"Will Drive For Rims": Part 4 Milwaukee

The one thing I remember about the drive to Milwaukee from Chicago, was that there was nothing to see. Before leaving the hotel for the dealership, a 100 mile drive, I was scouring the interwebs for touristy spots to see along the way. There was nothing.

So my mind filled up with thoughts of the wheel swap itself. First of all, who in their right minds would want to swap to smaller rims? The lady who wanted to do the transaction had mentioned that she wanted a smoother ride, and to be able to better deal with the snow. But in my mind she was either ignorant by not asking for money on the trade, or that she was scamming me. Did she have damaged rims? Was the car stolen? Was it a ponzi scheme? Not the last one, at least.

So to be able to stay anonymous in this transaction, if she decided she really did not want to swap or wanted her old wheels back, I took out a wad of dough at the ATM, so that the swap at the dealership would be an all-cash transaction. She would never be able to find me, unless the dealership took my VIN number (my car still had dealer plates on it). On the other hand, if I were being scammed, I would have no proof. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

As I arrived at the dealership, I was approached by a middle-aged lady, sun-weathered and lanky almost like a cowboy in one of those movies. It was her. We made small talk, she showed me her car. I made all the appropriate oohs and aahs of appreciation as she walked me through all the option packages, upgraded leather and other rarities on her ride. After a couple of minutes, we both went into the dealership for the swap.

I was crossing my fingers the whole time both of our cars were lifted into the air. Good thing my car obstructed the view of hers, so she wouldn't see my crummy 17" wheels mounted on her car. The last thing I wanted to happen was for a last minute change of heart on her part after I drove more than a thousand miles (mostly office subsidized) for this transaction.

As the mechanics slapped on the bigger wheels, I could immediately see the improvement in the looks and presence of the car. Its a wonder that the eyes and mind of a person can discern a 1" change in wheel size from 20 feet away. As they lowered both of the cars, the service guy asked if we wanted a complimentary hand wash of the car. Since mine was covered with splattered bugs, I accepted although part of me wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The lady I was trading with also seemed to be in a hurry, and that freaked me out a bit. Did she think that she was putting one over me and wanted out of there? Did both of us think we were putting one over the other?

As soon as the car wash was over, we said our hurried goodbyes, and both of us practically ran towards our cars, and sped out of there as soon as possible. The swap was done, and I had felt that something was amiss. Was I scammed?

I would soon find out