We’ve all owned THAT vehicle. The one you loved and never wanted to give up. It could be the first car you saved up for, a classic or a car your dad owned and you refurbished. Typically it had a name—maybe Cherry or Silver. For a lot of guys who grew up on a farm, it was probably a truck.
In our 26 years together, Dave has owned a handful of trucks. From the little Chevy Luv that he tore the rusty bed off and built a new one out of wood (we called her the LOVE truck) to the big Ford with a back seat and bed topper we named Big Blue. But nothing tops his love for Green Pepper.
He’d been shopping around for a new truck for months. He knew he wanted a diesel and researched various motors with certain years being better than others. We needed something with good power so we could pull our livestock trailer and camper.
It was 2002 and we were headed to Florida for spring break. We planned to spend part of the week in Orlando with friends and the rest of our time with Dave’s parents in Bradenton. We drove down in my purple minivan with both kids, a cooler full of snacks and a small TV with a built in VCR strapped down to the center console. The kids loved that drive. It was the only time of year they could watch movie after movie and consume all the junk food they wanted as long as they were quiet.
Dave had the idea he might have better luck finding a truck down south. It would surely be in better condition with no rust so why not look? Every time we stopped for gas he’d grab the local Wheeler Dealer and look over the truck section.
We arrived in Florida and stayed in a condo near Orlando for a few days. Dave picked up the local paper and while drinking his morning coffee exclaimed, “I found a truck!”
It was love at first site. A 1999 Ford V8 with low mileage.
There was nothing he didn’t like about that truck. It was just the right year and motor, quad cab, good color. It was all there. It didn’t take much negotiating to make the deal.
Our time in Orlando ended and we both drove south to grandma and grandpa’s house in Bradenton. Dave was so proud to show his dad that new truck. We visited for a while and the kids played outside. Around dusk we were eating dinner, then we heard a crash. Dave’s face went pale. Rushing to the front windows, we saw the neighbor scratching his head wondering how he possibly backed out of his driveway and into that big truck.
“Shit.”
The damage wasn’t terrible, just a dented front bumper, but what a disappointment that one day in, the perfect truck wasn’t perfect anymore.
A few days later we started packing to head home. And how do you drive two vehicles over 1,200 miles with two kids? A car hauler of course! Dave rented a trailer from U-Haul and we loaded up the van. Knowing we had extra room, granny and I hit the yard sales pretty hard and it didn’t take long to fill the empty minivan too. The truck, the trailer, and the minivan full of stuff. We were the epitome of rednecks on vacation.
Over the years we really used and abused that truck. We’ve made many trips to the county fair hauling our camper down one day and the livestock down a few days later. We’ve even hauled baby pigs right in the backseat! Dave’s had the truck overloaded with barn materials from the many he’s taken down and we’ve done plenty of picking too.
She’s had a few unfortunate fender benders and they were usually my fault. From the time I didn’t know he was parked in the driveway and I backed out of the garage (it’s really fun to wreck two cars in one day) to another time I thought I could lift a wheelbarrow out of the back and ended up putting a big scratch down the side. Oops.
But he still loves it. It’s an office on wheels. Important papers and receipts are shoved in the console. Empty Pringles cans and gas station coffee cups are strewn across back floor. He can write notes in the dust of the dashboard.
About a month ago, I was working from home so Dave was driving to work on his own (we usually car pool.) He decided to drive the truck so he could stop after work and pick up some lumber he needed for a project. About 8:15 a.m. my phone rang and it was Dave telling me he’d been in an accident. My first reaction was to ask, “Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?” Thankfully there were no injuries but I could hear the disappointment in his voice. We’d had a wet snowfall overnight and it was quite slushy. School had actually been canceled so the roads were pretty bad. He was headed east on M-43 and someone going west lost control and nearly hit him head on—ironically right in front of Sundance Chevrolet.
“How bad is the truck?” I asked.
“It’s probably totaled. Dang it, I love that truck.”
After we hung up I decided it was quite a blessing he’d driven the truck that day. Had he or we been in one of our cars, I’m not sure the outcome would have been as good. Praise God!
Over the next few days he went through the tedious process of working with the insurance company, getting the police report and on and on (it actually went pretty well and thanks to Robin Chase!) We had it towed to TriCounty Auto Body and they were quite sure it would be totaled too.
Dave stopped by the collision shop a few nights later to look her over. “You know, I really don’t think it’s that bad,” he said. “Even if insurance doesn’t want to fix it, maybe I’ll buy it back and get it running. I don’t care if it’s dented up.” Oh boy, another project.
Sure enough they totaled the truck but surprisingly they offered a really fair price and agreed to let us buy it back too. Dave asked Jim Thole if he had time to put her back together and the next thing you know, she was back on the road with a salvage title.
Tonight we picked her up. Clean and shiny with new running boards. She’s got some dents in the side but Green Pepper is back in the driveway and all is right in the world again.
Keep it real and count your blessings!
XOXO
Kauffman Family Farm 