Amarillo family in spotlight after funny Craigslist post goes viral
AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — A brutally honest post on Craigslist launched an Amarillo man and his family into the Internet Hall of Fame, if there was such a thing.
The family is selling their 2005 Ford 15-passenger van, and Josh Wood decided honesty was their best bet.
If you haven't read the ad, Wood describes an empty speaker hole that's been stuffed with nuggets, seats that were once covered in puke after all nine kids got sick on a road trip and a door lock that was duct taped down because its electric motor kept unlocking it.
Monday was the first time the Wood family has been back in their old family van in about a year.
"Does it still smell?", one of the nine kids asked.
Wood said being familiar with Craiglist, he's learned being upfront works best.
"I knew how it was going to go," Wood said. "I was going to call somebody and they were going to come out, and I was going to be like, 'Let me tell you all problems with it,' and they were going to say, 'Well, tell me all the other problems with it.'"
He said he never imagined his honesty would be appreciated so much.
From that infamous empty speaker hole that was home to several deep-fried chicken snacks for months, to the scrapes, the detached rubber door liner, and the broken air conditioner, Wood said it's the memories that will linger on.
"Every road trip we have, it seems like someone gets sick," said Wood.
Some of those memories have been bad.
"Oh, it was horrendous," said Wood.
Others have been really bad. One in particular--getting the van detailed after it was infested with puke.
"It's funny in hindsight, in the moment I thought that we were going to die," said Wood.
But there have also been good times.
"We would be wild, and mom and dad would say no...turn the music down!," said the Wood kids. "We would be like no! Keep it up!"
But perhaps it's not the van that makes the family. Perhaps, it's the family that makes the van.
"See ya later, struggle bus," said one of the nine kids.
Good thing for the Woods, they bought another van almost identical to the one they're selling.
"We're really thrilled with the other van that we have. It's great," said Wood.
"Goodbye! See ya, never!," said another Wood kid.
The new family van, of course, is much cleaner, waiting for more memories to be made.
