Finally.
I got a new gig recently, and for the first time since I got this car, I actually have some money to throw at it. That's not nothing. If you've been following along, you know the wagon has been sitting with a confirmed compression failure at cylinder #1, a head gasket that's almost certainly done, and a repair job that's been on hold mostly because of budget. Well, the budget problem is solved. We're moving.
The plan is to take it to a mechanic rather than tackle the head gasket myself. That's a shift from what I had in mind originally, but honestly it makes sense. This is a job I want done right, and I want to get it done while the momentum is there.
Finding a mechanic who will actually work on a 1985 anything is harder than I expected.
I made a few calls before I found any real leads. The first two shops I contacted said no pretty much instantly. I didn't even have to explain the problem. I said 1985, and that was enough. One of them mentioned parts being harder to source as a reason. The other didn't really elaborate. Just not something they do.
Then I called my regular shop, where I take my 2012 Honda. I figured if anyone would at least hear me out, it would be them. Same answer. They don't work on cars this old.
That's three shops that said no before I had a single conversation worth having. And I get it, to a point. Older cars are a different skill set, parts availability is genuinely a challenge, and shops are busy. But it does leave you wondering how people with pre-90s cars are supposed to keep them running if the mainstream repair infrastructure has basically opted out.
The answer, I'm finding, is that you go around it. You ask people. You dig into forums. You find someone through someone.
I have two leads right now. One is a local shop I haven't been able to connect with yet. The other is a private mechanic who works out of his house, and I only know about him because my friend and neighbor Abbe pointed me his way. That's the way it seems to work with cars like this. The people who can actually help you aren't the ones showing up at the top of a Google search.
I've got messages out to both of them and I'm waiting to hear back. As soon as I know more, I'll post an update.
If you're in a similar situation and trying to find someone willing to work on something older than the internet, ask around. Seriously. Forums, neighbors, car people you've met once. That's where the actual leads are.
More soon.