new daily driver

[ocbaud]

so, its been over a year since my ex wife left me and our son.
been having a lot of financial issues because of that and the lack of child support that she owes.

may have to move out of my house, but we'll see.
Either way, i think to save some money, i've got to get rid of one of my 2 vehicles :-(

I've only put 1,800 miles on the truck in the last 2 years :-(

so, i've decided to get rid of the mustang

That will save me $312 every month on a car payment, plus $415 every 6 months on full coverage for the mustang.

With the profit from selling the car, i figure I should have around $3k left over after paying off the loan.


Ideas for more daily drivablity on my truck?
Was thinking swapping out the th350 for a L2 bowtie overdrives 700r4 and new stall. That would all be about $1500.

With the carb tuned better by a professional, I'm hoping i should hit 20mpg on the highway, which is what i got in the mustang.


Any other ideas? I thought about a gear vendors unit, but would like the simplicity of the single 700r4

truck has 3.73's in it now that will not be changed out

[ocbaud]

oh and another thing I would plan on doing is rebuilding the front end and bushings. Needs done more than the tranny :-/

[bagged81]

Sucks to hear about your situation. I think you would be better off taking that $3k and buying a 4cyl import. Also, look for other places to cut spending such as cable or internet.

[68Timber]

Sorry to hear you have to sell a toy, but you're certainly doing the right thing for the right reasons.

The TH700R4 is an obvious and excellent move, but I don't know if I'd swap out the 3.73's. Most think the R4 and 3.73's are a perfect match. How tall a rear tire are you running?

My ex hasn't paid me a cent of cs since November of 2008...

[JohnC]

Sorry to hear you are parting with the Mustang man. It's a nice looking car. Hope everything works out for ya!

[ocbaud]

Originally Posted by bagged81

Sucks to hear about your situation. I think you would be better off taking that $3k and buying a 4cyl import. Also, look for other places to cut spending such as cable or internet.

yeah, if i need to move to an apartment, there really won't be room for 2 cars.


Turned off cable last March, internet is a necessity, that along with my cell, are both semi payed for from work.

[ocbaud]

Originally Posted by JohnC

Sorry to hear you are parting with the Mustang man. It's a nice looking car. Hope everything works out for ya!

yeah, i like the truck more anyway. hopefully it will all be tip top shape by the meet this year

[JohnC]

Yeah love seeing your truck man. It's sharp. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by ocbaud

been having a lot of financial issues.........


Was thinking swapping out the th350 for a L2 bowtie overdrives 700r4 and new stall. That would all be about $1500.

Just an observation from someone who does financial counseling on the side; those two statements conflict with one another.

With the profit from selling the car, i figure I should have around $3k left over after paying off the loan.

I would stick this in the bank for when Murphy decides to pay you a visit, and for any needs your son might have.

That $1500 is roughly what I budget for fuel for myself for the entire year, both for my Subaru and truck. Not knowing what king of mileage your truck gets right now, means I haven't done the math, but I think it would take a long time to make up that much in fuel savings.

I know that's probably not what you were looking for, but..... you did ask for any other ideas!

[bagged81]

My apartment complex did not specify the amount of cars I can have but I can see wheres some would. I am just lucky I can afford a garage and the other two cars are just in the lot. I do live in a new complex though.

I have not had much luck with modifying/swapping parts on my only driver. Do you have another vehicle to bee-bop around in during the swap? What kind of mileage does the truck get?

[Pyrotechnic]

Honestly, all a $2000-$3000 overdrive does is make your cruising RPM's a little better. As a money saving move, it's not a good one because $2000-$3000 buys a lot of gas, and you are only put slightly less gas in the truck anyway, so it will take a long time for the overdrive to pay off.

With the 3.73's your city mileage should be good. Even if you have to do a little highway time everyday, just leave some extra time and cruise it 60-65 MPH.

If you truck does end up outside, whether at home or at your destination, invest in a really nice truck cover with a lock cable to keep the paint nice.

[bigblock73]

Eric, I would sell the Mustang, park the truck at the parents (cancel all but storage insurance on it), and get a used econobox to skate around in...until times get better. I personally wouldn't want to drive a old standard cab truck everyday, it is impractical for your needs as a single parent IMO. Our '00 Civic DX gets damn near 40 MPG, can haul 4 ppl, has a trunk, and won't get vandalized like an older nicer vehicle likely will sooner or later.

Just my .02

[Rollinsqrbdy]

I suck with money so i cant give any suggestions, but good luck with everything and keep ya head up bud.

[ocbaud]

yeah, not really any place to park it at my parents place.

[72BlckButy]

Watch craigslist and pick up a cheap/solid car and run it.

[Slonaker]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

Just an observation from someone who does financial counseling on the side; those two statements conflict with one another.

I would stick this in the bank for when Murphy decides to pay you a visit, and for any needs your son might have.

He and bigblock73 are right. It sucks, but you have a kid. You have to do what is best for him. Defer gratification until he is older and you are in a better spot financially.

You won't get 20 mpg out of the truck even with the 700r4, and you would have to do a LOT of driving to get your money back on that transmission. You'll go broke saving all that money. That's why I still have a TH350C in my '86.

Slonaker

[old Rusty C10]

I dont want to burst your bubble here but you mentioned that you have a child. If he/she is small it may pay to take part of the money and buy a cheaper car for safety sake to run with. If your child is still in a baby or toddler seat its not safe for them to be in the cab of a truck in the front seat

[highperf4x4]

I think you've made the right decision to lose the mustang. I don't know what your payoff is on the car but getting 3000 extra out of it sounds pretty optimistic right now given the state of the economy. Everyone seems to be on hard times.

However, if it were me and I actually did get that much extra I wouldn't waste any of it on a transmission if I had one that was working good already. As stated above it's not going to get you 20mpg even if all you do is alot of creeping along the highway. In town driving will not change at all. Not noticeably anyway. And a stall converter will actually "worsen" your mileage. I would definitely disconnect the secondaries on the carb though.

I would spend only what was necessary to replace any worn front end parts that might be dangerous since you'll be hauling the boy around. I use a regular cab truck as a daily driver and I have no complaints about it. I also cart my 6yr old son around alot as well. You'll be saving yourself about 400 a month on car payment and insurance and if you toss the extra money from the car into the bank you may be able to hold on to your house until things improve. This is assuming that you're buying the house and not renting it. If you're only renting then I'd head for something cheaper until you can afford more again.

Decisions are ultimately yours and none of us truly understand your situation or frustration level. I'm just offering another educated point of view. I've been on hard times before myself and I sympathize with you.

Remember brother, good times are always just around the corner! Keep your chin up and MAJOR props from me for raising that boy as a single parent. I know it can be tough sometimes. I hope you bring him to the meet again this year. He's an extremely cute kid.

[ocbaud]

kid will be 4 in april

but yeah, you guys are right.
Guess i'll probably sell the truck

[glock35ipsc]

You gonna sell them both?

[highperf4x4]

Originally Posted by ocbaud

kid will be 4 in april

but yeah, you guys are right.
Guess i'll probably sell the truck

Well, that's not what I was thinking but like I said, the decisions are ultimately yours. Just make sure you can still afford to pay for that mustang if it's the only vehicle you'll have left. Best of luck to you either way brother!

[ocbaud]

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

You gonna sell them both?

that would make the most sense to do, right?

so yeah, both cars i love and i'll get a beater that i'll cry in everyday :-/

[Mr.Scary]

ocbaud keep on truckin man and like highperf4x4 said things will only get better for you and i would take everyones opinion with a grain of salt, because like mentioned before only you know your sitch. I would just stop, take a step back and think what would be the best decsion for you and your son. Wheather that means fixing your truck, selling your truck, etc. and remember always think positive because as someone who has once lost there way too your mind has the power to do anything!!!!!!

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by ocbaud

that would make the most sense to do, right?

so yeah, both cars i love and i'll get a beater that i'll cry in everyday :-/

IMHO, yes. Car and trucks come and go, they are a commodity. But providing the best for you child, that's what being a man is all about. And I applaud you for bringing this issue out in the open and asking for ideas. Not an easy thing for some people to do.

I posted this on Facebook not long ago, and pissed off a few of my "friends". But that told me all I needed to know about them:

The difference between men & boys is whether you put your family before your toys

Good luck brother!

[scotts62]

Well said glock35ipsc and its very true, that is basically why my projects have slowed waayyyyy down at the moment..

The only problem with selling your car or truck that i can relate to or think of is that you already know your truck and how it runs and know whats wrong with it and if you buy another ride its new to you and could in fact have more problems with the new/used one than the one you got rid of (i have ran into this) and you can buy a bunch of gas for what the payments are on some of these vehicles out there today.