I'm inclined to believe that Sir Ian the literary James Bond did have a 1016 or earlier model Explorer. However...
My problem with Deaton is how he conducts himself on the forums. I don't see anything wrong with obsessing over what is ultimately trivia, but DD acts like a fanatical guardian of secret knowledge. If questioned, he dodges, obfuscates, and asks for threads to be locked. When cornered, he gets vicious and personal, all while bludgeoning readers with the fact that HIS articles were published in magazines.
DD seems to prize "Firsties!" and his self-appointed Bond Watch Expert status above all else, even if it means pissing off scores of people who thought they were just having a friendly discussion over what is -I stress it again- trivia. You'd think he'd single-handedly developed the polio vaccine...
Apologies to sly for the off-topic rant!