Max arrives, safe and sound.

[John Hubertz]

Well all, I feel i really have "joined" the community here as Max is now safely ensconced in my garage.

Having reviewed a variety of recommendations for the trip home, I elected to utilize the time-honored "credit card and three-year old" packing technique - although as the three-year old was a loaner child I had to leave him home with his Mother and retrieve the car alone.

In the spirit of adventure and with the idea that it logical that loved cars love you back,  I quite literally took a brief glance under the hood, assessed the running condition with a 10 mile test drive, and taking the previous owner as a man of his word did not even insult the veracity of his claim of having checked all fluids and simply drove the car home without even pulling the dipstick.

I took my time, stopping often to tour a couple of Michigan towns (lovely in the spring) and driving an unfamiliar route that included about a 60/40 mix of four-lane expressways and two-lane rural highways.  Total miles wound up being about 180, with fuel consumption just a hair under 19 mpg. Oil consumption was negligible. 

Oil pressure was exemplary, 45 except at dead idle once fully warm.  The next day the car was idled in a garage on a lift for almost an hour while we performed the exhaust reseal and it never budged over an indicated 130 degrees.

The car?  Mechanically, superior to my expectations.  Transmission like silk, brakes like pressing into a block of steel with very wonderful and linear feel, cornering and acceleration as robust and solid as one would expect from a motorcar of this magnitude.

Cosmetically, the driver's seat bolster has more wear then the picture showed, and the paintwork suffers from a quite poor but very shiny older repaint.  I renegotiated a few hundred dollars due to the paint being sub-par, but realistically to an untrained eye the car looks fine.  It will do nicely till I can afford a premium paintjob and the car is virtually rust free. The jacking points are especially nice as the jack appears to never have been used.

I had quite a few small seam leaks welded shut on the exhaust upon arriving home, and with the exception of one small one we must have missed it now sounds wonderful - with a motorboat rumble that probably means a few internal baffles are also rusted but it has a beautiful throaty tone.

The clockspring or something in the steering groans when the car is cold, but then quiets right down, the antenna wiring wasn't properly reconnected when the radio was replaced and it must be lowered with the switch prior to shutting off the car, and the vacuum locks are inoperative with all driver's door hardware (including the external lock mechanism) disconnected.  All tools, the first aid kit and original books are present along with significant repair and maintenance history since new.

[Mforcer]

Congratulations! Sounds like you have found yourself a great car

[michaeld]

John,
I just knew Max had it in him!

I just kinda had confidence in my old girl from the moment I laid eyes on her.  I drove her 40 miles from Los Angeles to Anaheim when I bought her, took her for a couple short drives while I was in town, and never even thought twice when I drove her uphill 100 miles to Palm Springs for the weekend!  Fortunately, she didn't violate my trust then or since.  Good girl!

Welcome to the family?  Obviously, I don't make many (okay, ANY ) of the rules around here, but it just strikes me all of a sudden that don't really need to actually have a 116 to be part of this forum: you just have to badly WANT to have one!

John's long-since esconced himself into this forum IMHO: but it IS my sincere pleasure to welcome MAX.  So, Max, you be a good boy and take care of your father!