1984 Chevrolet Citation with 57,000 original miles

Four years ago, fter a widespread search of Craigslist for an X-car, found this nicely maintained little-old-lady car, 1984 Chevrolet Citation coupe with just 37,000 miles and my two must-have options, utomatic transmission and air-conditioning. Now it is time to sell. At 30 it has earned a better home before one more winter.

The interior is nice. It has more stretch-out legroom than the full size '87 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser I was driving before this, nd the back seat is so much better than most cars that demand you twist your feet 90 degrees and tuck your knees behind your ears. The front seat is deeper than most for decent support under the thighs. Except for the '50s vintage window cranks, he interior is all original without any damage to the upholstery or carpet. The dash is very nice, he only thing wrong is a glue spot where a metal disk was glued so a magnetic figure of the Virgin Mary would stay put. The door andtrim panels are all intact. In some places I did some light scrubby pad sanding to reveal fresher and darker plastic under the sun bleached damage that plagues cars of this era. Nothing is fragile or cracked but I never found a magic solution to restore the color as much as I'd like. I added a NOS GM speaker kit to the back shelf and upgraded to a vertical AM/FM/Cassette player from the basic AM radio it had. The floor mats were NOS in the correct Briar Brown but I keep them sheathed in multi-layered washable sleeves of breathable toweling to absorb rather than retain moisture

Are you familiar with the GM 4 cylinder from this era? It is a workhorse, ut it is a noisy engine that tends to seep oil from the valve cover. The oil filter isn't easy to access so I have always taken it to a garage for that. I am obsessive about attending to regular maintenance. If you do not do your own oil changes then remember to remind the shop that the oil capacity is 3 quarts, ot 5. Other maintenance has included fluid flushes, ilter changes, nd converting the AC to a modern refrigerant. Everything runs as it should; the transmission shifts fine and the A/C is cold.

Sometimes the power steering belts squeals and the hood release is stiff. The tires are the correct 13" whitewalls and about a 1 ½ years old, ut I didn't rotate them or do the post-pothole season alignment this spring so the wear isn't even. Within the next year it may need a muffler. The paint is good but has gotten tired like most GM paint from those days. These are the only things I am aware of.

I will e-mail to anyone interested the Auto-Check report for the car. It lists one accident. A week after I had replaced the tired front end plastic parts, ezels, enses and grill, n idiot backed his rusty POS pickup into my car at a gas station in Cortland, st1>NY. The only damage was to the right front corner lamp, 46 to replace. I also have a full set of stainless wheelwell moldings. I searched long and hard for these but once I got them I couldn't bring myself to drill into the fenders to install them.

When I first got this I repaired 2 of the fender corner bumper plastics with good results and replaced one with a fiberglass replica. The fiberglass one is only OK. The fit is a bit iffy but no one notices but me. One of the repaired ones, he driver's side rear, as been crumbling and I did lose a piece of it. My favorite exterior upgrade was swapping out the faded Chevy bowtie on the grill for a well made (meaning "not cheap" ) repro '50s era Chevrolet crest. The car was rust-proofed when new and oil sprayed when I got it. I also opened up the doors and quarters to goo them up with ample protection. Each fall and spring I go over every crevice to protect or repair every nick or chip. The last bit of chassis work was to replace the big hamburger bun bushings for the rear of the cradle and that area was cleaned up then too.

I have a full fat set of factory manuals and a replacement grill. That grill is good, only wanted it for a spare, ut one tab was busted in shipping. It can be repaired invisibly but you should know it isn't perfect.

I have driven this everywhere without the slightest worry. A 12 hour trip to North Carolina to look at a '58 Studebaker was its one day record, ut only last week I drove it home 6 hours from Michigan through Canada. It is a very sweet and dependable car ready to do hard labor and earn its keep, ut it is also an interesting bit of General Motors and Chevrolet history that is seldom seen on the road. It has handsome, lean and uncluttered lines with no bloated bizarre curves unrelated to its function. It is like an eager and energetic Jack Russell terrier; not likely to outrun a greyhound but never ready to quit. I want this to find a good respectful home away from the salty winter.

I want this transaction to be a good experience for everyone involved. Please look over the pictures as thoroughly as you can and ask all the questions you want. If any good information comes from this I'll add it to the listing so everyone can benefit. If I have missed an important piece of info please ask. I have had good and bad experiences buying on eBay. One car I purchased wouldn't run and wouldn't even roll when it was delivered. It also smelled terrible. Buying a car is all your own decision so you must take all the precautions you need to feel confident in your purchase. The best way to reach me is through eBay's Ask-a-question link in the Seller Info section at the top right of the page. If you want to discuss the car then give me your phone number and a preferred time to call and I will get back to you. Evenings are best but I can sometimes do this on a lunch hour.

To protect myself I ask that no one bid unless they have the means to pay for and pick up the car. You are bidding to buy. Many years ago I was burned by an all-talk but no-show bidder when I was selling a vintage scooter. It seemed then that I had no recourse at all but to let myself be jerked around for some time until eBay let me relist. Therefore, require a $500 non-refundable deposit within 2 days of the auctions end and full payment made and cleared before I will turn over the NYS title.

If you have iffy feedback I'll delete your bid unless I have a satisfactory sincere explanation. I think I am smart enough to be immune to scams so please don't waste my time with them. Finally, his car is sold as-is and with no warranty of any kind. The car is 30 years old and while it is a good car it does have its faults. Things happen with an old car. I have tried to describe it completely. The final responsibility for asking questions is yours. Any new information that comes from the questions asked will be shared here so that all can benefit. The car is listed for sale locally and on other sites. I therefore must reserve the right to sell this car before this auctions conclusion