Our old SUV came home this evening.

Or a part of it, anyway.

As you may recall, the engine finally went kablooey, which ended up with us buying the newer, red replacement.

But what to do with the old hulk?

Well, the wife, through her connections in town, found someone with a similar model, although slightly newer and in much better condition.

All it needed was a transmission. And yes, the transmissions were interchangeable.

So when she came home after New Years, with a big smile on her face, and announced the deal was done, I was pleased.

Even more so when I heard her mention the words "five hundred dollars".

$500 for that old thing? Well, maybe a little low, but at least we're rid of it, and in a positive cash flow.

Nope. Because then the rest of the words in her sentence came filtering into my brain. I had to ask her to repeat it.

No, we're not getting $500.

We're paying it.

We're buying his old SUV for $500, and then we're paying to have it fixed up with our old transmission. And we'll still have the old junker to dispose of, without either an engine or transmission...

Money out instead of money in.

Craaap.

So, she and eldest son came home this evening, earlier than they normally do.

With two SUVs. Heelers immediately jumped in and began demanding a ride.

It's nice. A fancier model than either our old or new one. Leather seats, power everything. Good tires. No body damage. Engine sounds and looks good. I'm just a little worried that the mechanic said they'd pulled the transfer case out of the old SUV too, "just in case".

The good news is...

We didn't buy it. Or pay for swapping the transmissions.

Eldest son did. It's his new vehicle. Which he needed, and so far, appears to be a heck of a deal. He's happy, wife's happy, I'm happy.

Heelers keep looking around like we've stolen something from somebody, and we need to run away with it before they come to fight to get it back.

Best news?

He's agreed to get rid of the old Toyota by the end of February.

No more worries with the cops.