<VV> RE: sick of corvairs

[Ron]

A $2000 fix-up isn't much beyond normal, I'd guess, and not really much at 
today's prices with $60 an hour labor rates.
RonH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <DSJKLING at sbcglobal.net>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Cc: <mhicks130 at cox.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:52 PM
Subject: <VV> RE: sick of corvairs


> Hi Mike,
>
> If its any consolation to you, I just bought a 1967
> Corvair Ultra Van back in March and am having tons of
> problems too.  It was advertised as "excellent
> working condition" but I'm finding out otherwise.  I
> partly blame myself for being excited but in the end
> I think I got taken for a ride.  It is true, "Let the
> buyer beware", boy did I learn that lesson.  The guy
> touted it as being in excellent working condition, no
> problems except for a crack in the passenger side
> window.  I purchased it on E-Bay which meant I bought
> it basically sight unseen too.  Won't do that again
> without a written guarantee.  When I arrived to pick
> it up I looked it over before handing him the
> cashier's check.  I noticed what looked like a small
> transmission leak.  He said, "Oh, I've been meaning
> to fix that".  That should have been my first clue.
> We drove it and it did run good but I noticed that
> the tires rubbed when turning.  He said, "Oh, that
> because the tires are slightly oversized".  That
> should have been my second clue.  I also noticed that
> some of the guages didn't work also.  That should
> have been my third clue.  But no, I was too excited
> and handed him the check.  Upon driving it home, 300
> miles from Oregon to California, I drove over the
> Cascade range up near Lake Shasta where I encountered
> rain.  The roof and windshield leaked like a sieve.
> When I got home, I discovered the rotted floor in the
> rear under the bed due to the massive roof leaks.  I
> made the mistake of giving the guy the benefit of the
> doubt and repaired the roof leaks and rear floor
> without saying a word to the guy.  While the finish
> on the new rear floor was drying, I decided to look
> into tire rubbing up front, I said tire singular
> because I discovered that only the passenger side was
> rubbing and only when I turned to the right.  I
> jacked the front end up and got in to turn the wheels
> lock to lock.  I turned them a couple of times and
> heard a "Pop".  I got out and to my horror discovered
> that the upper a-arm on the passenger side and
> cracked in half under the upper ball joint.  It had
> completely separated.  The fracture was rusted
> heavily over half of its length indicating that it
> had been this way for a while.  After falling to my
> knees to thank God for sparing my life on the way
> home from Oregon, I decided to figure out what else
> was wrong with the Ultra Van.  I discovered that the
> brake system was full of rust and that copper "ice
> maker" line had been used to replace all the brake
> line front to rear.  The small transmission leak
> turned out to be a massive transmission leak.
> Probably just a crack in the shift cable housing and
> a pan gasket but all the same it wasn't disclosed.
>
> At this point I decide to contact the seller and hope
> that in the goodness of their heart that they would
> cut me a break.  Seemed like a nice enough corvair
> guy, maybe he'd help me out.  Nope, after 5 attempts
> to contact them, 3 times without even requesting a
> dollar amount, I got a call from his "Legal Advisor"
> and basically told to pound sand. What was decribed
> as excellent became "What do you expect from a 67
> year old vehicle.  Nice guy.  Big life lesson
> learned.  Trust but verify no matter who it is or
> what promises they make.
>
> I've found with older cars that most people don't
> maintain them properly.  I've also found out that one
> person's "Excellent working condition" is not
> necessarily mine.  I also learned that what is legal
> to do is not necessarily ethical.  You can advertise
> a used car as excellent but if there is no warrantee,
> then it is "buyer beware" regardless of what you say.
>
> Older cars can nickle and dime you to death until you
> decide to completely go through them.  That's what
> I'm doing on the Ultra Van right now.  Costing me
> over $2000 just to do the suspension and brakes
> right.  I did what some on the list suggested, I
> walked away from it for a while and then came back to
> it.  Now I'm determined to get it back on the road.
> At least I'll know for sure what I have when I'm done
> and with proper maintenance it should give reasonably
> trouble free performance when I'm through.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Dan Kling
> 1961 Greenbrier Deluxe, 110hp, 4spd
> 1963 Spyder Coupe, restored
> 1967 Ultra Van #299
>
>>No, the guy I bought it from didn't offer a warantee
>>but neither did he present it as a "project" car. It
>>was described as being not a show car but good for
>>local parades and such (which it is) and he said the
>>only thing wrong with it was little rust in the back
>>of one of the rockers. I did start up and drive the
>>car and I've driven around 1000 miles since I bought
>>it and the engine runs amazingly well. I'm not
>>saying I was ripped off at all, the brakes worked
>>and the engine worked and the car was fine the first
>>day I had it but then the problems started up and
>>now this valve problem. I was perhaps over confident
>>in the condition of the admitedly old car due to the
>>sellers reputation but I understand it is an old
>>car.
>
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