Now, it's not quite what you expect....it's a '73 Fleetwood Series 60 Brougham (say that 5 times fast). Pretty much the biggest, fanciest Caddy you could buy short of a Series 75 factory limo. Not my favorite body style, but the story behind it and the price got me.
23 feet, 472 cubes, and 5200 lbs of luxo-barge goodness. It's hilariously big and overwrought.
2-owner AZ car that arrived in MN in 1996 when its owner went into a nursing home by his family in far Northern MN, about 1hr 45 min into the wilderness from me. At that time, it was put on blocks in a steel building with concrete floor and not touched since. Interestingly, the owner was in denial till 2004, always renewing registration and tabs, hoping he'd drive his baby again, but never did. Never seen snow or salt, has 109k miles on it. Meticulously maintained, they gave me the Cadillac shop manuals, owner's manuals, and all the service receipts dating back to 1982 at 25k miles. It was the pride and joy of its second owner, and it shows. Chrome is nearly flawless, mirror finish, vinyl top is near perfect, body is straight as can be, with not a hint of rust bubbling anywhere, even inside the door jams and fender skirts. Interior is immaculate. Paint is the weak point, as it has a few baked spots, but I think I'm going to have it professionally touched up/blended and buff the whole car, and retain its survivor status.
It runs & drives, but brakes are mushy, exhaust manifolds are missing a couple studs, and all the rubber components are at least 18 years old, so I have to do some freshening before it can be enjoyed - but it won't take much.
Has a lot of state-of-the-art features for a 1973, including thermostat climate control A/C, power windows/locks/seats/antenna, AM/FM radio, cruise control, auto headlights, footrest/reading light/cigarette lighter for each passenger. Should be a fun, albeit thirsty cruiser to enjoy with the whole family. (472 V8 4bbl - 350 hp, 500 lb ft) With a curb weight of 5200 lbs, & a 7000 lb tow rating, it's not far off my Avalanche...
The kicker....$1499! That's only $3.40 a pound. I'll probably keep it around and have some fun with it for that price. Now I just have to figure out where to put it...
Seeing the light of day for the first time (son of the 2nd owner is the one looking inside):
Pulled outside to see the light:
A few paint blemishes:
Loaded up and ready to make the trek home:
Stopped for lunch, it just looked ready for a pic: (the Avalanche got filthy from all the back dirt roads we had to go down to find this remote place - it did fairly well towing the hefty load)
Safely home (haven't cleaned it up yet):
