When I saw the title of this thread, I thought... he must mean the Broom Vac (because that's the only one I'd even consider looking twice at, save the Cruiser model)... and upon opening the thread I saw that I was right! Those are attractive machines. As a pre-teen, I had a friend whose mother had one and I wanted it badly. I still don't have one now... I love how they are reminiscent (in shape, and kind of bag structure though it isn't off to the side) of the Kirby or all metal Royals. Does yours have the rocker power switch, or the push pedal switch? I wonder if they are still pretty easy to find bags/belts for. Very interesting that you said it's quiet. I've heard just the opposite about that model... but I hope it is quite, because when I get one, I don't want to wake the dead with it!
Congrats on the great find. Though dirt devil is infamous for poor quality, I *really* miss the red and black soft bagged models of the 90s.
When I was growing up, we had the soft bagged model that had the bag mounted in the front. We brought it over to clean the church one time, the left wheel broke off during the process. A snooty Sunday school teacher who was watching pulled her glasses down and looked over them saying, "That's what you get for bringing something with the name 'devil' on it into the house of the Lord!"
Whatever!