Dissapointed in Dallas. Yesterday somewhat sucked.... I'm wagonless today.

Ok gang, here is the longwinded follow up to selling my really pretty Olds Custom Cruiser in order to buy another LT1 Roady I'd found online up near Dallas. This is the follow-up to these threads:http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26277 and http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26275

So yesterday I took off work for the afternoon, and dropped off my '92 OCC to it's new owner. He has some gorgeous cars, including a 1965 Vista Cruiser. He's a really nice guy. I got to see his other OCC's as well, and we shook hands and agreed to stay in touch.

It was really pretty sad to drive away without my gorgeous OCC, and had butterflies in my stomach about getting the new Roady wagon, but the deal was done, and Dad, Lily, Eddie and I left Austin in the Denali around 3pm to head north to Dallas and then east to Greenville to get my new Roady.

The drive up was uneventful. Stopped at the Czech Stop Bakery in West for some good junk food, cookies and whoopie pies, ha, and a bathroom break, and got to Dallas around 6pm. Took Loop 20 around the south and east side of Big D and managed to skirt most of the rush hour traffic, and then jumped on I-30 east in Mesquite, following it across Lake Ray Hubbard, which was beautiful with boats and jet-skis zooming all over it, and then crossed Rockwall and drove another 30-miles to Greenville. Got there about 6:45.

We had no issues finding the sellers home, it was right off the highway in a nice area. We were looking for the street to turn on, and suddenly I spotted a big white whale with wood and hooked a left, and there it was.

I was tickled at first. Driving up to the car it looked fantastic sitting there in the sellers driveway. I could not help giggling a bit, as other than the wheels, it looked just like my last Roady.

We parked and got out of the Denali, and walked over the car. I saw the scuff on the rear bumper the seller mentioned, not bad, and as I got close I saw how nice the wood was. Even the trim around the wood was much better than the trim on my '96 when I bought it. The car needs cleaning and detailing, but looks good.

The seller comes out of the house...introductions all around. He's in his 60's and seems to be a really nice guy. I like him at once, and he and Dad start taking cars right off. He tells us to come around to the back of the house, and he has a 57 Ford Custom 500 Coupe and a '63 Chevy Biscayne Coupe in his garage! Wow! Both have Hot Rod Power Tour decals on them. He tells me he's done the Power Tour a number of times, and shows us the cars. The Ford was his Dad's and is VERY basic...no ps, no pb, and it's a straight 6 with a 3-on-the-tree, and 38K original miles...pretty wild. The Biscayne has a built 350 in it, mags, and is painted orange and flat black. It's a hot rod. This is clearly a "car guy".

Lily is looking at flowers in the back yard, and Eddie has walked back up the driveway and already has one of the back doors on the Roady open. The seller hands me the keys and tells me to check it all out...so I do. There are two keyless-entry fobs, and I walk over and try them both, and the locks spring to life and rear hatch glass pops. Nice!

I looked under the rear end of the car at a clean dry Texas undercarriage. No hitch, no rust on the gas tank straps. Nice and clean, and I spotted some fairly new Monroe shocks...no air shocks, just regular gas shocks, and still clean with tags on them.

The exhaust mod is cheesy. They cut the stock pipes just behind the rear axle and clamped on pooly-bent metal pipes exiting straight out right behind the back wheels. No tips, just bare metal, pointing straight out to the sides. Ugly. That will have to be changed for sure. The seller sees me looking at this and tells me he still has the resonators if I want them, and he also says one of the metal exhaust heat shields rattles back there now. He'd forgotten to mention that on the phone.

I look under the front of the car, and am please to see no leaks...and again, no rust. Newer shocks up here too. Oil pan is dry. So far, so good.

I walked around the car, assesing it. No dents at all, I mean none, car is SOLID as a rock. There is a scuff on the passenger-side door mirror, but not through the paint...think it would buff out, and a few small spots on the wood I can hide easily. The paint could use a wax but looked totally original and much better than the paint had looked on my '96 when I bought it, with the exception of quite a few rock pecks in the hood above the grill and headlights. I know this was an older person's car, and older folks sometimes follow too close, and who knows, they might have lived on a dirt road... I can get the hood re-shot cheap, and the rest will wax up like new. Paint or polish the trim around the wood and this sucker would be a real looker. The seller had re-taped all the black trim on the lower body chrome, and other than one piece that is scuffed, it looked good too, none missing or sagging.

The wire wheels showed no curb rash/damage (still hate them though), but the white wall tires are shot. Not smooth, but very thin tread. No loss, I want Impala wheels...and the tires will get us back to Austin.

The front windows were down, and I looked inside. The black trim around the window switches was worn...typical...and the upper woodgrain strip on the driver's door panel is very loose, but other than that, it looks pretty good. I open the door, and am struck by the fact that it is both clean and dirty inside. Yes I know I'm a picky guy, and there is no garbage or general clutter in the car at all, but the interior is dusty, the steering wheel, shifter, and such are flat not clean, they have a film of scum on them, and the leather on the seats is pretty darn dry. It needs a full interior detail. This I CAN do.

I take a breath and look beyond the need for a good cleaning, and really LOOK at the interior. The leather is dry in certain areas on the fronts seats, but they are not torn anywhere and hardly worn. The lack of window tint has dried the outer sides and the pads on the front a bit...typical for Texas, but I've seen MUCH worse. My '96 Roady had a bit of this..the leather is not as soft or smooth as it should be where the sun has been on it, BUT again, no rips, good color, the seatbacks are fine, and with some leather treatment it'll be ok.

I open the door and sit down, and immediatly smile...those curved and padded leather Roady seats are SO MUCH more comfy than the flat leather ones in the OCC were. It's just a better seat design, especially for a big fat guy like me. I feel right at home. Dash shows 116K miles, just like the seller said.

I'm struck by the chome lines on the dash and chrome Roadmaster script above the glove box, they are nearly perfect, as is the chrome that goes around the dash vents. All of this chrome was somewhat worn on my '96 Roady...I think the previous owner detailed that '96's dash with Windex. I'd repainted a lot of it with a silver paint-pen..no need to do that here. This chrome in this car, while dusty, glows in comparison to my last one. The carpet has a worn spot where you rest your left foot in the driver's floorwell hump, just like my last Roady had, but other than that is not stained anywhere and looks very VERY good, and all four of the stock floor mats, including the front ones with snaps, are there, and clean...well not as clean as after I would detail them, but for a daily driven car, well above average, and these are so hard to find at all now.

I suddenly realize that under the light coat of scrunge, the steering wheels is ALL red. No black is showing through on the non-leather wheel parts, and the leather itself is very nice. The white cruise and wiper markings on the turn signal are all still there, not worn off, just a little dirty..that says a lot, and lastly, the driver's side door panel is NOT cracked at all, it's flat PERFECT around the arm rest area, as is the '96-style front center seat armrest...this is the one with the single large lid over the storage box. The leather on it is like new and the fold-out cupholder is inside...works fine, looks great. All the padded armrests on the doors are perfect, no warps. NICE!

I look up, the headliner is clean, not sagging anywhere, and I'm glad to see the roof grab handles....missed those on my OCC, and there is even a grab handle on the driver's side, which my '96 did not have. The Vista shades are open, and I pull them out and snap them in place. No issues there. Owners manual is in the glove box. Glove box, coin holder and ashtrays are clean. None-smoking car. That's nice. Has the big-face radio, but no CD. Again I'm struck by how nice the chrome on the dash is, and the dash pad itself, while also somewhat dry, is still dark red, and not warped or cracked at all. Will look like new when detailed. So far, so good.

I get out and open the back door on the driver's side. The stock Roady wagons center seat is as-always, somewhat flat, but the leather itself is fine, as are the carpet and door panels back here. I sit down and am struck by how HARD the middle seat is...I really do not think this seat has ever been used...the padding is FIRM...my kids will soften it up I bet. The pockets on the backs of the front seats are still nice and tight. All good here.

I get out and walk to the back, open the gate glass and the door. The tailgate works fine, opens sideways and down, and there are NO scratches on the platics back there, and the carpet is flawless. I open the storage box on the side, and it's empty and clean. I look at the spare tire well and there is a full-sized spare with nubbies still on the tire tread...never used.

I pop open the floor well, and there is factory plastic still over the carpet back here. Wow. I pop the seat up..I'd thought the seller said the rear seat had plastic on it, but it's the carpet in the well that is still covered, but the rear seat is like brand new. The seller yells over that the previous elderly owner did not even know the car had a 3rd row seat, and it had never been up until he bought it, ever. Wow again.

I do find an issue back here though...the lock rod on the tailgate is bent in a little, the chrome knob is leaning in. I hit the power lock on the key fob, and the lock does not move....something broken in there or the actuator is dead. I use the key on the gate, and can lock and unlock with the key, but the power lock inside the gate does not work. Noted.

I walk back around the car and pop the hood. What I see...well...it's a little concerning. The underhood is filthy. No rust, but really really dirty. The Home Plate and smaller intake baffles are gone, and in their place is a hocky puck in the curved intake hole, white PVC pipes leading to a homeade airbox made of white and pink foam (yucko!)...topped with a dirty Spectre cone air filter. It looks really CHEESY. The seller sees me looking and tells me the intake mod really "woke the engine up". Ok then. All the mounts for the upper baffle are still there, and the seller says he has both baffles and the stock air filter box if I want them. I tell him I do.

There IS a brand new shiny water pump bolted to the filthy engine. I look through the dirt on the engine, and do not see any oil leaks anywhere. That's good..it's just really dirty. The battery is from 2010. Coolant bottle is full. I pull the dipsticks and the oil is dark but not black (I later notice an window Quik-Lube oil change sticker..still have 1000 miles left until due again), and the trans fluid is bright red. The seller reminds me the transmission had less than 100 miles on it since the rebuild.

I reach inside and turn the key and the LT1 fires right up. No smoke, no knocks, actually sounds great without the resonators, nice rumble. The a/c compressor kicks on and so do both electric fans. Ok then.





-Mike

 

Seller tells me to go drive it. Lily and Eddie run over and start fighting, both want to ride up front. Lily wins, and Eddie gets in the back seat. Dad stays with the seller and I back out...his driveway is steep...I know know why he modded the exhaust tips now..the rear bumper near scrapes backing out, with tips back there it would be a nightmare just to get in and out.


So first off, the Change Oil and Pass-Key idiot lights are on. I drive around the block slowly, and shut the car off, turn the key forward, pump the gas pedal three times, and nope, the Change Oil light is stuck on. Ok. Also, the gear shift indicator on the dash does not work. I think it must have come off the column...no big deal. I'd thought he's said the SRS light was on, but it's not for me. Good deal.


My power seat works fine in all directions, and I have Lily try hers, and it works as well. The power mirrors work. The stereo sounds great. Horn honks. Ditto wipers and delay. Windshield mirror, vanity mirrors, and rear seat lights all work.


I switch the climate control from Cold to Hot and it all works, but I notice that the a/c does not have much "bite". It's cooling, but it's either too low or too high on 134... I can adjust the pressure in it later I think. Lastly I note that the lights on the radio and climate control readouts are dim...hmmm. I reach over and flip off the Twilight Sentinal, and the dash lights get bright. Turn it back on, and the headlights kick on and dash lights dim, even though it's still sunny-bright outside...so my guess is the dash sensor is bad and telling the car it's dark outside??? Hmmmm. It's so hard to manually pull a headlight switch once you've been spoiled by auto headlights...ha...will have to sort that out.


I pull out onto a main road and am struck by how doggy the car feels. It seems to run fine, but does not move out the way my last LT1 wagon did, and the heat shield on the exhaust is rattling like mad. You can hear it with the windows up..dang, that'll drive me nuts! I'm really shocked how hard you have to press the gas to get this wagon to GO...my last LT1 car was really peppy, could the rear end gearing make THAT MUCH of a difference?? After driving the Denali all afternoon this car is a letdown. I never felt that way about my '96 Roady. From day-one that car felt fast to me.. Hmmm again.


Other than seeming slower than it should be, and the various things noted above, it IS a solid car. It rides smooth, the steering is tight and straight, and the brakes feel fine.


Eddie says he's burning up in the back seat (weak a/c and no window tint, and it's 103-degrees outside). He also asks me why the seat is so hard back there...he says the 2nd row on the Olds was a lot more comfy. I tell him that with use it'll soften up, it's never been sat on. Lily is in the front seat with her face in front of an a/c vent panting.


I pull over under a tree in the shade and get out and look at the car, and debate if I really want it. I'd offered the seller $100 less than his asking price, which he took, so I'm just over $3K if I buy this car. It's a really great starting point, in much better cosmetic condition than the '96 was when I bought it. Everything wrong is small, and most is age-related and simple. I know I can make it pretty, heck it's not bad as it sits, but I'm disheartened that it feels so much slower than my last car...and frankly, than my OCC did, which is really sad.


I drive back to the sellers house. Eddie tells me he wants to ride home with Dad in the Denali, he's burning up back there..ha.


I decide the positives outweigh the negatives, and decide to buy the car. I know I can most likely swap in a shorter rear axle from an older wagon eventually, and that should wake this car up performance-wise, and the rest, well none of it really scares me.


We do the deal. I ask if he has any service records for the car, and he says sadly no, it did not come with any. I ask him about the water pump and the trans that he's just had rebuilt, and he says he has a guy he works with that does all his work on his cars, and has used forever, for anything he can't do himself. It's always a cash deal, so no receipts... I have Troung, who is the same way, so I accept this...we're car guys with mechanic friends...it is the way a lot of us are.


We shake hands, and Lily and I get in the Roady with Dad and Eddie following in the Denali. We get out of town with no issues, and get on I-30 headed back west to Dallas. You REALLY have to press the gas to make this sucker go...I'm astounded, and it wants to downshift an even slight hills. Jeez. I get the car up to 75, which takes a bit of time, and hit the cruise control and settle in (cruise light works...). The a/c is really weak...we're driving into the sunset and I'm warm. The radio sounds good, the car runs very cool, gauge only a 1/4 way up, and it rides very smooth. It's a Buick!


The car is doing fine, other than the a/c struggling, and I'm making metal notes of all the things I want to do, costs, and what I want to do first.


We get back into Rockwall, which is on the outskirts of Dallas, and the sun is setting over the lake in the distance, pretty. We've gone about 30-miles. Dad calls and said he just got a great pic of the Roady with Lake Ray Hubbard ahead of it and Dallas beyond that. I can't wait to see it. I ask how the car looks going down the road, and he says it looks fine...no smoke, looks to be going straight too...ha. Dad likes the car a lot. We talk about stopping somewhere good for dinner in Dallas. It's now 8:30pm.

I-30 goes directly across the lake, water on both sides of the road and an island in the middle. Sun is setting, boats are out, really pretty, and other than being warm I'm feeling pretty darn good...I have a Roady again and I'm itching to work CLEANING on the new toy.


When you get to the other side of the lake you are back in Mesquite, and the road starts climbing. I can feel the car struggling a bit...and it downshifts again, cruise still on. The car suddenly shudders...say what? It goes back to Overdrive, and then kicks down into passing gear again, shudders, and then suddenly the engine roars and I feels the power go away. Transmission just went bye-bye.. Oh CRAP! The car shows from 70 to 60 then to 50 and 40....... I got nothing when I press the gas. Hit the flashers and take an exit. At around 30 I can go again...car is stuck in either 1st or 2nd gear. Dangit.


I pull in a gas station and see Dad shaking his head in the Denali pulling in behind me. I stop, pop the hood, and go tell Dad what going on. A look under the Roady shows nothing, but the trans, while clean and dry, does not look at all new. No leaks other than the condensation from the a/c accumualtor, which is sweating like it should, depite not cooling well inside. I pull the dipstick and the trans fluid is still red and full. What to do....?


I call the seller, and he's beside himself. He apoligizes profusely, and asks if I can bring the car back. I tell him I do not think it will make it. He then tells me his son lives in Rockwall, and hangs up, then calls me back in less than a minute with his son on the line. His son is on the way to me. Wow.


His son shows up with a buddy and they ask if the car will make it about 5 miles. I say possibly, but slowly. He offers to drive and I get in the passenger seat. The car still will not shift and now will not go over 25mph. Nice kid, he said his Dad is just sick over this, and that I need to call him when we get to his house. He said he personally loves this wagon and nearly bought it from his Dad himself, and he can't believe this happend..


We make it back to the kids house and get the car into his driveway. I call the seller back. He says if we want to drive the 30-miles back to Greenville he'll gladly give me my money back. He tells me how sorry he is again. He said he just paid $1500 to have the trans rebuilt and he's mad himself, but can't get his mechanic friend on the phone. He says he's sure the guy will step up and fix it, but again, he'll gladly give me my money back. He says he's used this guy for years and until now he's always done good work, and he will make it right, but it's up to me regardless.


I'm bummed bigtime now. I tell him I'll call him back and get in the Denali, Dad driving, kiddos in the back. I give Dad the lowdown. We talk a few minutes and he says "Michael, I like that car, and I know you like that car, and I think that seller is a good guy...but who knows what was done to that transmission, or what will be done to it when he "fixes it" again, and we're 4-hours from home here. You've already wasted a day on this, and this'll be $170 in Denali gas alone today, for nothing. If the car was close to home, and you could take it back to this mechanic if it acted up again, I'd tell you to keep the car. But being this far away, I think you should just get your money back and find another car".


Hmmm. I'm 40 years old, but I still listen to my elders. I love my Dad and he makes sense, even if it's not what I want to hear. I call the seller back and he says "come get your money, we'll take care of the car". Ok then. It's nearly 9pm and we leave Rockwall for the 30-mile drive back to Greenville. Dad is driving, I'm in the front seat of the Denali. I put my head back on the headrest, and Lily, sitting behind me, reaches around the seat and starts rubbing my shoulders. I make a mental note take her to Half Price Books later in the week just for doing this without being asked. She's a good kid...now and then. Ha!


So the seller calls me about 10-mins later while we're on the road. Says he spoke to his mechanic friend, and the guy is picking up the car in the morning and towing it to his garage. He tells me that if I will let the mechanic check the car out, we can both get on the phone with him once he's done that. The mechanic will tell me exactly what he did, and what was done, what's wrong now, and what his is willing to do if the car comes to Austin and has an issue later. He then tells me to STILL come get my money, and for my problems, if I get the "warm and fuzzies" after speaking to the mechanic and still want this car, he'll take another $500 off the sales price.

Whoa. A really solid 116K mile LT1 Texas Roady for $2650...if I'm willing to take a chance that the guy fixes the trans right this time. That leaves a lot left over from my sale of the OCC to make this Roady into the car I really want it to be. I hang up and tell Dad his offer. Dad smiles, shakes his head, and agrees that it's a lot of car for that little money, if I'm willing to take the chance...


To make it even more tempting, we have to go back to Dallas the weekend of the 19-21st for my mother-in-law's birthday...so I will be back in the area regardless....and near some of the best salvage yards in the state for Roady parts....in just over a week....just enough time for his mechanic to hopefully fix the car.....and I'd have a weekend to drive it around Dallas to see if it was really ok...and could take it yarding too for little stuff it needs....


We got back to the sellers house around 9:30. He invited me in his home and told me sit sit down, and again told me how sorrry he was and how bad he felt. He handed me my money right back. I told him to call me with his mechanic once they figured it out. I also told him I'd be back in Dallas on the 19th for the weekend, and he said if I still wanted the car, he would make sure it was ready by then. He then walked me out, told my Dad and my kids how sorry he was, shook our hands again, and told me he'd call me as soon as he knew something.


We left Greenville at 9:45. Stopped at In-N-Out Burger in Rockwall for dinner...at 10:20pm, and after stopping for gas got back to Austin at 1:30am, and I finally got to sleep around 3am this morning. Wagonless and exhausted. Needless to say it sucked getting up for work this morning, and I'm a walking zombie now.


So that's today's novel. What do you think I should do? What would you do? :banghead3:

-Mike

 

The seller sounds like a solid guy. As much as you like the car it may work for you.

I have never rebuilt an automatic transmission so they are always my number one concern when buying a used car. It may just need a little something and then be good to go. How many miles had been put on the rebuild? I had one that I had to take back for tweaking after a couple of hundred miles.

 

It had just over 100 miles on the rebuild yesterday when it failed. I know nothing about auto transmissions beyond changing a filter either. They scare me too.

The trans failing is the reason they are selling that wagon..his wife demanded a new car when it failed on them the first time. He just bought them a new Dodge Ram, it was in the driveway.

-Mike

 

Bummer. BUT at least you had a straight up seller I think we both know there are a lot out there would have said...."Your Car Now, your Problem!"

Hard call on what to do, bottom line it is your decision. Myself, after getting my $ back I'd be going and keep on looking. IMO it would be one thing for this to happen with a older OMG it's beautiful much more vintage wagon, but it's very clear that the area you live in has no shortages of the whale wagons you really like..... patience and count your blessings.


EDIT>>>>> I just read your above post......Maybe I missed it in your original post,,,,Did you know about the tranny problem/rebuild before you decided to buy it?

I strongly repeat...... count your blessings, Your Father clearly knows best! What other surprises could this car bring?

 

"What would you do?"

Tough call...
I'd take it a step at a time.
I would certainly talk with the seller and the mechanic after it's fixed. If that conversation went well, then I might ask the seller to deliver the car to Round Rock. I'd tell him he could keep some of the additional $500 discount he offered if he brings the car to me.

Just an idea...

If you like what you hear from the mechanic and the seller is willing to do something like that, I'd probably go for the deal.

ON THE OTHER HAND...
Tedy makes a great point. There WERE several other things you didn't like about the car; maybe it's best to just keep looking....

 

I say, for the money, buy it. The transmission can be straightened out & you're getting a lot of car for the cash, regardless. My 2¢.

 

Wow.
This whole thing is a contradiction. Beautiful details on the wagon, yet is dirty in places. Transmission recently rebuilt, yet now is having major problems. Make me wonder how sharp his mechanic is..... Can't beat that price though. Be careful, Mike. If that wagon isn't running 100% next time you try it out, take a pass.

 

Well that's a bummer. I know how disappointed I'd be. At least the seller is a stand-up guy. He could have easily left you hanging. I'd still be open minded about it. See how things go with the mechanic. If you're comfortable with it after he's got it ready, get it. It sounds like a great deal on a clean wagon.

 

Thanks for all the comments folks. As usual got carried away writing that up.

The seller already called me this morning to make sure I got home ok. He said the car is being trailered to the garage now. We shall see. Will keep everyone in the loop.

I'm leaning toward getting it, if I like what the mechanic says. It really will clean up nice and I don't think I could do a lot better for the price. Miles are fair, LT1 runs fine, the major cosmetics are fine.

Again, will keep the group in the loop!

-Mike

 

Mike.... Hope you know I'm saying this as a friend..... This is the same mechanic who rebuilt the 100 mile transition? He's gona tell you what you want to hear........


Father knows best.......RUN AWAY!

 

Mike, I appreciate Fat Tedy's opinion on lot's of stuff, but I disagree here. You've got a stand up seller, I really like that guy! Tranny's are tough! I've had a couple of issues with them myself. I've become a 700R4 lover. One of the first ones I had built was on a maiden voyage into SoCal. I was totally in love with the difference in the car with the 700. Got in to a construction zone and a flagman made us stop. I out the car in park and when they flagged us on, I put it in gear and NOTHING! It was still in park. State Trooper comes up, people are honking. He says move it. I tell him it's stuck in park. I get out the tool box, get under the car, and manually move it to nuetral. We push it off, I call my tranny builder. He offers to come fix it, until he hears we're half way to LA. Long story short, his installer neglected to put the 3/8 inch bolt into the shift linkage at the tranny. The tranny was perfect from then on.
My '01 Tahoe, we bought at 37,000 miles. At 53,000, the tranny went out, would shift 1-2, 2-3, nothing........paid the same builder to rebuild it. I told him I intend to tow with it, build it to be bulletproof. At 194,000, I've never had a problem with it.
He's built me other 700's, flawlessly. I'll keep using him.
My point is, any builder can have a problem with any tranny. It just happens. Your seller seems to have the same kind of mechanic as my tranny builder. With a seller that honest, and deal that good, I'd take the deal.
I'd bet on two things.........the mechanic will correct the problem correctly,
and the seller will stand behind it.
For that money, I don't know how you can go wrong.
Good Luck, my friend..........keep us posted!
Bill

 

it's only a trans sounds a really nice car . stuff happens I would go for it especially with the reduced price

 

I say buy it! It's a 17 year-old vehicle, not brand new! The seller has treated you with integrity (he could have said tough luck!), and the Roady is pretty dang nice. $2650 is a good deal, and hopefully, this one will now be trouble-free for a while.

David

 

I'm hoping it's something simple, and even if it's not, he's got a week-and-a-half to fix it.

If it gets fixed, I'm going to ask the seller to please DRIVE the car around before I consider grabbing it. His son lives 30-miles away...which is exactly how long it took to lose the trans last time. Hahaha!

We'll see what happens. Will keep everyone in the loop.

I've been looking for another 95-96 LT1 Roadmaster wagon, in my budget, that is no GOLD, for a long time know. Ha!