I need help with a really tough decision...

I'm stuck in a predicament. Im newly married, live in an apartment, my wife doesn't work, and I have 2 cars that dont run the best. However, I do have a 52 Styleline that runs awesome and I have nowhere to put it over winter and no garage and basically no way to keep up with it. Im considering trading it or selling it to get a nice newer car for the family. I have a Taurus but the tranny is on its way out and its just tired and old. Amy has a Sunfire that's way too small and it runs like shit. Should I get rid of the 52 and get another HAMB friendly car when I have a garage and a place to keep it and work on it? I feel like im to a point in my life where I need to make the safe and logical decision instead of the fun and cool one? What's your advice? Keep in mind we have a 5 year old daughter and I dont want her in an unsafe car that breaks down on her and mom...

 

safe and logical is my vote....as much as i love old cars, they require alot of "disposable" income.

 

get rid of the old car and the junk car, get a nice newer car to keep your kid safe, that's first. Old cars will come along, but family first.

 

Should have cashed in on the cash for clunkers you could have kept the old and had the new maybe, trade or sell both the junkers towards a newer car but you have to honest with yourself you could most likely trade the crestliner for a newer car pretty easy .

 

I was facing the exact same conditions in about 1981 except the kid was an 8 year old boy. The 52 ran like a top but no garage at the apartment complex.
I parked it for the winter in the parking lot and bought a 400 dollar 72 nova for daily transportation....wife had her own 75 Poncho wagon that gave us trouble with plastic timing gear crap getting caught in the oil pump bypass...we nursed it along [had to pull the pan twice that winter at a friend's warm garage] ...
Difference was, my wife worked and needed a car of her own..
If I was you, I'd keep the 52, sell the sunbird to buy a new tranny for the Tarus. Just me.
IN the spring we traded her Poncho in on a new 82 Plymouth horizon shitbox. Never had to work on it but the payments were tough ...still , she had a dependable car to drive until she wore it out when we bought another one for her.

 

Not tough at all , Wife and kids come way before any old car . Once they are taken care of properly you can think about another project to mess with .

 

Yup, family is first. Get the 'little woman' a reliable sedan. Plenty of really good used cars on the lots. If you are not particular about brand then just search for reviews about your (her) top 5 choices and go from there.
If your job is relatively secure and your credit is ok then you should also be looking for a house to buy, but if you spend too much on a car it will hurt the opportunity to buy a house.


.

 

No brainer. Family first. Toys second. There will be more cars. There always are. Just be sure you're doing it of your own free will. The last thing your marriage needs is hard feelings over a car. I have sold a bunch of great cars and bikes through the years to finance what ever was most important at the time. The fact that my car and bike dealing made us a buck or two sometimes helped keep me in the old lady's good graces. I sold a 49 Pan and 75th Anniversary edition Electroglide to make the down on our second house. I miss the bikes but glad we got the house. Same with all the old cars. I won't begin to list them. In the last 2 years alone I sold a 58 Apache, pair of 38 Fords, a 28 Chevy PU, a 55 PU. You get the drift. Family first. There will always be another deal another day on a car.
Toughest thing now is the economy and actually getting a decent buck for your car. Good luck with what ever you decide to do. Hobbies cost money and sometimes your passion gets put on the back burner for a while.
Rod

 

Sometimes you have to make sacrifices in life to do what's best. Fortunately, you don't have to make as many as you get older.

 

Problem with cash for clunkers is it came with a monthly car payment attached.

Look for surplus auctions and see if you can pick up a former state or county car of some sort that's been maintained. I see stuff in the 8-12 year old range with milage in the 75000-150000 range sell from $500 on up. Cars with minor issues tend to sell cheaper, and avoid old cop cars since they're left idling forever and while the odometer might read 90,000 it has another 100,000 miles of idle time on it.

My sister has a Sable and the trans slips all the time, irregularly on the 1-2 shift, no one knows why, I've read all kinds of causes from bad speed sensors and the wrong fluid, to the thing's just on it's way out. It might be worth playing around changing sensors and stuff. But hers has been that way for a long time and hasn't died yet. That said I figure eventually there's going to come a day where it will shift out of first and not go into any other gears.

 

Seem we all are in agreement,,family comes first!

And a place of your own should be high on that list also.

You can live vicariously thru the hamb until you can afford to play with old cars again and dream about that next project. HRP

 

Well here's my "story". I don't have a hot-rod cause I don't have the three key elements I think I'd need to acquire one. The desire to own is not on that list.
I have a little sation wagon/hatchback that runs well and looks pretty good.
I set up an info. booth at car shows. The crap doen't all fit so we take my wifes little cross-over, it just barely fits but there 'ya go.
I'd like to get a panel truck or "trad" staion wagon that the crap would fit in. But the three elements keep getting in the way.
But...the Chevy HHR Turbo SS Panel might be in reach. Can't get chrome yellow paint but they do have an arrest-me red....it don't look too bad... That eco-tech engine is supposed to be a real gem but I've had a couple of Chevies and they weren't so good....
just my$.02...

 

Personally, I'd find a $500 car, sell the Sunbird or Taurus for $300 and keep the '52 if possible...craigslist is your friend, if you've got something to trade, someone's always got a need...I've traded $80 worth of stuff I no longer need for 2 vintage snowmobiles worth a total of $600, now I could trade those off for something else if I need to...if your family is hurting for money and you or the wife are unhappy with either vehicle, then the '52 has to go...personally, I'd put an ad on craigslist in the Barter section with details and photos of the car and a list of vehicles you'd be willing to trade for, you never know what someone will trade for a vintage car...

 

My dad got rid of a few cars over the years when I was young because the family needs came first. I remember that and am still moved by it when I think back on it.
Family first.

 

You guys are all right haha. I would love to unload the other ones, but its not that easy. The sunfire isn't worth anything, and for what I need it wont pay. The Taurus was a gift from a friend who committed suicide, and I cant bring myself to get rid of it. Its time to say goodbye to the summertime cruiser. I need a house. I need a happy family. I need a SAFE family. Now... who wants a 52 Chebby? Haha (but for real...)

 

Seems like there are always guys wanting to trade their boring but reliable late model car for something from the 50's that runs, so I don't think you'll have any trouble trading your car for something else. It's not the fun choice but it is the smart one.

 

You already know the answer. Family trumps any other ideas. You'll be a happy camper, and old cars aren't going to be disappearing in the foreseeable future.

 

Let the old car go man...you'll get another someday..Been there before

 

Good call. I had a 49 shoebox, had to sell it when my boy was born.. I miss the car, but family is way more important..

 

Ooooohhh, you need a house, eh? Well, that changes things. When we bought our house, the fun car had to go. NO money for toys but as the years went by, we began to make a little more money and I bought a project when money allowed.
Yeah, if you're going to buy a house for your family, all toys will have to be put on hold.
BTW, make up a nice ad with a photo and a price and put it on the HAMB classified's forum...we have very good luck selling cars and parts on the classifieds...reaching over 80,000 members.

 

Is the '52 paid for?
You said it runs nicely?
Just drive it.
r

 

Calling from 40 years of experience I can safely say that one of the top three things that cause problems in a marriage are payments on things that you just thought you had to have for some reason or another.

I have to ask this. Do you actually need two daily drivers at the moment? Could you sell one and put a bit of cash with the money from it and make the other pretty reliable?
What would a storage unit cost for the Chev to keep it out of the weather for the winter? or renting a garage at someone's house. Even a Car Cover from Autozone would help some there.
Lots of people haul their families around in a small car like the Sunbird just fine so if it can be made reliable for a reasonable cost why not fix it and let her drive it for a couple of more years? Or sell it and put a trans in the Tarus which costs about 1500 around here at the moment.
I'd say think of the options and do what is most financially prudent for you.

 

if you have to ask what to do, maybe you shouldn't of had a family.

 

Put your ol'lady in something safe and reliable then start making decisions.

 

Coming from a womans perspective, Im glad to here that you are at least thinking about it!! Like everyone else has said, I think family comes before toys!! I know it will be hard, but cars can be replaced, not family!! Good luck, I have faith that you will make a good decision!! GOOD LUCK!!

 

No brainer- the styleline is the only dependable car out of the group. Get it some snow tires and start driving it. Sell the POS late models and get a better late model. Hopefully at some point in the future you can afford a 2nd late model to relieve the styleline. It's easy to spend 5K on a late model, and still have an unreliable POS.

Sometimes you gotta quit getting hung up on the nerdy = responsible thing and realize the old chevy is a simple and reliable car. Use it like one. It just happens to be cool. Yeah, it's gonna wear. Yeah, it's gonna rust a little. It's also gonna be the most fun you'll ever have with it.

good luck

 

Shifty just nailed it Dude!!

 

Sell the car. You can get another later. The wife and kid are the most important right now. Made that decision way back and it has now paid off many times over now.

 

I get a lot of lattitude with my toys...part of that is due to having a very cool wife, the other part of that is having a very cool wife...everyone can talk tough, but frankly my worst nightmare is thinking about my wife (no kids yet) getting stranded due to an unreliable car.

Keeping a reliable way to work is key for you. Keeping your wife in something safe for her & kids is also key. Getting that squared away will pave the way for toys...

Just my 2 "sense"

 

Find the cheapest newer chevy truck you can.These trucks usually do about 300,000 miles and try to keep your car .On the truck No 4 wheel drive .Two wheel drives are great Im on my second truck now with 165,000 and sold my first one with a 160,000 no problems with either truck but some maintenance.On cars The chrysler sebring is a very good car without alot of major problems and for vans Dodge caravans are good.Buy used payments are cheaper.Just watch what you buy.