OzBro

Hey guys, when I get my boattail Riviera, it will be shipped to Los Angeles, and once there, I want to take it to a mechanic to get serviced, tuned and aircon fixed, and perhaps a HEI conversion too, so I was hoping that someone here could recommend someone. Thanks. Gert

Progressive is the company everyone has suggested, and I have asked them about insurance, and as long as I can give them an address where the car will be "garaged", they will insure me. I have talked to Tony(unfortunately we are in different states), he was lucky in that the seller kept it registered and insured while Tony drove it, saving him a lot of messing around. I think I'm streesing a bit about the car, I didn't thing that it would be so scary to buy a car without seeing it in the metal, on the other side of the world <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> ...I think one of my problems is that I see the "potential" of the cars i look at... much like my wife did with me, really <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

oops.... looks like I may not have made myself as clear as I thought. Basically I am after a '71 or '72 boattail that can do 10000 miles without self destructing, has a decent interior, aircon and is not green. The "WISH LIST" is just like the list you send to Santa, you hope to get as many things as possible off the list, but you know you are never going to get them all.

I am going to buy a 1971 or 1972 Buick Riviera sometime in the next 6 weeks. I apologise for the long post, but I am just trying to think of everything that could influence my choice of car. My family and I are from Australia and will be going to the USA later this year, arriving in Los Angeles and will then spend 2 months touring as much of the USA as possible , and have decided that we are going to do it in a 1971 or 1972 Buick Riviera. Yes, its a long trip, but after 10 years of hard labor, my boss has given me long service leave, so we are doing our "trip of a lifetime". Lots of people have said "forget it...too difficult to get insurance, etc..just rent a car"..but there is absolutely no @&*#!%@ way that we are going to do Route 66 in some little tin can 4 cylinder hatchback! At the end of our trip, the car will be shipped to Australia, where it will become my daily driver. The holiday itself will not leave much in the piggy bank for the Rivi, so I'm not looking for a show car or big $$$ restoration, but a solid driver that will be able to do the 10,000 mile roadtrip. The Wish List: *GS - (hey....who doesn't want a GS?!?! but i doubt that I can afford one) *Good mechanical condition - it has to do a 2 months 10,000 mile trip. *Not green - (we have a green car now, and the wife does NOT want another one) *prefer a '71 - not only because I prefer the styling, but also because a lot of "Australian design rules" were intorduced in 1972, and when the car is brought to Australia, it will have to be tested and modified to comply with all the desigh rules for its year of manufacture, and there are only a handfull for 1971. *Aircon - driving for 2 months in the american summer, the aircon must be working or repairable for a reasonable cost. *Nice interior - as above, we are going to spend 2 full months in it. I prefer buckets and a console, but the wife likes the bench.... odds are that she will be happy. *Factory sunroof - no practical reason, I just like them. *Passenger side mirror - in Australia we drive on the left side of the road, so a mirror on the right would be very useful When we get it back to Australia, it has to pass a "Road Worthy Certificate" test, which tests for: No oil, water or other fluid leaks Steers straight without holding wheel Brakes straight without holding wheel Emergency/park brake holds car on a slope No play or excessive wear in suspension and steering bushes, balljoints, tie rods, mounts etc. Lights and lenses must be free of chips, cracks and discoloration No exhaust leaks or visible exhaust at normal operating temperature Windscreen must be free of cracks, chips and scratches Wipers and washers must work Chassis must be free of rust, cracks or damage Door latches and hinges must be free of play Gas filler cap must seal There is a bunch of other little things they check, but the above are the main ones. If anyone has, or knows of, a suitable Rivi for sale, please contact me via email: thorftp[put that "at" symbol here]gmail.com Thanks for reading this far. I hope I end up with a few to choose from. Gert

Contacted state farm, they dont like customers who don't have a US licence. So far all the big companies have turned me down, but a handful have said that Progressive will cover me, so we will see what they suggest....fingers crossed

I have spent days and days chasing down someone to insure the boattail I will buy when I come to the USA for my 2 month holiday. Most say "no USA licence?!?!?....are you kidding???.. and how old is that car?!?...you must be joking....just go away and don't ever talk to me again!" well....perhaps not those exact words, but it is what they mean. So I'm thinking that I may have better luck going through an insurance agent, a "Rambo, take no prisoners...I eat hiden, obscure policy clauses for breakfast" kind of insurance agent. We will arrive in Los Angeles, so someone in California would probably be best. I will be grateful for any suggestions. If you prefer to email me, its..... OzRivi[put that "at" symbol here]gmail.com

Just want to introduce myself before starting to ask too many question. I am a future boattail owner who is travelling to USA in a few months time. The plan was for the family to do a 2 month roadtrip of as much of the USA as possible, in a nice '71 or '72 boattail, but we may need a bit of help to achieve that goal, but I'll post about that in a different post.