I bought a Chrysler Town & Country in 2001 and drove it until 2016. I had replaced the transmission in 2008 and in 2016 the same problem cropped up again in the new transmission. I’d rebuilt the thing after an accident and with the transmission going out it was effectively totaled. However, it still drove very well after warmed up, and other than the transmission I’d maintained everything well. It was a really nice vehicle.

I put it on Craigslist for $1400 and started getting a parade of weird phone calls and messages. This was in June that I was selling it, and one of the early ones asked if I thought the transmission would last until “next year’s tax return”. “Wouldn’t bet on it”.

I live in a well-known affluent city outside Nashville, and that brings its own set of issues. I had one guy try to get me to drive up to one of the high-crime areas of Nashville - pretty sure he didn’t want to buy the van.

The thing is I was getting 5+ calls and texts every day, and everybody wanted to buy it but nobody wanted to complete the steps that would complete the sale. You know, they bring me money, I give them the van.

As I steadily dropped the price the chorus grew. It was weird. I had one guy texting me daily. Literally every day. He’d ask if the van was still for sale, and when I said “yes” he would reply with something like “okay, I have the money, I’ll be there in the morning to pick it up”. I think he did that about 10 times.

I got the price down to $900, which was actually what it was worth. At that price, you could replace the transmission and still be somewhere around the book value of the vehicle.

One morning, a lady called from a smaller city a couple of counties south of here. She asked if it was still for sale, I replied with the affirmative. She confirmed the year, model, etc. then let her husband talk to me to get directions. They’re from Lewisburg, and the aptly named “Lewisburg Pike” is about 2 miles from here, so the directions were really easy. I told him we’re about 45 minutes from Lewisburg, and he said “Okay, I’ll be there in about 45 minutes then”. And they were.

Turns out, the wife had this exact year and model of Town & Country, and she loved the thing (I understand). But she’d accidentally overheated the engine when she didn’t notice it run out of coolant. They had a farm, so it was sitting behind the barn. The husband said “My son and I will drop the transmission out of her old one and stick it in here tonight.” This middle-aged woman was literally jumping up and down in my driveway when she saw my van.

They gave me $900 cash in an envelope after a short test drive. Literally an hour after they first contacted me they were driving away in their new van. I wish they’d noticed the ad a week earlier - I’d have given it to them for $900 then.