Is what we do with cars just a hobby, or can it also be something more? Something for others and not just primarily for ourselves. Can we create for others meaningful lifelong memories that go beyond just seeing or showing a cool car at a meetup or car show, or just helping someone with a repair? Can saving old cars from the crusher have not just an environmental impact, but also a human impact? This is the story of how one young man’s dreams were answered by my desire to keep an old truck from a certain early demise.
It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon about 2 months ago during the middle of The Satan’s Oven Summer of ’23 when my phone lit up with a number I didn’t recognize. I was doing my usual Wednesday afternoon tasks of reading The Autopian in glorious air conditioning and enjoying some spirited car conversation in our team Slack chat with The Legend That Is “The Bishop.” It was a local number, so I picked it up since I’m always selling a few cars and perhaps this was an interested party.
“Hey maayyne, this is your ex-guitarists dad’s friend and I gots me a car that I need to get rid of. They told me you mess around with old junkers and I have one for ya. 2003 GMC Envoy that I need out of my driveway. If you don’t want it, I’m junking it. Any fair offer accepted”
This is the story of how answering that phone call created a series of events that ended up providing somebody that I have never met with a memory and experience they’ll surely keep for the rest of their life.
Now, at the moment of this phone call, I was ensnared in the middle of the great Chevy Impala Battle of Summer ’23 along with a few side skirmishes involving a Ford Escape. I was reaching my mental, physical, financial and time limits on those two cars, and was neglecting the rest of my fleet, projects, and personal/family life. It was also affecting my Autopian writing! A few of you may have noticed that there were a few weeks back then where my name wasn’t on the site. (Well, I mean, I hope you noticed).
It wasn’t pretty; I was starting to feel some pressure (not just from DT) and starting to feel that I might have gotten myself a little bit in over my head.
Both stories on the Ford and Chevy are to come this fall, but this tale starts with that little nagging voice in the back of your head that tells you to take on another project during such a time. Or is it about that other voice that tells you not to? Which voice is louder? Which one do you heed? “How’s It Gonna Be”?
Take A Chance On A Dance With The General of Motors
I don’t know what it was, but something told me I needed to go check this car out; something just felt right. No reason or rhyme to it, it was just a good premonition. I told the gentleman that I’d be there in 4 hours, once the workday was over, and he agreed.
Once there, I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out from behind the shrubs bordering the house to tell me that I was being “Punk’d”.
“This can’t be the car this dude called me about. No way” – a bewildered me
The truck looked great. This machine did not in any way resemble a vehicle that was about to get sent to its demise. The paint still had its clear-coat, the tires were nearly new, the interior didn’t show a shred of stuffing coming out of the seats — no tears at all in the upholstery. Something nefarious must be afoot with the transmission, or with the rear end, or the engine, or even worse with the electrical system.
Nope.
All of those items checked out! The “Atlas” inline six sounded like a sewing machine, the cooling system held the coolant at operating temperature, the transmission shifted great, and nary a concerning noise was emitted from the rear end. This was wicked weird. It was as though I had stumbled upon The Gold GMC At The End Of The Rainbow.
Also, let me just say: Gold is an underappreciated paint choice that I haven’t truly began to appreciate until middle-age. I call it the Goldmember Effect.
A quick scan with a code-reader produced a EVAP leak P0442 code, which did not concern me whatsoever since it is the best-possible code to see. This is because nine times out of ten that code is generated due to a loose gas cap. Those be bettin’ odds.
Even if the EVAP leak that caused that code wasn’t due to a loose or faulty gas cap, dropping the tank to fix an evaporation leak on these trucks is pretty easy, so long as there’s not much gas in the tank. This is another Thing of Beauty about living in The Cape Fear here in North Carolina: no rust. All the fasteners are able to be removed as designed, most of the time. Northern mechs have to do everything Southern mechs do, but with rust. The job gets harder the further north you go. Those Canadian mechs north of (Canadian Autopian) Thomas Hundal’s place have my utmost respect.
The seller also told me that the AC had recently quit, which was his main reason for selling the truck. It was so, so hot this past summer that being stuck in daily stop-and-go traffic without AC was torturous.
This was far more of an issue than the EVAP leak, since I’m not AC certified, nor do I have an AC machine in the Gossin Motors Shitbox Rescue Wrenching Lair (under that volcano in Wilmington, NC). I have a couple of buddies with AC machines though, so it could be done, I figured. Hopefully the leak wasn’t in the dash (evaporator), since those repairs are quite difficult and usually not something that most folks want to get into. Check out how much fun it is to fix an AC evaporator on my 2004 Durango.
Time To Talk Turkey
After buying over a hundred cars, you start to get a good feel for the art of negotiation. The way a seller presents the vehicle, the words chosen, the rate and intensity of speech, nervous glances, things glossed over, things overly focused-upon and the usual healthy dose of optimism regarding repairs. In The Seller’s World, each problem has an easy solution, always!
This guy wasn’t doing any of the above “red flag” items, but instead seemed to just be a dude who wanted AC and was just over this sweat-inducing 205K mile truck in his driveway. He was so over it, it seemed as though he barely wanted to go through the motions of posting and dealing with prospective buyers and was ready to send it to be crushed if I didn’t want it.
He just didn’t want to spend one additional ounce of energy or time on it. Hey, we’ve all been there with certain cars in our past, so I get it. But regardless, this machine was not ready for the crusher, and there was no way in hell that I was going to let that happen. Not on my watch.
“So if I pass on this truck, you’re going to get about $350 from the local Pick n’ Pull, right?” says I. I knew this because I’ve been spending my Saturday mornings there for the past 13 years and have junked a couple cars myself over that timespan. He said that he already had contacted them and that my guess was correct.
At this point, knowing that he was fine with ending this car’s existence for $350, I knew right then that I was going to get this truck for a pittance. “I’ll do double that in cash if you want to get it gone right now,” says I, fully knowing that $700 for this truck was near highway robbery. It was a bold move that had the potential of being low-enough to offend, buy hey, fortune favors the brave.
[Sidebar: As the seller of many cars over the years, lowballing is something that I despise. In this case though I felt that doubling the scrap price was the right move out of respect for both the seller and the truck. Could I have probably scored it for $400? Yes, but it would’ve felt a bit more tarnished. I prefer to hold my head as high as can be at the end of the day.]
“$700 is fine, I’ll go get the title. You can sweat in it now.” I feel as though global warming played a role in this truck coming my way for such a cheap price. If this summer wasn’t so sweltering, perhaps the owner would’ve held onto it.
The money and title were exchanged and a few minutes later I was in my new truck, with the windows down, radio blasting the classic rock station the prior owner had set it to, doing 50mph down Shipyard Blvd, heading towards the Port of Wilmington.
[Fun fact: The Port of Wilmington is where David and Jason picked up the Changli, a few blocks away from The Gossin Motors Backyard Shitbox Rescue HQ.]
I Have To Tell The Team About This!
So the first thing I did once I got home was park it on the street, (since driveway parking is at a premium at my place), and shoot the below video to spread the good word about this great find to my Good Autopian Homies.
My good buddy Mark Tucker was just about as blown away as I was that I scored this truck for so cheap. Mercedes said that most of these trucks in her neck of the country had long since rusted away and been relegated to buy-here pay-here lots for their last stand before oblivion. Weekend “Voice Of The Youth” Rob Spiteri congratulated me on it, and my good buddy The Bishop sent to DM saying the same.
I included the above to really extol what a great group of supportive writers we have here at the site! It’s not just the Tales Of The Slack to go to the members, the camaraderie from this crew is always super positive and fun.
So what is up with this hoss anyway; was David right?
In case any of you missed it, David recently did a piece pretty much saying that the Chevy Trailblazer is the poor man’s Land Cruiser. I have to agree that this thing drove phenomenally well, and that the inline 6 was the star of the show — a real strong point.
The GMC version of these trucks sold for an MSRP of $33,495 twenty years ago, which is $55,890 today. Not at all cheap. For comparison’s sake, the Chevy Trailblazer sold for $28,800 in 2003 (a $5K jump in price between the Chevy and the “Professional Grade” GMC). The other platform mate was the Olds Bravada (yes, Oldsmobile was still kickin’ back then) had a MSRP of $35,145, to claim the title of the most expensive of the trio.
The strange thing I noticed about this was also something that I’ve long thought about this truck’s predecessors, the S10 and S10-based SUVs (Blazer, Envoy, Bravada): it’s really narrow! It’s the opposite of those Hummers, RamChargers and OJ Broncos where the passenger door seems like it’s in another zip code from the driver’s seat. These trucks are narrow to the point that you notice and say to yourself “huh, that’s weird.” Their slim waistline is 74.7” compared to 79.5” for the RamCharger and 79.1” for the OJ Bronco. Yes those larger trucks are from a different class, but still, you notice the narrow in the GM trio referenced in the prior paragraph.
Another thing that was a bit of a weak point was the cheap-ass painted plastic switches that GM uses for the climate control and radio. All of the paint was wearing off and the back-lighting was shining through which looked…not the best. In my experience it is actually quite on-brand for The General. In my eyes they have historically done so much right, so often, and yet always seem to just be completely oblivious to some random detail that kinda ruins the whole thing. Like this delaminated radio. Other manufacturer’s radios don’t delaminate. Why do yours, Mr. General? Why?
The in-dash 6-disc CD player was also jammed, so there’s that.
Let’s wrench?
The Autopian’s masthead is full of wrenching heroes. With David at the helm, Laurence crushing it in Australia, Jason, Mercedes, Thomas Hundal, Social Media Pete, Mark Tucker, Bill Caswell (Ski Klasse) can turn a mean wrench (click each hyperlink to see!). Heck even our “Goth Uncle” Adrian Clarke has been known to fight off maladies on his Ferrari and Mini with a wrench, some saucy language and black nail polish (said with the highest respect).
Just look at Matt’s recent pirouette to save his BMW at a key moment whilst driving. The man “smelled fall” (in September!) and knew to take action to save his car from self immolating.
The hardest thing for each of us (and I think the above parties will all agree) is finding the time. The internet never stops, and neither does this team.
With that said, I have tried not to make my brand here about wrenching, as my skills are okay (I’m no NASCAR Pit Crew Chief, but I can pull something like this off), but I’m far better at rescuing cars headed for certain doom. Rescuing isn’t always about turning a wrench, it’s far more about knowledge and experience. It’s about knowing the used sales market, parts prices and availability, repair difficulty, other cars that are platform mates, desirability as well as both digital and physical repair knowledge.
Does this repair require a lift? Do I have a lift? Does this require special tools or software? Will I need an alignment after this? Are the guys in the forums and FB Group assholes that will chide you and not answer your questions? Will the AC system need to be evacuated? What type of refrigerant is used for this application? How many of these cars are at the local yards? What will this sell for at the end of the day and what will this cost in the end?
All of the above can be far greater tools to have in your tool chest than a set of spanners, depending on the situation. Sometimes experience is the greatest wrench in the toolchest.
First things first: We know the Check Engine light is on for that EVAP leak and you can’t get past emissions inspection in New Hanover Country (also called New Hangover County per my alma mater UNCW) with a CEL lit up. Let’s check out that gas cap.
Source: Google. This photo is not from my GMC.
I’m glad that I did! What I found was the source of the CEL: mold/mildew from corn gas! Here in the hot and damp South, you’ll see nature doing its thing regarding the beyond fermented corn (ethanol) in the gas. Mold will grow in and around the fuel system, as ethanol is hygroscopic. A buddy of mine who runs a local machine shop says it’s a problem when it comes to dirty injectors and general fuel system contamination. All the way from the tank to the valves.
A quick clean of the rubber gas cap o-ring gasket and a code clear and we were in business. No wrench needed, just a little bit of experience.
Now on to that AC. First thing is to visually inspect what you can in hopes that a previous service used a refrigerant with dye. And the first place to start is at the Schrader valves (no relation to Stef) on the low side.
Source: Google
Eureka! This diagnostic could be done without an AC machine or certification, you just needed decent vision: a bad Schrader valve. The best possible outcome/situation for an AC leak. You can see the dye seeping out from around the valve (the above isn’t the actual shot – I forgot to photo-document it but the scenario was the same). One screwed-on new Schrader valve and a Freon fill and she was blowin’ ice cold again.
And that’s it! Other than that jammed CD changer, everything (and I mean everything) on this truck worked as designed. This vehicle was literally almost crushed due to a .30cent part and a little mold/mildew. The difference between the prior owner that was ready to send it to its doom and Yours Truly was just a little grit, effort and experience. One more time for the folks in the cheap seats (“Can I get some action from the back section?”): sometimes experience is the greatest wrench in the toolchest.
A Second Life On The Roads; A Second Chance
I posted the truck for sale and moved my attention back to that problematic Ford Escape and Chevy Impala I referenced earlier. Recently the used market has gone through a significant slowdown from the COVID days, so I figured the GMC was fine sitting where it was (in my driveway) until the right person came around expressing interest.
And boy did they.
I received a handful of “Is this available?” messages on Facebook Marketplace, and gave each my usual “Yup, thanks!” without much thought since it’s never wise to get all pumped up and hyped about a prospective buyer until the money is in your hand. One of the interested parties asked to see the truck that afternoon; I said that would be fine. I honestly didn’t even expect them to show up, since you can never count on any randos from the internet for coming through on a used car sale. If they show, great. If not, it’s fine/expected.
Well they did actually show and told me that they were looking at the Envoy as a surprise birthday present for a first-time driver who was turning 17. He had just recently gotten his license and a job at a local Burger King.
The presentation of the truck went really well, since this thing was clean with the only malady being that jammed CD changer. The buyers’ mom was impressed and noted that the price was ½ that of comparable vehicles (I value rescuing cars for the environmental impact more than trying to make a buck).
The money and title were exchanged and they were on their way home with the bronze GMC. I was happy to have saved another one from certain doom, but I was truly floored when the buyer’s mom reached back out to me on Facebook Messenger with the clip below.
Rescuing this Envoy didn’t take really any wrenching; it instead took the knowledge and experience gained from doing this since 1996. This tuck almost became another travesty of our throw-away consumerist culture. One man’s trash can certainly be another man’s treasure. Like I recently said in Gossin’s Gold: Graveyard Garbage & Grievance, there are perfectly running cars being driven to the junkyard to be crushed for a few hundred bucks, everyday.
It’s our duty as Autopians to save every one that we can and hopefully change a few lives for the better. Everyone remembers their first car and I’m sure the new owner of this truck will never forget it, nor will he forget the moment that it became his.
The joy that this Envoy was able to provide for that young man above was the kind of car experience that really matters; that really means something. Not just to you, but to the planet and to the next, up-and-coming Autopian who just got his license, a first job, and the truck of his dreams.
Driving home the other day, I saw my old Envoy, parked in front of a place where you can “have it your way,” slowly being paid off, week by week.
Just like we did when we were young and ready to take on the world.
All Photos by Stephen Walter Gossin unless otherwise noted.
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How I Bought A Broken Version Of My Dream Car For $300, Then Nursed It Back To Glory And Let It Free
Work is slow today so I’m spending the morning hanging out a parking lot waiting for a call and catching up on reading this website. It’s been my favorite story so far. The look on that kid’s face and seeing him dance around, I forgot what it was like to be young and genuinely overjoyed. Made my day.
The video his mom sent you was the icing on the cake for me. I love seeing others overjoyed from good things happening to them.
I’m also convinced on looking out for an Atlas powered truck for my friends’ and family members’ next car.
That video had me tearing up. That kid was so excited and he has a wonderful mom. I love your articles and yoru outlook. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Really enjoyed this
BTW, I’d like to share the name of a documentary I recently came across called Unbroken. It’s like an SWG rescue, only with horses instead of cars.
The last part with the BK photo was so well written, it choked me up a bit. You got it man! Thanks for what you do.
Stephen, I know I’ve said so more than once before, but your recounting of your automotive saved-from-the-grave exploits fills me with an empirically measurable degree of joy. I really like what you do, and how you share the process with us.
And again, I’m sorry that I’m on the other coast since I too would enjoy a running 200Kmile Envoy looking as nice as that one does, though the young man working at Burger King probably deserves it than I do.
Keep up the fine work! 🙂
I’m calling it now: SWG is the new DT.
He lacks 1st World War foot injuries and shower meals but that’s about the only differences. Look:
– 500$ shitboxes? Check
– Epic wrenching? Check
– Wholesome AF? Check
I rest my case.
My dude,
You are awesome! So love how you find value in cars at which other “car enthusiasts” would turn up their noses! How cool is that in line six the General made!
Awesome story!! Not only was that one heck of a save, but the new owner looks so happy! Maybe that jammed CD changer will inspire him to learn about head unit replacement; that shouldn’t be too bad on an ’03.
Do 17 year olds have CDs?
No, but I don’t see an Aux input and it definitely doesn’t have bluetooth
Just wanted to say that my mom had an Envoy exactly like this one; 2003, bronze, SLT. Loved that car growing up and it was the car I took my driver’s license test with. Had it for about 10 years and 150,000 miles when it was then replaced with a 2013 Passat SE TDI. It’s crazy that even after 10 years the Envoy wiped the floor with the Passat when it came to feature content. It had dual zone auto climate, rain-sensing wipers, a bumpin’ Bose stereo, genuine (albeit mediocre quality) leather, power passenger seat, and a rear-seat DVD system, among other things.
The Passat however under my mother’s right foot consistently achieved mpgs in the high 40s which was quite a dramatic upgrade over the Envoy’s 16 mpg.
I love these SWG stories! One reason is that Stephen can put into words some of what drew me in to car culture, in ways that I have trouble explaining to people. Thank you so much for your attitude and your willingness to share that with others.
Man, your stories are the best! That’s a great first ride for a young driver.
Great save! I oddly really like these, and the gold over tan combo is really nice. I would totally refer to this as the “Bland Cruiser”, haha. This one is so clean, typically these are on their last legs here in New England. I do see a lifted one occasionally, it looks fantastic.
Question about the buying process though: Once you make the deal, you just drive it away? What do you do about reg and insurance? Do you have a dealer plate or just cross your fingers you don’t get pulled over with no plate?
I’m constantly tempted by shitboxes, but I always wonder about how I’d get the damn thing (legally) home. Down the street is one thing, but they always seem to be in another state. I don’t own a flatbed or trailer, and making another trip to return with legal plates and reg is a hassle.
I’m not familiar with the laws in North Carolina I know some states the plate is registered to the driver and the driver keeps it. In Oregon the plate is registered to the car and it stays with the car. And you have 30 days to add a vehicle to an existing insurance policy.
I have experience with RI and MA (and I imagine the rest of New England is the same), and in those states the plate is registered to the driver, so plates do not come with the vehicle. MA does not issue any sort of temp plate, you need title and proof of insurance to get new plates or to transfer over your old plates from a previous car. RI will issue a temp plate, but you still need all of the above. I’ve heard the urban myth that having the title and bill of sale on you is good enough should you get pulled over driving the car home with no plates, but I looked it up and it is not true for MA or RI. One nice thing about RI is that they will accept a bill of sale in lieu of a title for vehicles over ten years old.
It would be great if one could get a temp plate or registration online based on the VIN and proof of insurance. Print it out and slap it on the car if you buy it, or just let it expire if you don’t.
Yeah I’ve heard stories like that from other states and it just blows my mind. How does a first time car buyer buy from a private party? LOL. In Oregon you can get a temporary permit as well, back in the day they were good for 30 days and you could get unlimited numbers of them. But people abused it to get around DEQ so now you can only get two a year, good for 15 days and they’re on the vehicle not the person. Still got to show proof of insurance and ownership though always.
Good job, Gossin! If you still have the buyer’s contact info, tell them to pull the radio fuse and then reseat it. That always worked when a CD got stuck on my early ’00s Silverado.
If the kid has just turned 17 then he probably doesn’t even know what a CD is, let alone own any 😉
True. I’m showing my age …
“Its like a cassette tape..” wait no..
“It’s like an 8-track…” damn it wrong historical direction…
“It’s like Spotify, but with a very specific Playlist you can play over and over as many times as you want without Any internet connection or data charges at all!”
Yes! Nailed it!!
Thanks for the great story
I always thought the Atlas was improperly used. What I mean is that the Camaro came out around this time with the FWD 3.6 turned to run the back wheels. it was and still is a questionably weak motor. sure it got up to 300HP, but drank oil through the crappy designed OHC valve covers and sludged quite often. the atlas from the factory in an SUV mind you was around 270. But after a bit the number was 291 and these easily could be tuned for a lighter car.
SO lets imagine that the base Camaro was a high revving inline six and the RS was a Turbo Variant? Then the V-8’s were relegated to the SS top Dos and the ZL1. That would have been fun to see people bench race and upgrade for street racing.
Also the 4.3 was and always seems to have been weak and inefficient. the 2000’s versions were somewhat better, but I would still have rather had the atlas inline six tuned for torque. and then by now the development wheel would have turned long enough for the Camaro Turbo version to properly complete with the EcoBooost motors and since it has Overhead Cams, they might have had a VVT system that is less problematic over time than the AFM/DFM BS.
As a “not so good” wrencher, myself, I am warming up to your stories, Stephen. The jeep in my profile had most of the hard work done by others, but I rescued it from the junkheap and the many projects in it that were attainable by my skills and tools made for good stories and feelings. I’m happy that you’re contributing stories like this to the site.
That warmed my heart. I do that with bicycles since I’ve been a bike mechanic for 25 years. People give me tired bikes and I fix them and give them to kids. Same kind of thing. Not for the profit, for the smiles. For the next generation. Bravo!
In my late teens, I bought a ’73 Fury for $50 (that was the junk rate in 1987). It was towed into the gas station I worked at – the woman who sold it to me said that it belonged to her dad, who had passed three years prior. She just didn’t want it sitting around anymore. Took a little work plus some tires to bring it back to life/road legal. I used it as my winter beater that year. In the spring, I sold it to a friend of a friend for $75. He recently dropped out of college and started working construction. His folks were mad at him, and refused help for a car. Think he drove it for about a year before it quit for good, but by that time he had enough saved to get a “real” car.
Absolutely perfect first car–so many wrenching journeys start with replacing a head unit…
That is how my journey into wrenching started. Replaced more head units than I care to count and now I do most of my own maintenance.
Slightly OT, but I am looking forward to the Impala story. I have been fighting with my daughter’s $2,900 ’08 SS for over a year and still don’t have all the bugs worked out.
Perfect ending for all parties involved and indeed, the sheer joy of getting your first car ! Love it that the new generation still can have that joy.
SWG, you rock. In an ugly world your humanity helps make things a little brighter. It’s always a nice story where everybody wins. The original seller got more than they were expecting, you made a few bucks on the deal, and a young man is thrilled with his first vehicle and he didn’t have to do financially unwise things to get it. Funny how things can work when naked greed is kept out of the picture.
Great article.
I recused a Datsun 200B back in my younger wrenching days, got it on the road and enjoyed it for 6 months as a cheap daily while looking for my next ‘real’ car. When I no longer needed it I sold it to a friend for what it owed me and she drove that thing for the next 3 years at a time in her life when she had no direction, no money and needed that car to escape an abusive ex boyfriend. Fast forward 25 years later and she has 2 good kids, a dorky and harmless husband obsessed with Pearl Jam, a house and investments. Car wasn’t a life changer for her but it was loyal and reliable when other stuff in her life was not, and I was proud to have sold it to her.
Good used cars are worth more than they cost sometimes.