And here's the next one!! Earlier I heard that my uncle's (one of many) mother had an old Kirby that she wasn't using anymore, paid close to $1000 for it when it was new, and didn't use some of the accessories. I said yes, sight unseen. After it was brought home and I came home from school, I walked into the garage thinking it was another Classic series or Tradition, but imagine my surprise when it was a Kirby Heritage II Legend with the original documentation and the accessories sitting next to it in a Hoover Bagless box!!
I opened the box and found attachments a little dusty from sitting in storage, but in otherwise good shape. After cleaning everything off, it appeared as though most of the accessories indeed hadn't been touched, and the hose only appeared to have been used once or twice! The Rug Renovator nozzle is MINT...probably used only for a demo! The most used out of all of them is the floor brush...which is strange considering the hose is in such good shape. The extension wand and curved handle grip are missing, but it's not that important to me. There's also another sprayer attachment that belongs to a Classic III.
As for the machine itself, I had to oil the brush bearings and realign the mounting pin for the rug nozzle (it was mounted off-center when I found it). But for the most part, a thorough cleaning was all that it needed. The rug nozzle appeared to have been well-loved, as it was FILTHY...there were layers of caked-on dirt as well as string, hair, you name it on the brushroll! After a lot of elbow grease the rug nozzle and brushroll came clean. The motor looks good, although I still need to clean between the wheels. I had to vacuum out the bag assembly and clean it off, but it turned out great as well. The handle and cord are in GREAT shape...and another surprise, one of the wheels still had a protective clear sticker on it!
Finally, after a belt and bag change, I went ahead and fired the machine up, expecting it to roar loudly like my previous Tradition did. Not at all...this thing really PURRS! One of the quietest Kirbys I have ever used as you can actually talk at a normal level while it's running...quieter than my G5 even! I LOVE this machine so far...it's not as heavy as the previous models, and the streamlined nozzle as well as the Mini Em-tor are noticeable improvements!
And the best part is, after checking the original documentation I found out that it's a 1988 model like me! Purchased on April 23, 1988 for $864.00.
Well, enough ranting...here are the pictures! First, the complete ensemble...
