Please help me with my vehicle dilemma

[stprorolla49]

Lately I've been having a lot of problems with my car; little stuff but none the less its been pissing me off. I have to stay down in Savannah for another week where i go to school because i havent gotten time to fix my damn fuel pump which i need replaced before i go home. The car has 107k on the clock, and my dad who is the only person who knows how much i love my car is now suggesting that it might be a good idea to sell it and get something newer. Now, i dont have the money to buy a newer car and they know that so they would help me out, i just dont know how much. I know for a fact that if i suggested getting a newer mustang, my mom would have a **** fit. She likes my car, but hates all the problems i have with it and would want me to get something that would be a practical car which, im not gonna lie, mine is not...but i dont give a ****. Im an industrial design major and im always hauling around **** im building, but with the seats folded down, ive never had a problem getting my stuff around. At this point im torn because i want to keep my car and keep modding it. I dont owe a cent on the car, ive payed for the entire car, gas, insurance, repairs, and mods myself, and that make me proud. Ive invested over $12k i the car with all the repairs and 3 years of liability insurance ive payed on it, and i feel like if i sell it, i will loose all the time, money, and enjoyment ive spent on it.

If i were to sell the car i would want either a newer mustang like a Mach 1 or a cobra, or a VW like a 20th anniversary gti, 337, or r32. If i cant get any of those cars, im most likely not selling my car. I just look at pics of some of your guys cars though, and i think to myself, in a few years, i can be at that point. I mean my car is in no way in bad shape. Honestly i think its extremely clean, the paint is awesome, the interior is almost perfect save for some spots in the carpet, the car runs like a dream, sounds awesome, has decent power, handles awesome...i mean i LOVE the car. I just dont know if its time for me to grow up. The thing is, whatever car i get, my parents both know damn well its not staying stock...i can never leave well enough alone. Plus, i love to go to the track with my dad....i mean i go almost every weekend with him, and i feel like if i have a car i cant race, it takes all the fun away. Sure i can race a newer mustang...i could even race a VW, but i dont like the front wheel drive thing as much. The thing that i love about my car is the low end torque. When i launch the car at the track, every time i have a grin from ear to ear.

Sorry this is so long guys, but this is an important decision and i need some input. When my buddy alex sold his first car, he regret it for SUCH a long time and i cant go through that. Thanks guys, i know i can always count on you fellas to help me out.

 

[The Green GT]

From the sound of it you already know that you will regret selling it.

 

[RAD]

Hmmmm I think your father is saying that cause he just can't watch you struggle with that car. Yours have 107.000 on the clock but look at Adams (Adam gt)car which have ~ 217.000 , those cars are 12 - 13 years old and some parts on them will go south. Try to keep it and be a part of this community , it will not be easy , nothing is easy remember that. Few years from now you will graduated , have a nice job and finally funds for mods. Everybody have/had problems with them cars. Good luck

 

[stprorolla49]

Hmmmm I think your father is saying that cause he just can't watch you struggle with that car. Yours have 107.000 on the clock but look at Adams (Adam gt)car which have ~ 217.000 , those cars are 12 - 13 years old and some parts on them will go south. Try to keep it and be a part of this community , it will not be easy , nothing is easy remember that. Few years from now you will graduated , have a nice job and finally funds for mods. Everybody have/had problems with them cars. Good luck

Thanks man. I appreciate everyones input on this as its a very difficult decision.

 

[drakesdad]

I dont owe a cent on the car




Michael.....you know you will regret selling the car........you "don't" have to be the only one who wrenches on your car......if time is a issue pay a reputable shop.....

I did not have time to install the fuel pump in mine......when it needed done...I had a trusted person do it.......Rob Lasota.... your car is not really high mileage for the 5.0's ..maintain it and it will run for a long time....as said above ...look what Adam got out of his......take a step back.....outsource a few projects....and return to enjoying your car............................don't take on another car payment if your in college........a few hours to pay is way cheaper......
good luck with the choice...

 

[1slow95]

107K is nothing for these cars. Mine was at 167k and going strong when I pulled the motor. I wouldn't sell it just because of some minor problems. Our cars are relatively cheap to fix, and very easy to work on. Plus whenever something breaks you have an excuse to upgrade.

 

[stprorolla49]

107K is nothing for these cars. Mine was at 167k and going strong when I pulled the motor. I wouldn't sell it just because of some minor problems. Our cars are relatively cheap to fix, and very easy to work on. Plus whenever something breaks you have an excuse to upgrade.

Yea i agree. The more and more people tell me, the more and more i agree. I really need to fix the pump, fix my bumper, and fix my a/c. I think its when my car is broken i just get extremely discouraged. When its fixed, nothing could be better.

 

[HISSIN50]

Any other car you get will either have its own issues or cost a grip because it's so new. With that kinda logic, I'd see about having the family let you dump some money into the stang. Repair the things you need to and replenish other wear items so the car is a bit more reliable for you.

My DD for my first 10 years had a rep for being horribly unreliable. I did well keeping it in good tune and running, and I learned a lot from that car. I look back upon it quite fondly. You might see your stang the same way when you think back upon it (you dont see people lookin back fondly at their one year old Japanese jellybean cars, or cars that never had any quirks/character).

Just my goofball perspective.
Good luck with the decision.

 

[drakesdad]

OK JT.......suspense is killing me.......what was the DD for 10 years.......I know it wasn't a wagon....

Sorry Michael.......but if you sell the car..............we will issue a code red on your azz......

 

[95riosnake]

Mine just turned over 122k on the way home from Carlisle...107k is still quite fine. Hold off on doin anything till after you graduate, most likely by that time you will have decided there is no reason to sell the car (there really isn't a good enough reason), and once you enter the professional world, you can snag up a nice, dependable car for a daily driver and you'll still have the stang around to put some creativity into and have some fun with it.

 

[95Mustang302]

dear god don't sell. I know exactly where you sit right now because i was in the same boat last spring. My car was ripped apart for the new h/c/i and I thought that the car would never get done and I was going to put it to stock and just sell it. Luckily I have a really good friend who talked me out of all that.

The car is down again right now for some more new parts and I do things and end up with extra bolts and things don't go right and I just get SOOO frustrated that I just want to throw in the towel, but I usually just grin and bare it. If money needs to be put up my whole thought is that its only money and we could all be dead tomorrow. My only real debt is student loans, I try to only buy parts when I have the cash to back it up unless its of dire need.

Everyone goes through what your going through when hotrodding or when owning a car like this. You never want the car to be down because then your not behind the wheel ripping it and having a good time. YOu have to make your way through the bad times in order to enjoy the good times...

 

[reddy351]

Yea i agree. The more and more people tell me, the more and more i agree. I really need to fix the pump, fix my bumper, and fix my a/c. I think its when my car is broken i just get extremely discouraged. When its fixed, nothing could be better.

Keep in mind that a car payment will require either a part time job or more hours at your part time job. 2-3 hours on a weekend here and there is not NEARLY as bad as having to put in an extra 10-15 hours a week. Plus, the parts for these cars are STOOPID cheap. A 2-3 year old Japmobile (prolly what they'd want you to get) will cost a ton in maintenance because there isn't really that much you can do yourself on one. If you happen to have to pay to have the A/C and FP replaced, it should be cheap/easy to find someone reputable to do the work. Maybe there is a Stangnetter around that would be willing to help out?

Good luck with your choice.

 

[BlueOvalStangGT]

Tough decision. My car is on the back burner until I make it through school. As much as I would really like to sell it as its a horrible investment, it does at times make me happy. Ill keep it for now, relatively stock and reliable until I build it up again.

 

[stprorolla49]

Thanks guys. I am installing the pump tomorrow, and hopefully getting the **** home on saturday. My dad is working a lot this week and he wants me to wait til next weekend to leave so if i have any problems he can come down and get me wththe trailor because he is off this coming weekend. When i get home, ive got a cobra front bumper lined up for me for stupid cheap, ill have to put a few hours of work into it to repair a few little flaws, and then paint it, but hopefully it will be back to normal in a few weeks.

On a side note, how much can i get an a/c compressor for? I have everything i need to reinstall the system, i just need a new compressor. Since i have all the lines out already, im going to sand them down a bit and paint them before i reinstall them.

 

[inphiniti]

Mine just turned over 122k on the way home from Carlisle...107k is still quite fine. Hold off on doin anything till after you graduate, most likely by that time you will have decided there is no reason to sell the car (there really isn't a good enough reason), and once you enter the professional world, you can snag up a nice, dependable car for a daily driver and you'll still have the stang around to put some creativity into and have some fun with it.

110% agree with you there... my car mentions that to me ALL the time and he was the goof who gave me the $4000 to buy my 95gt... it now has 98,xxx miles on it and it has its problems, but what are you gonna do? my mom has a deville and it has 140,xxx on it... and mines older...

ive thought about selling it when times were tough... but i stuck with it, and worked just as hard... just keep doing what youre doin in school man, its the only way to go.. im 20 yrs old and i HATE school, and thats why im sittin here ready to break my balls for the rest of my life in the Electrical Union because i cant tolerate school structures.... its gonna be tough, just stick thru it and do it man! save up some extra coin and buy a DD, call it aday....

 

[stprorolla49]

At this point in my life, i cannot afford a second car, nor the insurance for 2 cars. I either sell my car and get a newer car, or keep mine. Im pretty much set on keeping mine, theres just always that little dude in the back of my head telling me that something newer is the way to go. If i lived closer to school, this wouldnt even be an issue, but the fact is, i live 900 miles away from school, and i have to make that round trip twice a year. Hopefully ill get the car thru another 3 years of college since i just finished out my freshman year, and when i graduate i can get a Jeep or something for a dd, and keep the stang in the garage and build it the way i really want.

The way i see it is this: About 2 weeks after i was born in 1988, my dad found his 1966 chevelle for $300 that some kids had beat to ****. He bought it, and for about 4 years, he and his dad restored it. It was a great father-son project for them, and i really want to do the same with my dad, but with my car. The body doesnt need any restoring, but I'd love to build a killer motor/trans combo with a full suspension, cage, etc. I dont want to wait to do a project until i get a lot older because my dad waited til his dad was around 70 to start the project. His dad passed away a few years after, and never really got to enjoy the process of the rest of the build, or the years of racing he has put the chevelle thru. I want to spend my current younger years building up my car because i want my dad to be able to enjoy the cars progress just as i do. I dont want to get rid of the car because then i wont have something to build up. Ive already got the project rolling, im not stopping now.

 

[inphiniti]

At this point in my life, i cannot afford a second car, nor the insurance for 2 cars. I either sell my car and get a newer car, or keep mine. Im pretty much set on keeping mine, theres just always that little dude in the back of my head telling me that something newer is the way to go. If i lived closer to school, this wouldnt even be an issue, but the fact is, i live 900 miles away from school, and i have to make that round trip twice a year. Hopefully ill get the car thru another 3 years of college since i just finished out my freshman year, and when i graduate i can get a Jeep or something for a dd, and keep the stang in the garage and build it the way i really want.

The way i see it is this: About 2 weeks after i was born in 1988, my dad found his 1966 chevelle for $300 that some kids had beat to ****. He bought it, and for about 4 years, he and his dad restored it. It was a great father-son project for them, and i really want to do the same with my dad, but with my car. The body doesnt need any restoring, but I'd love to build a killer motor/trans combo with a full suspension, cage, etc. I dont want to wait to do a project until i get a lot older because my dad waited til his dad was around 70 to start the project. His dad passed away a few years after, and never really got to enjoy the process of the rest of the build, or the years of racing he has put the chevelle thru. I want to spend my current younger years building up my car because i want my dad to be able to enjoy the cars progress just as i do. I dont want to get rid of the car because then i wont have something to build up. Ive already got the project rolling, im not stopping now.

thats exactly what i wanted to do.. my dad bitches that i sink so much into my car... and i throw up to his face how he did it when he was my age... and he then throws back to my face how when he purchased his vette BRAND new in the early 70s, it only cost him like 7500... hes got me there lol... its cool hearing from all the old timers like him(he just turned 56) how he had the fastest vette around town.. id LOVE to have that, just as a mustang and LOVE for him to help me with it.. sometimes he gets excited about it, and sometimes its a POS to him... ive learned we'll never win with our parents... Parents Just Don't Understand... LOL

 

[stprorolla49]

thats exactly what i wanted to do.. my dad bitches that i sink so much into my car... and i throw up to his face how he did it when he was my age... and he then throws back to my face how when he purchased his vette BRAND new in the early 70s, it only cost him like 7500... hes got me there lol... its cool hearing from all the old timers like him(he just turned 56) how he had the fastest vette around town.. id LOVE to have that, just as a mustang and LOVE for him to help me with it.. sometimes he gets excited about it, and sometimes its a POS to him... ive learned we'll never win with our parents... Parents Just Don't Understand... LOL

EXACTLY! Sometimes he gives me crap about the car always breaking, but then when he drives it, hes always got a grin on his face. When i get up in the morning and spend the whole day detailing the car, he comes outside every once in a while if hes not working on his own car, and stands back and admires my car. He brought my car to have the gears installed while i was at school, and when he was driving it back from the shop with my mom, my mom called me and told me to listen cause dad is gonna rip it outta the toll booth and he wants you to hear it with the gears in. Then i hear "ROBERT, slow down! your going 80 already!" and my dad goes, "Its the speedo gear, its about 15 mph off" while hes cracking up hysterically.

 

[inphiniti]

EXACTLY! Sometimes he gives me crap about the car always breaking, but then when he drives it, hes always got a grin on his face. When i get up in the morning and spend the whole day detailing the car, he comes outside every once in a while if hes not working on his own car, and stands back and admires my car. He brought my car to have the gears installed while i was at school, and when he was driving it back from the shop with my mom, my mom called me and told me to listen cause dad is gonna rip it outta the toll booth and he wants you to hear it with the gears in. Then i hear "ROBERT, slow down! your going 80 already!" and my dad goes, "Its the speedo gear, its about 15 mph off" while hes cracking up hysterically.

just keep ya head up and keep doin what you're doin... i havent done much motor work yet because its still a DD... i dont have enough down time, im surprised its actually goin down for 3 days this weekend to have the front end painted and what not... just do you man, your happiness comes first...

 

[stprorolla49]

just keep ya head up and keep doin what you're doin... i havent done much motor work yet because its still a DD... i dont have enough down time, im surprised its actually goin down for 3 days this weekend to have the front end painted and what not... just do you man, your happiness comes first...

Yea ive given up on building a motor for the car for a few years because i realize im never gonna make enough money for that during school. This summer mod wise, id like to ass some subframes, ASP underdrive pullies, cobra brakes, and i wanna fab up my own 6-point rollbar with swingouts.