So about five years ago my co-worker Andrew told me he'd inherited his grandfather's 1977 Caprice sedan. His grandfather loved and babied the car, and it still had the original dealer-added plastic on seats. The car was in Illinois, but had been kept inside most winters. He flew up and drove it back to Texas soon after, and brought it to work for me to see it.
It was a clean car, low mile and bone stock, but low options, no power windows or locks, no cruise, and just an am radio with a single speaker. It did have cloth seats covered in thick plastic, the nicer Caprice door panels, the little 305 V8 under the hood with power steering, power brakes, and factory air. The body was solid and paint was pretty. Just a nice old car.
A few months later I got an e-mail from Andrew. He said he's given the car to his 17-year-old daughter...who of course hated it, and pulling out of the high school parking lot one of the kids had tail-ended her hard.
He said the car still ran and drove fine but the trunk would not latch and his daughter refused to drive it. He bought her a Honda. Over the next few months he told me he'd gotten a few estimates to fix the Caprice, but they were so high he just parked the car. I forgot about it soon after.
So about four years ago he calls me and says his wife wants the car gone, and he was going to call the salvage yard, unless I wanted it. I'd not seen the car since the wreck, and sure didn't NEED it, but could not turn down a free boxy Caprice, so called my Dad and he drove me over to look at it. The car was dirty from sitting, battery was dead, and the trunk was held down with a bungee cord. The rear bumper was pushed in and had a complete hole in it, one 1/4 panel was kinked, and the tail lights panel was bent down somewhat. Other than that, the car was still in nice shape.
I pulled out the jumper cables, pumped the gas a few times, and the 305 fired right up and ran smooth. Andrew handed me the title and I drove the car home, Dad following behind me. It ran and drove PERFECT...the steering was tight, there were no rattles inside the car, the motor and trans were smooth and all the lights, signals, switches and everything worked like new. The car drove straight as an arrow and rode smooth but not floaty. The a/c was the only thing that didn't work, but I could hear the compressor cycling....just low?? Even the AM radio picked up the local talk station fine...and I laughed when I realized it was an AM 8-track! Ha!
The next morning I got up and looked at the car in the light and took these pics...
Misty took one look at it and had a fit about me bringing another "piece of junk" home. I called my buddy Laird, who loves Caprices, but he didn't have a place for it.
Well I decided to give it to Clare and John, the parents of the kids we've recently "inherited". John was out of work even then, but Clare was working at Office Max, and they had their duplex with the three kids down in South Austin. I'd give Clare an old '81 Chevy Citation and also a Toyota Previa...both were ok when I gave them to them, but they'd pretty much neglected them to death and the Previa was parked and the Citation was...well pretty sick.
I thought that MAYBE if I made the Caprice as nice as possible....they might take care of it. It was a lot better vehicle than either the Citation or the Previa van.
I totally cleaned the Caprice up, inside and out, and waxed it,,the paint was goregeous and other than the accident damage the car had not a ding in it. Installed a new battery, changed the plugs, wires, oil and filter, and one headlight that had lost it's silver backing. I took a chain and tied the rear bumper to a tree and pulled the back out enough for the trunk to latch normally. It worked fine again. Lastly I installed a nice CD player, an 80's Caprice dashpad with dual dash speakers and also installed some good speakers in the rear deck. I then got it inspected...it passed with no issues.
The car ran and drove like new, was VERY comfy and very clean, the heater worked and the stereo sounded great. I called Clare and told her I had a nice car for her, but would really appreciate it if she'd take care of this one...it was not some old piece of junk but a good servicable vehicle. I told her if she took care of it I'd see about getting the a/c fixed before that summer, and possibly get the windows tinted too.
I took these pics the morning before I gave it to her.
Clare thanked me for the car, and again I asked her to please take care of this one. I really liked the car, despite the damage to the rear.
Well the next time I saw the car it was filthy, the floors were full of garbage, there was a coffee stain on the front seat, and the ash tray was overflowing. I should have know, and part of me did... I actually took the car and washed and vaccumed it a few times that first year, trying to keep it nice. Sadly on each visit, the car was worse. I asked her to please take care of it, and she said it was the kids fault, with three kids there was no way she could keep it clean.
I came down to check on them one day and both passenger doors and the rear 1/4 panel were dented. She'd hit the wooden pole in the middle of her carport with the 1/4 panel backing out and just kept driving rather than stopping and pulling away. I just shook my head....the car was again filthy and now dented.
I got a call about two years ago that the car was broken down, and could I come help. I met her at a convience store and sure enough the car would not start...and in addition the hubcaps were all gone. I asked her if the hubcaps got stolen, and she said John had gone to put air in one of the tires and had trouble with the extension on the valve stem, and just deided to take all the caps off rather than deal with extensions. So now the car looked freaking abandoned...and they were both of course oblivious to how bad it looked...it was just an old POS to them.
Back to the issue, the rubber fuel line was leaking where it ran from the frame to the pump. I ran to the parts store and got a length of hose and replaced it, cranked the car a few times and it fired up. It was NASTY inside of course, cups and McDonald's bags and napkins and toys and clothes and crap everywhere, smelled of dirt and smoke....so I got out as fast as I could. I didn't yell...no point. I did however check the other fluids, and the oil was black as night. I asked her when she'd last changed it, and she never had in the two years they'd had it. I told her to follow me to Wal-Mart and I paid to have the oil changed and then went home.
So about a year ago Clare left John and the kids. I went down to check on the kids and the Caprice was sitting in the carport on a flat, windows down and interior full of junk, with the kids sitting on the roof, hood and trunk...all dented now.
I yelled at them to get off....I didn't mean to do that, but it just came out. The house of course was a mess and John was on his computer oblivious.. All he said was "Clare's gone back to Jersey" Ok then. I asked how the kids were and he shrugged and said the best they could be. I took the kids out to eat, and when I dropped them off asked John why the Caprice was sitting on a flat. He said the motor broke, he thought it was a head gasket. That was it.
I went down and checked on John and the kids when I could last year. The Caprice never moved, John was jobless and not motivated to do anything...the kids walked to school and to the grocery store. I did not have the time, money, or will to mess with the Caprice, so it sat.
Well last October they got evicted. I got the kids as most of you know, and John left the Caprice there. I could have possibly gotten it back myself, but had no way to grab it, no funds to mess with itr, and no idea what was wrong with it, and they'd beat it up and neglected it so much, it made me sad to look at it.
Well that was it...until I saw this today....
http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3492022072.html
You just can't kill one of those cars!
-Mike
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Fri Jan 04, 2013 11:02 am
I won't say what I really think other than to say that you have the patience of a saint. 
You are kind and generous to a FAULT Mike.First you provided them with cars for how many years and now you're raising their kids and doing a super job by the way!From the sounds of it a far better job than they were capable of doing.If the oldest does graduate from high school,nominating you for sainthood is a must! 
Just keep up the great work!
