The Greatest Customer of ALL TIME (Part 2)

[Dave1982]

See the original thread here for a recap. Be warned; it is very long

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=20377

As I commented to my father tonight, it is a very good thing that he and my mother raised me to be honest and trustworthy. Why? Because some people a just a tad too trusting for their own good. Look at this:



Yes, that's the key to R's DeLorean. I am in possession of it right now, at my own desk.

No, the car isn't in my driveway.

Here's the scoop. After he let me drive it last year, I felt compelled to get him a Christmas present. It had to be related to the car and I thought it had to be useful. I considered getting him a DeLorean t-shirt but I'd already given him a polo shirt. So I settled on getting him a very nice reproduction DeLorean key blank from a DeLorean vendor, complete with molded rubber key head with the DMC logo. I figured this would be much nicer than the crappy COLE generic blank in the picture above. See here:



Well because he travels so much, I didn't get to see him until tonight, and I had to wait until almost 8PM. Well, he appreciated the gift alright. He gave me the goshdarn key to his DeLorean and asked me to have it cut for him!

So yeah, if I was of the mind to, I could make my own key from this and then steal his car. Luckily for him (and for my own good) I am not the type who would do something like that.

More than that, he said to bring my friend by (this friend being fellow CSer AdamAnt316) tomorrow morning (later today at this point) once I get the key done and he'd let us take it out for a spin!

Keep in mind, this is a two-seater car. That means we'll be taking it out unsupervised! Of course, under threat of slow and painful death if we crash it (well, if we crash it and it's our fault).

This is going to be nerve-wracking and yet VERY fun.

[AdamAnt316]

I can confirm that Dave1982 indeed has the key, and in the morning, we shall embark upon an historic journey. Hopefully, we won't forget the extra plutonium.
-Adam

[JustaCashier]

Dave & Adam's Excellent Adventure!

Have fun, guys!

Mike

[queenbb]

thats awsome, he is really the greatest customer ever.

i also appreciate the beauty of a good car, and i also feel that the story of the delorean ended way way way too soon. i have always felt that autos are moving peices of art, and the delorean is on the top of that list of one of the best.

i too had my chance to go for a ride in one, but turned it down.

there was a delorean that lived around my area, i would see it around and drool alittle when ever i saw it (keep in mind that cars are my familys hobby and we have been going to races and car shows since i could remember)

well one day around the time i was about to turn 16, my best friends dad said that his friend had invited us to his house for a picnick, his family is one of the people who helped build this town and even has streets named after him (i didnt know this at the time) so we go over and we walk in to the garage and there is the delorean, in awsome condition. i just sat there glassy eyed and in wonder, he let me sit in it and then wanted to take me for a ride but then i remembered the guy is a bit of a perv and normally wouldnt keep his eyes off my breasts, so i erred on the side of caution and decided against it.

i have often wondered what it would have been like to go for the ride but my fear of what else he might say put it out of my mind. i had known this guy since i was 12, and he was always looking at me (i had a very well developed body by that time and looked much older in a bathing suit i think his eyes were messing with his brain as in shes wayyy too young man, eyes, um yah no shes older alot older than she says, you know that kind of thing)

[Dave1982]

Dave & Adam's Excellent Adventure. I like that.

I bit too tired to post the whole story now (especially with Daylight Savings Time about to rob me of an hour's sleep) but here's a couple pics.

R, the Greatest Customer of ALL TIME:




Me, Dave1982 (just TRY to wipe that smirk off my face ):



Yes, that's the key I got for him, freshly cut and tested.


AdamAnt316 wearing promotional Back to the Future "Marty Jr." ball cap:





Fighting intense stop and go traffic in Nashua NH :

[Dave1982]

OK. Sorry for the delay here, but I've been going pretty much flat out since Saturday morning and haven't had much time to post.

Anyway, I promise this won't be *too* long.

Picked up AdamAnt316 at his house and went to Ace Hardware to get the key cut. Much kudos to the guys at Ace. Not only did they go the extra mile with this key to make sure it was done right (once I told them what it was for) they also did it all for free.

(To be fair, I think it was less out of generosity and more out of convenience. I think the cost of the key-cutting service is built-in to the price of their key blanks. And since I didn't get the blank from them, ringing one up would have screwed up their inventory. Still, they could have just turned me away, but they didn't. So hats off to them).

Showed up at R's house on time and gave him the new key, which worked.

After much playing of musical cars (he owns three, then there was the housekeeper's car, and my own) we got the DeLorean out of the garage, whereupon - you guessed it - it was cleaning time.

OK, I thought. With two of us, this should go much faster this time.

R: Adam, you're good with computers, right? Could you do me a favor?

And off into the house they both went. So while I was busting my ass washing the car pretending that for a short while I was detailing my own DeLorean (nods to JustaCashier) Adam got to sit on his butt and try to figure out how to align text onto some sheets of wine bottle labels. (Which I ended up solving as well).

Then, just as I finished cleaning up all the stainless and washing the windows, it started to rain again.

Eventually though, we ere given our "mission:" take the DeLorean to Macy's and exchange a medium sweater for a small sweater, and don't crash it.

OK. We can do that.

First thing though, we ejected his Salsa music cassette from the tape deck and put in an iPod cassette adapter, then fired up "Back in Time" by Huey Lewis & The News. For those of you who don't know, that's the song from the closing credits of Back to the Future and contains the line "Please don't drive 88; don't wanna be late again!"

We departed and almost immediately got caught in horrific stop and go traffic, which was very frustrating. Partly because the DeLorean has a "heavy" clutch but also because well, this isn't an everyday opportunity, and I didn't want to waste time in traffic.

We finally got there only to discover that the sweater was clearance and they didn't have any smalls left. Oh well.

We then went to get some gas, since we'd noticed that the gauge was pegged on Empty.

Now, having been a DeLorean enthusiast for many years, and being a member of more than one DeLorean web forum, I knew what would happen at a crowded gas station: someone would say something.

Random Guy: Whoa.....is that a DeLorean?!

Hmm.....

Stainless steel: check.

Gull-wing doors (opened): check.

Recessed bumper letters that say "DE LOREAN" (and visible from where he was): Check.

What I wanted to say: No, it's a Ford Tempo.

What AdamAnt316 wanted to say: No, it's a Civic with a body kit.

me: Yes.

RG: Wow! That's awesome!

Actually, I wasn't mad. I knew something like that would happen, and I was just glad he didn't make some disparaging remark.

After putting two gallons in, we headed over to the Staples where we both work (on the same road as the gas station and the Macy's). R was there in his Benz buying a new laptop and said he'd meet us back at the house shortly.

I found Judy - our department lead - and Al - the sales manager.

Judy: He [R] is insane......

Al: Hey Dave! What are you doing here?

Me: Oh just out in our ride for the day, courtesy of R.

Al:...............you've got the DeLorean???

Laurie (cashier): Wha......? *babbles incoherently for a couple seconds* How do you know this guy? Is he just a customer?!

Me: He's a customer, though I'd have to say "friend" at this point.

Laurie: And he let you borrow his car?!

Me: Yeah!

Laurie: That's.....why....how....that's awesome! Is that the one where the doors open up?

Me: Yep. Wanna see? Al! Laurie will be back in a minute.

Took her outside and opened up both doors, with her giggling like a schoolgirl.

Laurie: I want to see you guys drive in it!

Me: OK!

So AdamAnt316 and I got in and backed out (nearly getting hit by some idiot who came tearing through without looking). As we were doing this, I noticed Laurie and about half of the staff had their faces pressed up against the service desk windows looking at us. This gave me an idea. Something that can only be done in this and a small handful of other cars.

Me: AdamAnt316, open the door and wave to them as we drive by!

So, as I shifted to 1st and started driving, AdamAnt316 opened his door and waved enthusiastically at our co-workers. That proved to be hugely entertaining for them. Laurie doubled-over laughing.

After that we took the the long way back to R's house, thus ending our Excellent Adventure.

It was a good day.

[Shangri-laschild]

One of my ex's loved those cars. Turned out there was one in town. The guy let him take a look at it and drove him around some (he didn't have his license to drive it himself).

I have to say, DeLorean owners seem to be an awesome group of people. The second anyone shows interest in their car, they seem just really eager to show off and share. I don't think I've ever seen him that excited as he was the day he came back from riding in it.

[Evil Queen]

Dave, you lucky, lucky guy. <3 I wanna drive a DeLorean...

What the heck, maybe I'll just restore one instead.