. I knew the ownership group of Mahwah Cadillac personally, and was able to get detailed information of the service history of the car, which was invaluable. Once I joined the XLR.NET Forum - a must for any owner, I was able to learn that my car was one of 105 2006 XLR-V's that were built with a Platinum Exterior with Shale Interior. A total of 6 were exported, which left a total of 99 XLR-V's in that combination produced for the model year. The forum also led me to a thread for the STS-V registry. STS-V Registry ? I knew about the CTS-V's and their many configurations: Sedan, Coupe and Wagon. But I had no idea there was an STS-V. It was offered from 2006 to 2009, as was the XLR-V. Whereas there were 14,464 XLR's, with 2,188 XLR-V's produced, there were 108,684 STS's with 2,347 STS-V's produced. I was intrigued, as that ratio of STS to STS-V would be hard to identify in the wild. So in 2021, I found a 2007 in Platinum with Ebony Interior. There were a total of 642 STS-V's built for the 2007 model year, so rarer still. It is now my support vehicle for the XLR-V. On other days, My MUCH Better Half can be spotted on the roads in Northern NJ, wielding it like a weapon. Though the XLR-V was originally purchased for her, she was not committed to the Go Pedal, which unnerved her. The STS-V on the other hand launches with a more linear and refined velocity. So I had to buy her a Chrysler SRT6 convertible in Black - she has no issue committing to that - Go Figure !