Should I Sell her?

[Bee]

To most, she's just a car, and an old, beat up one at that. To me, she's Big Blue, my 1968 Ford Galaxie 500.

302 cubic-inch V-8, Fleet package(heavy duty steering, cooling, suspension, rear axle), Automatic Transmission, and Baby Blue.

She's one of the few things that have kept me....sane, over the years. Washing her, waxing her, tuning her up. It was all theraputic. Every time I was angry or depressed, I went out to tinker on her. She never judged me or made fun of me. She just sat there, and let me find new things to do with her. Many times I daydreamed of cruising the Seawall down on Galveston in her, windows down, cool salt air blowing.

The first time I saw her, it was a cold, rainy day down in La Porte. My dad almost crashed his truck when I yelled at him to stop. She was sitting in a used car lot. The asking price was $5500. She ran and drove, although she tried to go sideways several times in the rain. I had, at the time, $5,000 given to me by the Social Security Administration, because I was an underage minor that lived with a disabled man(my dad) who just went on Social Security Disability. I was young and stupid, and there was a Big Blue Ford sitting in a used car lot that was calling to me.

After hasty negotiations, we agreed upon 5,000 cash drive out. We took her home later that week, driving cautiously with her attached to a tow-dolly.

While I never would admit it, she has been for sale since the first day I got her, with an unofficial asking price of $10,000. I've never put a for sale sign on her, and I've only told people she was for sale as a joke. Because, if I found anyone that could come up with 10-Large in cash, Hell, they could have her.

Well, someone came. They offered me $7,000 for her as-is, $10,000 if I get her running again. My dad told me flat out that I have less than a month to get her running again, or I'll have to sell it.

It's like in Ol' Yeller, when the boy had to kill his dog. That's the way it feels to me. It hurts. Bad.

But, I know he's right. I need the money, and she's just sitting there, slowly getting covered in dust and vermin droppings. Not three houses down is a 1970 Chevrolet C/10 pickup truck that runs and drives, and the guy's only asking $1,500. I can use that as a new toy.

....this must be what it's like to be dumped by someone. It feels like someone ripped my heart out, and stomped on it. Years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, going down the drain.


Should I sell her, and take the much-needed money and get things that I desperately need, or should I cling to her blue steel body like a mother clings to the body of her dead son?

[Frisk E. Coyote]

*sniff* Oh man, its really hard to vote here! Its like you're asking us whether you should shoot your dog or not!

Be strong buddy boy! *runs off, wailing like a whore who agreed to use hot sauce as lube*

[blueeyedgabulvo0o]

I suggest you think rationally. Yes the car you like is Blue, in your instance not like a child because you can't really just go out and buy a new one and exchange it for one you like. :P Lil joke there for you.

All I know is that if you could sell it for more then you got, and able to get a running car that you could use, it might be best to part with it for two things, usability and some cash you could use to help with a new car.

Good luck.

[Bee]

Heh, a new car is the last thing on my list. I kinda need a driver's license first, and I only have very basic driving lessons(the first time my dad taught me how to drive, I got pulled over. >_<)

The things I need, in order of importance, are:

Food
Clean clothes
Computer
Internet(actual internet, the kind I can see video with)
Driving school
Driver's License
Car/Truck
Firearm('Cause I don't feel safe. Period.)
Pay off bills that I keep getting collection notices for
Scanner(so I don't have to rely on friends to post my art)
Get back into coin collecting(now's the best time, Silver is at its lowest price in years)


Now, I've been told not to hold my breath on that guy buying her(I'm not. I'll get her running either way, got started on it tonight), and I'm gonna hold onto that title for dear life until I have the cash in hand. I may not need to sell her, though, as I may have a job by tuesday. At which point I'm gonna need a reliable vehicle(after I get my license, of course.)


But, she's still in the air. If he comes up with the money, she's his. Then I'll buy me an M14 Assault Rifle to help cope with my loss.

[Wisemon]

I understand about collecting and caring for toys, but this is your life, and ultimately, you need money for the things you just mentioned.

[Kalyx]

I know what you're going through, CFH. I'm actually in a similar situation.

After my father passed away, I purchased an older car, with some of the money that was left over after we sold my father's house.

It's a 1977 Mercury Cougar XR7, with a 302 cu. in. V-8. It's black, with a white vinyl roof and maroon interior (with '70's shag carpet). Before I purchased it, it had been sitting on the side of the road, for sale, days before my father died. And being the old car buff that I am, I just couldn't resist it.

It cost me $4,800 to purchase it and I've spent at least that much, fixing it up, over the past few years. Replacing old, original equipment, tuning up the engine and adding in a new stereo & CD system. Also, since I was also driving my father's unexpired lease car, I always kept it garaged and rarely drove it, except during the warmer months.

UInfortunately, things do change. Last year, I had to finally turn in my father's lease car; whose lease had expired. Thus, since then, I've been driving my project car in all sorts of weather: sunny, rainy, hot, cold, snowy, icy, etc. (You get the idea.) Also, because of the difficult economic times in my state, and at my household, I haven't been able to keep up with some of the incurring preventive and unexpected repairs, like I'd like to.

The left-rear tire blew last year, which means that now I'm driving on the full-size spare, which I had to replace myself. Of course, this rim and tire doesn't match the other three; which makes the car look more like a beater than a classic car. The engine, now, also, has a couple of problems of it's own: a slow oil leak, probably from a worn oil pan gasket; which will cost at least 3 hours of labor alone. Also, it has a blown intake manifold gasket, which makes the car sound like it has a hole ripped open in the tailpipe.

Now, there really isn't anything major wrong with the car; it's just the fact that I can't fix the problems that it has, now, nor do any of the improvement and/or overhauls that I would like get done.

There's no way that I'm parting with this care, now. As with you, Cowboy, I've put way too much time and effort into this black, beauty of mine; no matter how she may look or sound. She's my dependable and classic-looking old girl, Xera. (X...R...7)

{I'll try to tag a pic of her, to this thread, later on.}

[Bee]

Heh, sadly, oil leaks and burning oil are all classic signs of a Ford.

At least they circled the problem in a blue oval. XP

Well, I recently began piecing Big Blue back together. My mom gave me a Speed-Pro High Volume Oil Pump to replace the one full of metal shavings for Christmas, along with new oil pan and valve-cover gaskets.

I bought 3 gallons of oil, and 2 new oil filters to clean out the passageways when I get her running again, along with some silicone for making other gaskets, and a few other parts I needed.

...if this nasty weather ever blows through, I'll be back out there turning wrenches on her. If I get her running, it seals her fate, and I won't sell her.


Edit: also, changing oil pan gaskets isn't that hard, you can do it with the engine still in the car. Unbolt the engine mounts, and jack the entire engine up by the harmonic balancer. Just make sure you use silicone on the front and rear seals(the 302s use a 4-piece gasket) otherwise, you'll end up like me. The rear seal fell off inside the oil pan, and I got pissed off at it. So I called it a day before I could hurt my baby.