At what point do you let a car die?

[Qwerty321]

At what point do you decide it's time to retire a car and let it die in peace. By which I mean just stop repairing it. I have a BA with over 420,000km on it and I'm considering about a grand and a halfs worth of maintenance (services, coil packs, rear brakes, trans cooler and possibly a couple other small things). I'm kinda split between putting in the money and maintaining the car or just running her till she finally craps out and moving on to a newer, lower mileage car. I mean I do really like the car, but it's got a couple weird shakes and noises, the diff whines slightly at 95-100kph, the steering wheel wobbles badly every now and then and the ignition barrel is loose and doesn't spring back (I've just been manually turning the key back). All of these issues aren't really problems as of yet, and the car still gets me around everywhere and drives like a beaut when it's all going fine, but I'm just wondering if I'd be pouring money into a lost cause here.

Any thoughts fellas?

P.S. If I do ever get a new car, I probably can't afford to/won't spend more than say 4k NZ on it. So it's not a new car by any means, and would have about 150-230 thousand k's on the clock. On the other hand if I maintain this car I'd aim to run it till I finish uni and get a full time job, at which point point I'll definitely be buying a economical daily and keeping the Fairlane as a weekend/long distance cruiser and possibly even a project car if I have the time.

[Crazy Dazz]

Depends.
There is no reason you can't keep a car in perpetuity, if you keep spending the money to maintain and rebuild. Some people go and buy classic cars to rebuild them, others have owned them since new.
High kms really just means wear & tear to things that can be rebuilt and replaced. What's the rest of the car like?
Does your Lane have the makings of a classic? If you like the B series shape, its a V8, is free from major damage and rust, and you want to keep it forever, then by all means do so. There won't be any more Lanes, and in a few months there won't be any more big Aussie RWD Fords.

Besides, where else will you find a car with so much space to carry sheep?

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Depends.
There is no reason you can't keep a car in perpetuity, if you keep spending the money to maintain and rebuild. Some people go and buy classic cars to rebuild them, others have owned them since new.
High kms really just means wear & tear to things that can be rebuilt and replaced. What's the rest of the car like?
Does your Lane have the makings of a classic? If you like the B series shape, its a V8, is free from major damage and rust, and you want to keep it forever, then by all means do so. There won't be any more Lanes, and in a few months there won't be any more big Aussie RWD Fords.

Besides, where else will you find a car with so much space to carry sheep?

Rest of the car is in extremely good nick considering the mileage she's done. Mind you that's probably cause it racked up most of it's k's as part of the government VIP fleet. The lane's an I6, but no rust or anything, and tbh I'd like to one day make it a project car and turbo it. I think there's someone on this forum with a turbo fairlane build, and he's my inspiration rn. I just love the concept of sleeper barges . I mean it's either that or restore it and hope that it one day becomes a classic and worth a tonne

[xr6-FTW]

Your recent post confirms how you feel about the car. Keep her mate, fix whats needed as the i6 will keep on going. You see the car potenially being a project car which is great, just use those thoughts to keep you motivated about making the car better and fixing up her issues.

[mik]

Entirely up to you mate , cars are a sink hole , if you put this one in the scrap metal and buy another second handy you will undoubtedly find your new oldy also needs money spending on it , but the difference is your new oldy you have no idea how it has been treated , how well it has been maintained , and what will fail on it next ..

if you buy a new car , you wont have anything wearing out for a long time ........ but it will require up to date services , expensive insurance, and a lot of money to own the bugger , and the first time you get a stone chip on it or somebody scuffs it in a car park you will cry like a baby .

Imo ......better the car you that you know its history , and you know for a relatively small amount of dollars it will keep going for another few years ........and you are not in major debt , not only that , should you need an engine or an auto , you can pick them up for peanuts second hand .

[mechanic]

This is easy.
Being a Ford it's got at least another 420,000 klms in it yet.
Check the oil and water, top up the washer fluid, pump up the tyres, fill her up with juice and keep driving.

[blackf6]

Rust and economics does it for me.

[.:4:.]

From my perspective, the car needs $1500 ish work, the body and trim are as you say good. 420k on the dial, a few kays, my brothers wagon has around 900 ( original motor, but just about everything has been replaced atleast once). Will 4k buy a reliable car with leather and a bucket load of space? Or will it leave you stinging thinking the maintenance on the old one would have done you better? Now it's up to you to weigh up the options

[sexyxe]

Heck, if I had a car that was borderline, as long as it is safe, I'd forgo the additional maintenance beyond the basics with the intention of saving to buy a slightly better re:beyond the 4K range. You may end up getting 5 more years out of it with just basic servicing.

[Brazen]

My rule was 'if I sink a couple of grand into fixing this, will it still feel like a POS' if yes let it die, if no il fix it.

[Sabantien]

Sounds like you love the car, and besides a few niggles that you can fix for less than you'll spend on your new car, it runs fine.

Keep it. Fix the important stuff (brakes, etc) and then slowly fix the other niggles as you get the spare cash. That said, if you can already afford a few k for a new car, get everything fixed in one go, get the old girl a detail, and you'll feel like you have a new car.

[malazn mafia]

Matter of how much you like the car. Personally, would keep your treasured Falcon for weekends and get a cheap throwaway car like Hyundai, Corolla, Ranger, Hilux that you have no feelings for and let it cop the dings, scratches, knocks of everyday life.

[xtremerus]

Stick to the devil you know.
You may buy a $4000 car and it might get caught with a pos and cost more to fix.

[mike_nofx]

$1500 sounds like a fair bit for the items you have listed, I'm sure you could do it cheaper.

For a start I'd personally not bother with a trans cooler now at 400+km. Consider fitting one when you finally need a replacement box.

As for the rest of the work, should be a lot less than $1500, not to mention, even if you do buy a replacement car you'd likely still want to do all of the above work to it anyway, (servicing, coils etc probably even a trans cooler) so you'd be spending $4k plus the cost of all that work.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

$1500 sounds like a fair bit for the items you have listed, I'm sure you could do it cheaper.

For a start I'd personally not bother with a trans cooler now at 400+km. Consider fitting one when you finally need a replacement box.

As for the rest of the work, should be a lot less than $1500, not to mention, even if you do buy a replacement car you'd likely still want to do all of the above work to it anyway, (servicing, coils etc probably even a trans cooler) so you'd be spending $4k plus the cost of all that work.

That would be NZ dollars though wouldn't it? Isn't everything over there dearer?

[roddy1960]

G'day all...Another interesting topic...My AU ll Futura , nothing special really... will never get bad enough to part with...Don't have any logic for that...not one bit...Just can't imagine selling or trading the old girl...I've had a few cars and this the ONLY one that this has been the case...How crazy is that ?....luckily she still runs great ...and a few minor issues are cheap to fix anyway...Am I nuts , probably am I expect..Cheers Rod

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

G'day all...Another interesting topic...My AU ll Futura , nothing special really... will never get bad enough to part with...Don't have any logic for that...not one bit...Just can't imagine selling or trading the old girl...I've had a few cars and this the ONLY one that this has been the case...How crazy is that ?....luckily she still runs great ...and a few minor issues are cheap to fix anyway...Am I nuts , probably am I expect..Cheers Rod

Nah mate, you landed a good one, and I'm assuming it's only maintenance things like wheel bearings and plugs etc. So far my ghia has had both front bearings done, and a set of spark plugs, with a few oil changes and 150 on the dial it's been happy days. The only thing i hang on to is that a June built 08 fairmont ghia is in my opinion one of the better built falcons, but I reckon mine wasn't built on a friday or a monday

[XR6WGN]

I've had this dilema for a while now, my XR6 wagon had just clocked over 500,000 kms and needed a few things doing to it (nothing major, as being my daily driver, it was well serviced - just paint fading and a bit of rust in the dog legs, but nothing really major mechanically)
I decided that I'd update and found myself a manual FG XR50 which has now become my daily. The wagon, well after owning it for 15years, I couldn't part with it - it's now in the carport having a rest. I use it weekends for when I go to race meetings but down the track - I'm a little undecided! Keep it or not, that's my problem. It costs me not much really to keep it and to be honest unless we guys on here who know what my wagon is, who would really want a 21yr, 500,000 km car??

[roddy1960]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Nah mate, you landed a good one, and I'm assuming it's only maintenance things like wheel bearings and plugs etc. So far my ghia has had both front bearings done, and a set of spark plugs, with a few oil changes and 150 on the dial it's been happy days. The only thing i hang on to is that a June built 08 fairmont ghia is in my opinion one of the better built falcons, but I reckon mine wasn't built on a friday or a monday

G'day again...forgot to mention..Maybe six years ago I toyed with the idea of buying a 2007 BF station wagon..They wanted $16,500 for it...Trade in , if I wanted to for the then 8-9 year old AU ll ,nothing wrong with it and just ticked over 120,000 kays was ........$2000 to $2500...At the time good AU's were selling in the yards for better than $5000..The Ford dealer told me on the phone that day that my only hope of getting a better price was private sale...Consequently I kept her...and later bought a BA Fairmont Ghia which I have since traded (in March this year) on a FG XR6 Mk 1...which I love..That said however Ol' Faithful , the AU , remains and will do so quite literally until the wheels fall off her..The very thought of her being stripped down for parts or wrecked sends shivers down my spine..Only non original things on her are the alternator (carked it in 2015) and an after market stereo..SO RELIABLE..Drives lovely..To me worth way way more than two grand or way less by now perhaps..Just under 200,000 kms..Cheers Rod..

[Crazy Dazz]

I'd say there's a couple of different questions here that you need to separate.
The reality is that in your situation, with your budget, "upgrading" your car is a fools errand, unless your existing ride is completely RS or you really don't like it, or you want to change to a Juice Box.
Sure, $4k might get you a newer car, or one with less kms, but it will still have issues, and reality is you'll be back in the same situation before you know it.
I imagine it guzzles fuel, so if you want to swap to an economical juice box, then do so.
Otherwise, you obviously love the car, so you might as well keep it. Ford 6's are simple to fix, learn how to do it yourself.
Personally I'd prefer a V8 in a Lane, but my p&j is a TTG, so if turbo is your preferred option down the track, go for it.

[Qwerty321]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I'd say there's a couple of different questions here that you need to separate.
The reality is that in your situation, with your budget, "upgrading" your car is a fools errand, unless your existing ride is completely RS or you really don't like it, or you want to change to a Juice Box.
Sure, $4k might get you a newer car, or one with less kms, but it will still have issues, and reality is you'll be back in the same situation before you know it.
I imagine it guzzles fuel, so if you want to swap to an economical juice box, then do so.
Otherwise, you obviously love the car, so you might as well keep it. Ford 6's are simple to fix, learn how to do it yourself.
Personally I'd prefer a V8 in a Lane, but my p&j is a TTG, so if turbo is your preferred option down the track, go for it.

Ah yea, the car is a gas guzzler. But with my current circumstances the car basically only does highway or long distance driving, and when I do bring it down to uni there's no inner city rush hour commutes as Dunedin has barely any traffic and everything I need on a daily basis is within walking distance. I don't really see much difference economically between this and a juice box when it comes to highway miles. I'm happy with the 10.4L/100KM I'm averaging right now (with bad coils).

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Matter of how much you like the car. Personally, would keep your treasured Falcon for weekends and get a cheap throwaway car like Hyundai, Corolla, Ranger, Hilux that you have no feelings for and let it cop the dings, scratches, knocks of everyday life.

This is almost certainly what I would do if the car didn't get written off, by which I mean I simply don't have the money to fix the car. My first car was an ES300 that I loved dearly, but I was forced to let it go after the trans grenaded and I my mechanic and I couldn't find any spare U140 transmissions in NZ, meaning the cheapest viable option was a $3k rebuilt + install costs. In the end mechanic bought it off me for $500 (wreckers would only give my $300) and hoped to leave it in his shop and wait till he finds a part. 6 Months later, still can't get hold of a part.

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

$1500 sounds like a fair bit for the items you have listed, I'm sure you could do it cheaper.

For a start I'd personally not bother with a trans cooler now at 400+km. Consider fitting one when you finally need a replacement box.

As for the rest of the work, should be a lot less than $1500, not to mention, even if you do buy a replacement car you'd likely still want to do all of the above work to it anyway, (servicing, coils etc probably even a trans cooler) so you'd be spending $4k plus the cost of all that work.

NZ dollars mate. We get royally ****** over here. I emailed every single transmission specialist in Auckland (The cars still up there right now, I'm not bringing it down for university this year, so it's in my parents' driveway. I use it a lot over breaks when I'm back though) and the quotes ranged all the way upto $1000. I settled with Otahuhu Automatics as they were reputable and wanted 220 incl. GST for the servicing, and 280 incl. GST for the cooler. All including labour. As for the breaks, they're too thin for the mechanics to legally chuck to pads on them as they could shatter in the future, and as a result when the pads run out (Which they basically have now) they need to get new discs as well. I'm sure I could get some dodgy fella to change the pads anyway, but the mechanic seemed very genuine about the discs, and I'm not willing to value safety that little. So that's (if I can remember correctly) about $400 including installation. So that brings my total up to $900. Then I'm setting aside the remaining $700 for an oil change (I'm not really saving money doing this myself, and can't be arsed disposing of the oil), sorting out the misfire under load (I'm assuming it's the coils, and I may do them one at a time), and rectifying a few weird niggles like my steering wheel intermittently having wheel wobble on the highway. If I have enough money left over I'll also maybe look at getting the diff oil changed.

The reason why I'm looking at a trans cooler, is cause I heard when the trans line goes you need to replace the trans, the radiator and all the rubber coolant hoses as well as thoroughly flush out the cooling system. Long story short, very costly and an inevitable failure. If I was to the leave the car with no cooler and this happened, I would most definitely be forced to write it off. However, if the trans fails in the future, I'll just grab a second hand one from a yard for peanuts and have that chucked in. I heard the BTRs and invincible anyway. I have no reason to believe this trans is on it's last legs, shifts a charm and no problems from me. It takes about 3 seconds to engage reverse, but it engages just before the beep from the speakers, so I've been told this is normal and how it's designed. It once took about 5 seconds to engage and worried me slightly, but that was an exceptionally hot day with a lot of hard stop start traffic and it's never repeated since so I'm assuming that was a one off bad case and nothing to worry about.

P.S. When I got this car my parents payed for it as a "graduating high school" gift and as a reward for me doing really well in my final exams. They also had a $750 set of pretty good tires put on the car which have a hell of a lot of life left in them. A bit excessive, but they were involved in an extremely bad accident before I was born, and as a result they tend to go above and beyond when it comes to road safety. So I mean this definitely adds value to the car in my mind, considering the tires are effectively brand new.

[zilo]

database crash

[blackf6]

Just keep it mate. 4g will only buy you more problems.

[Bearr]

Google Vernadium redox batteries, & gallium arsenide solar cells, UNSW has the Tech but it gets buried by the the big oil & auto industries, OH & Electric companies!!!!

[chevypower]

When the cost of repair is greater than the difference in the vehicle's value before and after the repair.

[mcflux]

If $1500 sorts out the existing niggles in a car you know & love then that's a far better hit than $4k on an unknown vehicle. In your situation I'd only spend $ on what is a safety or reliability issue & put up with defects that are merely annoyances.

I'd reached that point with my BF Fairmont last year - it had 412k on it & had reached a point where I could either spend the $ on it & keep driving it (brakes, tailshaft, rear suspension all sad), or sell it off cheap as-is. If I wasn't looking for a dual cab at the time I would've spent the $ on the BF to keep it running as I knew all of its good & bad points. It was a fantastic car that gave me relatively trouble-free driving, was comfy, & the JTG LPG saved me a motza in $$$ on running costs.

Something random may crap itself in your car the day after you fix everything, but the same may happen with the $4k car you buy.

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

a cheap throwaway car like (a) Ranger, Hilux

wut

[AJ09]

As others have mentioned, rust and economics.

Early last year my AU needed repairs (again), just more things wearing out as you would expect with a 16 year old car.

At the time I found rust in the roof, behind the rear bumper and around the boot struts and the LPG tank was due for testing this year so I decided it was time to trade in and update.

Since buying my FG I have spent some $ however the car is now better to drive than when I bought it.

Fortunately I do the work myself so not a huge outlay.

[ebv8]

if you enjoy working on it keep it going, i love working on cars so i keep buying old sh.tters.
least its a falcon and easy to fix and plenty of used parts (in Aus)

[bomber1993]

I have a Ba mk2 Fairlane ghia as a daily I love it but mine is starting to feel a bit tired also. My plan is to hold onto it until i can afford a G6E Turbo

[Big_Damo]

If you like the car keep it going as it is always going to be a desirable car
I have a 64 Toyota Corona that would be worth nothing now and if I was to do a ground up rebuild possibly 500 but as my grandmothers only car and a 1 owner it has sentimental value to me and I will spend the money to get her looking good when I can
Only a machine but it is amazing how we become attached to cars
So keep the Fairlane and make her into a show car one day
'You will not regret that but you may regret selling