It took Susan Horn of Dublin almost a year to claim the new car she won last October in the Virginia Lottery's RagTop Riches scratch-off game.
But she showed up Thursday at Shelor Motor Mile in Christiansburg to receive her 2006 Ford Mustang GT convertible.
Horn said the delay was not due to the lottery people.
"It wasn't them. It was me. I didn't collect it," she said. "I didn't know what to do with it."
She is still uncertain whether she will keep or sell it.
But, sitting in it, she said, "It sure feels more normal than it does on a piece of paper."
Horn had been at home watching television when she scratched off her ticket and recognized the number.
She woke her husband, Gene, to tell him she thought they had won a car.
"We'll talk about it in the morning," he said, and rolled over and went back to sleep.
"Well, it was 2 o'clock in the morning, you know. He thought I was crazy," Horn said Thursday.
Horn said she had been told that she might also get a check for more than $700 because the car was standard shift rather than automatic. A lottery official at the presentation was unsure but said he would look into it.
"I don't mean to appear greedy. I thought it would cover my gas," Horn said.
But, sitting in it, she said, "It sure feels more normal than it does on a piece of paper."
That's a common enough illusion.
Jack
Buy a ticket. Win a prize. Then do nothing for a year.
Nothing like being decisive!
I wonder how it takes to make out the grocery list.
Cars not her thing, I am sure she can get a good deal on it and still don't have to pay the taxes on it.
Oh - you bet Uncle is getting his tax share before she gets any where near that car. She will be paying taxes on the sticker price, state and federal. If she sells it, there is another tax on top of that.
Remember the Oprah giveaway? Several people couldn't take possession, didn't have the tax money and couldn't get a loan.
Priorities: Uncle first, then Virginia, you, maybe third.
The same applies to that "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" show. I think I read an article somewhere that said many of those individuals who had their whole house remade now had to pay higher property taxes! So it's not all rosy sometimes.
But I would love it if more states offered a scratch game where you can win a car or a motorcycle. With the higher costs of fuel these days, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lottery somewhere that offered you to win heating oil for your house for a year or fuel for your car...something along those lines.
Many years ago NY had a scratch game where one of the prizes was $2500 in groceries. I don't remember a cash option for that prize.