Watch out Christie's, here we come

This week I was enlisted by my sister - a Utah resident - to drive to Elkridge, Md. to participate in a live bid auction for a natural gas burning Chevy Cavalier. Purchase of said vehicle was super important because, in her words, "there is a ton of natural gas here out West and so you can get them a lot cheaper in the East," and "natural gas is like 63 cents per gallon." Her husband has finals and she was threatening to wean her baby and fly out here herself if I didn't do this for her. "But," they told me, "don't feel too much pressure." They were only asking me to get a winning bid among veteran bidders and spend all of their money on a car that they had never laid eyes on.

And though their request put me under complete mental duress for much of the week (I still love you guys), I agreed to dig up all the courage I could find in my shy self and go up there and bid my little heart out.

Because no children are allowed near the auction, I dragged my dear friend Shane and her daughter Emma along to take care of Ethan and give me some much-needed moral support. Thanks Shane, you are awesome.

My spending limit was $6,000, but my sister asked me to try not to go over $4,000 as these cars blue-booked at $3,500. I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be too hard to get a low price on a Chevy Cavalier. I was so wrong.

As I checked out the 15-or-so CNG Cavaliers up for sale before the auction, I noticed that the other people (almost all men) inspecting the vehicles were looking at the very same cars as I was. I met several people who flew out from Cache Valley, Utah just for the CNG cars and I'm guessing they heard about the auction from the same person my sister did.

The auction began with two loud auctioneers simultaneously spitting burning numbers off their tongues. The first car was a 2001 Cavalier with only 7,000 miles on it. I was ready to bid and I about raised my hand, then realized that the price had shot up to $7,000 before I could decipher what the large crimson-faced auctioneer was yelling. The first car sold for $9,900. I soon learned that that would be the least expensive Cavalier sold that day, with one sold for $13,500 - nearly four times the blue book price. They are so hot right now. :)

After getting caught up in all the excitement I was quite disappointed to leave the auction without bidding a single time! But I ended up enjoying the auction process. Now I'm considering a career in buying and selling. ;)My competition.
E-man and little genius known as "Mookie" (short for Muqtada al Sadr).I should have bought them this for putting me through all of this stress.

Formerly blonde FBI agent turned auburn-coifed mommy Shane.








Lowest bidder and Super Mommy (right, Shane?). Sorry about the too-close-for-comfort squeeze shot.