Somebody please talk me down...

AaronM · 11-06-2005, 11:58 AM

About a month ago the left rear upper shock mount on my daily driver ('95 Lincoln Mark VIII) dis-integrated. $500 later I was back on the road. This week the alternator died (I only barely made it home, at night, in the rain, using every trick I knew to keep from using much electricity). $500 later I should be back on the road (battery is currently charging it was completely flat when I got home). Now that's $1,000 above and beyond the "expected" stuff I've had to do to the car.

And I've realised that my 951 hasn't needed anything unexpected...

So now I'm wondering if I should sell the Lincoln and buy a 944 N/A (a simple 8-valve car, maybe an '89 if I can find one) for my daily driver. I mean, I don't really _need_ those back seats in the Lincoln, right? And a 944 will get better mileage...

Anyone want to talk me out of this crazy idea? I've only got 85,000 miles on the Mark, so it should have a lot left in it, unless it keeps up like the last two months... Gah! Bloody temptation!

nynor · 11-06-2005, 12:00 PM

sell the lincoln. you must be spending a car payment in fuel bills every month.

AaronM · 11-06-2005, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nynor
sell the lincoln. you must be spending a car payment in fuel bills every month.

Averaging 20mpg in 90% stop-and-go commuting. Gets 26-28 on the open freeway. Between the two cars I spend about $180/month on fuel. Lincoln's paid-off too. Gah, hard choice.

85944na · 85944na's Garage

sell the lincoln, buy a toyota

Brando · Brando's Garage

Sell the lincoln, buy a '74 or '75 914 1.8

Or buy a N|A 944...

nynor · 11-06-2005, 12:42 PM

your lincoln gets 20 MPG in the city!?!? might as well keep it.

tifosiman · tifosiman's Garage

My personal opinion (could be screwed up, so assume there is a disclaimer attached

) :

We are a weird bunch of car guys. To most, the phrase "daily driver" makes no sense. Most people just have "a car", and for lack of a better comparison, that is their "daily driver". So for us, the enthusiasts that own 20ish year old German sports cars, we are already outside of the norm. Best keep this talk away from the watercooler at work, lest you become the butt of your coworkers jokes....

Anyway, I think the best daily driver is a nice, newer car, of the type that does not pose the temptation for modification and changes. So to me, an 8V 944 isn't a good choice as I would end up tinkering with it and buying the latest hot upgrade from XYZ parts retailer.

Just my opinion, which at todays current rates is worth about 1.25 cents.

nynor · 11-06-2005, 02:13 PM

or get the 8v 944 and hot rod the thing!!!! YEAH! thats the ticket!

jim302 · 11-06-2005, 03:29 PM

Do you really want a high maintenance car as a daily driver?
When things go wrong do you really want a car that can take a few days to get parts?

Geo31 · 11-06-2005, 04:27 PM

Get an E36 325i. That would make a nice DD.

AaronM · 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jim302
Do you really want a high maintenance car as a daily driver?
When things go wrong do you really want a car that can take a few days to get parts?

Every 944-based car I've owned has been equal in reliability to the Accord I owned before the Lincoln. The Porsches have all been the same: Put in gas, change oil, keep good tires on it. Having two major parts (shock mount and alternator) die at less than half of the minimum miles I expect from my cars is something that makes me nervous about driving the Lincoln very far any more.

Maybe I'll just sell the Lincoln when summer comes and bring out the 914... The $80/month for a second garage to house it is a lot less than a car payment...

And Tifo; That "newer car that resists the temptation" is exactly what the Lincoln was supposed to be. Nice, comfy, powerful enough, roomy enough. The problem is that those cars are, well, boring. I like the Lincoln well enough, but I don't love it and I just keep thinking of how nice it would be to have another sportscar that would be drivable when the 951 is down.

mike944 · 11-07-2005, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geo31
Get an E36 325i. That would make a nice DD.

I used to have an E36 325i for a DD, nice car, i liked it, but it was getting up there in miles (160K), and it wasn't getting enough fuel mileage for me (i drive ALOT) Plus, i still liked to tinker with it, not necessarily a good thing for a DD.

My Jetta TDI is a great DD, but it's about the farthest thing from high-performance you can get. But, it gets 40-48mpg, and that's the mileage with the automatic transmission! The fuel savings alone over the 325i make the car payments for me. It doesn't sound like you drive that much, so you won't get too much savings out of fuel mileage, even with a car that gets significantly better mileage.

Personally, i'd probably keep the lincoln. Unless, you're completely sick of it, financially it should make sense. Even though you recently had to dump 1K into the car, when was the last time you had to do anything else to it? When you average it out, it's usually way cheaper to keep an older car running, than it is to get a new car. With a higher-mileage car, the "car payment" comes in sporadically, and it's usually higher amounts, but less frequently. even the worst cars i've owned haven't needed too much repair when you average it over the time i've owned them.

sasquatch · 11-07-2005, 06:04 AM

I need to learn from you guys... My 944 and 914 are garage queens. For a nice reliable (sic) daily driver I purchased an E32 750il complete with the V-12 engine...

I dont think I could own a car that does not require tinkering.

Dave L · 11-07-2005, 07:35 AM

I have an e30 325e, it was purchased for $1500 with 277,000KM. The car was for my wife to drive to the bus station. Instead she drove it 180Km per day commuting. I then took the car as she is at home with the kids and needed a 4 door. I drive about 1000KM per week and the mileage is now at 318,000KM.

The e30's are great cars but mine is now done, it has a leaking steering rack it needs tie rod ends one cylinder has blow by and the timing belt and water pump need to be done.

Whats the moral of the story, I dont know, why are you asking me? DDers suck, the 944 is in storage, now I have to buy a new car. ANd I just bought snowtires for the E30! ARGHHHH I think I may buy an e36 if I cant find a decent e30.

Sorry for the rant,

Here is the good news, my e30 was $1500, I might have spent another $1000 on 2 new tires, belts, hoses, Ac recharge etc etc. Total invested about $2500, 15 months and 41,000KM. Which works out to 6 cents per KM or $166 per month. I wil also be removing some small parts to go on Ebay and will sell the car for about $500 which pushes the cost even lower. SO the moral of the story is Look at the lincoln if it make financial sence fix it, if not dump it. When you compare the cost of a new car or newer car and consider that you STILL have to buy tires, brakes and all the other things I think you will see that used used used is the way to go.

Now Im off to the BMW dealer to see what my $166 / month will by me. The new M3's look nice

AaronM · 11-07-2005, 10:23 AM

It's not so much the cost as it is the reliability. It's un-nerving to have pieces failing so soon. In my experience, alternators should last 200,000 miles, and shock mounts should last the life of the vehicle. I'm still hoping that it really was the Alternator, the batery wasn't fully charged this morning (low-amp charger and a 1,000 cranking amp battery = really long charge time) so I have yet to see if it will run now without the light coming on.

tgcattle · 11-07-2005, 12:06 PM

hmmm.......i just happen to have an 89.....been thinking of selling