[tekuhn]

It was the early '80's - probably 1983 or so. I was living in a very small West Texas town. The town had a local mechanic with a small auto repair shop. I had been keeping my eye on a 1969 Carousel Red Judge hardtop sitting against the building that had been there for quite some time. One day I went in and asked what the story was on the car. I was told that it belonged to a young man who was in the military and was stationed out of state. The engine had coolant in the crankcase and the owner didn't want to pay to have the issue investigated any further. I asked if the car was for sale and the shop owner said that it was. He went on to tell me that he didn't think the car was worth the asking price and that the engine might well have a cracked block. I looked the car over and it was not in very good shape for a 14-15 year old, but I clearly remember it being very complete and probably more dirty than anything. All the Ram Air pieces were present. I did not know enough at the time to determine if it was a RA-III or RA-IV. I had never seen a Judge up close in person before but my daily driver was a '71 LeMans so I was certainly aware of the GTO mystique (that my LeMans was missing). I was fresh out of college, married, in my early twenties, and struggling to get a new computer business established. Money was tight. I chose not to go any further in the negotiations. The car remained there for several more weeks and then one day it disappeared. I never found out what happened to it.

The asking price? $500. No kidding. I kick myself every time I think about it.