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The Eagle has Landed….with a Bang! Feb 7, 2006
I blame it all on Per.
Ya see, Per is the one who offered me a ride in the Impreza Rally car. For those of you who haven’t tried Rally, or Rally-Cross before, it’s lots o fun. Remember when you were a teenager, immortal, and stupid? Remember late night banzi runs through farmers fields, getting air, punishing your car but not really caring? Yeah, it’s that kind of fun!
Well, after my first Rally-Cross event, down in beautiful Fort Mead FL, I decided I needed a rally beater. Problem is, I also needed this car to due daily duties like hauling the new dog, picking up mulch and stuff at Lowe’s, and of course watching the “submarine races” down at the beach with the “ladies.” This called for a larger machine than Per’s Subie. It also meant that I would need to part with my trusty 66 Rambler American that had come with my house when I bought it. Hmmmm, I thought, what car is 4wd, cheap, and has enough quirkiness that I won’t miss the Rambler too badly? Of course the AMC Eagle Station Wagon was the only choice that made sense. Sure it makes sense….really, I told myself. Hell, it’s even made at the same factory in Kenosha, WI, just down the road from the Mars Cheese Castle. I decided I needed one.
After a bit of Internet searching (check out www.AMCEaglenest.com) I found my Eagle. It wasn’t a 5spd like I wanted, and it was in Virginia, but it looked clean, was reported to run well, and was only $1200 obo! I booked a flight, and was off to VA before I could check my bank account and talk myself out of it.
Upon arriving in Lynchburg, VA, I met the very nice guy selling it. It was solid, ran well enough, and seemed to have been reasonably well taken care of. I parted with $1k, and started the 800 mile drive back to FL. I almost made it too!
Only 100 or so miles from home, the waterpump decided to puke out near the Jax airport. I pulled into a gas station near a Wafflehouse figuring they were used to random pukings.
The next day I borrowed my older, and much cooler brother’s truck and trailer to fetch the wounded AMC. (Thanks Ken!)
If you need boat parts, check out Ken’s shop (www.fpmarine.com)
All went well until about 9pm when an 18 wheel gasoline tanker truck got cut off, jackknifed, and exploded in the center of I95. The fire was amazing, and the highway was very closed. I ended up performing about a 15 pt. turn, and after 3 hours or so at a standstill, we were back on the road, and got home safe. The highway was closed for over 10 hours! Reports were that the fire MELTED the pavement!
Sure the Eagle has some issues, like smell, filth, and massive vibrations that make it seem more like a tractor than a car, but it’s all mine baby! Look for updates as it becomes a little less gross, and a lot meaner. All hail AMC!
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