Hi Folks ! Looking for basic informations about Cadillac

[Carl Fielding]

Oh , also , my esteemed fellow club member , I might have mentioned this earlier , but one of the advantages of membership is the privilege of acceptance of cold calls between members. Many years ago near Cleveland , Ohio , a fellow member saved my trans-continental trip. If not for him , I would have thrown my crankshaft damper through the hood in catastrophic failure. Auditory machine condition monitoring , and my trusty CLC International Membership Directory (never leave home without it) , saved the trip. This is yet another of so very many examples of members service to one another. I will call out the kindness and generosity of Rod Dahlgren who rescued me and lavished hospitality on me and my 1927 Cadillac while long distance lone wolf cruising a year ago. Eventually you may have the pleasure of meeting Rod in Sweden where he frequently spends part of the Summer. You will also enjoy the next CLC Grand European. I think we have 200 or so far-flung Continental members , maybe over a dozen of which are in France. U.K. over 30 , and a couple in Ireland. Also a member in Turkey. All your new friends ! Happy cruising, Laurent !

P.S. Hold that bottle for my arrival in France. I am trying to fit one more trip to Europe into the time I have left before check out time.  - CC

[TheFrenchGuy]

Hi again !

I'm back full force with a new password I wrote down properly this time, thanks a lot Bruce ! Yeps Americans people will please me a lot, I'm sure of it and I will try to be the nicest french guy they've ever met before ! 

Thanks for your car dealing classes Carl ! I will proceed as you told me, I won't make any phone call before the one I will make to set up an appointment. 

I will also take the time to give my friends the mechanics all the precious information you gathered for me about this car, knowing its history even before seeing it, will help them to focus on the most crucial points. They will have a look at the engine looking for leaks

I'm not an expert like them but if I manage to buy this car, before driving it, I will ask them to fill out the gaz tank and to change the gaz filter then to have a look at the brakes before changing all the fluids starting with the coolant liquid which is as you know hygroscopic which means that with time it fills with water making it less efficient and damaging the grill (another point of attention by the way, as you told before).

And if I buy it, I won't be foolish enough to drive it to Compton, I will make it towed there, it's worth the money (one hundred buck according to my friend).

While negotiating it, I won't behave like a lowballer of some kind, I will give my opinion based on the verdict of my friends and then make a reasonable offer. This car is a luxury car that may have not been serviced as it should have, it also needs to pass smog (could be tricky for this one).

In the end this is just chit chat, I'm not even there yet, can't make my plane take off sooner so as you said time is against me. Here I want to believe in fate, if this car is for me I'll get it !    (This is a fun way to comfort myself if the car is sold beforehand)

Thanks again Carl ! Hope you'll make the arrangement for this trip to France and many others after this !

I'm on my way to become a CLC member

Friendly yours, Laurent

[TheFrenchGuy]

This was a small step to make and I made it, I'm now part of the CLC Community under the name Laurent Lap. Don't have any member number yet, but I paid my fee ! 

I hesitated a bit while choosing the formula, considering that I don't have a Cad yet and that I may have not one for many month or I don't hope so years, I chose the Online member formula. Therefore if I get my Cad I will change my membership formula as soon as I be back in France.

Got to clean the mess in my home before leaving, eager to read from you soon !

[Carl Fielding]

Hi again , Laurent ! 5 days and counting on the market for "Your" very nice looking '78 CDV. Now that you are a member , you may ask for member help to secure this car with an inspection and conceivably a contractual down payment. A bit complicated with your intercontinental distance. If I were in L.A. at the  present time , I could do it for you free of charge. CLC has plenty of members nicer than I am. Again , I congratulate you for your keen eye , and very sensible 2 choices. Of the two, this one could be the better buy , even at $2000 more in price. Since you are now a legitimate member , I am trying to facilitate a "pocket" backup deal on an even more valuable Cadillac if this one is sold , or otherwise not "your" car. The "backup" is more desirable , has less miles , and apparently needs only the kind of tinkering that you can do yourself while providing enjoyment and driving. About the same money , it will , however , attract more jaw dropping , wide-eyed attention from the spectator population. In the end I feel that you , like many of us including myself , will come to regard this as one of the pleasures of ownership.   Still here with you ,  - Cadillac

P.S. Don't forget to call me as soon as you get a phone here.  - CC

[TheFrenchGuy]

Hi Carl !

The trip is imminent (Knew this word both existed in French and english)  And I'm getting more and more nervous by the minute. Got some belly aches for two days, went to sleep to rest my nerves and now I'm alright. Tomorrow first thing in the morning I'm go to the doctor's to get some pills to cool down, light ones, I don't want any trouble at the customs.

What could become my cad is still there,  won't bother any more people, you already saved me a lot of efforts, now I just have to do my part and do my best to get it if it's worth. Got some nice news, a Californian friend of one of my friend who is traveling with me has a towing truck 'cause he's in the car business and he agrees to tows our car to Compton.

Every single detail is settled, I'm ready and shaking a bit hope the doctor fixes this tomorrow.

I'll call you as soon as I get a prepaid mobile on Wednesday. Till then have a nice day.

Thanks a lot to you and to the CDC community

On line members don't have cards so they may not have number too ? That's why my profile on the blog is unchanged ? 

[TheFrenchGuy]

It's over...

Tomorrow the plane will take off without me. Went to the doctor's two days ago, made some analysis and I just got the results : I've got a kidney stone (already had one and the results are the same : blood and inflammation) and this could be a bit of a problem in a 13 hours flight and in a country where the medical costs are so high.

I give up, thanks for all your support, the dream is over I shouldn't have had such expectations in the first place, it serves me right...

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Not good news, but it is never over till it is actually over.

I know your pain with the Kidney Stone, and you definitely would not survive the plane flight.   I had one last year and within 2 hours, I had my wife take me to the hospital.

Bruce.

[Carl Fielding]

ATTENTION , LAURENT ! The dream is far from actually over. Look : Luckily the timing of your medical problem might have saved your life. Worst case is it has caused some of your money to be wasted , and might have only delayed your dream. It is up to you to keep that dream alive. Let me tell you when I meet you about deferred dreams and health issues. And so many people in this troubled world have problems which make my own seem like a carnival by comparison.

As I start this response , your friends are over U.S. airspace , soon to land. You will still be a strong young guy when you will be doing the same. In the meantime, I just called Bruce , the seller of the '78 CDV. It is still available, but I need to know if you have any interest or ability to buy it under the circumstances through the efforts of your friends. Bruce will only be able to show the car on the weekend , Friday , Satury , Sunday. Is this possible ? Bruce does not speak French , or Spanish for that matter. I include Spanish as it is possible your friends whose English is limited , may have some ability in their not too terribly distant cousin toungue. Although not bilingual, I am highly fluent in Spanish , and used to hearing it spoken by a friend with a heavy Québécois accent. If of any use , your friends are encouraged to call me.

Make sure they eat at a couple Fatburger restaurants. Do not also lose this opportunity in ANY case.
      Now a member of CLC , you will have a more productive trip when you do come soon.
                                                        RSVP ,   -  Carl

[TheFrenchGuy]

Hi Carl

I'm aching a bit less than yesterday but this damned stone is starting its journey strolling down from my kidney to my bladder. I lost about 2000$ in this mayhem... My friends won't do anything for me, they are mad at me I think... So it's over, it's gonna take a while and a few surgery to build such a project again.

Till then you still have my mail so if you come in France I'll be delighted to welcome you !

Thanks for everything

Farewell my friends...   

[Carl Fielding]

Everything will work out just fine , Laurent. It is difficult to plan happy times while you suffer in pain. I suffered ever increasing pain through all of my 30s. In my early 40s , modern neurosurgery saved my life , and ended a pain level that could not be endured any more. I remain pain free. I would rather live broke in my car pain free , than have every Cadillac in the world , and the money of the richest 3 people in the world to maintain them while going through that pain endlessly. You will feel wonderful again , and soon. It could be said that you have lost 1/3 of a Cadillac. The good news is that you have 2/3 of a Cadillac left ! And you have a whole group of very fine helpful people here who have been hoping for the best for you. Look at all the views ! Hang in here with us. We are all in this to help one another enjoy our Cadillacs , and spend time together. You will enjoy the 2017 CLC Grand European being held August 23 - 27 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Get to know your fellow club members , and their cars. If you know Denmark and the Danish people , you know what a happy , civilized culture that is. I lived there for several months almost 50 years ago , and even then , virtually everyone spoke English to some degree , most people spoke it extremely well. Again , stay with us on the forums. There are friendly Cadillac experts who will always help you. You DID pick the only 2 Cadillacs which might have been right for you out of a huge field of potential problematic ones. VERY WELL DONE ! Not only that , but we all like you !  - Carl

[Michel 14]

Sorry for Laurent

[Jeepers Creepers]

So, after following this and having my doubts as to whether it was for real or not. Was the French Guy just an internet troll or the real M'Coy.

I know Carl did a lot of work on this and I'm not trying to start a fight or anything, but I had real serious doubts about the whole thing.

On a camping forum here in Australia, i saw a thread go the exact same way as this did. (Maybe Carl can answer the question if he chooses)

Kev

[Roger Zimmermann]

At the end, it was my impression too. Average French people are in fact unable to cope with the costs associated with an US car; plus the fact that he wanted a pristine car for almost nothing. Maybe I'm doing him wrong, but I doubt.

[Carl Fielding]

Hi Kev and Roger. Yes , I probably put 60 or 70 hours (maybe more) into trying to make sure Laurent had a positive outcome , and favorable impression of us. I had hoped he would become another young member to carry Cadillacs into the hearts of others in Europe. We also exchanged emails , and spoke on the phone. He did seem very real and sincere to me. Romantic and sensitive , certainly. I spent a great many hours on Craigslist over the entire West Coast , very frequently and regularly. Occasionally over the Southwest to Texas and Oklahoma. I called on the interesting ones , and made a couple of friends , one of whom had heard of my adventure driving the '27 Cad long distance ! That phone call lasted 1 1/2 hours ! I have great confidence in his insights , and intelligence. The two cars he picked out of the enormous inventory were indeed the most apropriate for him. I spoke with both owners extensively , as he could not. He refined his hunt as he learned from us. Eager to get to see the '78 CDV which seemed to have his name on it , with a weekend opening with Bruce , the owner. There was a significant loss , as a good portion of his trip was pre-paid and non-refundable. I can see a sensitive person becoming rather devastated at the loss of his first intercontinental adventure . And consider that he was ill and in pain. Another factor is that he felt he had let his friends down. He was to be the interpreter for the two others who have limited abilities in English. I tried to reach him by email shortly after the sad outcome. Did not hear back. I shall email him now and report back. Let me close by thanking all of the members who help others. The time consuming generosity of teaching other Cadillac owners by dipping deeply into the knowledge gained from years of mechanical and technical expertise is way more than this mere parts replacer could ever do. Thanks to many great guys who have vectored me to road rescue local mechanics , so far from home. (Never travel without your CLC directory !) To a very busy super great member who dropped everything and came to my rescue in the rain with his truck and trailer last year. I still owe him for that. Oh , and he and his wife made a house guest of me for the duration !!! Another member who I had called looking for parts for the '27 took me in to stay with him and his family for a wonderful visit after meeting him at Hershey a few years ago. I went with him to enjoy people , places , events , food , family gatherings , and his wonderful cars. A fantastic time ! We all help as much as we are able. O.K. Let me see how Laurent is these days , if he is available.  - Carl

[dochawk]

He rang ture, not trollish.

Also, he actually joined CLC, which is is very inconsistent with troll behavior.

I hope he takes another try at his dream.

hawk