Car Value, general rambling (Spinoff from V8 XR for sale)

Post by **SvoSierra** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:59 am

This is just a general discussion, some rant, whatever. No flaming please.

Some thoughts generated in my mind from this thread

http://www.merkurclub.com/forum/viewtop ... 1071#51071

I've been spoiled. I've now had 2 cars that have increased in value, or at least not decline. 87 Grand National, and my current 85.5 SVO. I'm tempted to sell the SVO (Laura says I need to keep it for another year so I don't do something I will regret). It just sits in the garage, comes out 2 times a year. I'm not really afraid to drive it, but plating and insuring a car that would rarely get driven is pointless, and since I don't plate and insure it, it gets driven even less. So what good is this 1 of 247 1985.5 SVO's doing me? It takes a spot in our garage (could be used for another Merkur

) I hardly get much enjoyment out of it, other than being able to brag to someone I have one. All of the XR's I've bought were valueless when I got them ($200 - $1100), so I expected them to lose value. Wish something that I paid more for would hold value better... Oh well...

I'm thinking about a better family car here pretty soon. She likes our POS (and I mean $400 P O S ) Safari minivan, but I really think SHE deserves something a lot better. Also, we dicipline ourselves to be strictly cash-based. If we can't afford to BUY it, we really dont need it.

Here's what I want (not picky at all.

):
RWD (easier to work on)
Domestic (cheaper parts)
4 doors preferred
A/C
Auto tranny preferred
Fairly large (Scorpio size OK, XR is REALLY pushing it)
No trucks or SUV's (We're not those kinda people

)
roughly $4kish

This leaves me with only a few options that I can think of.
Astro-Safari ($4k kinda hard to find decent ones)
Chevy Caprice (I'd rather not)
Chevy Impala SS (Way over $4k still)
Ford Mustang
Ford Crown Vic ($4k yet?)
Scorpio
XR
Chevette (oh wait, too old, too small!)

I could take 4-5k and make a really nice XR or Scorpio, but of course when we're done it'd be worth about $0 At least a Mustang almost never drops below $500

She DID say she liked the V8 XR or Scorpio idea. Decisions, decisions. I guess I need to just face the fact that no matter what we do, the value will probably just puke.

So, am I forgetting other good options? Feel free to have some fun with this thread.

OK, my brain is spent, time to do some real work at work today.

vcallaway · Post by **vcallaway** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:36 pm

I probably have a different view on vehicles.

For a family daily driver I like to buy something that is between 2 and 5 years old and is fairly common. I tend to stay away from small cars.

Our last one was a chevy astro. We put well over 200,000 miles on it with no major repairs. The current vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Right now it has over 180,000 but required a new rear diff last year. I really like the jeep 4.0 six. I think it is a much more durable engine than the v8 and we get 20mpg in town and 26 on the highway.

Right now I think used Cherokees and Grand Cherokees are a bargain. Especially if you get a 2wd version.

I liked our astro as far as hauling kids and the durability. What I did not like is the lack of foot room. I was never really comfortable in it. A pair of size 13's don't fit on the passenger side at all.

Post by **SvoSierra** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:41 pm

Jeep is an option, common enough I guess. I am keeping the Astro option open. I have a Safari now, and I know them pretty well. For what they are, they're built like tanks (that rust out). We both like the Safari for hauling stuff now. My size 12 never really noticed the footroom problem too much. Maybe I'm just used to it. I'll expand my search for Jeeps now also.

Appreciate the info.

MerkXRTurbo · Post by **MerkXRTurbo** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:45 pm

vcallaway wrote:The current vehicle is a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Right now it has over 180,000 but required a new rear diff last year.

It looks good for that kind of mileage.

Turbopit · Post by **Turbopit** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:10 pm

AlexD wrote:and my dad has over 200,000 on his 96 explorer with 4.0 OHV

I've got somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 on my hand me down from the wife 96 Explorer 4.0 sport. The only thing I have done to it is brakes, tires, battery, and clutch slave cylinder. Put in a new clutch as well, but it really didn't need it. Bought it with 30 or 40,000 miles.

Oh yeah, I didn finally replace the factory wiper blades a couple of days ago.

They were due. Of course I change the oil but have only tuned it up once or twice. Probably will do wires/plugs soon. It's going to need a starter soon as well.

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:27 pm

I like the idea of a V8 Scorpio using the new 24V 4.6 motor. It's a nice compact, light package. Of course the challenge here is finding one of these motors at a decent cost, but I seem to recall already seeing one the other day for less than $2K. I forget where though.

You'd most likley need some sort of after-market engine management, but you can do that pretty reasonably w/ MegaSquirt.

I would then try to "dumb down" the Scorpio as much as possible to make it as reliable as possible, focusing on items known to be failure prone. Toss the stock instrument cluster for a custom one using Autometer gauges or the like. See if manual HVAC controls from XR or base Euro Scorpio can be adapted. Install manual seats.

Start with a rust-free body and you should have a reliable daily driver for another 10+ years!

vchipeur · Post by **vchipeur** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 2:58 pm

I'd personally like a 95-97 t-bird. You might be able to find a decent one for that price range. A few months before i looked at a 97 with 120 000km on it, it was selling for 8grand CDN. They ride very nice and are great highway cars, those 4.6 motors are pretty good power wise as well. Only drawback is the lack of 4 doors. Crown vics are nice too, and can be cheaply had. Try police auctions. My grandfather had a used cop car, went well and was nice driving, got surprisingly good mileage too. Plus parts are in abundance. Those are my 2cents. happy hunting.

Post by **SvoSierra** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:34 pm

DPDISXR4Ti wrote:I would then try to "dumb down" the Scorpio as much as possible to make it as reliable as possible, focusing on items known to be failure prone. Toss the stock instrument cluster for a custom one using Autometer gauges or the like. See if manual HVAC controls from XR or base Euro Scorpio can be adapted. Install manual seats.

Start with a rust-free body and you should have a reliable daily driver for another 10+ years!

If I was to go the Scorpio route (regardless of engine) I would want to dumb it down for sure.
Forgot about the mid 90's Tbirds, Thanks!! Any of those have the Mustang 5.0 in them stock? I keep mentioning the standard 5.0 'cause there are SOOOOO many out there, they're idiot-proof, and parts will be around forever.

SARON81 · Post by **SARON81** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 3:48 pm

SvoSierra wrote:
DPDISXR4Ti wrote:I would then try to "dumb down" the Scorpio as much as possible to make it as reliable as possible, focusing on items known to be failure prone. Toss the stock instrument cluster for a custom one using Autometer gauges or the like. See if manual HVAC controls from XR or base Euro Scorpio can be adapted. Install manual seats.

Start with a rust-free body and you should have a reliable daily driver for another 10+ years!
If I was to go the Scorpio route (regardless of engine) I would want to dumb it down for sure.
Forgot about the mid 90's Tbirds, Thanks!! Any of those have the Mustang 5.0 in them stock? I keep mentioning the standard 5.0 'cause there are SOOOOO many out there, they're idiot-proof, and parts will be around forever.

T-birds up to 1994 were available with the 5.0.

Post by **SvoSierra** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:03 pm

I assume that the SC 3.8 was different than the N/A 3.8? I worked at a Ford dealership and those 3.8 N/A were ALWAYS in the shop with bad head gaskets! Rather stay away from special engines. Stick with the masses, craploads of 5.0's out there.

Post by **DPDISXR4Ti** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:16 pm

SvoSierra wrote:I assume that the SC 3.8 was different than the N/A 3.8? I worked at a Ford dealership and those 3.8 N/A were ALWAYS in the shop with bad head gaskets! Rather stay away from special engines. Stick with the masses, craploads of 5.0's out there.

No, it's the same basic motor, so yes, you can correctly assume that it blows head-gaskets with greater frequency than it's N/A brother (i.e. keep two sets in the trunk at all times). Frankly, I wouldn't touch that motor - there's a reason Ford ditched it, yet continues on with the Cologne in various ways. In fact, the current Cologne, as found in the new Mustang would be another nice choice.

That said, I have no issue with a 5.0. Cheap parts and motors abound for this power-plant, so it's a good choice for the DIYer. Get 'er done!

NexusOne · Post by **NexusOne** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:34 pm

Don't forget about the 4 door mustang aka LTD LX.

http://www.tuzonahost.com/ltd-lx/en_inicio.asp

Very few where made but they are easy to duplicate and all the parts are common with another car.

Also Lincoln Towncars, Continentals, and Mark VII\VIII

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:33 am

Toyota Previa! It's not a domestic, it's not very easy to work on, but our has made it to 298k miles with NO mechanical problems whatsoever. They can be picked up for $2k or under with less than 150k on the clock. Do it.

ronarnold · Post by **ronarnold** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 8:51 am

NexusOne wrote:Don't forget about the 4 door mustang aka LTD LX.

http://www.tuzonahost.com/ltd-lx/en_inicio.asp

Very few where made but they are easy to duplicate and all the parts are common with another car.

Also Lincoln Towncars, Continentals, and Mark VII\VIII

NexusOne got it right, but you can go almost modern and still stay in budget. Grand Marquis/Crown Vic are not only solid and huge, but they last forever. I'd prefer the Marauder, but you can get 80% of that performance in a retiree-used Crown Vic/GM from Florida for pennies on the dollar. Pull some chrome, stick some dark turn signal lights behind the grille and install some dog dish hubcaps and you can go as fast as you want to on the highway.

The fixed the steering in 2003(?) but some sporty bushings on that steering rack might make it tolerable in earlier, more *ahem* inexpensive years...

Post by **SvoSierra** » Fri Jul 01, 2005 1:54 pm

I like the "4 door Mustang". Who is that guy usually at Carlile with the SAWEET all black Fairmont? I missed him this year. I was excited and wanted to show Laura his car. In practicality though, the Fairmont is a little old. Let's try and keep the future family car less than 2 decades old.

Anything that old (if it still has a good body) and I will start feeling guilty when I drive it in the salty winters. I like the X-cop car idea, but would miss the ability to haul lots of stuff around. It's the 4th of July weekend, no one is at work and I'm bored to tears. I already made a bomb today from a Pepsi bottle and a can of office duster! I need to leave soon before I hurt myself!!