Well, my trip to pickup the car went splendidly. After reading all the forum posts about the trouble spots, I was worried that I would wind up stranded somewhere along the way. (Gun-shy from my Jaguar XK-8, where the prudent owner makes sure he carries a current bus schedule, so he can plan on how he REALLY will get home that night.) (Women who date Jaguar owners ALSO have this habit as well). I had no time to order and get parts before I left on the trip, so I did not bother to pack any tools. I relied on the low mileage of the car to be a buffer against any breakdowns.
The car was nothing less than magnificent! Every single feature and option on the car worked perfectly.
Except the CD player, which would shut off by itself for about 30 minutes after each 4 or so hours of listening to music. This was actually a serious concern, as I rely on music to keep me from falling asleep while driving long distances. After selecting it "OFF", and waiting for 20 or 30 minutes, it would then come back on when asked, and play music again. It continued this behavior during the entire trip home.
The car is an absolute JOY to drive. It matches the happiness I always got when I drove my Jaguar, which is something I was waiting to see if it could fulfill. It was like a brand-new car in every respect. I was VERY happy to discover this. I really LOVE this car! Before I left to pick up the car, I had ordered the CPS, the CPS, a new relay box, the oil filter cap wrench, the special sockets for changing the various sensors, oil, filters, a cup holder that mounts on the vacant passenger seat, new spark plugs and the special socket, the brake light flashing module, and the capacitors for the stereo speaker improvement.
Although the car only had 28K miles on it, I already had decided that I was going to do all the filters, all the fluids, and the sparkplug replacement, since everything has been in the car for about 18 years. This was confirmed tonight when I changed the engine air filters. They had a date stamp on them from March-04, so had obviously never been changed. I do not have the new spark plugs yet, but they should be here this next week.
The stereo is going to be replaced with a CD player from Crutchfield, along with the installation of a Sirius XM radio antenna and dock. I plan on traveling extensively this summer, and I want a nice stereo.
I brought the car home with a white paper sticker on it that said "In-Transit" as my only license display, (Although I had all the paperwork and insurance binders in place and with me in the car before I left the dealership) I saw that, and expected I would be stopped at least several times on the trip, but did not get stopped even a single time. I was very surprised, as there were police and highway patrol cars behind me many times, but there was never any response from them.
The car has attracted a LOT of attention, which I did not expect. Everyone asks what kind of car it is.
It is really an awesome automobile in every respect.