Jean and Scott: Monday Morning

[x-jeangrey.livejournal.com]

Jean runs into Scott and asks his advice on picking a car.



On a fabled day where Jean was actually off, she decided to grab lunch from Salem Center at Fat Tony's Pizzeria. Heading into the garage, she spotted a familiar profile bent over one of the cars.

"Oh! Hey," Jean said with a smile.

"How are you?" she said, suddenly remembering what she was going to ask him before. After her talk with Angelo she'd gotten busy with work (surprising no one) and never got the chance.

"Dr. Gr...Jean." Scott stood up turning to face the red head, "I'm not bad, managed to get some free time to tune up the cars. How about you? Can't say we've seen much of you at the mansion recently."

Jean quirked a brow , somewhat surprised at the sudden name shift. If anything, after the...encounter with him and Clarice she expected the formalities to continue indefinitely.

"I'm...good," she said with a smile. "Between work at Claremont and ferrying people back and forth it's left me not being able to do much else."

Taking a step closer to him, she peered over under the hood a moment curiously, not realizing her proximity.

"From what I hear you teach auto shop and because of your expertise, I was wondering if you might have any recommendations as to what car to buy? I was thinking of purchasing one, rather than continually borrowing from the motor pool."

"Well that depends," Scott allowed, scooting backwards slowly to drop the spanner in his hand into the toolcase, "what kind of car are you looking for? Something to just get you into the city? Or would you rather get into the city and back in style?"

Jean grinned. "You mean there are people who don't want stylish cars?" she said.

"Or is style the sacrifice for gas mileage and versatility? If so, that's a horrible trade off.""

"Oh I don't know, for certain classics I'd be ok letting it guzzle a little gas. I mean you could strip out the engine and replace it with a more efficient one but then it's not really the same." Scott grinned, "Besides you have Style," he nodded at the GT-500 he'd been working on, "And then there's style."

Jean studied the car a moment before glancing back to Scott. "Let me guess, classic car enthusiast? Little biased, hmm?" she said with raised eyebrows and a smile.

"Me biased? Never." Scott shook his head, "I mean is it biased when something is unarguably better?"

"I'm a doctor, not a mechanic," Jean said, holding up her hands with a laugh. "That's why I came to the expert. But doesn't seem very green, though. That's my main concern. Don't get me wrong. It's a beautiful car though."

"Green it isn't. I think this takes more out of my salary than anything else. What are you thinking of using the car for? Just travelling around here, or going back and forth to the city?"

Jean shrugged. "I'm looking for versatility," she said.

"I'd probably be primarily using it to drive back and forth to work but I'd like to be able to take it somewhere else if I need to, such as on vacation or quick getaway. So it'd need to have at least a nice amount of space. Like if I need to transport a body," she said.

"Hmm, so an electric car is out then, they just don't have the range you're looking for. Maybe a hybrid. And if it's a city car then you're not looking for anything too big. Are you looking for a hatchback, or something a little bigger?"

Making a face, Jean shook her head. "I know from a practical standpoint they work really well, but for some reason stylistically they remind me of a turtle. I think it depends on the car, though. Some aren't so bad," she said.

"I wish there was something with classic car features in a modern package."

"Well a lot of companies have started to do hybrid's now," Scott allowed, they keep the same chassis but have a better engine. But the problem with classics is they're heavy on the fuel. I mean if you wanted you could buy a classic, strip out the engine and replace it but that'd be quite a complicated job to make sure it was roadworthy."

Jean's eyes lit up with intrigue before turning thoughtful. "How complicated?" she said.

"Are we talking expense or time, or both?"

Scott cocked his head to the side, "Perhaps a little bit of both," he conceded. "It depends how much of the work you're willing to do yourself, but you'd still have to buy the engine and custom order some parts. Plus the fuel tank and a lot of the insides would have to be ripped out and replaced." he gave Jean a wry smile, "I never said it would be easy now did I?"

Jean laughed. "I didn't expect it to be. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. I don't have the time to work on it myself but I was considering paying someone to do it for me. The idea of being able to drive something not-cookie-cutter appeals to me. Though classic cars usually don't have a lot of space to work. I guess it's a trade off."

"Classic's also tend to be a lot heavier than modern cars," Scott pointed out, "they used to use all metal frames back then But you could always find a more modern car which you like the look of and have it converted. That way you keep the looks but gain the green engine you wanted. And some modern cars do look pretty impressive. You might have to trade a little on space though."

"Yeah, I figured. To get that kind of adequate space I'd need an SUV or a van and that's not really my style," Jean said.

"I think converting a car might be a fun route. Definitely something to think about." Jean smiled.

"Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime," Scott smiled back, "Let me know which route you decide to go down. I'm a fiend at car shopping too you know."

Tilting her head, Jean propped her elbow on the roof of the car with a grin. "A fiend, huh?" she said.

"If I had to describe you, Summers, that's not a word I probably would've used. But I like it. I'm open to looking around at all my options before I fully commit. Car buying seems strangely serious, despite just being a big hunk of metal you use to get around."

"Big hunk of metal?" Scott raised his hands to his heart as if struck through by an arrow, "I did not just hear you say that. A car is freedom to so many people. Something that shows they can go where they want at anytime. Besides, if you must insist, they're good looking hunks of metal."

Jean let out an amused giggle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend your manly sensibilities."

It was her turn to hold up her hands. "Hey...I totally get it," she said, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear with a lingering smirk.

"I just find the symbolism in a inanimate object kinda fascinating, especially because I'm a tiny bit guilty of the same obsession. Otherwise I would've just bought your standard issue sedan or stuck with whatever's in the motor pool. I want something to look forward to racing down the road with, to marvel at."

"That's the best reason to get a classic or a muscle car, but they do take a little more time and effort to keep in good order," Scott nodded his head in the direction of the cars in the garage, "Luckily we have a few enthusiasts and some very good mechanics around too."

"Like you?" Jean said with a smile. "That's what I heard. Anyway, like I said...I'm open to looking around first before I decide. I've got time and a ride until then."

Scott grinned, "Well this isn't a decision which you want to go rushing into," he agreed, "besides if you're looking at a classic looking car you're going to have to take your time to browse around. New deals crop up all the time."

"Who knows...people find old cars tucked away in garages all the time. Maybe I'll get lucky," Jean said with a chuckle, then turned to leave.

"Well, I should leave you to those manly sensibilities. Bye Mr. Summers."

"See ya later Jean, let me know if you need any help with the car search," Scott replied turning back to his car as he reached for a spanner, "I'm a fiend with negotiating for cars too," he told her, slipping under the car with a grin on his face.

Tilting her head at his use of her first name for the second time, Jean smiled and then disappeared back into the mansion.