I finally got my Subaru Brumby home from Melbourne on Sunday morning. I’d like to say it was a smooth, simple transaction with a nice, breezy trip home, but that would be lying.
Let me say this up front – I think I’ve probably paid slightly too much for this car. The body is indeed rust-free, as advertised, but it has a few more dings in it than what I could see in the photographs. A slight impression has been made in one of the doors, an even slighter one in the hood of the car, and the numerous light scratches in the paintwork give a hint that the previous, elderly owner (now deceased), might have operated the machine using some sort of Braille technique.
With that said, I also believe it’s a very genuine car. The seller (who is the previous owner’s son) is a very genuine guy and the his description of the car’s history and condition was, over all, quite reliable. I first called him about the car last Monday but didn’t arrive to see it until Friday. He mentioned that he could have sold it several times during that week and one buyer even offered him an extra $500 to knock me out of the queue. I believe it, too, as these utes are sought after and examples like this – with ‘rocking-horse-poo’ power steering fitted – just don’t come around.
After the test drive and inspection, I had a few things to think about. Given the poorer-than-expected presentation of the vehicle and the fact that it was in need of a tune, I tried to whittle down the price by another $500. The seller wasn’t budging, however. Believe it or not, I actually stuck to my guns and drove away with my nephew, sans the Brumby.
10 minutes later, I was back. After thinking about both the practicalities of my situation (money invested, travel booked, etc) and the fact that this was still a very good car, I ended up buying it at the price we originally agreed.
Folly? The next 48 hours would both prove that it was, and that it wasn’t.
After we finished exchanging money and ownership details, I drove the car for the hour-long journey across the suburbs to visit my mother. Then on to get some dinner before finally arriving at my sister’s place where I stayed the night. No problems. The car drove perfectly. The next morning I had a few hours to kill, so I headed down to a shopping center nearby, hoping to buy a new USB-capable stereo system for the car. This is where the trouble began.
The first thing I noticed was a slight, but very familiar cooling-system smell. You know the one. A quick glance at my temperature gauge confirmed my fears and I quickly escaped the rather full carpark in search of some airflow. I eventually arrived at a service station nearby and checked the radiator, which appeared to be bone dry. The fluid trail emerging from the front end indicated it wasn’t quite bone dry YET, but was in the process of emptying itself.
I couldn’t tell where the leak was coming from, but several litres of water and some expert observation later, I learned that it was the water pump that was leaky.
I should add that by the time I got this diagnosed, I was around 2 hours away from closing time at the workshop (not enough time to get a part in and fix it) and I was also around 3 hours away from checking in for the overnight ferry back to Tasmania.
Do I re-book the ferry, delay my return and get it fixed on Monday? Or do I fill up a few large Coke bottles with water and embark on one of those seat-of-the-pants road trips in a completely unfamiliar car?
I think you all know the answer to that one.
Continue reading Subaru Brumby – Too Much, Tribulation and Triumph
