They were proud and happy and off they went.  Smoothly gliding around Canberra in their sleek and soundless new car with all the dignity and grace that befits an elderly couple having done their time and served their nation in Canberra for so long. And the old XY came to rest in the dealer's yard, somewhere at the back, pushed out of the way, waiting for the right customer to palm it off on. The dealer had made his money and was in no hurry to get rid of the XY. He had the space to store it, he knew there was a steady market for old Ford parts and especially XY, even if it was not a GT it still shared many parts, and he knew it was a solid car - a 'goer' - that he'd have no trouble selling off eventually. And, eventually he did sell it off to a lad without much money and with a definite need for good strong car. A country boy returning to the country. Uphill and downdale country where a car would be tested. So the XY went back to work. Rolling from ACT to NSW and all around NSW and especially up and down the hills of the timber country. It did sterling work, as usual and made do without expensive servicing  or upkeep. And in return: little, or nothing and, eventually even this owner stopped using the car and it sat without registration and without use in a backyard.  Nothing wrong but the owner had turned to greater things, bigger vehicles and didn't need the XY. And then I came along and I bought the XY.  I had very little money and I had a great need for a reliable, strong vehicle. I also had very little interest or knowledge in or of motor vehicles. So it was doubly important that it be rugged and reliable.  I'd be incapable of tinkering with it technically speaking and financially incapable of fixing it if it required any expensive fixing. But, my son assured me: "This car will see you out, old man, if you look after it." and that's how it performed. We are now at about 1994.  The car is 24 years old.  It has no rust. It is mechanically perfect, the engine is a 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder and runs without problems. I used it to work in Canberra (Yes, the car went back to Canberra) driving from Queanbeyan down to Canberra every day and exploring the countryside weekends and taking trips to NSW from time to time. Then we finished with Canberra and moved to NSW for a while. Then we moved to Darwin. Then to Perth. Then back to NSW. Then back to Darwin.  The old XY rolling along, taking all in its stride all this time with minimal help from me. I checked the water and the oil, I kept the tyres good, I topped up the battery - what else could I do? Nothing. I didn't know what else to do, I wasn't capable of doing anything else. Did it worry the XY? No. It was happy. Then we settled in the bush in the NT.  Nearly 100km to the nearest service station. Running into the bush on dirt and sand roads.  Up to Darwin every few weeks.  Working hard as usual and, as usual, working well.  Still no rust in the body, still no mechanical failures. I went overseas for a year, left the Ford under a carport.  Came back, connected up a battery, fired her up. No problems. Off we went.  Went down to Alice and worked in Alice. Went to Coober Pedy and worked there. Put a short motor in her in Coober Pedy. Came back to the Territory and drove around a little, here and there. Then I went overseas again for a couple of years. Left the Ford under the carport. Came back, hooked up the battery, fired her up and off we went.  Drove her around a little bit. Then I went overseas again for another couple or three years. Left the Ford under a carport.  Came back, hooked up a battery, fired her up and off we went. All that time, all that travelling, all that standing, waiting, all that work and all that lack of dedicated attention from me and the Ford was still a mighty beast. Willing to go. Rust free (except one door corner and a slash across the tailgate), mechanically nothing wrong. But it needed registration if I was going to stay around - and I was.  So that meant an inspection, fix anything that seemed wrong. Okay. No problem. I phoned the nearest garage - 80km away - and asked him if he'd do the inspection for me. 'Sure, no trouble, bring it up...'  that's what he said and that's what I did.  I drove it up there. And I left it with him. Thinking it might take as much as a week for him to find the time to check it over and let me know what it would need to fix it for rego. Three months went by. Three months. Not without some pushing from me. Don't think I just did nothing for three months, expressed no interest, led everyone to believe I didn't care. Not so. Not at all. I explained endlessly to anyone that would listen how I had this new wife and a child and we badly needed a car. How we were without any kind of transport at all. I explained this to the garage man - Alan - again and again. Every time I spoke to him on the phone and got a chance to squeeze it in as a sort of 'commercial' pleading my cause. And every time he reassured me he'd get onto it very soon....  And he actually did get onto it.. because he claimed it needed tail light red lenses and he told me on the phone that he'd sourced some but they were expensive and was that okay?  And I said it was and he went ahead and got them - and I paid $160 dollars for them.  Which is exactly twice what I later found I can get them for. Remember - all it was there for was, in the first instance, a 'rego check'.  Just an inspection to see where it fell short of roadworthyness.  It wasn't in there to get anything fixed without I agreed first because I'm always wary of car repairs I can't afford. But before you know what repairs are needed you have to do the check. He never did the check. In three months.  Never got around to checking it out.  Bought the tail light lenses without checking the car out. When I phoned from Katherine months later with some query about the inspection, the things needing doing and whatever ( I don't remember exactly) , I remember he was swift to say that he never put anything on paper about my car.  Very swift. Too swift. Surprisingly swift. Suspiciously swift. I wasn't looking to attack him about anything... why the attitude? Well, why the attitude indeed. It could, perhaps, have been something do with guilt feelings because what did he do in that three months?  He backed his truck and tow ball into my car. That's what he did. He stove in the passenger side back panel near the petrol filler cap.  Rang me and told me about it. Said the car would now have to go to Katherine for fixing because he didn't do panel work himself. And that's what happened next - the car was sent to Katherine, to a panel beater/spray shop in Katherine, friends of Alan's I'd suppose.  We were still trapped down in the bush, without work or wheels or money.  After three months of trusting and deliberately not pushing we were now further away from our car than ever and the car was now seriously damaged.  Thanks, Alan, you're a beauty.   continued...                      return to first page