[V8] A rough specimen

[Karl D. Middlebrooks]

If you go around scanning craigslist around the country looking for used 
V8's, you may come across this one: 
http://portland.craigslist.org/car/177241571.html

The guy posted it about a week ago at $3990, and it's now at $3750. I 
drove down and had a look at it the other day. First of all, there's no 
maintenance records at all. I should have written down the VIN to check 
Carfax, but after a drive and a peek on the underside of the car, I 
wouldn't care. The transmission leaks (full on drops), there's at least 
one oil leak, and the steering wheel shimmys while you're driving. The 
seller said that he thought it was because it sat on flat tires for a 
year and that it would eventually go away. It's in dire need of a tune 
up, as it just doesn't accelerate right or move like a V8 should. Parts 
of the exhaust are just outright beaten up; i dunno if that's normal or 
not, but it looked like someone tried to recreate some Dukes of Hazzard 
scenes in it. Usual headliner stuff.

No stereo, and it appears to me that someone disassembled most every 
interior part at some point, broke plenty of tabs, lost screws, and then 
slapped it back together. The wood trim on the front of the console is 
barely hanging on, and the gearshift assembly seems to sit about half an 
inch lower in the console than it should (I checked, it wasn't just that 
the wood paneling overlay was warped or detached, as happens). About 
half of the electric controls for the driver's seat don't work, the 
passenger side exterior door lock has been drilled out, and one of the 
few things the ad mentions is that the interior driver's side door 
handle doesn't work. Also, the glass in the front passenger side window 
is off its track (it makes a cool clunk when you close the door if the 
window isn't up). A/C needs to be recharged, ABS light is on at all 
times (despite the fact that I asked the guy before I drove down there 
if any warning lights stayed on on the console, and he said no). I don't 
believe the black paint is OE, either. It's too shiny and inconsistent 
with the condition of the rest of the car. All in all, it reeks of a car 
that someone got a hold of, spent money to have it painted and put cool 
wheels on, and otherwise neglected and abused. The leather's in 
reasonably good shape, and that's about the only good thing I can say 
about the car. Since the owner updated the ad, he did remove the blurb 
about the A/C working, but neglected to include any more of the problems 
I pointed out to him.

Anyway, just in case anyone else (particularly other West Coasters on 
the list) ran across it and was thinking about having a look....