Possibly the end of my Festiva

[FB71]

oh, and UNCO, if you happen upon a set of Globe alloys you'd want to sell me...

[Unco]

hmm... i don't think i could afford a 2door falcon coupe. i was talking about a 4door sedan.

hardtop coupes fetch ridiculous amounts of money around here. even a rusted out shell goes for $10,000 or more. a good example will set you back easily $20,000 to $40,000AUD and that's the kind of money i would never put towards a car unless it was just sitting in my bank account, which it isn't.

so far it looks like i am the new owner of a 1978 falcon sedan with a factory "outback pack" option. i spoke with the guy on the phone several times today and managed to negotiate a price. i'm picking up a car trailer tomorrow morning and bringing her home. i'll post some pics then.

it is a 6cyl (250ci) straight six, 3 speed column shift automatic, 4door sedan with a bit of rust here and there, nothing major i hope. but the thing i am really excited about is the outback pack, which consists of heavy duty suspension,sump guard,transmission guard,factory limited slip diff,protector strip for fuel tank and shock absorber bash plates. this car could not be any more perfect for what jane and i need: we regularly drive up to the city of Rockhampton and then further to her father's property and then to her brother's property through some very rough dirt roads about 2 hours west of town.

normally we would use her fathers 4wd land cruiser to drive to the other property, but i hate borrowing other people's cars. the falcon will be perfect for such trips.

those pics you guys have posted links to, are for the 2door coupe. the sedan looks similar and the one i am looking to get looks very tired compared to those pictures, but i still look forward to making it my daily driver.

i still have a soft spot for Festivas thanks to my last little blue car, and i would not discard the possibility of getting another one in the next few months, but for now, it looks like i'll be driving a 1978 Falcon as a daily driver and leaving the 1977 LTD for the weekends and special occasions as usual.

[FB71]

does the Outback Pack also have the 32 gallon tank?

[Unco]

hey FB71, when you're talking about the Globe alloys, are you talking about the Ford Falcon ones? i'm not sure i could afford to get a set of those... mortgage repayments have priority for us at the moment.

and the XC has a standard size fuel tank... 79 litres.

my LTD is in greater need of a long range fuel tank as it is also fitted with the same tank, but the engine is a 351ci Cleveland. average around-town fuel consumption of around 22L/100Km, the fuel gauge goes down real quick.

i would expect the XC to get around 13-15L/100Km which is almost twice as much as what my Festiva was getting, but i don't mind, and as i said earlier, i will most probably get another Festiva in the coming months.

more detailed info on the XC is here: http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au...ifications.htm

and this is my new toy when i got home yesterday after spending 8 hours on the highway and $200 worth of fuel to get it home... i love country driving in case you can't tell...



i will be hitting the wrecking yards in the next week or so to get a couple of front seats for the XC. i have not forgotten about everyone's requests and i will really try to find some good clear lenses for you guys, but i can't promise anything. i will let you all know in due course.

[festyxfi]

^ Ive never had any thing but the most basic liability insurance on any car. Just enough to be legal. Fortunately Ive never been involved in an accident. (Knock on Wood ) I could probably buy several new cars on the $ Ive saved over full coverage insurance during the last 20 years.

I totally agree with the above statement. Insurance IMHO is a type of organized crime. I've only recently stopped using phony insurance cards made on my home computer. Alse never been in an accident, and thanksfull for it.

[Unco]

I totally agree with the above statement. Insurance IMHO is a type of organized crime. I've only recently stopped using phony insurance cards made on my home computer. Alse never been in an accident, and thanksfull for it.

not sure what that means (phony insurance cards). i would never go without insurance.

one way to look at it is betting against odds. and essentially, that's all insurance is... bettings against the odds of something happening to you or your property.

once you accumulate a few assets, i think it would be wise to get insurance on things you consider to be valuable to you.

say, my festiva for example. if i'd rolled it or hit a kangaroo at 80Km/h, i would be $3,500 out of pocket if i didn't have insurance.

liability only insurance (we call it Third Party Property Only Insurance) may be suitable for vehicles under, say, the $1,000 mark, but anything beyond that may be worthwhile insuring. but that's just my opinion.

of course, it also depends how much your premium costs. i currently pay under $500 per year per vehicle for full comprehensive cover. that's why it makes sense to me to insure my cars.

if i had to pay, say $1,000 per year on insurance for a $2,000 car, i probably would not bother.

[freshtiva]

Wow, that car looks clean ! I guess rust doesnt exist in AUS. On the other hand we seldom hit any kangaroos. Its deer we have to worry about. Nice looking purchase, good luck on the new car.

[FB71]

hey FB71, when you're talking about the Globe alloys, are you talking about the Ford Falcon ones? i'm not sure i could afford to get a set of those... mortgage repayments have priority for us at the moment.

Ha ha!!! Yes, I know what you mean!!!! A good used set imported to the U.S. would run $2k usd!!!

That XC looks nice!!!! Have fun with it, I know I would!!!

[Unco]

well, the XC turned out to be more work than i expected. i'm still working on it, but i've had a lot of other things on my plate, so it's going to take a while to finish it off.

in the meantime, i have purchased a 1984 Ford F-100 which i'm picking up in a couple of days. haven't hit the junkyards yet, hence my absence from these forums. too many things going on at the moment.