The trade bug.

Long, long ago, in a city not very far away, I got a free Saturn sedan from a good friend. This sedan, in all of it's beige glory was thought dead by its prior owner, but I discovered that with air in the tires and a new(ish) battery under the hood it was in fact a decent commuter.

My uncle noted the value of my free commuter. This spawned the first trade: Saturn for 1956 Chevy.

The Chevy was a runner, a sedan, and a rust bucket. But it had a thumping 400ci small block that loved to roast the skinny rear tires in their own juices.

My good friend Andrew noted the value of my tire smoking machine. This spawned the second trade: 1956 Chevy for 1992 4Runner.

The 4Runner had a lifter tick, and with some minor modifications on my part, a few scratches in the paint (whoops). Otherwise, it was clean, reliable, comfortable and fun. But I bent a wheel while four wheeling, and realized that much worse would follow if I continued to own the vehicle. So I sought out a purpose built wheeling rig.

This spawned the third trade: 1992 4Runner for 1946 Willys.

The Willys, named Scarlet, was beautifully horrifying. Not at all unlike a pet tiger. It was cool to play with, but clearly it wanted to kill me.

My Mother coveted the Willys. This spawned my fourth trade: 1946 Willys for 2001 Audi A4.

The Audi is the polar opposite of the Willys. It is red to the Willys' green. It is an automatic to the Willys' manual. It has a roof. It is large enough for my considerable mass. It doesn't smell of unburnt fuel. The Audi, in terms of pets, is a goldfish. Safe, simple, easily forgotten and lovable regardless.

The Audi is mine for now. Let's see what trades develop.