If I may add a few cents here...
I too had a Fairfax a few years back, and my folks still have it as a basement, car clean out tool. The powerhead motor gave way, and I've never had time to re-build/ refurbish the unit as I would like to. Ahhh to various partially completed projects of life.
My machine was an earlier model, like the one above with the Hoover Celebrity PowerMatic head. The one I ended up with for the grand sum of $25.00 at a thrift store, had the earlier Eureka Roto-Matic head with a Vibra-Groomer I beater bar brush in it. I was told later that this was replaced at some point, as most all re-badged Eureka heads for others usually came with the wooden Disturbulator brushroll...not a VGI.
This one also had the had the hose with the cord on the outside,held with clear plastic snap's a'la Electrolux and Rexair amongst others; which I remedied as soon as I found a electric hose, that was red also, from later models that had the pistol grip,and was 9 ft. long.
The machine also featured chrome wands with the cord management strips running along the back a'la Eureka also. It just seemed to have better parts to it than the newer version.
They have excellent suction, and if you only use them with the paper filter discs like a Silver-King, the machine plugs up almost immediately. And tho, being in the vac business I had a hard time believe it or not finding the paper filter bags for it. I found that In a pinch a Hoover H bag worked fairly well.
A pleasant, but boring type of machine that has outlasted many other's I've liked more.... I guess that says somehting about Fairfax simplicity!
Thanks
Chad
