Coming to a crossroads - Time to upgrade?

[donno]

G'day guys,

I'm after people's opinions, and don't be afraid to give it to me straight.

I've just finished my Engineering degree, and about to enter the workforce, so I will be coming into a reasonable amount of money (probably start off around 50k minimum, ~75k in 5 years), once I land a job. Obviously all this disposable income has got me thinking about upgrading.

Over the years I've probably put around 4-5g into the ED, and it's still not where I want it to be - that would require a full respray, new mags, and some more engine mods, probably down the forced route.

The car as is, would probably only be worth 3500, 4 at a pinch with the reasonable ks (175k), almost mint interior, but stuffed paint. Doing the mods to get it where I want it to be would cost around an additional 15g, but at this price, with my savings and massive tax return due (~6g savings, ~4g tax), I could buy a MKII XR6T with ~75k on the clock.

I want the car to be a reliable, legal (not a cop magnet at least), and smooth performer. That's why I keep getting the new T stuck in my head, but I can't help but think all the labour that I've put into the ED will be going to waste, plus it's my first car so I'm pretty attached to it, and would hate to see it go to someone who doesn't give a stuff.

So here are my choices as I see it.

A) Cut my losses and run - sell the ED while I can still get some sort of money for it, pick up a T.

B) Forget the T, sink the money into the ED.

C) Fix only the panels that really need painting (bumpers, bonnet and boot), 17" copy mags, limit spending to 2.5g, grin and bear the comparatively slack performance. Drive it into the ground, and wait it out until BFs are cheap. The ED is going to be worth next to nothing, I'll be lucky to give it away.

So guys, what do we think?

[mcflux]

D) XR6T driveline conversion :P

[Eb Barbie]

Sell the ED and put your money towards somthing newer to buy and do up.

[EFFalcon]

is it worth selling for $3.5k?

[mcflux]

Johndose has a point. If you must sell it, you'll get better value either parting it out, or returning it to stock & selling the good bits/selling the stock car seperately

[donno]

Originally Posted by EFFalcon

is it worth selling for $3.5k?

Well there'd be no point in keeping it - it would have to live out in the open, and I seriously doubt I'd ever drive it with a T in the shed. Just sitting there it'd cost almost a grand per year for rego and insurance.

Originally Posted by Ghia5L

If you must sell it, you'll get better value either parting it out, or returning it to stock & selling the good bits/selling the stock car seperately

I can't really part it out unfortunately, pretty much all the mods replaced worn out stock stuff (exhaust, cat, exchange cam, stock shocks dead but still have them), so I don't have them laying around. If I got replacement stock stuff from the wreckers, just chasing it all down would probably offset any real profit. So the only thing to really pull is the stezza, and the amp is pretty much the only thing that could carry over.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Ghia5L

D) XR6T driveline conversion :P

XR6T driveline bolts straight up?

[webby_191189]

Keeo the ED and take it off the road and do it right up and buy the XR6T as your daily

[mcflux]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

XR6T driveline bolts straight up?

not quite!

[EdFairmontGhia]

Like you said earlier, if you put another 15g into the ed theres no way you'd ever recover that, and as it gets older and older you'd probably run into more trouble with other parts. At least with the XRT you have another good base to build up from...
Off topic but i had trouble selling my first car even though it was only a 82 meteor, i just kept all the good bits for the memories/keepsake and a little profit down the track, and tried to get as much as i could for it.
Not an easy decision, good luck with it.

[mcflux]

But with an XR6T, there's still depreciation. At least the ED is already worth nothing :P

And that's why I love E-Series cars!

[MeLLy]

sell the ed pos and get the xr6t cant get more straight then that.

[Sick EB]

really you are only choosing between option a + b. if you go with option c you will never be happy and will regret that you wasted your money. so you either go all out on the ed or sell it. i recon go the ba (newer car) then you will have the money for that to be pulling very nice times. it will take more time and money to get to where the ba could get to (speed/ quater time).

[Sundeep]

Go the BF XR6T.

The ED isn't worth doing up, spend the effort you'd lose doing it up on getting a good, secure job and work hard to get to the $75k. That way you'll be able to upgrade from the BF to the Orion quicker ;)

Sundeep

[raised by monkeys]

the way i look at it, no matter what car you buy, and this applies to every person i think on this forum, you will spend money on it. so for example you sell the ED. you buy the xr6T. you say WOW! what a punch. then you say "i think i'd like it to sound better" so you buy a maundrel bent 3" straight through and some HPC coated extractors. and then 2 weeks later you say "i think it needs to be a little lower so you put super lows in then you say "it doesnt quite handle that well though" so you add in new shocks and struts. then you say "i think colour coding that bumper with some tough looking driving lamps would look good" so then you get used to the power and would like a little extra punch.... and so on and so on....

so the moral of the story your going to keep spending on anything you buy, but wether its a $2500 or $25000 car.

i'd prefer something older and custom.

[Christiaan]

you had to ask this question?

XR6T.

[Sundeep]

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

and some HPC coated extractors. and then 2 weeks later you say "i think it needs to be a little lower so you put super lows in then you say "it doesnt quite handle that well though" so you add in new shocks and struts.

Errrr... you'd be going backwards by putting "extractors" on a XR6T, and shocks and struts are the same thing.

Sundeep

[mcflux]

N/A all the way Sunny :P

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dose

Errrr... you'd be going backwards by putting "extractors" on a XR6T, and shocks and struts are the same thing.

Sundeep

oh yeah... by bad

well i was only rambling. remember the moral thats all that counts.

[donno]

Thanks for the input everyone. I've been thinking about it all day, and sure its easy to say bah, its a 14 year old car, get rid of it, but its like my first child, and I don't think I could bare to see her walk out the door.

So this is what I'm thinking...

As per C, limit the spending to around 2g, and in the meantime save like crazy. Financially I'm better off saving for a year and paying cash up front, rather than getting a loan.

Until I get the T, drive it like I stole it to keep myself amused. I drive her pretty conservatively ATM, it sees above 4 grand about three times a week, but never past the red line, and I haven't really explored the potential of the new suspension setup (super lows, kyb shocks, 30mm sway bar going in soon).

I should really clarify, the performance isn't that bad, 1st and 2nd gears can still push me back in my seat reasonably well, and first gear above 3g on a cool night is all wheel spin, but I would love a car that can effortlessly shred through rubber, and chirp through the first 3 gears. I'm sure a stage II T will have little problems in the task.

Once the motor is shot, buy the T, de-register the ED, and turn it into a dedicated track car. So in the end I would get to keep my first car, get the T, although slightly down the track (1-2 years tops), and not really waste that much money. The interest on a loan plus fees would probably account for the sale of the car, plus the 2g into it. In addition to this there's a bit that would probably need to be done for road worthy, quieter exhaust and tuck it in for clearance, some bushes, and new tires by the time I get around to selling it.

So what do we think? Mind you I'll change my mind 6 times in the next 15 minutes.

[FRDXR6]

Just keep the ED, dont spend any more on mods. Thrash it.

One year later after some saving, buy the T.

[JD86]

sell it and buy a T

[DEVL-XR]

Ask yourself this question, would you rather be driving around in an all to common BA shaped Falcon, or would you rather yourself be driving around in a custom ED shaped Falcon?

[Sundeep]

Originally Posted by BradensEBxr6

Ask yourself this question, would you rather be driving around in an all to common BA shaped Falcon, or would you rather yourself be driving around in a custom ED shaped Falcon?

I'd be in a BA any day. If I could afford a BA XR6 Turbo I'd get one in a quick flash. Who wants to be driving bucket of bolts, in a club that's gone to the dogs and being associated with those who are looked down upon in the FordForums community forever?

Not me.

Sundeep

[Kenaz]

Originally Posted by BradensEBxr6

Ask yourself this question, would you rather be driving around in an all to common BA shaped Falcon, or would you rather yourself be driving around in a custom ED shaped Falcon?

Refer to sig :

Doesn't matter what the question is because the answer is always XR6 T.

[XRated]

them all off and get a real sports car (like a BMW 335i I6 twin-turbo!!).

[Sick EB]

how has this club 'gone to the dogs'. the e-series are getting old and people are moving on to the newer b-series and to holden (other manufacturers). thats fair enough. the e-series are still pushing 300,000k's and i can honestly see a ba reaching that far. the e-series may be 'a bucket of bolts' but the b-series are all plastic'. and what evidence do you have that 'we' are 'getting looked down upon'. you cant forget that even the e-series were $30,000-$40,000 ect. when brand new.
I, branden and many many other members are still and will be for a long time owning e-series and give them as much respect as if it were a 'higher priced car'.
i just dont agree how you are putting down a club you are apart of.

(my parents also own a ba xr6 fyi)

just my opinion. sorry for the thread hijacking but this had to be said.
matt.

[needfordspeed]

If your already thinking about it this hard go for a XR6T, you know you want one, you'll be over the ED in no time after you get a XR6T.

[yahoo189]

wow.

ED: Rainy night, windows fogging up, aircons not the best... seats are losing support

XR6T: Somehow your driving so fast that the rain stops. The climate control is giving you a nice even temperature and your relaxing in your comfortable chair while you cruise past in style

Conclusion: Buy an XR6T (although im surprised you did not consider an upgrade of a different taste to an ELGT (one on ebay $20g i think) just and idea....

[[Tonko]]

Keep the ED, make it a daily shitter and buy an ELGT