Thinking of selling, am I crazy?

[csnellin]

I read a bunch of threads that somewhat relate to the issue I am having right now, but wanted to get some additional perspectives. I have a 68 Fastback which I have owned for 22 years now.

I am debating selling it and replacing it with something made in the last 20 years that would be great looking and fun, but also could be a daily driver for me and I could enjoy from time to time with my children. There is a pretty long list of great sports coupes out there that could be purchased with the cash the 68 Fastback would bring.

But I feel like none of them are me, or maybe my problem is, they all seem too common. Nothing short of $100K cars gets the attention of my 68 Fastback. But am I that vane? Nothing looks as great to me sitting in the driveway. But what is the point of a car, for looking at or driving?

A little background about how I got to this point if you want it:
I have real mixed feelings about my car because over the 22 years I have owned it, it has spent a great deal of time off the road because I was either short of cash and/or time to fix whatever happens to be broken at the time. When it is running well, which it is right now, I find limited opportunities to drive it because it is either stupid hot (the car does not have A/C) or it is winter and even when there is not snow on the ground I figure it is not good idea to have it out on the salt covered roads.

Yes, I could install A/C, but now I have kids, so time and cash is even more limited. Plus I am starting to worry about my safety in the car should some idiot decide to crash into me, plus I do not feel comfortable transporting my kids around in it for same safety reasons. This is suppose to be my "fun" car, an escape from the boring people movers we have in the driveway, but it is not feeling like a "fun" car with the limited opportunities to experience it.

[wareagle]

IMHO, if you sell it you will regret it for the rest of your life...

[bartl]

I had the same thoughts a while back. My issues also included my physical condition. The way I figure it, anything I might get will still be subject to the same thing my Mustang is now, which is summer-only driving (I wouldn't want to expose the new car to salt either) and finding the time to drive it.

It took me a good 3 years to find it to begin with and I have a good deal of time and money invested in it - do I really want to sell it? I figured I'd hang on to it for the immediate future and see what tomorrow brings. I did pass on my '65 hardtop to my best friend who will start working on it right away vs. God knows when for me...

In the mean time, if there should appear a very nice Squarebird or the opportunity to sell and buy an FFR Cobra I can consider that down the road.

I can't tell you what to do - some of your arguments make perfect sense. Just put a lot of thought into it so that you really end up with something fun and not wishing you had the '68 back.

[TJH]

You spent a lot of time finding it, keeping it, fixing it, driving it (maybe not so much). If you sell it you will most likely never have another '68 fastback. I really can't tell you what to do but if you are sick of the car by all means sell it. If you are just sitting on the fence stay there for a while. I know how you feel. I have several cars & I should sell some of them simply because they do not get used enough but...what would I replace them with? Your issues with a/c & safety can be solved if you want to go down that road. Bet your kids can/will tell you what car to keep. Goodl luck with your decision.

[Snipe656]

If you find another car that you like then I say go for it. I'd not though just up and sell the 68 before even finding what type of car you'd like to replace it with. I have had a few cars that were kept upwards of two decades and I had love/hate relationships over that time. Cars that I never wanted to get rid of but life has a way of changing things and ultimately I did part ways with them. At the end of the day though they were just some material object and plenty of other material objects out there that can replace them.

[GypsyR]

You are looking at "something made in the last 20 years", IE, a used car. You complain about not having enough cash to do stuff to the car. Get the idea out of your head that a newer car will be perfect and require no parts or maintenance. Although a newer car hopefully more reliable and need less attention, when it does expect everything to cost double or triple what it costs on an old Mustang. Plus add in when something odd goes wrong beyond the scope of a parts store code scanner you will be paying someone else to find out what's wrong at around $100 an hour. Versus being able to do everything yourself on an older car. The number of cars less than 20 years old that are appreciating in value is pretty small. I'm building a somewhat stripped down hotrod of my '67. But adding factory type AC was a pretty high priority. It's supposed to be fun to drive ad a sweatbox isn't much fun. Some more things to think about there.

[mustang125]

I sold my 66 fastback in 82 before leaving for the Navy. I have been wishing I had not sold it ever sense. That is allot of regret my Friend.:-)

[ScottsGT]

It will be the worst day of your life for a long time. Don't do it!

[tooponies]

Sell a good 68 Fastback to buy a later model car ? The 68 retains it's value even in these hard times and will probably even increase in value in years to come. The later model car will depreciate in value and will be assaulted by the road salt. Most of us only drive our classics in good weather so you're not alone. I say keep it if it's you're desire to have a classic Mustang. It will be hard to replace and you won't know for sure what you're buying if that day comes.

[Smitten]

Every Mustang I have ever sold still bothers me to some degree or another. But then again, so do a few of my non-Mustangs that are gone. If, and only if, you can find a car you're excited about more then the Mustang, then MAYBE you can sell it and not feel the pangs of too much regret later. Unless you have had some car that has been on your radar for as long as you've owned the '68 and you thought you'd always wanted 'one of those', then as TJH says, start an "A/C and safety" project.

[1971mach1]

Life's too short for these "what ifs"!
If the car is not fulfiling it's purpose and there's not much sentimental value, then sell it and get a car that fits your needs. Your kids would probably love a later model convert or a 4x4 vehicle they could go camping with you in. Let someone else enjoy the garage queen.

[Blues Power]

i think aout selling mine every other day. esp last sunday when i was sitting on the side of the road for 2 hrs replacing parts trying to get it to re start.

once it fired back up and got me home the the feeling subsided for now lol

[A_65_Myself]

Originally Posted by Blues Power

i think about selling mine every other day, esp last Sunday when i was sitting on the side of the road for 2 hrs replacing parts trying to get it to re-start.

once it fired back up and got me home the the feeling subsided for now lol

1+ Except my issue was last Friday in the torrential rain. A bad couple of hours, but now all is good.

[Pmustang]

I did not read all the posts so sorry if I repeat

I had quite a few 60s mustangs in the past and always got fed up with the problems and sold them. Fast forward 10 years. I bought a 2007 Shelby GT500 as I figured it was a modern interpretation of a 60s mustang. You know what? The clutch went at 5k miles, paint had a huge defect, bad rear diff and warped front rotors before 10k miles. Same Agro! Afraid to park it anywhere as well bi live in the UK so not driving in the rain was not an option. So what did I do? Buy two more classics and paid 3 times what I sold my last 68 fastback for ten years ago. Are they still a pain in the a55, you bet! The other thing to consider is that your classic is not depreciating while the new car will savagely. Even if your fastback sits in the garage it is not costing you money. I felt u had to use my 2007 as the depreciation was huge! I will say the feeling of knowing the 2007 would start when I was heading out was fantastic, beats the old car no start blues

I have tried something with the last car you may want to consider it as well. Vintage style with newer tech. 65 fastback with a 5.0 Fuel injected motor, optima battery, late model 5 speed and vintage air. I am thinking if you can't beat em, join em.

Cheers. Peter

[Franks68coupe]

To answer your subject line. Yes, you're crazy. Newer cars are not necessarily better, and that car has been a part of your life for a long time. If I were you... I'd miss it, and regret it.