New member from Canada

Good day everyone.  Just turned 50, lost everything I’ve worked so hard to gain over my lifetime and want to start over.   What better way than in a wagon. I found a nice RMW 95 that’s apparently rust free and has 130k miles...original paint.

Have lots and lots of questions.   I’ve made an offer.  I’m waiting for the response.  I don’t think this wagon has the towing Pkg and that makes me hesitant.   It does have the air suspension but that was available just as an option by itself.

Anyway, I’m trying to find out more details on the wagon....stay tuned.that

Welcome aboard! We can help you with any questions. Keep us updated.

Tom

silverfox103 wrote:

Welcome aboard!  We can help you with any questions.  Keep us updated.

Tom

Just waiting for more pictures and an OK on my price. I hope to god it has the trailer tow Pkg. I want the better cooling and posi rear

Just waiting for more pictures and an OK on my price.  I hope to god it has the trailer tow Pkg.  I want the better cooling and posi rear[/quote]

If it has one mechanical fan and one electrical fan, it has the towing package. If it has two electrical fans, it does not have the towing package.

Tom

silverfox103 wrote:

Just waiting for more pictures and an OK on my price.  I hope to god it has the trailer tow Pkg.  I want the better cooling and posi rear

If it has one mechanical fan and one electrical fan, it has the towing package.  If it has two electrical fans, it does not have the towing package.

Tom[/quote]

And I will assume that adding a better fan, oil cooler and new rear end is well over $1000?

No way I’m doing a one wheel peel

Towing pkg does not automatically mean is has Posi.   It was still optional, but MOST of the tow pack cars have it.   If the SPID label is still visible inside the tailgate look for the G80 RPO code.

I've owned 14 of these things in every engine and gear combo.  The posi is nice of course, but it the rest of the car is clean, it can be added later at a relatively minimal cost.  We've already established it has the 2.93 rear (tow pack) so you don't need to swap out the carrier to add the posi unit.

If the car is clean and the price is right, jump on it. Clean ones are getting harder to find at a decent price point. Especially since Haggerty started writing articles about them....

Sprocket wrote:

Towing pkg does not automatically mean is has Posi.   It was still optional, but MOST of the tow pack cars have it.   If the SPID label is still visible inside the tailgate look for the G80 RPO code.

I've owned 14 of these things in every engine and gear combo.  The posi is nice of course, but it the rest of the car is clean, it can be added later at a relatively minimal cost.  We've already established it has the 2.93 rear (tow pack) so you don't need to swap out the carrier to add the posi unit.

If the car is clean and the price is right, jump on it.  Clean ones are getting harder to find at a decent price point.  Especially since Haggerty started writing articles about them....

Who said it had the tow package? I said the window sticker shows like $185 for air suspension. Anyway, I’m still waiting for more pictures to confirm lots. I’ve asked about 8 times now.

It looks to be clean. It’s described as clean and totally new underneath. Who knows.

Sorry thought you said it had a mechanical fan, I see the quote was broken and Tom said if it had one.

even if it doesn't have a tow pack, if the car is clean I wouldn't discount it. My current one is a non tow pack with the 2.56 open rear. I'm not doing brake stands or have to drive in snow, so it's not a big deal for me....

Sprocket wrote:

even if it doesn't have a tow pack, if the car is clean I wouldn't discount it.   My current one is a non tow pack with the 2.56 open rear.   I'm not doing brake stands or have to drive in snow, so it's not a big deal for me....

What you say is true John.  I had two RMW's tow packs for 22 years and my non tow pack Caprice wagon for 11 and counting, there has been overlap as sometimes I had more than one.  The only two times I used the RMW's for towing was I rented a small, probably the smallest UHaul trailer to take my daughters to college in 1999 and 2009.  That's it!  Another thing as soon as oil cooler lines start to leak, off they come and get replaced with a non cooling oil filter adapter, eliminating a hastle.

Tom

So no trailer tow Pkg and no posi rear end in this one. It is rust free. But there is damage to lower body where the spare tire goes

I wouldn't let that dent bother you too much. These cars are getting near 30 years old. There's no perfect ones around.

I’m not. I can get that repaired and keep the original steel. It is rust free

This looks pretty decent to me

Yeah, that looks like a keeper. Easier to swap gears than to fix rust.

I do tow a small trailer with my non tow pack car (<1000 lbs). and not a big deal.

Sprocket wrote:

Yeah, that looks like a keeper.  Easier to swap gears than to fix rust.  

I do tow a small trailer with my non tow pack car  (<1000 lbs). and not a big deal.  

Agree. What do I look for in a posi unit and a 3.08 gearset?

Welcome to the pod. That looks VERY clean to me for one of these cars. Unless you are towing something big in the mountains, I'd not get hung up on the cooling capacity of a tow package. My 1996 Caprice was a towpack car and the first think I did was dump the mechanical fan and switch to dual electric, plus an electric water pump. I don't miss the noise at all, the engine is much more accessible for maintenance, and it runs dead nuts optimum temp no matter what I do. As for the burnout potential of the posi.... meh...that's a good way to find the weak point of a 25 yr old transmission. If you are going to dig into the differential, I'd seriously think about 3.42 gears. That's the best money to spend to really wake up one of these cars. Don't worry about the extra revs. I don't know anyone who's put 3.42 or even 3.73 gears in these cars and been sorry. Gas mileage is not affected that much, and the grin on your face will be more than ample compensation for a few extra pennies per mile.

dmg4 wrote:

Welcome to the pod.  That looks VERY clean to me for one of these cars.  Unless you are towing something big in the mountains, I'd not get hung up on the cooling capacity of a tow package.  My 1996 Caprice was a towpack car and the first think I did was dump the mechanical fan and switch to dual electric, plus an electric water pump.  I don't miss the noise at all, the engine is much more accessible for maintenance, and it runs dead nuts optimum temp no matter what I do.  As for the burnout potential of the posi.... meh...that's a good way to find the weak point of a 25 yr old transmission.  If you are going to dig into the differential, I'd seriously think about 3.42 gears.  That's the best money to spend to really wake up one of these cars.  Don't worry about the extra revs.  I don't know anyone who's put 3.42 or even 3.73 gears in these cars and been sorry.  Gas mileage is not affected that much, and the grin on your face will be more than ample compensation for a few extra pennies per mile.

Thanks for the advice. I’ve made my offer to the seller, it’s the same offer he’s had over 1 week ago. I’m just waiting on confirmation or a counter

The underside of that car looks real clean! And that dent by the spare can probably be fixed with paintless dent removal.

Hopefully you and the seller can come to an acceptable agreement.

I came to an agreement of $4600. Hopefully you guys think that’s a decent price

rcktpwrd wrote:

The underside of that car looks real clean! And that dent by the spare can probably be fixed with paintless dent removal.

Hopefully you and the seller can come to an acceptable agreement.

$4600. Don’t know if that’s high or low. Feel like it’s good. I’m super pumped to get this wagon

$4600 Canadian = $3587 US----Sounds like you got yourself a good deal!

Tom

silverfox103 wrote:

$4600 Canadian = $3587 US----Sounds like you go yourself a good deal!

Tom

$4600 USD....USA car

Many of our opinions might be shaped by what we paid for our cars several years ago, and little of that is relevant to what you'd have to spend in capital and time to find one that nice close to you today.  The engine and transmission could be toast, but that can be replaced or rebuilt.  But a clean body and good interior? Priceless.

$4600 Canadian, that's still a good deal.

You flying down to get it, or are they driving it up? You've done your homework on how to import a US car to Canada, right?

silverfox103 wrote:

$4600 Canadian, that's still a good deal.

$4600 us = $5900 cdn.

I still think it’s a good deal and I’m pumped. I’ll be flying down in 2 weeks to drive her home. I’ll be heading right through Georgia

Now I gotcha!

jayoldschool wrote:

You flying down to get it, or are they driving it up?  You've done your homework on how to import a US car to Canada, right?

Clean title, bill of sale, 72hrs advance notice at import crossing and of course car needs to be on list and gotta pay $195 import fee and I think there is a new document from the us required....also a cash grab.

Anything else?

The body looks like a real find. On most Wagons with the damage you show at the spare tire well, the metal would have ripped with rusty edges.

HOTPRSUT wrote:

jayoldschool wrote:

You flying down to get it, or are they driving it up?  You've done your homework on how to import a US car to Canada, right?

Clean title, bill of sale, 72hrs advance notice at import crossing and of course car needs to be on list and gotta pay $195 import fee and I think there is a new document from the us required....also a cash grab.  

Anything else?

Yes. On the way OUT you must stop at US Customs for VIN inspection. Additionally, you need to send the original title to the place you're going to cross (US side) min three days before. They will keep the title until you get there, then look it up and match the VIN when you are physically there. Then, they export it, and you drive across to Canada. Stop there, pay tax, etc. Then Canadian Tire for RIV process.

Not sure but if the car is over 15 years old, you should not have to register it with RIV. Been a couple of years since I did the last import but back then, the 15 year rule exempted you from that requirement. Still have to pay for air conditioning (125.00?). Can't believe that tax still exists. When was the last time you had a car that didn't have AC?

Car looks like a keeper.

Bill

Good point on the RIV, it's been awhile. We didn't have to do that for the 65 C10!

if you forget to stop at usa side,. well,. no worries,. what they don't know about the 9 vehicles i've imported, has never bothered them,. CBSA does not enforce anuthing for usa .

Well bad news. After the seller danced around for 2-3 weeks delaying everything he messages me and says he sold it yesterday. After telling me it was mine. After I asked 18 times to send me his email so I could get a deposit to him and book my flight. After so much. I’m beyond devastated

He got a $100 better offer and didn't have the bal*s to deal with you straight.

Sorry for your loss.

Rev Bob wrote:

He got a $100 better offer and didn't have the bal*s to deal with you straight.

Sorry for your loss.

Unreal. I’ve exchanged messages every day for weeks chasing this guy for his info. He’s a dealer in Florida.

I’m beyond crushed folks

Strange if a dealer in FL doesn't have a website or at least he's contact info incl email available for everyone.
Been through almost same story when I was looking for a really nice RMW in Seattle. Came to agreement with the seller, and suddenly he vanished into thin air.
Maybe something fishy going on..!! some people are really weird, but it still sucks when you think you finally find the car you've dreamed of.
Have patience, you will find your wagon sometime down the road... There is still some nice ones out there to be found

Off topic, I recently found and bought a decent 94 RMW as a spare car in Sweden ( I'm in Denmark nxt door to Sweden)
All there, running and functional, and already donored airbag, blower module, door trim panel, headlight switch and a few trim moldings to my 95.

Sometimes I think they take an offer planning to either use it for blackmail on other prospects and if no one else bites they may or may not just not honor it. Pretty disgusting in general, though.

Sorry to hear about it, but people can be jerks. You'd think a dealer would lock in the sale, that part is strange. You are probably better off, there will be another, just be vigilant...

This might be a blessing. If the guy was a slimeball, then you might be better off in the long run to not deal with him at all.