Have you ever gotten to the point?

[Nemesis]

When you just want to find ANYWAY to get rid of your car for something new?

I felt at this point yesterday so Im going to take the time and vent and try to get some opinions from you guys/girls this morning.

So this weekend I decide to get ahead of the game and prepare a little extra for Import Showdown next weekend and work on the Koni Suspension and get some gauges installed. I go into my garage all happy at the thought of installing something new in the car. First I install the nitrous pressure gauge with no problems, then I start to install the water temp gauge sender (no problem), then I got to install the oil pressure sender. Now this is where the problems start. I find the right hex bit to get the bolt out of the rear head to install the sender, head to the local autozone and get the hex bit to work with a ratchet to get more leverage on removing the plug. I get back to the garage, proceed to pull of the UIM/TB/ etc etc and finally get enough room to get the bolt out. I spray some PB Blast on the plug, let it sit, then I get ready to start removing it. I swear it must have been the softest fucking bolt in the world. It stripped on the first push! Damn Ford. So anyways, I stand there all pissed, trying to figure something out, and just decide to give up on it, and finish whatever I can with the other gauges. I head to the drivers side seat and reach for my water temp gauge to start putting on the sender wires, ignition switch wire, etc. I turn the gauge around and what do I see? The damn needle laying inside of the gauge! Somehow it fell off! I didnt drop the gauge or anything! This enrages me even more, and I go inside to call and bitch to someone about it! Which made me feel a little better. I get my composure and return to the car and install the UIM/TB/ and everything else back on , and hook up the nitrous pressure gauge. After about 5 hours of battling with everything I pretty much finish and head to the gas station to fill up with some gas, because I was going to the Barett Meet that Saturday night. All good now right? No. Upon turning the ignition in the car , I notice my wideband gauge acting a little on the wierd side reading 10.1:1 at idle then spiking to 50.1:1!!! I give the car a little gas and it returns to a normal 14.5 ish to 1. I asked myself what else can go wrong. I floor it, and at WOT the wideband gauge pegs out at 70:1, and a warning light goes off screaming on the gauge. I let off the gauge not sure whats going on, but nothing seemed mechanicallyl wrong with the car. I drive the fucker home and decide to ride in my buddies car to the meet. The next day I discover my actual wideband sensor is screwed up and damaged. Fast forward to yesterday, I go around trying to find a 03 VW 1.8T sensor, since it works for the gauge set up, and nobody has one.

My point being in all this, is that Ive spent a lot of money on my car. Not all performance, because the performance bug didnt hit me till later on in life, and honestly, if I had these feelings and knowledge that I have now, back when I bought my car, the Cougar wouldnt have been my prime choice. But we all have to make do with what we have, and Im thankful for what I have, but Im a little frustrated. My pay off on my car is 4000. Ive payed every dime for my car, and every dime for my mods.

A long story short, my car went through an ugly stage to a pretty nice stage. Im not really into car shows anymore, and Im more interested in racing (not street), and having a fast daily driver ( I drive a 99 taurus everyday to work).

After getting hit with the performance bug, I pretty much added every single bolt on available for my car, and a little Forced Induction (Nitrous Oxide). Overall Im pretty happy with the amount of power I have, but its starting to not be enough. My car that I want next is a MKIV Supra TT. That is the only car that im really interested in pursuing. Have always loved them, and always had wanted one. This past weekend, made me realize how much hard work that I had along with other people put into the car and still makes me have thoughts of getting rid of it. I get so damn frustrated at it sometimes. I almost feel like I should part it out and sell it privately, but Im still part time work, and full time school. My job pays extremely well ( I work for Bellsouth on Lenox Park BLVD), but since Im still in school, I honestly need to concentrate on that. So if you actually read everything above, what is your opinion and what would you do?

Here is a picture of my car how it looks today:

[Cliff]

George dude you have had that car forever but how long do you have left in school 2 years? If you can put up with the car then do it but if not toss it on ebay with a reserve and see if it hits it, if it does, sell it if not then hang onto it for a little while. If you want an MKIV i wouldn't say buy it immediately after the cougar's gone, maybe wait till after school for that project just to make sure that's how you want your money to be spent after college. But, really this is all your call this is just what i think man. The car is hot you've won trophies with it now pass it on to some kid who doesn't have the time and money to build a show car and let them show off what all you've done....just me...

[tony]

I feel your pain seriously, sometimes I feel like I just want to go and drive the car off a cliff (if someone offered me $35k right now I'd take it) and other times I cant see myself driving anything else. A lot of times I think to myself I could have bought a brand new Z06 for everything I've spent.. or built a really nice Supra but the grass is always greener.

I didnt know you worked for Bellsouth, what department? I'm a service tech myself

[Nemesis]

Cliff: Thanks dude, yeah Ive had this car for about 3 years now, and I feel like ive done almost everything except a SC/Turbo setup on the car. Theres really not much left I can do that wont cost 4K+ dollars. Plus with life plans catching up on me, car stuff is eventually going to start to go on the backburner. With possibly marriage, getting an apartment, etc etc. But I know it would really hurt me to see some 16 year old kid driving my car and treating it like shit and someday probably even wrecking it.


Tony: Whats up man, Im Mousas friend that was riding with em last Saturday night. I wish I could get 15-16k for my car and Id get rid of it! Yeah, I think since I dont drive my car all that much during the week, I dont see why im paying insurance and a car payment! I work in the Mid-Market Sales Offices on the Lake Blvd complex

[Cliff]

Tony i'll give you $35 and you can drive it to a cliff...

[Repost Squintz]

yeah i feel that just about everyday

[Kristi]

i have been at that point for awhile. I want to get rid of my car so bad, but all the new cars I want I can't afford right now, or I don't wanna pay the gas in them (SUV's). It sucks. I want to get rid of the maxima soooo bad.

[HyPer50]

Ummmm I'm not gonna read all that crap you posted... so I'm just gonna answer the first question I read. Yes, I'm at that point right now with my mustang. Between gas prices, and my car always needing something... I'm just about ready to drop it... but instead i'll just park it for awhile... atleast til this gas situation is stable.

[civic95]

If its paid off I say keep it. Doesn't sound like you have a house yet, so I would leave the car alone, enjoy it, and save your money for your house. Even if you don't plan to get one for a few years.

[4dmin]

I look at this this way... you got 4g's to pay on the car... as long its running sound (as sound can be w/ a tuners car) then keep at it till its paid off, in this scene you never get out what you want unless you have someone specifically looking for that car. better to ride on the invested time/$$$ spent already than take a loss to then spend more to do the same thing over.

by the way +10 i don't think we've ever meet, but i've always liked your car, its definately one of the cleanest ones i've seen in its class around here.

[ahmonrah]

yeah , IMO you dont have much left to pay on the car, and with the blood, sweat, money and tears put into it, i'd say keep it.

my ex had a mirage that she bought new while she was in college (years ago 2000) and she always griped about it though she loved the fact that it was quick. needless to say she had about 6 payments left, was nearing graduation from college and me and her sat and planned whether or not to get right into a new car.

my advise to her was to pay it off, pay herself the car note she'd been paying for at least a year, and then have a trade in with money to put toward something she really wanted, granted stability with her career and salary had showed itself.

the car i owned was in the shop one day in november 2000, so i had her take me by moms house to visit. later that night she comes to pick me up in a '01 corolla, she's happy and i'm vexed cause all that we talked about went right out the window. the folowing day after she bought it, while she was heading to work a truck ahead of her hit a bump, a roll of carpet he was carrying jumped off and landed ahead of her, can we say she had to replace the bumper........since that day it's been hit 6 times, stolen, windshield craked by a huge rock and the following year the re-styled corolla came out and the blue book value was chopped in half, combined with the damage she now has $7,800 left to pay on a car that has a value of $2,000. she hates her "new car".

keep your car man.