The Black Cadillac Escalade in Florida

What looked like a straightforward purchase turned into one of the best deals and one of the most unforgettable vehicle stories of my career.

Another story that I have to tell is about the black Cadillac Escalade that I purchased in Florida.

This was a Cadillac Escalade limousine built by Royal Coach by Victor, a phenomenal builder. We actually own two vehicles built by them, and our ProRide Escalade is one of them as well. Their work was beautiful, and I have always had a great deal of respect for the craftsmanship behind those vehicles.

I ended up flying down to Florida to look at this Escalade. In the photos, it looked absolutely amazing. Everything about it seemed promising. But when I got there, the trip immediately took an unexpected turn. I realized I had forgotten to bring my ID, which meant I could not rent a car from Enterprise.

So there I was in Daytona Beach, stuck without a rental car. I walked a little way out of the airport, wanting to get some air and regroup. I stopped to get something to eat, and then I grabbed an Uber, which at the time was actually one of the first times I had ever used one. The driver took me to the house of the gentleman selling the vehicle.

When I arrived, the seller was not even there. He was in England. One of his employees met me instead.

At first glance, the vehicle looked amazing on the outside. But when we went to start it, it would not start. The employee told me it had been having a problem. I remember thinking that would have been nice to know before I flew all the way to Florida. He told me that it usually started, but for some reason, that day it did not.

The vehicle had around 60,000 miles on it. I looked everything over and noticed the batteries were about four years old. After going through it, I had a strong feeling the alternators were no good. We drove to Napa and picked up a few batteries, and I also bought a digital voltmeter. We brought everything back, installed the batteries, and checked the voltage.

The reading was only 12 volts, which told me exactly what I needed to know. The alternators were not charging. It should have been around 14.

At that point, I told the employee that if I fixed the vehicle, I wanted a better deal. I gave him a negotiated number, and he called his boss. His boss agreed and said that if I could fix it and get it out of there, he would sell it to me for that price.

So we went back again and picked up the alternators. I also picked up two idler pulleys, because that dual alternator setup used two matching pulleys. I was very fortunate that both alternators were available and that the belt was there too, which is unusual. Those 135 inch belts are not something you typically just find sitting around.

I put everything back together, got the vehicle running properly, and then drove it all the way home to Indiana myself. It took me about 16 hours straight. By the time I got back, I was completely exhausted.

But I made it home with it.

And she is still with us today.

It is still one of the most beautifully designed vehicles we own, and every time I look at it, I remember that trip to Florida, the chaos of the situation, the diagnosis in the driveway, the negotiation, the repair, and the long drive home.