Member's Story
Well, I just had to have another one …
You see, during the late 1970’s, I owned several Oldsmobile 4-4-2’s of different years and different colors and
styles. In early 2001, I picked up a 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra convertible and the thrill of performance was
back after a 20+ year absence. The Cobra was immaculate with very low mileage. After a couple of years of
just admiring it, and two consecutive years of driving it 98 and 104 miles between annual inspections, I began
to frequent local car shows and cruise-in circuits. While the Cobra was nice and got a lot of compliments, I
began to have a hankering for the “Olds” days, when my 4-4-2’s routinely defeated other brands in street races
all around Fredericksburg and Stafford (yes, I am a native).
So, in 2006, I began my search. My wife and I agreed on a budget, and the quest was on. I began to get real
aggressive during the summer of 2007, and after looking into over 100 cars, I set my sights on 1972 4-4-2
located just outside of Detroit, MI. I had found the car on the Internet and contacted the owner. We talked a
number of times and it seemed like the car was exactly what I was looking for. It was restored in 1992 and had
been maintained in a heated building since then. I asked the owner to take pictures of certain areas of the car
that would show me the true condition of the car. These pictures were of certain trouble spots that are typical
for these cars. That evening, the pictures showed up in e-mail and they indicated this car was in fine condition
and I was sold.
The car was listed on an Internet auction site, and the owner had told me what minimum acceptable price that
he would accept. I won the auction, but at a price $1,000 less than his stated minimum. I called him and told
him the auction was over, and that I had won the auction, although at a price lower than he wanted. I asked if
he could accept the price that I had won the auction with, and after a long pause, he said, “Well, when are you
going to come pick up your car?” I was thrilled – I had landed my 4-4-2!
The next challenge was getting her home. She was about 550 miles away, and I did not have a trailer. I
contact several shipping companies and their prices ranged from $600 to $1,000, on an open trailer, and about
two weeks to finally arrive in Virginia. That wouldn’t do. I then asked the owner if he thought the car could be
driven to Virginia. He said, “Well, if you asked me if I would put my wife and kids in the car and send them to
Virginia, probably not. Would I get in it and drive it to Virginia? Yeah, no problem.” Having had a few of these
cars in my life, I took that as an acceptable risk, and made plans to go to Detroit.
The following Saturday morning, I left Reagan National Airport at 6:30am on a flight to Detroit. The car owner
lived about 5 miles from the airport, so when I landed, I called him and let him know that I had arrived so that he
could pick me up. As I waited on the curb, this bright red 4-4-2 with massive dual hood scoops crested a small
rise in the roadway and headed into the airport terminal. You could hear the rumble of the 455 engine over all
of the other noise at the airport. WOW!!! This was going to be a great day! I jumped in the car, introduced
myself in person, and we headed off to the owner’s house.
When we arrived back at the owner’s house, I was able to then go over the car closely. I was very happy with
what I found, but had a long trip ahead of me. The outside of the car was comparable to the pictures. The
engine bay, interior and underside of the car were better than the pictures. We took care of the formalities and
loaded the trunk nearly full with spare parts and pieces. We shook hands, and at 10:15am, I hit the road
headed to Virginia.
After a passing a couple of exits and a short run on the interstate, the car felt good – for a thirty seven year old
car. Steering and braking generally responded in the manner that I intended, but after driving the Mustang,
steering and braking were not as precise as I had become accustomed to. I stopped and loaded up on fuel –
for me and the 4-4-2 and headed out of Michigan. A fuel stop in Ohio and a fuel stop in Pennsylvania and the
trip continued uneventfully. Just a little while outside of Pittsburgh, the engine temperature started to rise. The
needle moved from 190 degrees, to 200, to 210 degrees. I was starting to get worried when I saw a sign
indicating that I had reached the peak of some mountain that I had been climbing for the last few miles at 1,700
feet! Wow! I had been climbing a mountain and didn’t even know it. I guess the 455 engine was working a
little harder, but I never noticed it in the throttle. As I descended the other side of the “mountain,” the
temperature returned to a happy 180 degrees.
As I headed through Maryland and into Virginia, the traffic got heavier and the number of heads that were
turning my way increased dramatically. I continued around the beltway and headed south on I-95, reaching Exit
143 at about 7:45pm. I rolled into the weekly Saturday evening cruise-in at Bruster’s at 7:50pm. What a rush!
My dream car was home, and with the exception of a few bugs in the grille, in great shape! I have to admit – it
was a tense 10 hours, but getting the car home was quite a thrill.
That was 10 months ago, and I am still very happy to have a nice Olds 4-4-2 in the garage, and I am pleased to
share it and its stories at local car shows and cruise-ins. And who knows, there might be another 4-4-2 in my
future. Gotta find more storage space first!
You see, during the late 1970’s, I owned several Oldsmobile 4-4-2’s of different years and different colors and
styles. In early 2001, I picked up a 1999 Ford Mustang Cobra convertible and the thrill of performance was
back after a 20+ year absence. The Cobra was immaculate with very low mileage. After a couple of years of
just admiring it, and two consecutive years of driving it 98 and 104 miles between annual inspections, I began
to frequent local car shows and cruise-in circuits. While the Cobra was nice and got a lot of compliments, I
began to have a hankering for the “Olds” days, when my 4-4-2’s routinely defeated other brands in street races
all around Fredericksburg and Stafford (yes, I am a native).
So, in 2006, I began my search. My wife and I agreed on a budget, and the quest was on. I began to get real
aggressive during the summer of 2007, and after looking into over 100 cars, I set my sights on 1972 4-4-2
located just outside of Detroit, MI. I had found the car on the Internet and contacted the owner. We talked a
number of times and it seemed like the car was exactly what I was looking for. It was restored in 1992 and had
been maintained in a heated building since then. I asked the owner to take pictures of certain areas of the car
that would show me the true condition of the car. These pictures were of certain trouble spots that are typical
for these cars. That evening, the pictures showed up in e-mail and they indicated this car was in fine condition
and I was sold.
The car was listed on an Internet auction site, and the owner had told me what minimum acceptable price that
he would accept. I won the auction, but at a price $1,000 less than his stated minimum. I called him and told
him the auction was over, and that I had won the auction, although at a price lower than he wanted. I asked if
he could accept the price that I had won the auction with, and after a long pause, he said, “Well, when are you
going to come pick up your car?” I was thrilled – I had landed my 4-4-2!
The next challenge was getting her home. She was about 550 miles away, and I did not have a trailer. I
contact several shipping companies and their prices ranged from $600 to $1,000, on an open trailer, and about
two weeks to finally arrive in Virginia. That wouldn’t do. I then asked the owner if he thought the car could be
driven to Virginia. He said, “Well, if you asked me if I would put my wife and kids in the car and send them to
Virginia, probably not. Would I get in it and drive it to Virginia? Yeah, no problem.” Having had a few of these
cars in my life, I took that as an acceptable risk, and made plans to go to Detroit.
The following Saturday morning, I left Reagan National Airport at 6:30am on a flight to Detroit. The car owner
lived about 5 miles from the airport, so when I landed, I called him and let him know that I had arrived so that he
could pick me up. As I waited on the curb, this bright red 4-4-2 with massive dual hood scoops crested a small
rise in the roadway and headed into the airport terminal. You could hear the rumble of the 455 engine over all
of the other noise at the airport. WOW!!! This was going to be a great day! I jumped in the car, introduced
myself in person, and we headed off to the owner’s house.
When we arrived back at the owner’s house, I was able to then go over the car closely. I was very happy with
what I found, but had a long trip ahead of me. The outside of the car was comparable to the pictures. The
engine bay, interior and underside of the car were better than the pictures. We took care of the formalities and
loaded the trunk nearly full with spare parts and pieces. We shook hands, and at 10:15am, I hit the road
headed to Virginia.
After a passing a couple of exits and a short run on the interstate, the car felt good – for a thirty seven year old
car. Steering and braking generally responded in the manner that I intended, but after driving the Mustang,
steering and braking were not as precise as I had become accustomed to. I stopped and loaded up on fuel –
for me and the 4-4-2 and headed out of Michigan. A fuel stop in Ohio and a fuel stop in Pennsylvania and the
trip continued uneventfully. Just a little while outside of Pittsburgh, the engine temperature started to rise. The
needle moved from 190 degrees, to 200, to 210 degrees. I was starting to get worried when I saw a sign
indicating that I had reached the peak of some mountain that I had been climbing for the last few miles at 1,700
feet! Wow! I had been climbing a mountain and didn’t even know it. I guess the 455 engine was working a
little harder, but I never noticed it in the throttle. As I descended the other side of the “mountain,” the
temperature returned to a happy 180 degrees.
As I headed through Maryland and into Virginia, the traffic got heavier and the number of heads that were
turning my way increased dramatically. I continued around the beltway and headed south on I-95, reaching Exit
143 at about 7:45pm. I rolled into the weekly Saturday evening cruise-in at Bruster’s at 7:50pm. What a rush!
My dream car was home, and with the exception of a few bugs in the grille, in great shape! I have to admit – it
was a tense 10 hours, but getting the car home was quite a thrill.
That was 10 months ago, and I am still very happy to have a nice Olds 4-4-2 in the garage, and I am pleased to
share it and its stories at local car shows and cruise-ins. And who knows, there might be another 4-4-2 in my
future. Gotta find more storage space first!
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| We'll feature the stories behind the rides so you can get to know our members and the cars they drive. If you want to share the story behind your car, email me at staffordclassics@gmail.com and I'll put it up. Happy reading! |
Gary's 442
