MY PACER NIGHTMARE!

As I'm living in Jura, in the middle of EUROPE, back in 1999, I had the extreme rare opportunity to be able to work for 3 months in the USA thru the International Education Program at Los Angeles Airport. Of course I wanted to drive a V8 Pacer sedan during my stay in the USA.

So I searched thru the net and did found several pacers. But either they where too far, too expensive or in too bad condition....

Edie Hull from Eugene, OR, did wanted to sell her Pacer V8, but the 3000$ where too much. I told her that I had only a budget of 2000$...

Here some picture of the "Perfect" Pacer....

A week later, she wrote me back, saying that even they put  about 5000$ restoration into the car in the past 4 years, they where OK to sell it to me for ...2000$ as the car would go in GOOD HANDS...

I told her that I needed a Pacer without rust and no repair for at least 4 months...

We made the deal and I did make a detour on my way from Switzerland to LAX thru Portland.

But when I did get there, the nightmare began!

The car was rusty all over!

I decided not to give them 2000$ and I told them that in Switzerland a such car would not even be allowed on the road and that I was extremely deceived: I did told them I wanted a NO rust Pacer, and there was more rust then anything else on the car!

I told them that I didn't would be able to give more then 1000$ for it!

They just answered : OK, sorry, let's go for 1000$.

I did gave the money and had to go quickly to LAX within the 2 next days...

After a few miles, I did remarked that the power steering was leaking! The engine got overheated and I stopped by in a garage to check it out. I had to change the air-filter (a 1$99 stuff...) which was completely dirty and I had to cool down the radiator with gallons of water over it before I could fill it up!...

Once I did get in LA, I had to change the power steering which costed me $375 and 2 days of the few days off I had, stupidly waiting over my car to be repaired at home!

We had a IEP meet in Irvine five days after my car was repaired, I went there with the Pacer but since several days, the Pacer had a bad noise.

While we where going out of the parking lot of the University, half an hour after having signed for AAA Orange County membership, my drive shift broke down on a stop sign!

The car had to stay over there for the whole week-end again, so I lost again nice days by staying home! Useless to say how ashamed I felled when I had to ask my host mom to pick me up down in Irvine while she was working in Culver City, 2 1/2 Hour far North!

When I went back to the garage, the mechanic told me that I was extremely lucky to be alive, as I'm normally driving on a highway, where the broke down of the drive shift would have been causing a deadly accident!

I did drive the Pacer for the rest of my stay, but everybody told me that this car had no value in CA as anybody who would buy it would have to change the engine which was not anymore running well (only 6 cylinders where fair good...), I had to drive all windows open as the gas came thru the rust holes into the car, Mr Hull told me that the AC was an option on the car, I just had to put freon in it...Which was not true as a mechanic could certified it in Las Vegas.- Just another LIE. The tank couldn't be filled more then the half otherwise it leaked out (kind of scary situation when you drive across Nevada...), I had to change the wires, and the tires where badly used! Here a picture of the front right tire when he broke, and the tire on the car is the flat overused spare wheel...Which I changed together with the other front wheel.

I lost a lot of precious time, I lost also my candor and my innocence about the USA because of those awful people.

I sold the car for 500$ to Bob Gisburne, 329 Hilton Drive, Boulder Creek, CA 95006

who had a lot of Pacer 6 cyl. (14 of them...) for sale, and many other AMC and other make... 

Seems now that all have gone...

Final experience!

For the first time of my entire life, I did feel the sensation of HATE for people, the Hulls, who took advantage of my candor, of my passion for Pacers and my complete lack of knowledge of the US car market to extort my money. 

Pacer PEOPLE; be aware that your passion is still only metal (or rust!) and don't trust too much like I did!

The Hull's have another Pacer for sale, DON'T trust THEM! The wagon is in even worse condition...

I'm luckily still alive to advice anybody to stay far from them!!!!