Winter Car Located (maybe)

[Intrepidation]

I come to find out today that my mom plans on clearing out the driveway. So that means both van are being junked (a pity, the very first car I ever drove was the `86 Caravan), but she also seems to plan to junk the Grand Marquis. She pulled it off the road to save money a couple months ago. Has a flat, and although I (and only I) made the effort to start it up, battery probably is too weak to start it. Does still have power through.

To get it back on the road it needs a battery if this one is no good, and a tire. Have a spare tire, no biggie. Waterpump is starting to go, but that should be an easy fix. Looks much easier to do than the Shadow was.

Then there's the transmission which has no reverse. I can live without it, however I can get a transmission for $200 and get it installed for $200. So $400 isn't bad. This wouldn't need to be done right away either, so I can do it whenever.

Oh and a headlight lens. Tape is so redneck.

I offered to pay her what whichever yard she planned to have them take it away for would pay. My only questions is what's the average price they pay for a car like this? I'm hoping like $200

If it is cheap like that I'll keep it. The GF and I have a soft spot for it, and even with its issues it has never broken down and left us stranded in the 15,000 miles we put on it since last June. Plus, it has new snow tires on back, new brake lines. Plus I know all of its foibles.

Then I can put my car in storage so it doesn't have to suffer through winter.

[A Horse With No Name]

On the plus side, lots of parts around for Grand Marquis with Cash for Clunkers.

On the downside...your pretty much putting money into a crap car. Money you could spend on a better car later. Personally...I wouldn't do it.

Drive the Intrepid through the winter and paint it in the spring. Buy a winter beater in the fall of '10, but get a high mile Cobalt or a Subie wagon or something worth holding onto.

Just my two cents...and if you get the Grand Marquis, good luck.

Chris

[Intrepidation]

• Well for starters the Mercury has never broken down.
• Waterpump is $55 from Napa. I can replace it myself.
• Have extra tires
• $400 + $200 (assuming that's the price) means $655 car.
• Intrepid will not be repainted in the spring. I don't have $3,000 or so to get it done properly, and there's no way I'm going to half ass the paint job. Therefore it must make due with the paint its got on it for now. Driving through the winter = rust. After all I've done to it, that would be a stupid thing to willfully do.
• A used Cobalt is what, five grand for strippers? $5,000 VS $655. That's a tough one

[A Horse With No Name]

If your not going to be able to paint the Intrepid in the spring...that maybe makes sense.

Good Luck! Hope it works out well for you.

Chris

[Blake Noble]

Insanity is contagious.

You're just not as insane as I am.

Good luck on getting the GM, DF.

[daves87rs]

I think it could work.

I've seen people people put those cars through hell...and they keep going..

[Intrepidation]

I think it could work.

I've seen people people put those cars through hell...and they keep going..

A quick browse through any junkyard will net you plenty of Panthers with mileage well over a quarter of a million miles.

[A Horse With No Name]

I myself have always liked the P71 Panthers, aka the cop cars.

Chris

[mustang84]

What year is the Grand Marquis?

[CSpec]

If she pulled it off the road to save money, does that mean it needs to be registered and insured?

[Intrepidation]

What year is the Grand Marquis?

1993

If she pulled it off the road to save money, does that mean it needs to be registered and insured?

Yeah, it was registered but I guess it would need to be re-registered(?). Since it would become my car I'd need to get teh car signed over to me, take my car off insurance when I store it, then put this on.

[Robert Hall]

Seems like it would be awfully hard to drive w/o reverse.

[Intrepidation]

Not really, just pull forward in the parking spots.

[Robert Hall]

Not really, just pull forward in the parking spots.

And avoid driveways, parallel or curb parking.

Edited November 1, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[Intrepidation]

Yes it would be defeated by parallel parking. However te beauty of living on a hill is that I can pull the car into the driveway, which is its own hill, let it coast out and then face uphill, and be on my way. Likewise, there's just enough of a grade that I can put it in neutral (or reverse if I felt like pretending) and it will go backwards

[Intrepidation]

Holy awesome Batman! Not only is the pump in plain site, there's no hoses attached to it either, just a few bolts and its off!

[daves87rs]

Nice!