To put it mildly, my last COAL was a traumatic, indescribable, absolute disaster…emotionally and financially. I needed something that worked and I needed it now. Because of this bad experience, I was not going to experiment with unknown products anymore. For me, B-bodies represented security, certainty, and reliability. My automotive universe was fine until I strayed from them. I would not make that mistake again–from now on, I would seek out only B-body station wagons.
The first such candidate was a 1989 Pontiac Safari with about 70,000 miles, which I thought was kind of neat because a late-model Pontiac B-body wagon is rare and unique. I also found the third-row seat interesting because it was cloth-covered. My previous wagon third seats had always had vinyl upholstery. The exterior was in pretty good shape but the interior, not so much.
The seller had a big dog who was allowed free rein inside the car. The result was that every cloth surface, including the headliner, was ripped. The more pressing problem was that the alternator warning light was on; the owner said it only needed a belt. I may have been motivated to investigate further, but the interior was so unappealing that I quickly lost interest.
The second candidate was an 85,000 mile 1995 Buick Roadmaster being sold by an auto salvage yard. The car did not have a salvage title. The only defect was a cracked windshield. It was actually in very good shape, and had a perfect blue-leather interior. I wanted this car. The problem was that the seller was very rude. He called me mentally insane suggesting that I should be institutionalized when I tried to negotiate his $7,000 asking price. He refused to budge, so that door was closed.
At this time, I was a member of an online forum that specialized in these cars. There was a member in upstate NY who bought, sold, and provided technical support for these things. He was about four hours away and there was an impending snow storm coming, but having no local prospects, I gave him a call. He was extremely pleasant and said that he had a few vehicles that would meet my budget.
His place was four hours north of me, in upstate New York, so I rented a vehicle that would take me there in comfort; the fairly newly released (at that time) Dodge Charger with the 5.7 liter V8. To this day, I remember how much I enjoyed my time with the Charger. I still wonder what would have happened if I had just bought it outright from the rental company.
Anyway, the drive up there was wonderful…the Charger was great. The only thing I did not take into account was that I was driving into a snowstorm in a rear-wheel drive, V8-powered sedan. There were a few harrowing instances when I drove through small towns with unplowed roads. Although the car did get twitchy, it never lost traction and I got there on schedule. I think the fact that I was in upstate NY among drivers who knew how to drive in the snow worked to my advantage.
When I pulled into the dealer’s lot, I thought I was in B-body heaven. There were Roadmaster, Caprice, and Custom Cruisers as far as the eye could see. It was like being transported back to a 1994 dealer’s lot. The owner of the dealership was warm, accommodating, and a true expert on these cars. It is a shame that this business is no longer around today.
We walked through the lot. The selection was incredible and I soon found a Dark Cherry Metallic 1995 Buick Roadmaster that I was interested in. There was one issue: It was being offered for less than half of what I was prepared to pay. I couldn’t believe it! I called my wife to ask her what she thought and her response surprised me. She said “buy two of them that way we have a backup.” Well, she didn’t have to tell me twice…overjoyed I did exactly that. I quickly found a 1993 Caprice also in Dark Cherry metallic.
The next part of the process was choosing options. The dealer had a huge parts inventory and was willing to outfit your purchase with pretty much anything you requested, from new engines to interiors. I had factory keyless entry installed and elements of the plusher Roadmaster interior installed in the Caprice. The plan was to drive the Roadmaster home and have the Caprice shipped.
The Roadmaster was a class act. It had the same 260 hp LT1 V8 and 4L60e transmission that my 9C1 and 95 Caprice wagon had but was also equipped with automatic climate control and red leather interior as well as the towing package, which included a heavy duty suspension and limited slip differential. I would say that this is the most comfortable car I have ever had from a seating perspective. Long distance driver comfort was not an issue.
The Caprice did not have the LT1, but did have the more reliable and less complicated LO5 V8 and 700R transmission. The car also had the towing package and had comfortable cloth seating. I had the dealer install a Roadmaster center armrest/console for added comfort and convenience.
Both vehicles served as my daily drivers for my long commute to work. In addition, it was the ’93 Caprice that took our youngest son, Adam, home from the hospital after his birth. The cars did serve us well for a time providing comfortable, reliable transportation during that honeymoon period. Along with my wife’s white 95 Caprice wagon, we now had three B-body wagons in our fleet.
I alternated taking each to work to keep the mileage and the wear down. In addition, I would take the train a few days a week. This worked for almost two years. In retrospect, that’s not really a long time, but this length of service was almost five times longer than my last two COALs. In addition, the whole experience cost me less than $3,500, including the price of both cars…..way better than my last experience.
One thing that I should have realized is that while these cars were rugged and reliable, time was against them. They were aging quickly and required more looking after and were no longer fit for frontline heavy duty service because of their age and the fact that they had been out of production for over a decade, so parts and support were becoming scarcer and scarcer.
The dealer I had bought them from was ready, willing, and able to keep them running but he was four hours away. The time for their use as daily work horses was coming to a close. Slowly age conspired against them and things began to grow wrong, essentially nickel-and-diming us. My wife was wise when she told me to buy two of them because essentially, both were needed to support my grueling 120 mile daily commute.
Eventually, one of them was always out of service and in the shop. As soon it was repaired, the other one would break down. After a while, there was never an occasion when both vehicles were fit for service at the same time. Because I did not have the money to do a full overhaul on them, these cars should have been weekend projects or occasional use vehicles only and not subjected to the hard life I was asking of them. B-bodies are wonderful cars, but even they get old.
The 93 Caprice died first. First the climate control vents malfunctioned so that when the climate control was switched on, the air was blowing out of all the vents all the time with no way of controlling or regulating it. Then the radiator, alternator, and water pump had to be replaced. A few days later, the anti-lock brakes stopped working. Then about a week later, I was driving home on the highway when I experienced total brake failure. All lanes were crowded so I couldn’t pull over. Traffic in front began to slow and I was going about 75. I began to pray to God for the family of the driver of the Honda in front of me who would be pulverized by my out of control full sized wagon. Thankfully, traffic began to move and I was able to pull over safely.
It turns out that a brake line had ruptured. Two days later, I was driving home and noticed a fine mist being sprayed at my rear window from somewhere beneath the car. I thought it strange but the car was running so well. Twelve miles from home, the transmission began to slip. I was angry because this is the same car that stranded me when the brakes failed just two days before.
The wise thing to do would have been to pull over, but I was angry at being stranded again by the same car, so I forced it to take me home. It did get me home, but never ran again. Apparently, a transmission line had ruptured (a cheap fix) but my running it without fluid destroyed the transmission, thus ending the car’s service.
The Roadmaster did not last much longer. First, the power steering pump and lines needed to be replaced. Then the transmission oil cooler went. At first I thought that the transmission was going but it was only acting up because the fluid was leaking out of the cooler. Thankfully, the trans was not damaged. All of this happened in less than two months. The engine and trans on this car actually ran pretty strongly. The car ran better than my wife’s (and my former) Caprice wagon despite the high mileage.
What did it in was that the water pump began to leak. I knew this was the end because a leaky water pump meant the Optispark’s condition was questionable. The Optispark was essentially an advanced distributor that used infrared and optical sensors to operate properly. Because it was such a high tech piece of equipment, it was not cheap. In addition, it is difficult and tedious to gain access to it. At the time a genuine GM Optispark cost between $600-$800 before installation. In addition, like replacing a timing belt, replacing the Optispark also meant replacing the water pump because water pump failure almost always meant damage to that expensive Optispark.
I was looking at between $1,500-$2,000 in parts and labor. After being burned by my last COAL, I did not want to take it any further and repeat my last mistake. It turned out I made the right choice. I sold the car to someone who had plans to restore it. He e-mailed me about eight months later to let me know that he had since replaced the transmission since it failed a few months after he had taken it off my hands. He also removed the fake wood and repainted it silver. I wish I had saved that photo from seven years ago.
This left the white Caprice wagon as our last surviving B-body and also our last GM vehicle. It bravely soldiered on for two more years until it too succumbed to the ravages of time and hard use. Through this site, I have met folks who still have B-body wagons in service; I admire and congratulate them. These cars are disappearing quickly and I’m happy to hear that there are still a few of them out there, particularly the LT1 cars due to the idiosyncrasies of the Optispark and 4L60E transmission. My next COALs did not last as long as these cars, but served as a wake up call to rethink the way I bought cars. You will read about them next week.
Fred, I’ve been lurking through your series, and loving it. These wagons are lookers as far as I’m concerned, and that dealership you drove to is the stuff of dreams!
The rear end of these reminds me the Aussie VT-VZ Commodore wagons.
In person, the Holden is both narrower and less dramatic, the B-body has the automotive equivalent of “Dat A$$”, but the “family bones” are there.
Thanks Don, I’ve enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reading!
I have been a fan of woodies from the first ’30s Ford Woodie to the last RWD woodgrain wagon sold in the U.S. I am lucky enough to own a 1972 Ford Pinto Squire woodgrain wagon, with only 2 doors. Many years ago I owned a 1973 Chevy Laguna woodgrain wagon. The TH350 trans went out and I sold it. It was a good solid car, and old enough to have been worth repairing, and I should have kept it.
I too become concerned when someone tries to sell something too cheap. I have been searching for a Crown Vic/Mercury Marquis sedan lately (not former cop cars) to use as transportation, because they are so comfortable, and are the last such cars of their type available in the U.S. They have an excellent reputation for reliability. Prices range from $2000 to $10,000 for decent looking cars with reasonably low mileage. I’ve been looking at the higher priced ones ’07 and up with less than 50,000 ,miles on them. I actually found one for $10500 with under 13,000 miles.
Devices like that Optispark are what make many later model cars not worth keeping on the road, IMO. I was a city government fleet mechanic for 27 years, and replaced hundreds of thousands of $$$ worth of computerized electronic parts, at taxpayer expense, that the car would have run perfectly well without. My Pinto and Fairlane both have points, and I have had zero problems with them. GM’s original HEI was probably the best ignition system ever made. Once you involve computers in something, the repair cost is going to skyrocket, and it won’t be a one time thing if you plan to keep the car on the road, it will happen again. Sadly these cars were not designed to be kept going for decades, like older models. You can buy a new one, maybe get a couple hundred thousand miles out of it, Then if it is still running, get rid of it as quickly as possible. Many poor people wind up buying another car every year or two. They buy cheap worn out late models, drive them till they fall apart, then buy another.
If you can find a nice 1990 or older Caprice wagon, especially a ’77-’85, it would be worth keeping and repairing. There has been a tenfold increase in computerization between those cars and new ones.
You need to go to Victoria BC! The place is awash with them, mostly from retired prairie farmers. There’s not a lot of places to go in Victoria, and it’s overcast a lot with a very mild climate. Check out Victoria Craigslist. Sleds galore.
does anyone in Canada use Craigslist?- Kijiji is where you want to go if your looking for vehicle in Canada
I do remember reading an ad stating that the Pinto was designed so that the owner could work on it easily.
http://vintage-original-ads.com/Pictures/albums/uploads/1972-Ford-Pinto-Runabout-Sprint-Decor-and-1926-Ford-Model-T-Coupe.jpg
If I could have a car I could work on or learn to work on myself, I would go with an 83 Malibu with a carbed 305, a white one like this one without the rust.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1983-chevrolet-malibu-hope-you-dont-have-claustrophobia/
At least I would never have to worry about fixng the rear windows 🙂
Fred,
I have cars that I can work on myself – a Volvo 240 and 740. RWD Volvos are probably the simplest and easiest cars for a novice to learn on.
I need to find you a good 240 wagon.
PJ….I think you may find next week’s COAL post interesting.
This went well, money wise: $850 / year/car with a long commute.
However, towards the end always having one car in the shop would have taken the fun out of it for anyone. Gradually you feel that you are there for the cars rather than the cars are there for you.
The last time I had to replace a brake line was in the 70’s in Germany. The TÜV (MOT) found surface corrosion and said: replace it! Incidentally, this is the only time I thought the TÜV had something done to help me, all the other items they marked to help the repair shops.
When I take my wife’s 2000 Contour for the oil change I usually ask them to inspect the brake lines and check if the rusted out rocker panels present a safety concern now. It will be driven until that or a major mechanical failure happen.
Woody fan here.I like that dealer and thanks for a great read.
Its no wonder the that dealer is no longer around. $3500 all in for two cars and you added options that they(the dealer) had to install. That’s an insanely great deal. They would still be around if they charged $3500 to $4000 per car and I think that would still be a deal for one of these cars optioned how you wanted. Still.. Great to see that somebody tried to sell these cars that way. And you got a smokin deal.
They did sell cars there for $4,500 and above. In fact, when I got there, they were preparing a very nice low mileage Roadmaster wagon from Texas for $6,000. I got to sit in it!
My problem was my budget allowed no more than $3,000 so I was limited to his inventory that fell in that price range.
Ultimately, I think he went out of business because the inventory began to dry up…there were fewer and fewer of these wagons around. But it was a fun place while it lasted. He even had a 95 wagon on a Suburban frame that he used as a plow for his parking lot!
That means your only question was should you have taken one car for about $3000 or two cars for about $1500 each. I suppose your wife knew how you use your cars and answered your question accordingly.
Very interesting stories, I love reading them.
But I can’t help but wonder, at least in this case, whether (at least to some extent), the cars would last a little longer with better servicing. I think that older cars such as these should be checked more regularly to notice problems before they get noticeable, and fix them in time. Or perhaps replace certain parts before they even develop problems – if a part on your car is known to often fail after X years or after XX miles driven, replace it before you get to X or XX, even if it looks fine at the moment.
But I understand that ‘keeping a certain old car on the road’ and ‘having dirt cheap transportation’ are two different things. As for the latter, I can only agree with Wolfgang that your $850 / year/car is indeed a remarkable achievement in the world of car-related finance. Many cars lose this amount of money (or more) in value when a brand-new car leaves the dealer’s lot…
If I may back up Fred, I think some vehicles at some point become too much of a nickel and dime cash outlay even with impeccable maintenance. I literally just had one of those that last week finally went south after 7 years and a staggering amount of money in service.
That said, there are ones that are good and can last a long time. Panthers are known for it, so is pretty much anything Toyota, and the ’97-’03 F-150 with the 2V 4.6L. Yet there are others that are pretty reliable but will get you with the little things. I think his vehicles fall spot in that category – with a commute perhaps a third of what he did, I bet he would still have them.
Thanks for understanding Ben. That being said I’d like to apologize now for next week’s COAL….spoiler alert…it involves two cars one of which is a Panther and it does not end well. Sorry
With any car, even the ones known for reliability, there can be lemons. Especially used, if you get one where the prior owner didn’t do a whole lot – you could be walking into a nightmare. Panthers too can be known for abusing one who drastically neglects them – and hide it well, making it easy for another owner to step into a mess.
I type all that out, look out at my driveway and cringe. Oh how I hope what’s sitting out there hasn’t been one of those…..
F150 with the 4.2 V6 is a good choice. My brother-in-law has an ’03 with over 540K miles on it and still going. Maybe because he is the original owner. Still, it’s made thousands of trips up and down the Cajon pass on the I-15. He just drove it back to So Cal from Missouri – pulling his loaded utility trailer. I keep telling him to replace it. He replies, “maybe eventually…”
It seems to me that these nickel and dime items could have been fixed, especially since you bought the cars for a dime.
But instead, you let the minor annoyances build up and that caused you to not care about the cars anyone. That’s obvious when you drove home with a leaking tranny.
Too bad, because with a little additional outlay, you probably would have gotten more years of use out of the cars.
That was my thinking, too, when I set out to write my previous comment. However, as I was writing it, I realized I was looking at the issues through my eyes, meaning I wished he had sunk more money into the cars which would (probably) enable them to survive much longer, as I would want.
However, his principal goal was probably just to spend as little as possible on transportation costs – not to prolong the life of the Caprice and the Roadmaster as much as possible…
You guys are right of course. Part of it was lack of funds, a long commute, long working hours, the awfulness of my last experience etc.
But that’s why I’m writing about these now…
To reflect, entertain, inform, let folks judge and “play Monday Morning Quarterback”, present an autobiography based on cars I have owned etc.
Thanks for reading and helping me re live these times. Wait till you see next week’s. The saga continues.
I am trying to put myself into your shoes at that time. Here you say: “Part of it was lack of funds, a long commute, long working hours, the awfulness of my last experience etc.” And what you don’t say is that all along you were and you are a committed family man. There is no way you could have advanced your wrenching career beyond your previous achievement. I really think this worked out well, even though I blame you just a little bit for recklessly killing that tranny.
Thanks Wolfgang. Yep, you are right about the tranny…yet another instance where I let my emotions get the better of me.
The trouble is when cars get to this stage, you never know what is going to fail next. It may be something cheap, or it may not! If you know your way around cars and have access to parts, or have a trusted mechanic, well and good. If not, it’s goodbye.
Our ’00 Diamante’s climate control stopped working. Our son was doing his apprenticeship as a heavy diesel fitter at the time, so he took it into the CAT institute workshop and ripped the dash out. Turns out a connector had come unplugged. Cost to fix – zero.
Then last year the traction control and check engine lights started coming on at random intervals. The dealer (we’ve been going there 22 years, and trust them) found a faulty module that would cost $1500 to fix, but even they advised against it – didn’t want to pull the dash out, I guess! They said all the mechanicals bits were fine, it was purely an electrical glitch, and to ignore it. As we have no annual inspections, that’s fine by us.
But you never know what’s coming next.
Fred, I can totally relate. I think with a commute distance about a third, or even half, of what you did you probably would still be driving these cars today. Or perhaps if you had the time to do your own work. Maybe not with either – sometimes even with impeccable maintenance you can’t keep an old car going. I just had one of those and believe me, there will be cringes when that one gets posted…
That said, $3,000 for two cars? Wow! I’d take those two for that price, even today, even as gun shy as I am. Granted I demand about 20% of the commute you do..
Thanks for understanding Ben. You are correct four hours a day on the road, plus twelve hour days, and a young family at home.
Eventually, I do learn that these types of cars can’t do it for me anymore. But that’s two weeks away yet.
Again, how I can relate. It’s taken me 18 years to realize I’m done with old cars.. 🙂
+1
It’s always hard when you drive old cars like this as you’ve done and I do. When do you give up? When is it not worth that repair to keep it on the road? I’ve come to believe the best time to sell an old car is after the next repair, right when it’s running perfectly, before something else goes wrong.
I actually agree with the logic of having 2, or 3, if this is what you want to drive.
What really did these in for you was the 120 mi commute and limited funds. I’ve been there, it’s hard on an old car to be a long distance commuter, and hard on your wallet to maintain that car. You’re not done repairing them until you’ve serviced almost every system. Fix the ignition? Time to replace the master cylinder. Fix that? Hey, those radiator hoses look tired. All set with that? There’s a hole in your exhaust, a gasket needs replaced, your mechanical fuel pump is going, the tie rods are developing play. None of it would be all that bad if you had the cash to pay someone’s $95/hour labor rate, or the skill and more especially the equipment like a lift to DIY, but try it when you have to work long hours and can’t put away $2K/year for mechanic’s labor rates.
If I still lived in the suburbs, I know I’d have either had to purchase like 4 big old cars, or cave and buy the little reliable Japanese sedan for daily driving and gradually chase down everything on one of these with spare cash until it was tip top. It would have been a painful compromise and only the move into town prevented it from becoming a necessary one, allowing my old boat to be used mostly for long, open road driving and have problems addressed in a leisurely manner. I know how it is to not have that luxury, but I’m glad you got some good years from them.
Thanks for understanding…you’ ve described the situation exactly. Next week, I repeat the pattern again, but the week after, I break the cycle and go in a different direction….stay tuned!
FWIW I don’t think this was a bad choice, just your circumstances made maintaining them less than an ideal proposition. They held up ok despite the abuse and are good cars. If you had bought many foreign cars of similar age and wear, I doubt they’d have served you better and the repairs would’ve cost more. 15-20 years out, an old car with a 120 mile commute is still an old car with a 120 mile commute, doesn’t matter the brand.
I think you should have bought the Charger Fred. Despite being a Mopar product, the Charger seems reliable and most folks I know love them(especially that version)
“These cars are disappearing quickly and I’m happy to hear that there are still a few of them out there, particularly the LT1 cars due to the idiosyncrasies of the Optispark and 4L60E transmission”
I think a lot of them went goodbye because of the Opticrap. There were ways to keep the transmissions going cheaply (such as replacing the pathetic trans cooler it came with ,with an aftermarket one that was for heavy duty towing
The Opticrap dist. was junk
I think a lot of the LT1 F-Bodies were junked due to opticrap. I am not a fan of the 98-2002 Pontiac Firebird and think that the restyle of the front end made the car look like bloated but I was forced to get one in that range due to the fact I did not want the LT1 and the Opticrap set up on a V8.
I am looking for a pre LS1 Roadmaster and do have the tools and expertise to keep it running on my own so you can be sure if I get one I will keep it for a long time.
You know Leon, I only had the Charger for about three days, but I still remember it. It was fun, comfortable, perfect for that trip. Gas mileage was not bad either. Also, if I had saved all the money I’ve wasted on these cars (especially last week’s Suburban), I probably could have bought it outright with cash. I’d probably still have it today. I think it had like 15 miles on the odometer when I picked it up from the rental agency.
It will always be “The one that got away”
well……the alternate history. It’s nothing but mind games.
Interesting, i’m surprised given your good experience with it and your wagonlust you haven’t tried to pickup a Dodge Magnum!
I’ve thought about it but they are rare here. Also, at the time, when it came to wagons…I only had eyes for b bodies. Also, the Magnum did not have third row seating…something that I was really into at the time.
I wanted a lt1 powered roadmaster years ago when it was time to replace my smashed 94 regal. Unfortunately the owners know what they have (lt1 ) and ask a rediculous amount of $$$ for them, like 5-7k for one in good condition. Forget it. I got an 01 grand marquis instead and its been a tank and a great family car for my wife and 2 small children. Panthers always had the edge over the b bodys in terms of reliability.
The high price is probably to try and keep it out of the hands of people who’d yank the LT1 and junk the rest. Sad, but I’d reckon it happens.
I’m not sure that the LT1 is that desirable for engine swaps, LT1s are really kind of redheaded stepchilds, they have neither the efficient power of the LS engines nor the simplicity and cheapness of the classic 350.
Best COAL series yet, Fred. Thanks!
Glad you are enjoying it…thanks for reading. Only three weeks to go 🙁
You might have saved your wagons for a while longer by having all the brake, fuel, transmission and power steering lines replaced at the outset. Having worked on a number of GM cars from those years, almost without exception, every one driven in normal northeast driving conditions all needed those basic systems renewed after some years in service.
True. Especially since the Roadmaster was from Boston and the Caprice from Syracuse!
To me, the ability to keep old cars on the road for a long time depends on 2 things. One is being able to work on them yourself. You do not need to be able to rebuild an engine or transmission, but you need to be able to swap them out. That’s a good case for avoiding FWD cars, unless you have access to a fully equipped shop. Second, you need to get cars that do not have many very expensive trouble prone parts. These will mostly be computerized electronic parts. I sold a Suzuki Samurai that I’d had for 7 years and paid $2500 for, because a rebuilt engine cost more than I paid for it, plus it had a computer controlled carb that was going bad, and a new one cost $800. It still paid for itself many times over.
That is definitely the key, but it’s very much a lifestyle and requires tools. When it comes to my 21 year old car I practically live off the grid when it comes to keeping it going, It hasn’t been in a shop since 2007, I even do alignments myself. If I need tires I take the wheels off, put on my spares and give them the bald set to change/balance, then R&R them in my garage lol
I’ll counter however computer controlled can be extremely reliable, at least on Fords EEC IV and EEC V of this vintage. Generally speaking if you ever have to replace the computer on one you’re diagnosing it wrong.
I have not had one of my cars in the shop since 1983, when the transmission failed in my newly purchased ’79 Camaro Z28. I just didn’t have the time to do it back then, as it was my only car. I have had 3-4 cars in the shop that failed the emissions test, neither myself nor my employer had the necessary tools to work on that stuff. I no longer have to worry about emissions, one of my cars is too old, the other two are insured/registered as collector cars through Hagerty. My daily driver is an emissions car, and the check engine light is on. But I’m not concerned, it is the EGR valve, not an issue that presents a drivability problem, and the next emissions test is not until Sept. 2016. The car has over 200,000 miles on it now, and I will not have it by then.
I worked as a fleet mechanic from 1977-2004. While I rarely ever replaced a computer (the main ECU) I replaced thousands of sensors and various modules. Overall Fords seemed to be more trouble prone in that area, but GM and Chrysler products also had plenty of problems. Most of these vehicles were beat to death by the person were assigned too, the pool vehicles got treated even worse. They were all bought new, and usually sold at auction at around 100,000 miles.
I gave up and left in 2004, while continuing to pay in retirement and SS. I had already developed a large customer base from working on vintage cars on the side, and found I had more work than I had time for. Unlike others in that field that were trying to get rich, I was just trying to make a living, and was able to charge less and still get by fine, making as much as I had on my city job, and the work was much more enjoyable. It was vintage only, usually ’72 and older, though I would work on a later model if it had no computer, a carb, and RWD. It was also all American brands, other than air cooled VWs. I have about $20,000 worth of tools I have collected over the decades, including an engine crane, transmission jack, lots of floor jacks and jackstands. I have a room full of manuals and parts catalogs. I still don’t have any electronic tools, I just don’t want to go there. There are plenty of shops where you can take computer cars. I am now 56, and things are beginning to slow down. I have developed a number of orthopedic problems, and will probably retire within the next couple years. I should be fine, I have been planning for retirement for a long time. Hopefully I will still be able to work on my own cars for awhile yet, they are my main hobby. I’m also looking at trading the Fairlane for a ’66 or older pickup. Emissions exempt and easy to work on. And I will replace the worn out Malibu with something a lot newer, and proceed to drive it into the ground as well, doing maintenance and some mechanical stuff, but leaving the electronics alone.
JunkyardDog: What you are doing makes complete sense. However it only makes complete sense for individuals like you who are/were in the trade. To be honest I would not take my cars into a garage if I had $200000 worth of tools. You and your cars live in a garage for all practical purposes. Heck, my whole property is worth less than 200K.
My point is that your approach simply is not viable for all the folks who show up at their non-car related job day in day out. So please, enjoy your hobby to the fullest. You are living the dream of many car enthusiasts. But, with all due respect, don’t make it appear as if it were the solution for all motorists. There is not enough supply of old cars to begin with.
An elderly cousin of mine doesn’t do much work himself on his cars but puts it a little differently. His mantra “always have a backup”. I’ve found having a second car, even if it’s a total beater you keep in a storage yard, is the way to go if you (a) want to DD an old car and (b) actually need to drive it every day so that having it getting fixed for a week would be a problem
I’m not a mechanic and don’t do all work myself. Putting aside time constraints and assuming devoting a weekend to an issue, some things it’d be awfully hard to do without a lift and more sophisticated machinery then socket wrenches, screwdrivers, and elbow grease. Like, I’m sure I could replace my shocks and exhaust system if I wanted to take the time, but my sense is there are more ideal places than a suburban driveway.
Easier to take it in, pre-arrange parts if you can, and leave it while you use the backup.
A backup is essential, whether you do all the work on your own cars or not. Things do break down. You can find yourself with not even having a way to go get parts. I have 4 cars total, and I am divorced/single. All but one later model are hobbies, plus they provide me with multiple redundancies. I could have 3 out of commission and still have one to drive.
As for the Pontiac Safari, I think I would have given it a shot as it was rare. The alternator was probably just loose and the interior would not have been such an issue for me as the local junk yard in laurel MD(Crazy Ray’s) is a pick it pull it yard with good prices and good selection. I was just there and there were several B body wagons with nice interiors and they all bolt in perfectly across the line. It would have cost me $200 plus tax to get all I needed from the yard and another $20 to get fabric and glue for replacing the fabric on the head liner (which is not a really big job to do with a little help from another person)
You know you just made me realize…I think that was the last Safari I’ve ever encountered. I’ ve run into a few Oldsmobile Custom Cruisers since then but I don’t think I’ve seen another Safari since that one.
There’s still one Safari of that vintage I see running around here. it’s a twentyfooter. Get any closer and you see the rear quarters are rusting out. Shame, its a nice looking car.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/47912141@N04/13247719294/
There’s one still alive near me, with plain non-woody sides no less. It’s a little rough also but it seems to move around in street parking so someone drives it at least occasionally. Doesn’t look rusty–helps that we don’t get much salt around here. (Somewhat ironic as we currently have 6″ of snow…)
Good to see that there are still a few of them out there.
Have enjoyed your series. Look forward to it on Sunday AM. Sorry to hear only 3 more installments. I went with a second car in about 1984 for a backup if the first one did not start. Sometimes common with the 79 Marquis I had at the time. The 77 Newport I got was not much better due to the Lean Burn. I had wanted to trade the 79 Marquis on a new 85 Accord at the time but could not stand the thought of the price of it. Anyway gradually I have got up to the 5 I have now and do not even have to drive to work and I have a car supplied for work travel. So mine are not subjected to the rigors of your commute. I am lucky that here in Mississippi, if we do get the rare snow fall, God’s method of snow removal usually prevails, so my B Bodies are pristine on the bottom. Did experience the Water Pump – Optispark problem on my Roadmaster wagon. Due to it sitting on a gravel pad and with the Trailer Pkg. did not realize it was leaking until it died about 100 miles from home. 2000 dollars later it was good to go and I fortunately caught the Impala and Fleetwood’s before the Optispark got fried on them. I do think of selling my B’s and replacing with a new car until I drive a newer Front Driver and quickly realize I like the B’s so much better.
Well this episode turned out much better than the last one…but what “monsters” lurk ahead? I can hardly wait!! 🙂
Much better outcome then the Suburban nightmare. The climate for sure does you no favors keeping these old warriors running down the road. My 30 year old Jetta (Built Sept 85) owned by me for 24 years and now over 300k miles still runs well with original engine and manual trans, but rust and extreme winter driving not being an issue, along with decent do it myself repair skills go a long way to avoid problems and expenses. And these VW’s are for the most part easy to work on. Your COAL series rocks!
Thanks!
Wonder if that place in Upstate you bought the B-bodies from is the same place I got a $510 Caprice after winning it on Ebay? Seneca Falls is where the place was located.
I agree with you that keeping old vehicles going especially on the East Coast is challenging.
North Star Motors in Waterloo, NY
Fred,
Stories like yours are truly an inspiration.
I was amused to see that you owned three B-body wagons at the same time for a period. This is why I have two RWD Volvos in my fleet at the moment. They’re simple to work on and I have access to parts cars at my mechanic’s shop. What also helps is that I’ve been involved in the Volvo scene for almost 20 years so I’ve gotten to know every quirk and issue of these “bricks.”
I bought two Roadmaster wagons from that guy in NY! Fred! Awesome guy! Currently still with my third RMW, but it’s buried under feet of snow right now in the driveway with a dead battery! Come the spring thaw I’ll get her up and running again!
Good series. Your comment on the brake lines was right on, however. In my case, a ’93 Bonneville with the LSE package. I loved the car, which would cruise at 70-75 with A/C and still get 31 mpg with the 3800. However, when I broke a brake line, an inspection showed every one of them bad, and proportioning valves that were no longer available. Sorrowfully, off it went to the junkyard, in about 2010.
Entertaining as ever, thank you Fred. However, I also felt more than a little anxious just reading that story.
I’ve had times encouraging old cars with desperation or optimism and not a whole lot else. It can really affect all aspects of your life. I understand why they had to go.
Key motors somewhere in upstate NY was a place that specialized in 9C1Caprices in the late 90s /early 2000’s. I think the guys name was Craig and he could make a retired patrol car look brand new. I wonder if there’s a connection.
I’ve owned 4 LT1 B-bodies and have yet to get burned by an optispark (knock on plastiwood). My current one is a 96 Road master Wagon, white with wood delete, 94k and tan cloth interior. All of mine have been relatively trouble free. One dead transmission but nothing else even close to that expensive. I think I’ve been fortunate because they have all been southwest cars and I’ve never had to use them that hard. I try to keep up on preventive maintenance, especially cooling and brakes. My current car is only used for long trips and when I need the capacity. We have 2 other late models, so I only drive the Buick about once a week to exercise it. Otherwise it is kept in the garage.
Thanks for the stories, it is interesting to me to hear someone else’s tales of auto adventures, especially since you seem to have similar tastes to me. I especially like your willingness to confess bone headed moves. Makes the stories more fun and real since we all know we have done dumb things whether we are willing to post it on the Web or not!
I remember Key Motors in Ballston Spa, NY. They had a great inventory of 9C1 sedans and 1A2 wagons. They were around a little before North Star motors and then they ran out of B bodies.
Small world.
I bought a wagon from the same guy. I flew in to Buffalo from TX and rented a car with my dad and drove to the lot. Then drove the car back to TX.
Fred is his name and he was awesome to deal with.
Mine was a 95, blue, no wood, cloth seats, almost no rust. I miss that car but got such a good offer on it I let it go…
Yep…Fred Lesinski he is now in South Carolina no longer selling cars (I think)
I’m enjoying this series too, thanks for writing it.
Thanks for reading…. glad you’re enjoying it.
Definitely an enjoyable series! It’s too bad these wagons didn’t last you longer, but with such a long commute, sounds like they really did quite well for the money invested. 120 miles a day…wow. Besides, the Charger might have held up well and it might not have. I had a co-worker who bought a Chrysler 300 new in ’05 and, by 2011, he was having quite a lot of problems with it and ended up taking a big hit at trade-in. So the early LX cars had a lot of “teething issues” as I understand it. Hopefully those were sorted by 2008, but who knows?
It is also pretty cool to be able to claim that you owned 3 B-Body wagons all at the same time!
Wonderful story. Thank you for sharing your experience learned through the school of hard-knocks!
I’m obviously getting to this story very late, but I remember you well, Fred, and John Bailey, too. I’m indeed in SC and selling wagons… when I can find them, which is very, very infrequently these days. Thanks for the great read and comments!