simpleman01
Member
Howdy. I just purchased Nello's syclone #0895 and brought it back east. It was a long trip - 3005 miles! I flew out there 12-07-08 expecting to look over the truck for a while, go on a long test drive, make a rational decision to purchase or not, and go from there. It didn't quite work out that way. Nello can fill you in on the details if he wishes, but the first several hours involved the police, a flatbed, and 5 trips to the auto parts store. I ended up purchasing the truck and hit the road.
Once on the road, I bought a bunch of tools, antifreeze, duct tape, etc in case I had to do some emergency road-side repairs. I should have concentrated more on the weather. It started raining in New Mexico, and I still had the wipers on when I pulled into my driveway two days later.
Passing through Texas and Oklahoma was a small adventure. It started snowing and the temps dropped into the 20's. Did I mention the heater and defroster in this truck don't work? I knew this beforehand but didn't think it would be an issue. Once the snow turned into freezing rain/mist, I had to stop and scrape ice off the windshield every 2-3 miles. I found out the washer squirter didn't work. This got old really quick, so I bought a small $25 12V heater thinking that would make the cab toasty warm and keep the windshield clear. WRONG. It blew a fuse within 5 minutes. I noticed the radio, fog lights, and some other stuff stopped working, so I figured I could cut all the auxillary stuff off that was wired on that circuit and have plenty of power for the small heater. WRONG. It lasted 8 minutes the next time, but it blew/melted the 25 amp fuse again. By this time I had wasted several hours driving just a couple hundred miles, I was freezing, I was pissed, and about to lay up in a hotel for a few days until the weather passed. As a last ditch effort to keep driving through the winter weather, I stopped to fix the windshield washer squirter. Turns out it was a kinked hose! I bought a few gallons of washer fluid and sprayed my way from Shawnee OK to the AR/OK line.
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. It took 3 full days to drive from the San Francisco area to North Carolina's outer banks. I drove right at 1000 miles and 16 hours per day. Purchasing this truck was a financial stretch so I made the trip on a pretty tight budget. The plane ticket cost me $150 through priceline.com four weeks in advance. I stayed in Motel 6s for about $35 night. I'd never stayed in a Motel 6 before, but I was really impressed. Really clean, comfortable, bare bones, and perfect for my needs. I had planned on camping a few nights but the weather didn't cooperate. Food money was reasonable- I ate a huge Cracker Barrel or Dennys breakfast each morning and then bought fruit from truck stops for lunch and dinner. Food averaged $15/day. I lucked out with gas prices - $296 got me cross country! I bought 87-89 octane fuel since I wasn't boostin'. Total money spent on the trip there and back is right at $650 not including the tools.
Sy 0895 ran as well as advertised. Nello said it ran flawlessly and it never missed a lick all the way across the country. I took it real easy (NO boost and drove the speed limit) and it just putted along. I did get an erratic idle once when I stopped for gas, but it cleared up when I stopped again. Not only did the truck not break down, but I averaged 18.15 mpg!!! I could've done better, but one of my other vehicles is a hybrid and I obsess with fuel mileage in that. Syclones don't worry about mileage.
If anyone is considering flying to buy a truck, I recommend against it. First off, you've got a lot of money invested without having seen the truck. Second, you'll be a lot more inclined to buy than if you could just walk away. You're making decisions based on someone else's (usually the owner's) opinion on the truck. Body condition, paint, interior, etc are very subjective. One person's 8.5/10 may not be the same as yours.
All in all, I'm very happy with the truck. I'm thrilled it made the trip without breaking down. I'm already turning wrenches on it and I look forward to making some contributions here on syty.net!
Thanks, Aaron
And yes, I'm very familiar with jack stands! 17 years of Jeep CJs...
Once on the road, I bought a bunch of tools, antifreeze, duct tape, etc in case I had to do some emergency road-side repairs. I should have concentrated more on the weather. It started raining in New Mexico, and I still had the wipers on when I pulled into my driveway two days later.
Passing through Texas and Oklahoma was a small adventure. It started snowing and the temps dropped into the 20's. Did I mention the heater and defroster in this truck don't work? I knew this beforehand but didn't think it would be an issue. Once the snow turned into freezing rain/mist, I had to stop and scrape ice off the windshield every 2-3 miles. I found out the washer squirter didn't work. This got old really quick, so I bought a small $25 12V heater thinking that would make the cab toasty warm and keep the windshield clear. WRONG. It blew a fuse within 5 minutes. I noticed the radio, fog lights, and some other stuff stopped working, so I figured I could cut all the auxillary stuff off that was wired on that circuit and have plenty of power for the small heater. WRONG. It lasted 8 minutes the next time, but it blew/melted the 25 amp fuse again. By this time I had wasted several hours driving just a couple hundred miles, I was freezing, I was pissed, and about to lay up in a hotel for a few days until the weather passed. As a last ditch effort to keep driving through the winter weather, I stopped to fix the windshield washer squirter. Turns out it was a kinked hose! I bought a few gallons of washer fluid and sprayed my way from Shawnee OK to the AR/OK line.
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. It took 3 full days to drive from the San Francisco area to North Carolina's outer banks. I drove right at 1000 miles and 16 hours per day. Purchasing this truck was a financial stretch so I made the trip on a pretty tight budget. The plane ticket cost me $150 through priceline.com four weeks in advance. I stayed in Motel 6s for about $35 night. I'd never stayed in a Motel 6 before, but I was really impressed. Really clean, comfortable, bare bones, and perfect for my needs. I had planned on camping a few nights but the weather didn't cooperate. Food money was reasonable- I ate a huge Cracker Barrel or Dennys breakfast each morning and then bought fruit from truck stops for lunch and dinner. Food averaged $15/day. I lucked out with gas prices - $296 got me cross country! I bought 87-89 octane fuel since I wasn't boostin'. Total money spent on the trip there and back is right at $650 not including the tools.
Sy 0895 ran as well as advertised. Nello said it ran flawlessly and it never missed a lick all the way across the country. I took it real easy (NO boost and drove the speed limit) and it just putted along. I did get an erratic idle once when I stopped for gas, but it cleared up when I stopped again. Not only did the truck not break down, but I averaged 18.15 mpg!!! I could've done better, but one of my other vehicles is a hybrid and I obsess with fuel mileage in that. Syclones don't worry about mileage.
If anyone is considering flying to buy a truck, I recommend against it. First off, you've got a lot of money invested without having seen the truck. Second, you'll be a lot more inclined to buy than if you could just walk away. You're making decisions based on someone else's (usually the owner's) opinion on the truck. Body condition, paint, interior, etc are very subjective. One person's 8.5/10 may not be the same as yours.
All in all, I'm very happy with the truck. I'm thrilled it made the trip without breaking down. I'm already turning wrenches on it and I look forward to making some contributions here on syty.net!
Thanks, Aaron
And yes, I'm very familiar with jack stands! 17 years of Jeep CJs...
. 
