Dilemma decision time – Sell coupe and go new car?

[Josh_XC]

Hi

I am at the point of my life where i have the urge to buy a new car, i currently own a 94 magna for a daily drive :-( and an xb coupe for a weekend fun car.

Im in two different minds at the moment as the coupe is an old car and im just pouring money into it to keep it on the road and was wondering if it would be worth me just selling it, putting some money together and buying either a BA XR8 or an XR6T.

I have around 12 k saved up and am trying to toss between putting the 12k into the coupe getting it a 393 engine or selling the coupe and getting a 2003 XR8 or something along those lines.

Just asking for your advice, ive never driven a BA XR8 or XR6T before so i cant compare how the car makes me feel when im drive it because for me anyway its about how the car makes me feel more than anything when buying a car. So yah there it is just asking for some opinions and similar experiences, also and pros and cons of the xr8 and xr6t.

Thanks

Josh

[RAREV8]

Hey Josh,

Before you make any rash decisions, go and test drive a couple of new Fords first. Also, remember that if you are going to actually buy the car, a new model is only a year away, if that.
This would dratically reduce the costs of the BA/BF's....good if you are looking for one then, bad if you own one!
It would be a real shame to sell the coupe- what is it? I don't recall seeing any pics of it on here?

Cheers,

Jamie

[Josh_XC]

Yeh i need to test drive the cars first thats for sure. I havent got a digital camera (i should get one) so pics are rare. ill see if i can find some. Yeh thats a good point though about the new model coming out next year.

[Falcon_Phill]

Then in 10 years time you can look at other XB's and wish you still had yours.

[Josh_XC]

Yeh i know thats what is really holding me back the regret of selling the xb in a few years time

[Pinkbits]

Don't sell the coupe if you don't have to.
My story- Genuine XA superbird + Genuine Tango XB GT coupe, sold to buy our first home.
Their value now??????????
<-- I'm just extremely lucky that i stumbled on to this coupe.

[LTDHO]

The day you sell your XB for a BA will be a day you will regret for the rest of your life.

With the money you have buy the best car you can afford.

[meg]

how much for ya coupe? i have one and would love a second!

[Josh_XC]

how the hell did u get a xa superbird as well as a genuine xb gt. Yeh thats what is leaning me towards the coupe the regreat that if i sell the thing in a few years time i know i will regreat it.

Yeh maybe i could sell the crappy magna and buy a decent EL or something. Or just keep the crappy magna there is nothing wrong with it mechanical wise just cosmetically it is rubbish hehe,

[Josh_XC]

I have no idea how much the coupe is worth i will try to find some pics today and post some up (i really need to invest in a digital camera).

[Pinkbits]

Originally Posted by Josh_XC

how the hell did u get a xa superbird as well as a genuine xb gt.

Bought the superbird back in 1981 when i was 17, i worked with the original owner who traded it in on a full house XC fairmont coupe.
He would'nt sell me the XA, but i found it in a car yard and bought it!, he then relented and sold me all the good bits and pieces that he removed before trading it in, really cheap eg; 14x8 + 14x7 hotwires, k-mac sway bars, GT grille and lights and 4 barrel intake and 600 holley.

The XB i saw at a GT club day at Winton back in 1985. It had a for sale sign on it, i spoke to the owner there, but unfortunately i had a broken foot and was'nt able to take it for a drive.
It was parked in my parents garage 2 weeks later!

[FORD3V]

Unless you have the finances to do a proper resto job on the coupe I would sell it and by an XR8 (no turbo).

I just sold a XW fairmont 302 and bought a BA 3V certainly dont regret it, it came to a point where unless i was willing to pour thousands into the XW it wasnt worth keeping.

[Tiapan]

i think you should keep the coupe, no new xr8 is going to turn heads like your coupe, but if you are leaning towards a stroker then 12 might not be enough, factor in a big fuel system, cooling (maybe) strong gearbox, tailshaft and maybe some diff upgrades, (this is if you are going CHI or ported heads with 393)

my advice is do a head swap (chi 185cc's) and just freshen up the bottom end with bearings, forgies and cam. the left over money you should save and buy a good conditon AU and then whack on a TE50 bodykit,

i dont know how worked you coupe is but there really is nothing like the hard shove from a lump of clevo torque

[fou_bleu]

12k wont get you a healthy car! You'd be spending heaps trying to fix it as it would more than likley have been thrashed! Ebay's cheapest BA XR6 is 18k!!!

[Tles]

I'd put the Xb away in the shed and keep her good & reg'd for an original resto down the track, if she's any good it'd be like money in the bank. Trade the Magna on a ute which will not only hold good value but make a good keeper hack too. 6-10 should buy something Ok. Or go a nicely specced BA XR8 or 6T ute for the extra bucks. i wouldn't worry about the 12-22 range as almost all the utes there are things you'll lose as much on as a good newish one but too good to run into the ground like a cheapy. A decent dual cab Hilux being the exception.
Mate has an good orange (octane?) 04 XR6T he's starting to look at selling, coming to end of lease.

Try getting a Fuji finepix 7.1meg for around $350 best compromise between a quick snap and an SLR under $800.

[shedguy]

Originally Posted by Tiapan

i think you should keep the coupe, no new xr8 is going to turn heads like your coupe

Oh ..... how true!! **shed tear** This thread is going to get full of very regretful people very quickly!! If you have the means - and the inclination - you should keep the coupe .... have a look on the net mate .. these things are not getting cheaper and, trust me, once you've owned one there is NO going back!!

If you really want to get rid of it ..... I have a soul going cheap!

[Josh_XC]

Ok. i test drove an xr8 today and was impressed with it, but not as impressed as i was thinking it would be. I love the xr8 it drove amazingly but it didnt put as big of a smile on my face as my coupe does.
Im taking some of your advice for now im going to keep the coupe stored away for a few months and figure out my finances, there is nothing wrong with the coupe at all, its got a new diff and the previous owner spent 3000 on the gearbox so the driveline is good. But least today gave me perpective i am going to keep the coupe!!

Thanks for ya help

Josh

[buickman]

[QUOTE]Good idea I sold a 82 Corvette in 1998 for $28 grand and have regreted it.
Then 2 years later paid over $30grand for a demo AU fairmont Ghia that devalued at a alarming rate that I sold it early 2006 for nearly a 1/3 of the original price with low Kms. I also nearly sold a 2 door buick I had sitting around since 1984 but decided to restore it. It doesn't drive like a newer car but its so different on the road to most other cars that it does give me some pleasure to drive it. I just drive a EB falcon as a daily at the moment that I paid $650 for & its clean a cannot devalue any more. But Iam waiting to see how the new orion is quality wise & will probly buy a second hand one. Buy the way someone had my old Corvette for sale recently on car sales for nearly $40 Grand. So if I was you hang on to it but not as a daily driver like so many others with the older cars.

[b2tf]

Josh dont sell the coupe mate, if anything get yourself a newer daily and keep the coupe for the weekends, you will regret it for sure if you let it go.

AU's are dirt cheap now and if the looks dont bother you they are a lot of car for the money - youve seen my ute so you already know what can be done to them.

[Falcon SXR8]

Yes keep the coupe a new xr8 will just not fill the void left behind trust me.

[BlueRaven]

They are two entirely different purchases. An XB coupe is an at the opposite end of the scale, where it is actually appreciating despite a climate of fuel costs rising and fears of pollution and global warming... the enthusiasts don't care and are willing to pay top dollar.

Hold onto your car, unless you really really don't want it anymore.

[Josh_XC]

Originally Posted by b2tf

Josh dont sell the coupe mate, if anything get yourself a newer daily and keep the coupe for the weekends, you will regret it for sure if you let it go.

AU's are dirt cheap now and if the looks dont bother you they are a lot of car for the money - youve seen my ute so you already know what can be done to them.

Yeh ur ute is imaculate its amazing one of the best examples of an AU ive ever seen.

Yeh dont worry after reading this thread and many many PM's ive been getting about this dilemma i am 100% curtain i am not going to sell the coupe after driving a few cars today ive decided nothing gives me even close the feeling i get when i drive the coupe. Im now looking for a sensible daily drive as the magna sorry just does not cut it lol.

[Pinkbits]

Don't worry about what your daily driver is. Ours is a WB Festiva, of course i could'nt help myself by adding a few changes; dropped 2", 14X6 mags, later model clear front indicators, later model tailights, decent sound system. We call it the e-bay car, as everything on it was purchased from there, even the car itself. All up it owes us just under 3k and never misses a beat.
At the end of the day, you know what is parked in your garage for your enjoyment.

[xbgs351]

The devaluation of a new Falcon will make the money you are spending on the coupe look like peanuts, and besides the coupe will appreciate in value.

[RSgerry]

a newer Facon will probably ride better, be smoother and a 'nicer' drive, in a new car kind of way. however, if you sell the coupe, you will regret it forever. it will have a certain something that no new car can deliver. like a load of other people, i had a car i loved and sold it for something newer and 'better'. after 10 years, it still hurts to think about it.

[Interceptor]

ifyou're gonna sell the hardtop, buy something thats going to increase in value..... which leaves you precious few options in the new/ish car market

[Josh_XC]

Yeh true, the money i spend in the coupe will be nothing of what a new car depresiates in value every year. Interceptor i cant really think of any new car will increase in value thats a new/ish car and in my price range. I know know i am staying with the coupe thats for curtain.

[EviLkarL]

I sold my Mustang and XAGT to buy a house a few years back. Net result is that now I own my house, don't owe anybody anything and I paid Cash for my new BF GT. Got a sweet deal because I paid cash and I'm laughing.

Your Coupe is probably worth good money right now, however like any investment with large returns, there is large risk involved also. Who knows if the *** will fall out of the early car market. It surely will end at some stage whenever the demand drops below the supply. Real enthusists can't afford some of these cars now. I know I can't afford to buy a XY GT anymore and I'm probably on the higher end of likely people to buy an early muscle car again.
No matter what you sell the coupe for, it will most likely sell for more the next time it is sold. Don't feel guilty about that because you will now have the car you want and afterall, its a car, not a share port-filio.
From a drivability point of view, I enjoy driving the BF far more then the Mustang or my XA GT. I can park it, lock it and feel reasonably secure in the mind that it is safe, something i could never do in the stang or GT.