How do you deal with the nonstop car problems?

[streetstang67]

Every time I think I have my '67 coupe done, something breaks, leaks, quits working, or goes dead. I'm now going to college, so I have limited time to drive this car (weekends when I'm home) and limited time to fix it. I came home this weekend to find a dead optima battery, no turn signals or hazard lights, cd player doesn't work, oil leak, rear end leak, damn agrivating gas/exhaust smell everytime I drive it, and extremely agrivating bumps and rattles throughout the chassis and interior. Sometimes I just wanna sell it to rid myself of the problems, but I wont get as much as it could be worth if I tried to sell it with all these problems. Any suggestions to fix or deal with these neverending issues?

 

[Rent-A-Racer]

It the nature of the beast. Any vintage car you use as a daily driver will nickle and dime you to death. If your not willing to deal with the trials of owning a classic as primary transportation, you have a couple of choices.

1) Sell it
2) purchase a beater, and tinker an your convenience on the 'stang. (which is what I do)

It is really hard to enjoy working on a vintage Mustang if it's your only form of transportation.

Good Luck!!

 

[mustangdave]

I truly sympathize with you; I know thw feeling. I wish I had stripped the car to a bare shell sometimes and redone everything. Sometimes when I'm feeling that way, I will do something cosmetic just to make me feel better. Try to tackle one problem at a time. If one part of a system has failed, you should go through the whole thing before the other parts start failing and strand you.

 

[charlies]

If your not willing to deal with the trials of owning a classic as primary transportation, you have a couple of choices.

1) Sell it
2) purchase a beater, and tinker an your convenience on the 'stang.

you forgot one of the better solutions to the problem which is to buy a properly restored car.

i can't tell you how many times i have considered selling my 70 boss and outright purhasing an '03 cobra or something. in the end, i still have the boss.

 

[70mustangcoupe]

i have the perfect solution to the problem....

trade you your mustang for....lets see whats in my pocket, $3.84

my offer is on the table

 

[65fastback2+2]

what you do, is after you fix it, you go kill some ricers and make some smoke and turn some heads that makes it all better

 

[WORTH]

What Mustang dave said, your car has been worked on by amatures for 30+ years, it's bound to have problems. If you get a leaky heater hose, replace all the belts and hoses. If it skips, do a complete tune-up. Eventually you wil have a very reliable daily driver. I drive my 70 ragtop every chance I get all summer long and never have any problems.

And for those of you who say, buy a newer car, how about putting the money you would be spending on that NEWER CAR into your classic.

You can do a boatload of restoring for the cost of a late 90's car. And the oldies are cheaper to fix after you get them in shape.

I did a total restomod on my 69 coupe about 5 years ago and its been trouble free ever since, my 70 ragtop needs to be done, but I did all the mechanics on it over the last 2 years, so it's been troublefree as well. Right now I'm building a 46 pickup from the ground up, once that is on the road it will be my winter dailey driver and I'll probubly take the 70 off the road and do it up right.

With all my classic projects I bet I've spent less money on my cars over the last 10 years than anyone that buys the "newer stuff". And they're alot easier to work on.

 

[mdjay]

I'm pretty much just adding to what the rest are saying. But if you act in a reactionary method to improving the car, then you're going about it wrong. If you act in a proactive method to fix the car, you will be successful.

It's tough to focus on school and deal with the ups and downs of owning a classic. Purchase a dependable driver and and when you have time to deal with a full restore, do it then.

When I was going to school, I kept the car but drove a motorcycle daily. So I always had an alternative...

 

[Snail50]

like mdjay, said: be proactive in your maintenance.

and if you're going to school, it might not be a bad idea to garage the 67 and buy a cheap reliable beater to keep you going.

If you get rid of the 67 just because it's somewhat of a burden, you'll likely regret it later (I got rid of my first 67 because of this, and it took me almost ten years to get another one). THat still irritates me a little, because it was cherry, and I let it go to easily when I could have probably kept it if I'd wanted to badly enough.

 

[rbohm]

i agree with the others. either find a decent daily driver to use while you fix your stang up, or keep after the maintenance as you go. i have done both so i can tell you that the latter way is a tougher way to go, but it has the advantage of teaching you many things, including patience, if you let it. personally i would buy something reliable, like a fairmont for example, that is economical to run. but beware that your mustang doesnt become a backyard sitter for long periods of time, take it out and drive it from time to time to keep your enthusiasm up on the car.