What would you do in my shoes?!?!?!?

UltimateSVT

UltimateSVT

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Miami, FL(Home of the rust free MARK VIII's
I HAVE 3 CARS + my wife's Jeep! My wife's Jeep is new & we still need to pay off! My truck is probably worth about $5,500 or so. What option would you go for?

Option I:
Sell the truck & invest it in both of my current Mark VIII's
(Gen I needs ALL front suspension parts, re-chrome the wheels, new IAC, X-Pipe ,window motor, front bumper, new headlamps, clock spring, & some other parts)
(Gen II needs paint, new gas tank, wheels, fix sunroof, fix engine noise due to bad lifter, fix odometer & A/C doesnt work)

Option II:
keep the truck, Sell both Mark VIII's & buy one good lower mileage (less than 70k) Mark VIII either Gen's is fine as long as it's an LSC. :D

Option III:
Sell all 3 vehicles, buy a decent Mark VIII with less than 90k on the clock & finance a nice demo/2010 (7k-20k) daily driver such as the new Ford Taurus or the new Buick LaCross

What would you guys do if you were in my shoes? I definitely can't sport around with 3 cars. I was going to keep the Gen II in it's current state @ my grandma's house but I'd have to register the car to keep it there, local police in her neighborhood are a pain in the "cojones" & will give me the hardest time!

NOTE: I don't have extra cash to give as downpayment for the new car so whatver I get for my cars will be the colateral.
 
Well, I have always been a firm believer in not having a car payment, especially if you're married. First three years of marriage are a bitch and most problems (90% or more) arise because of money issues. I can't choose an option for you because in your list of options, you have some things listed that are wanted and not actually needed.

I'm 42 now and have learned a lot in the past 20 years. I don't know your pay rate or anything but one thing you really need to stick in your head is to "save as much as possible"

If you have a car that needs a little attention to be reliable, then give it that attention. It doesn't even have to be a Mark VIII but since you have two of them.......

If it were me, the truck would be history but that's just me. Get liability insurance on both and save even more money. The truck being paid on, needs full coverage. You just need to sit down and do some math on paper on what it's costing you to keep that truck or what it would cost you for another new car annually. Yes, the Marks might need something here and there but then again, they might not. I bought the 95 from Jamie one year ago for $2,000 and the only thing that I have HAD to replace is an alternator. I would take that cost any day over a monthly car payment and high cost insurance.
 
Definitely don't get caught up in car payments. IMO sell the truck and maybe one of the lincolns. Fix the other lincoln up to make it reliable again.
 
Option Deuce



What would you do in my shoes?
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I-pooped-in-your-shoes.jpg
 
sell the truck and the red mark, then bring your 93 to me, drop it off with a wad of cash and come back and get it when i call you and have a nice looking, all fixed great reliable car. then take the wife out to mcdonalds and celebrate.
 
Get 1 of your marks up to good dd standards and sell the truck. No payments and 1 less insur payment.

But like one of the above posters mentioned crunch the numbers for all the diff scenerio's.

or

#2...But again crunch the #'s
 
Option 2 sounds good. Just try to do whats best for your budget and what will save you money. I know it's hard to have just one car (I own 3) but if you wanna save, thats the way to go.
 
Sell the Gen 2, why did you buy it if your '93 needed work?

Control arms and IAC is just BS maintenance stuff, fix the Gen 1 up with that money make it so it's a decent car mechanically. Fawk rechroming and exhaust, stupid chit like that can easily wait until its a NICE running and driving ride. Also, do not sell it for another headache, buying a 70k mark is still a used car with new hidden issues.

You already know the details on your '93 and it's a good starting point to bring back up to good shape.

Hang onto the truck until you have ONE good Mark, don't make any rash decisions until you have one GOOD car (truck), and a single broken one to fix.

The gen 2 is obviously the bad choice in this scenario, sell it to someone who needs to get a clunker to drive around to work, etc. I could get a grand for it pretty quick that's what I'd try to get so it's not sitting around long. Dump that 1k into the '93, but do it WISELY, only fixing things that NEED it.

IF you fall in love with the mark once it's right, keep it and decide on how important it is to keep the truck. Are you backwards into the truck? How much do you owe?
 
Alex we should of gone and met up at the tower shops today and talked about it. If I was you I'd go with choice 2 or keep the truck and get a nice used car that you can pay off in a couple of years. You're going to need a 4 door family car soon cause you just got married and the next step is kids, and i wouldnt sell the truck b/c it only has about 116,000 miles and thats still a new car plus everything that you've invested on it. You gotta start thinking towards the future and a Mark is very uncomfortable as a family car. Its hard to get the kids in and out from the back seat trust me I know. Its time to stop thinking hobby and start thinking family and wife.
 
BTW first thing you should do is get rid of that red Mark....its a clunker it needs tons of work and tons of money to make it drivable (let me rephrase this) to make it look decent? is this better for Rich and Jamie? Paint is about 1,500 or 2,000 dollars for a decent job, and a/c is about 500 to 800 bucks its just not worth fixing and you do need a/c b/c we live in Miami....and summer is just around the corner.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I like what big Mike said
And to 02ls the mark world just fine for family
Me and the wife had a baby with a Camaro and a mark
 
the Mark didnt work good for me it was very uncomfortable to get my daughter in and out from the back seat...but still i kept it bc it was my dream car.
 
02LS8Lincoln said:
Alex we should of gone and met up at the tower shops today and talked about it. If I was you I'd go with choice 2 or keep the truck and get a nice used car that you can pay off in a couple of years. You're going to need a 4 door family car soon cause you just got married and the next step is kids, and i wouldnt sell the truck b/c it only has about 116,000 miles and thats still a new car plus everything that you've invested on it. You gotta start thinking towards the future and a Mark is very uncomfortable as a family car. Its hard to get the kids in and out from the back seat trust me I know. Its time to stop thinking hobby and start thinking family and wife.
Click to expand...

When I was married I took my Mark on a three week driving family vacation with 3 kids ages 4-11. Some of the best memories I had with my kids.
 
02LS8Lincoln said:
BTW first thing you should do is get rid of that red Mark....its a clunker it needs tons of work and tons of money to make it drivable. Paint is about 1,500 or 2,000 dollars for a decent job, and a/c is about 500 to 800 bucks its just not worth fixing and you do need a/c b/c we live in Miami....and summer is just around the corner.
Click to expand...

What do you consider drivable?? I drove the car from Jamie's house approx 275 miles, 5 hours at 80 mph. I drove it with leaky front struts. It runs and shifts perfect. I agree it needs work. No A/C is 5-800 bucks. If it had new struts and a gas tank, it would be fine. Get your facts straight.
 
my daughter is 9 and my son is almost 4 and the only car they have ever known is the mark VIII, it has worked for us just fine, through all 12 mark VIII's! unless you have 3 or more kids i dont agree with the whole not a family car deal. and i'll back rich on that statement, the car already is driveable, otherwise it would have never made it from holiday fl to ft. lauderdale fl. it needs work yes, but to be driveable no, it already drives.
 
Option 2, you will always need a truck to haul the bigger stuff from the store that otherwise would not fit in a car. sell the 2 Marks and find a decent or better Mark.
 
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