Bugled, eBayed, and Buick Barned

Finally, here's a post that MrEarl has been waiting for.

When I went to Flint in 2003, I was intrigued...there was one car on display with Manitoba plates...I'd never seen the car before. After getting home, I looked up the owner and we communicated a bit by e-mail, but I didn't see the car again until last summer. The car was for sale and I knew that MrEarl was interested since we'd e-mailed a bit about me perhaps taking a look on his behalf...the price range was a bit high for our friendly neighbourhood Georgian's liking though.

The next sighting was the February 2008 Bugle...then in June it was on eBay with no reserve. MrEarl suggested I should buy it. As I'd just purchased the Free Spirit pace car, and had only budgeted for one car this year, I said I'd have to check with the finance department. I was on vacation and checking e-mail at the in-laws when I got an e-mail from MrEarl wondering how the meeting with the Minister of Finance had gone...so we chatted about it and she agreed that it was reasonable...we had always made better deals on cars that were local and we had seen ourselves.

So, I pulled the trigger and went to the auction. Of course, MrEarl had eliminated the Buy it Now by bidding...it seems to me there were a couple of other bids...I placed our bid and we waited...and won the auction. You should have seen the e-mails I got from MrEarl...that guy can really make one smile and laugh (like I did tonight looking at his cars' photo with the Landau).

The owner was gracious enough, as he knew who I was, to allow me to finish my vacation before paying him once we got home. We did so, and took possession just before Flint. We put it on my trailer and I took it to the shop that does the mechanical work for me to get it through the safety inspection. It passed with relatively little work, but took some time as we needed to send away the wiper motor for a rebuild.

I got the car licensed and home. In early September, I went to pick up the kids from school with the car and the brakes failed on me as I was taking it out of the garage...thankfully no damage was done to the car and nothing significant was done to my garage (it was in the garage across the alley that I rented, backed in, so when pulling out, it went straight across and hit my own garage). The culprit brake switch was found to be the problem and the car has been fine since.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to do much with it beyond driving it out to the Buick Barn. It was a hit at the fall foliage tour and we drove it from our acreage to the supper at the golf club and back to the barn.

It needs to be washed up and I need to spend some time loving the paint with some Meguiars products, but that will be next spring / summer. There isn't much more for this year beyond winterizing.

So on to the details...the car in question is a 1954 Century Estate Wagon, model 69. It is Gull Gray in colour and overall very nice. There is some stitching on the seat that has come undone and I don't have a key for the lift gate at the moment, but other than that, it's a very nice car. It isn't really happy until it has had a chance to warm up. We are very pleased with the purchase as the purchase price was quite reasonable based on the price guides.

Here's a shot from the auction:

In the trailer and ready to rock and roll:

Dropped off:

Pick up time...plates on it read FCP 154 - For Consummate Pleasure, One 54.

I hope this works for linking in a video:

Here is the car at the golf course for supper...parked beside another BCA member (but he didn't drive his '41 Limited). This photo was taken by Paul, another member of the local club.

Now I really need to change my signature.

What a beauty Derek!!!!!!!

I'm jealous. The family will love the extra room, especially on those long road trips which you will no doubt take. I bet Suzanne is plotting a vacation already.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TxBuicks</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I bet Suzanne is plotting a vacation already. </div></div>

The only one I know of is Colorado Springs, and this car won't be making the trip. It is nice to have extra space in the back for a variety of stuff...we always take too much stuff with us.

This car garners a lot of attention...I'm not so attention seeking myself, but it is really nice to have something that not everyone else has.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This car garners a lot of attention...I'm not so attention seeking myself, but it is really nice to have something that not everyone else has.

</div></div>

Oh, come on dude, "not so attention seeking".....who do you think you're talkin too here.

If you don't want to garner any attention then you may as well sell it to me.

All that car needs is a nice set of Kelsey Hayes. Yep, would sure balance out the chrome with the Gray. Yep, you need to buy a set if KH's for it. In fact I believe there's a set on Ebay right now. Go for 'em. Not that I would ever try and spend your money for ya.....

All kiddin aside, as I have already let you know, YOU DID GOOD. I guarantee the kids will love and always remember this car. CONGRATULAIONS DEREK!!!!!!!!!

OK, now that you're a big time tractor owning gentleman farmer AND own a station wagon, I got a joke for ya.

A farmer named Derek had five female pigs. Times were hard, so he decided to take them to the county fair and sell them.

At the fair, he met another farmer named Ewing who owned five male pigs. After talking a bit, they decided to mate the pigs and split everything 50/50.

Farmer Derek and farmer Ewing lived sixty miles apart. So they agreed to drive thirty miles each, and find a field in which to let the pigs mate. The first morning, farmer Derek with the female pigs got up at 5 A.M, loaded the pigs into the 54 Buick Estate Wagon, which was the only vehicle he had, and drove the thirty miles.

While the pigs were mating, he asked farmer Ewing, 'How will I know if they are pregnant?'

Farmer Ewing replied, 'If they're lying in the grass in the

morning, they're pregnant. If they're in the mud, they're not.

The next morning the pigs were rolling in the mud. So he hosed them off, loaded them into the Buick Estate wagon again and proceeded to try again. This continued each morning for more than a week.

Finally one morning he was too tired to get out of bed. He called to his wife, 'Suzanne honey, please look outside and tell me whether the pigs are in the mud or in the grass.'

'Neither,' yelled Suzanne, 'they're in the Buick wagon, and one of them is honking the horn.'

Derek,

Congratulations on your grey beauty. I am turning green with envy.

I have told Mr. Earl before how much I like those 54s , but I really, really like your wagon. It would look good parked next to my whistler grey 38.

Just don't carry any pigs in it.....

I expect I'll be the only porker in it. Of course, being an automatic, I may soon lose all driving privileges to The Boss / Minister of Finance.

This car will really appreciate a good treatment of the paint, which will be a spring project. There are some light scratches to be worked on and a bit of cleaning, polishing, and waxing should really make it pop. It is a very nice car and one of my bigger concerns is the ability to keep the engine bay as nice as it currently is...none of the others are nearly as nice.

I remember seeing that car on the road and at the 2003 National. I was deeply impressed with it. Congratulations on a very fun and unique ride!

Thanks.

I was impressed with the car in 2003 as well, but as much for the fact that it was from here and I didn't know about it.

This is the one photo I took of the car in Flint...it was the evening of July 25...the kids were dancing on the street...I stole away with the camera. Unfortunately, it was a bit dark for that already...I was late...oh well.

Neat neat car, I must be getting old---wagons are starting to appeal to me !

You're only as old as you feel...so I ought to be retired.

Wagons have been growing on me for a few years...this summer was the first time I was able to convince The Boss that the predecessor to the minivan was a neat thing.

I was just looking the other day...there were 1563 of these built...I knew they weren't common, but didn't realize they were that rare.

Yes, that is rare. I think thats the biggest prerequisite for my collecting habits, get cars you dont see at shows---anybody with cash can buy a Camaro or Mustang !! Have fun with her.

Woww...! Wonderful car..!

I have never seen this model in France..she's very cool