How do you not trade up?

[johnnyhumble]

I notice some of you have had your S197's for a good amount of time. I lurked on this site for years until I finally bought a 2006 GT several years ago. I love the car, but she has 130K miles on her now and I am starting to have annoying little problems. Lights work 1/2 the time, A/C fan only works on high, Tinting bubbling on windows, clutch is a little sloppy, door panels sagging...nothing major, just annoyances right now.
I owe exactly $0 for the car, so that is a plus. The car has had a few upgrades, but is mainly stock. But....

The new ones are so damn fine, I was wondering how some of you stay strong and don't trade up? Is it your wives, is it the money, or do you just not want a new car note? I ask because I am constantly wanting something different and have yet to stay with any vehicle more than a few years. I have had 7 Harleys since 2000 and countless vehicles. My wife is ready to castrate me. I always justify it by saying I make the money to afford it...but, it is a hassle at times always toting a care note around.

So, do any of you have advice or tricks to keeping the same car for a while, or is it worth it to buy the new one when you get the itch?

 

[RazorbackMustang]

I'm no help. I always want a new ride. That said, I've had my current mustang for 5.5 years. Almost a record!

 

[007GTCS]

It's easy for me. My favorite body style is the 05-09. I can always make my car faster. But I like the way it looks. So I am not to worried about upgrading

 

[mfergel]

I feel the same way sometimes. My 06 has over 120,000. Carpet has a hole near your foot heal, sagging door panel, wear on the drivers seat where you get in and out, etc. All stupid little things..........but, I'm not a fan of the new body style (would either get a 2014 model or look into a BMW, etc). Ultimately though, I have no car payment and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. Even if the engine takes a dump in my Mustang I might just look into putting in a Coyote and new transmission. Still be cheaper than a new car and my current ride still gets looks and compliments.

 

[eighty6gt]

Cars that are traded in usually need about $2200 in work (??) and you are under a $40,000+ note.

Buy new door panels, buy an entire new carpet. I replace parts in my car (hvac duct vent surrounds, oem floor mats, weatherstripping, etc..) as required to keep the vehicle fresh. Next year I'm taking it in to have the paint fixed up, small dents repaired, polished out. Might throw in a new windsheeby and d/s side glass.

Changing cars is paralyzingly expensive, especially here.

 

[Deez-67]

I don't let my car get those "annoyances" I keep up with it and in return she has 140+ on her and still hasn't ever been in the shop. I love the body style and my wife says I can't sell it. When it is time to upgrade I'm sure it will be just a motor swap with a power adder.

 

[johnnyhumble]

I don't let my car get those "annoyances" I keep up with it and in return she has 140+ on her and still hasn't ever been in the shop. I love the body style and my wife says I can't sell it. When it is time to upgrade I'm sure it will be just a motor swap with a power adder.

Yours is one of them that I admire constantly! LOVE IT!

 

[MassMustang]

I also say that the 05-09 style is my favorite. I'm only envious of the larger motors (5.3/5.4/5.8) and some interior features on the 11-14's. I'm always wrestling with:

- stroke the 3V motor to 298/302
- drop-in a 326 shortblock/longblock
- trade in for a 07-09 GT500
- trade in for a 11-12 GT500
- trade in for a 13-14 GT500
- trade in for a 69/70 Fastback

If you ask too many people what they think, you get 1K+ different ideas. For now, I'm taking it in small phases and repairing/replacing/upgrading as I can.

If money were absolutely no object, I'd probably just build my 05 into an absolutely beast and race it (1/4 mile). Something unique but just as fast, if not faster, than many stock GT500s. I'd also buy the new Shelby to drive to work.

However, the reality is we're a family of 5 and we're just trying to live the American dream.

 

[GallopingFord]

I just keep modding it and taking care of it. I always prepare for the next addition to it too.

Coming up on 6 year of ownership on my 2009 and I've tried selling it a dozen times but just when I'm about to put a deal together, I lose the drive to sell it to someone else. For me it's attachment. However the newer 2015's don't really interest me in the looks department. They look good and I appreciate them, but I like the straight cut lines of my 09.

 

[skwerl]

As said above, you keep it fresh by keeping it fresh. If you have no monthly payment then it's really easy to justify spending a few dollars here and there to fix minor little issues as they come up. If you ignore them long enough then one day you have thousands of dollars of work that needs to be done and no inclination to do it. Instead of doing that, just budget a certain amount (maybe $100) per month to spend on the car. It might be an oil change, filters and full detail one month, having an upholstery shop fix the door panels the next month, A/C switch the next month, etc. But that shit won't fix itself.

 

[BLKBULLITT]

I like my 05-09's. Hence why I came back to them. Plus they are cheap now again got mine for a pretty damn good deal. Just makes no sense to me upgrading to a newer one that'll cost me a ton. And I already see them going used for 32k-38k (s550).... I also live in a place that winter is here 6-7 months of the year. So dropping big coin on a nice newer car makes no sense to me.

I got my 06 GT (this is my 3rd s197) for $9500. With low mileage and pretty well stock. I got a car that's paid for and a list as long as my arm for mods I want to do over the winter time while its parked. It's not perfect. But know what I'm ok with it. Better than having massive car payment. And I have the fun of making it "perfect". Just have to start dropping the cash haha.

 

[TRC51]

I'm no help. I always want a new ride. That said, I've had my current mustang for 5.5 years. Almost a record!

This is me, almost exactly. I've had the 08 for a record 5 years now. I am constantly looking at new mustangs, but nothing drags me away from the Bullitt quite yet. I've got it bad for the GT350 though, but....

..... the biggest deterrent is a payment "book".

However, if my car had the OP's 130kmi (which is not realistic for me, cause I wouldn't wait that long).... that car would be long gone. BUT, I also find myself in a strange area of considering an 05 - 09 build. In which case, if I had a 130kmi car, it would be a GREAT opportunity for that. Ground up rebuild with my son with a "paid for" starter car.

 

[mfergel]

Cars that are traded in usually need about $2200 in work (??) and you are under a $40,000+ note.

Buy new door panels, buy an entire new carpet. I replace parts in my car (hvac duct vent surrounds, oem floor mats, weatherstripping, etc..) as required to keep the vehicle fresh. Next year I'm taking it in to have the paint fixed up, small dents repaired, polished out. Might throw in a new windsheeby and d/s side glass.

Changing cars is paralyzingly expensive, especially here.

Yeah. My plan is to take care of that stuff with the tax return next year. New carpet. Take care of the door panels. New upper for the drivers seat, etc. I'll probably be looking at $1,000-$2,000 in just getting it back to really good shape, but that's still way less than a new car.

 

[NickD87]

My 05 has 32k on it, looks new inside and out, with all the mods done its as fast as a stock coyote and will keep on getting faster. I really like the unique aspect of it, stocking coyote and s550s are dime a dozen here my car with full bolt ons cams etc gets a lot of looks and compliments.

 

[bujeezus]

for me an vehicles, it was not having a payment. i had my truck for almost 15 years simply coz i didn't want a note. when it finally died i picked up a little civic clunker for cheap an drove it for almost 7 years until i came across the bullitt this year. plan on keepin it for many, many years. i love all year mustangs but the '05-'09 are my favorites.

 

[MassMustang]

All the 05-09 love above is making me feel good about keeping my 05 a few more years!

 

[Norm Peterson]

I notice some of you have had your S197's for a good amount of time. I lurked on this site for years until I finally bought a 2006 GT several years ago. I love the car, but she has 130K miles on her now and I am starting to have annoying little problems. Lights work 1/2 the time, A/C fan only works on high, Tinting bubbling on windows, clutch is a little sloppy, door panels sagging...nothing major, just annoyances right now.
I owe exactly $0 for the car, so that is a plus. The car has had a few upgrades, but is mainly stock. But....

The new ones are so damn fine, I was wondering how some of you stay strong and don't trade up? Is it your wives, is it the money, or do you just not want a new car note? I ask because I am constantly wanting something different and have yet to stay with any vehicle more than a few years. I have had 7 Harleys since 2000 and countless vehicles. My wife is ready to castrate me. I always justify it by saying I make the money to afford it...but, it is a hassle at times always toting a care note around.

So, do any of you have advice or tricks to keeping the same car for a while, or is it worth it to buy the new one when you get the itch?

It's still a fun car to drive. It's nowhere near the fastest or the most powerful, but there's more to driving fun than always chasing newer/faster/more powerful.

When I bought it, it had to give me a satisfactory feel that I'd still be happy enough with it 5 years or so down the road for me to still want to keep it. Almost 8 years later, that's still true . . . just like it has been for every car I/we have ever bought new.

It has fewer nannies than the newer cars. Fewer "features" that I wouldn't use even if they were there.

It's still a faster road course car than I am a road course driver. But it's still fun learning, and I'm envisioning one more track day with speeds reaching into the mid to upper 120's this year.

It's still fun to keep picking away at mods that make it a better track car without completely destroying it as a street driver.

It still cleans up nicely without too much trouble . . . and it's black, to boot.


Check out how well 18x11's with 285/35's can fit ↓↓↓ - up front as well as out back . . . with no special tricks.

Norm

 

[mfergel]

Guess we could always go with the simplest solution...........

...........if you're no longer turning around and looking at your car after you've parked it then it's time to get a different car.

 

[GallopingFord]

werd!

 

[richman]

I'm in the same boat.. my 05 is paid off and I'm debating weather I want to build it up or just sell it and buy a car with most of what I want. Then again even the new car that has the 5.4 supercharged engine with 6 speed tranny will have stuff I want to upgrade or change...I look at the gt500 and think it would save a hell of a lot of work just to buy one then to build my 05 GT up to spec. But not having a car payment is nice and I can have the "built not bought" mentality..
I did a wire tuck on it over the winter and since I completed that I pretty much have the confidence to do anything with my car...so pulling engines or transmissions seem kinda easy in comparison. I don't know if yours is a daily driver OP ..mine isn't which is a luxury, though my .02 is I get the "I wants" real bad but I come back to the fact I like working on my ford's and with a new car there might be a little less to "fix".