Hitting the wall, we've all been there

[IronSnake]

Talk me off the ledge, or shove me off.

I took the car down in April to do the IRS swap. FTBR, LPW, MM Coil overs, all the good stuff. Dumped a ton of money into it, and still, 4 months later I'm not seeing the end of the tunnel. I've driven it 39 miles since then. Spent thousands.

Put a heater core in it this past week and finished it up Saturday. Started the car up and bled the system. Well, the new one popped and put coolant on the carpet. I rolled it back inside dejected after a days worth of work went to waste. Especially when it's 25 year old plastic that inevitably breaks more every time you remove it.

Worst part is, I have to redo it to drive it (I refuse to bypass it and be ghetto as frig). Add in the other 10-15 tasks that will take me (due to time constraints) another 5 months, I'm over it. I'm ready to sell or trade it. I just don't want to put more money in it. I've got damn near 15k in it now, and it's still not over.

I wish I would've never sold my 2016 GT PP. I just want to cruise to CC, the beach, and MW. But nope, getting married in a month and can't fix it because I don't have time to pull the dash/nor am I motivated.

I know I'm not the only one. Those of you with mostly OE cars that don't need to be baby sat, feel lucky. Not all of us have that luxury.

 

[Coiled03]

Sell it. Move to something newer. It's not the end of the world, trust me.

 

[08mojo]

How much do you want for it?

On a serious note, don't sell the car. Once it's sorted, the satisfaction the car will bring is immeasurable. Plus, a nice notch is hard to come by!

 

[KEVINS]

Sell it. Move to something newer. It's not the end of the world, trust me.

I agree... Plenty of opportunities out there and there always will be. Just set your mind to do it and don't look back.

ks

 

[HudsonFalcon]

Walk away from it for a little while and focus on your wedding. If when you come back to it it doesn't put a smile on your face maybe it's time to let it go.

We've all been there brother.

 

[IronSnake]

Sell it. Move to something newer. It's not the end of the world, trust me.

Yea, I know. It's just extremely frustrating. I was on a tight window and it kind of sack tapped me when this brand new HC popped. I'm thinking Mach, Terminator, GT500. The soon to be wife already cleared me for whatever I wanted. She specifically said she wants me to buy an M3, but meh.

How much do you want for it?

On a serious note, don't sell the car. Once it's sorted, the satisfaction the car will bring is immeasurable. Plus, a nice notch is hard to come by!

Not entirely sure man. I enjoy it as is, but it's always going to be a project. That's just how foxes go in my experience.

Not turning this into a for sale thread, I love the SVTp Gods too much to want to get into trouble. But if I don't get 11-12k when I sell it then I'll part it. There's easily that much in parts for a full part out. Shit bodies are bringing 5g's now.

 

[Bearbo]

It is not the end of the world true. Probably doesn't make you feel any better. Don't worry, it will be alright.

If it were easy, everyone would do it themselves. Whenever I do something it always goes wrong. Feel like I am cursed. Hang in there like a hair in a biscuit. When things are done you will be even prouder of what you have accomplished.

Congrats on the wedding.

 

[Blk04L]

What's done is done.

Just need to take your time and just fix the pressing needs. For now, don't worry about the car too much and just focus on the wedding/more important stuff.

Probably will take a good hit on your upgrades but it is what it is.

As I get older, I'm finding that I prefer not to do too much shit to cars/trucks. Can get into a big money pit and it is usually never worth it. Money or satisfaction wise.

 

[Coiled03]

Yea, I know. It's just extremely frustrating. I was on a tight window and it kind of sack tapped me when this brand new HC popped. I'm thinking Mach, Terminator, GT500. The soon to be wife already cleared me for whatever I wanted. She specifically said she wants me to buy an M3, but meh.

Yeah, I've been where you are. Hell, most people on this site probably have. Speaking just from my experience, I was much happier after I sold it. But, I understand it can be hard.

 

[AustinSN]

Fortunately the market for them is pretty strong right now. You could get back a decent chunk of what you put into it.

 

[IronSnake]

True. Thanks for the support folks.

It's not easy, but I'm just kind of burnt out. We will see where things go I guess. Luckily it's not a do or die thing, and I don't particularly need the money.

 

[black4vcobra]

Bummer. I can't imagine looking at a broken/uncompleted car for months/years.

Then again, at least us Midwest guys have to store our cars for at least 4 months out of the year. It's always a painful day when the car goes away for it's winter nap.

I'd say push through and finish it but only you can make that call.

 

[7998]

Dump it. Unless you really enjoy the wrenching. You sound like you want to be out cruising not wrenching. You could spend years and untold amounts dialling it in. And then it's nice for only a short time before you start the process all over again. So if it isn't your all time dream car cut your losses now.
P.S M3's are for ****.

 

[Mojo88]

Talk me off the ledge, or shove me off.

I took the car down in April to do the IRS swap. FTBR, LPW, MM Coil overs, all the good stuff. Dumped a ton of money into it, and still, 4 months later I'm not seeing the end of the tunnel. I've driven it 39 miles since then. Spent thousands.

Put a heater core in it this past week and finished it up Saturday. Started the car up and bled the system. Well, the new one popped and put coolant on the carpet. I rolled it back inside dejected after a days worth of work went to waste. Especially when it's 25 year old plastic that inevitably breaks more every time you remove it.

Worst part is, I have to redo it to drive it (I refuse to bypass it and be ghetto as frig). Add in the other 10-15 tasks that will take me (due to time constraints) another 5 months, I'm over it. I'm ready to sell or trade it. I just don't want to put more money in it. I've got damn near 15k in it now, and it's still not over.

I wish I would've never sold my 2016 GT PP. I just want to cruise to CC, the beach, and MW. But nope, getting married in a month and can't fix it because I don't have time to pull the dash/nor am I motivated.

I know I'm not the only one. Those of you with mostly OE cars that don't need to be baby sat, feel lucky. Not all of us have that luxury.

Man, I totally feel your pain. I have "been there/done that" with a couple of different cars and it truly sucks. This scenario takes all the fun out of the hobby. This is EXACTLY why I nowadays just look for OE or near-OE cars that are in good operating order from the get-go.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever your decision............

EDIT: I will add that the last project car I had that resembled your situation cost me over 50k in mods, endless hours of work and I was ecstatic to see it drive away when I sold it for a huge loss. It had worn me out.

-

 

[Machdup1]

If you enjoy working on cars, keep it.

If you enjoy driving cars fix it enough to get maximum value and sell it on to someone who enjoys working on cars.

 

[08mojo]

Yea, I know. It's just extremely frustrating. I was on a tight window and it kind of sack tapped me when this brand new HC popped. I'm thinking Mach, Terminator, GT500. The soon to be wife already cleared me for whatever I wanted. She specifically said she wants me to buy an M3, but meh.



Not entirely sure man. I enjoy it as is, but it's always going to be a project. That's just how foxes go in my experience.

Not turning this into a for sale thread, I love the SVTp Gods too much to want to get into trouble. But if I don't get 11-12k when I sell it then I'll part it. There's easily that much in parts for a full part out. Shit bodies are bringing 5g's now.

Fox Bodies were a constant project even when (relatively) new! I remember wrenching on those cars constantly back in high school--it was always something.

Be careful with the Terminator. One of the reasons I sold my '03 is because it reminded me of my old Fox: drive during the week, then put it on jackstands to fix something over the weekend. I'm sure a lot will disagree, but that was my experience.

 

[98slowbra]

Hey bud I feel your pain, on my cobra that I sold back in 2013, I put new exhaust on it and cold air intake, well it took out the MAF, then I blew both blocks out of my cats, and it always ran rich after this and you can smell gas, the computer never adjusted until I moved to Colorado then it was fine. Then I lowered the car and that caused all sorts of issues and none stop pain fixing it all the time, so I got so sick of all that I replaced it needed work on the same stuff, I got sick of it and traded it off and got a 2013 Raptor. I know how you feel, I was down to driving the car about 200 miles a year because I got to the point where I did not trust it anymore. I have been there bud and you do have a few options. Congrats on the wedding bud and take care of this after the wedding, I know this makes you have a bad day so if it gets to that point then get rid of it for the sake of your mental wellness. We have been there bud and good luck.

 

[RedVenom48]

#racecar

I feel your pain. My GT500 isn't going anywhere. But the little things definitely annoy me. Some of it owner induced, some are factory issues, some are race car parts that have a race car service life.

Have to redo the rod end rear control arms, had to put the factory ones back in. Knowing this will be a yearly thing if I want a race setup on the rear suspension is a bleak prospect. But necessary so I deal with it.

I need to get my clutch pedal moved closer to me by an inch. Currently have a pedal extender on it that screws up geometry on it. Released pedal height is stupid high. Easily my most WTF issue with the car is the stupid factory clutch pedal setup. Doesn't help Im short (at least, short legs), so Ill have to bite the bullet and get it custom fabricated for me.

Clutch feel sucks with my RXT, but will upgrade the stock master and see how it feels with a bigger unit.

car needs to go back to the body shop to get the crash damage fix ... um... fixed. After nearly 3 years since the accident at the track and subsequent repair, the LACK of repair quality and panel alignment bugs the shit outta me. When I didn't have my car for 3 months, as long as it looked like it was fixed I wanted it back. Now? I see its imperfection every time I look at it.

All this on a car that runs fine, no check engine light, no leaks etc. I will hate being in your shoes when my beloved gets there.

Focus on the wedding and honey moon. enjoy it. When the time is right come back to the car and list everything it needs. if you still shake you head and think "f this" then sell it. Maybe turn it into a race car
and get a much more fun daily. Don't mod the daily.


And don't get a BMW. Youll hate the damn thing when shit starts to fail. You'll loathe it when you see both the labor costs and parts costs to fix it.

S550 Mustang GT and call it good if a new car is the decision.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

Ive found myself constantly on this fence with my Mach even though its just a few stupid things away from being "perfect" (as in no issues that present in drivability/reliability concerns). Especially with what the new cars are capable of right out of the box, just being able to get in and drive and not think about coolant temps, oil pressure etc... is VERY tempting.

Honestly with something like that, if the car would be otherwise drivable I think I would bypass the heater core temporarily so I could at least drive the bitch. Then you can fix the other minor junk and still enjoy the car. When you have a weekend of down time then yank the damned dash back out and replace the core again.

 

[IronSnake]

I suppose I forgot to mention.

I do a ton of side work. By career I do logistics/product/catalog/data/inventory management. Desk job jabroni. So I sit around a lot during the day, but i'm sub 30, so it's not like i'm unfit to work on my stuff. I mostly exercise by taking on side work which I make good money doing it. And subsequently invest it into tools/the car. So I have everything from a Lincoln welder, to rotational torque wrench to build rear ends, etc. Working on cars is just what I do.

The shit of it is, I can fix someone else's (including the Fiancee's car) with god like powers lately, but can't catch a break on my car. My boss has a 300zx that he jumped via golf cart. Obviously a bad idea. I did a complete pin out, rewire, ohm'd everything out, and solved the problem in two nights.

But then I put a heater core in my car in the damn thing explodes worse then the old one.

I think i'm just burnt out.