Yesterday was my first time actually driving a Gremlin. It was white, but it was not mine. A few months ago, John spotted a newly painted white Gremlin way out in a rural part of Alabama. We drove out to the man's trailer yesterday to see if it was still there. Sure enough, the white beast was sitting right in front of his porch steps. The white industrial paint that he had applied was dirty, but the body was in good condition ? no visible dents, dings, scratches, etc. I noted that the grill was from the 1976 ? 78 era, had aftermarket aluminum rims, and the seats had covers over them. He answered the door barefooted and with a miss-buttoned shirt that looked like he had slept in it. After the usual introductions and handshakes, we proceeded with our fact finding mission about the car. He said it was a 1976 model but he registered it as a 74 since he had no title and the state of Alabama didn't require titles on cars from 74 back. He has owned it for five years after his brother gave it to him. When he opened the hood, we noticed that the car was originally tan but the engine was still good old AMC blue. A 258 1 bbl was under the hood with various hoses either cut or missing, but overall most of it was still there. Yep, it cranked right up and made a familiar farting sound. All of us AMC'ers know what this sound means ? yes, the exhaust manifold donut gasket was shot and gases were escaping. (My brother, the Jeeper, told me to always have a bag of those donuts around as AMC engines eat them right regular). He revved the engine a few times to prove that it could, and John asked him if we could drive it. "Shore ya kin", he said through hopelessly snaggled teeth. "You can go just down this road here and back since there's no exit. This road ends in the river." John looked at me and said, "Okay, you drive. You have never driven a Gremlin before so here's your chance". I was excited and scared at the same time. We got in and the car promptly died when I tried to move it in reverse. Keeping one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator, I managed to get it moving down the road toward the river. "You'd better test the brakes before we go further" John warned. I wasn't going very fast, maybe 25 ? 30 mph or so, but I hit the brakes anyway. The wheels immediately locked up and we slid awhile toward the river bank. I was luckily able to whip it onto a dirt road and dodge a bank of mailboxes to avoid plunging into the water. After cranking it back up again (it died after the sharp turn), I recaptured a lost memory of non-powered steering experience and got the thing back to the trailer house in one piece. Yes, I did offer to buy it, but the man "wasn't sure if he was ready to sell it yet" and pointed to a wrecked Plymouth Belvedere parked on the other side of a shed. He had rear-ended a truck on the way to a local liquor dealer ("damned pint cost $12 but I sure as hell wuddn't goin to town fer it"). So I politely left my name and phone number in case he decided to change his mind. Maybe he will sell it as he stated he wasn't working on account of his bad foot. A very entertaining afternoon and a unique birthday gift ? my first Gremlin drive! ~Lu~ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BaadAssGremlins/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: BaadAssGremlins-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/