Lesser of two evils?

[blkfordsedan]

My oldest son's girlfriend dumped him and moved out today. She left him with the lease on the apartment and took their car. It was her car to start with and the loan was just in her name, so no real loss there. Now, he "borrowed" my truck to get to work. The Festy is still down for the count since I haven't had time to work on it. That leaves me with my Mustang and it's supposed to freeze rain & drizzle this week (not a good combination). I figure it would be easiest for me to buy him a cheap car so I can get my truck back. Sooooo.........here are the 2 top contenders from the local CL. Both look like good cars for the money. Do I go with the FWD car with a good motor & notoriously weak trans, or the dependable FOX body with a notoriously weak engine?

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/2074695592.html

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/2073201785.html

I must admit, I'm leaning toward the LTD. It looks to be in good shape & well cared for. Plus, it's a 4-door Mustang and I have a lot of FOX parts (including a 5.0L, AOD & 3.73 posi rear) that could make a real sleeper for "Dad" to drive when my son gets back on feet and buys himself a "cooler" car.!
Hmmmmm.........a 5.0L roller cam w/GT40 heads, old Edelbrock Torker II, 600 Holley, headers, AOD, 3.73 posi w/rear discs.....I got all the parts!

[bhazard]

Were talking winter here?

Taurus.

LTD will pop head gaskets.

[chrisofna]

LTD. At least when the motor pops you have a spare one laying around.

[Grey Vw]

LTD for it's future potential. Festiva doesn't fit the bill?

[hotrodin4me]

what about the 93 festiva in Malvern forsale with 69,000 on it

[bhazard]

LTD would make a nice sleeper but I thought this was a winter car for your kid? You want him fishtailing all over the place or cutting through the snow?

[Darlo]

I had a similar taurus to that one, and it handled nicely in the snow..... Even though I think the LTD is a better car overall, I would choose the taurus. If you are only planning on keeping it for a short period of time, the taurus may even be the quicker resale too. Also, for the fuel savings, the Taurus wins again.....I was pulling 31mpg out of mine if I only went 55 max mph......

[bhazard]

Yup, I love me foxbodies and would love to make a sleeper LTD with a built 2.3t but it seems like the taurus is the obvious choice for the situation. Cant hurt having a reliable driver in the family.

[GenevaDirt]

LTD would make a nice sleeper but I thought this was a winter car for your kid? You want him fishtailing all over the place or cutting through the snow?

lol...his kid is grown up and living on his own.

[bhazard]

So am I. I can still get stupid in the snow in a RWD.

[GenevaDirt]

So am I. I can still get stupid in the snow in a RWD.

understandable but his kid is (hopefully) not out joy riding his truck or car he may get him to drive while the guy is trying to help him out.

[25Horseplay]

I'm not sure if you ever replaced a trans in a Taurus, but I'd rather do the engine work in the other car.

[FestYboy]

i have to go with the LTD as well, a good set of tires should keep it in line for the winter, and i wouldn't worry about the 3.8 in it because head gaskets in that are much easier than the trans work in the taurus. just exchange the coolent and add some block seal for the season, then give it an engine swap in the spring.

[htchbck]

I'm not sure if you ever replaced a trans in a Taurus, but I'd rather do the engine work in the other car.

Three words for ya: "Drop the subframe"... I can swap a trans in a Taurus in about 2 hours... unfortunately though thats because I've had to do it a LOT :lol:

I'd still go with the Taurus though, especially for a winter beater. Plus as already mentioned, once your done with it will probably sell quicker than the LTD and gets better mileage to boot.

[blkfordsedan]

Sad to say, but the LTD is out. It was a $250 car (even with new tires and battery). It had wood screws holding the center pad on the steering wheel. That gives a good indication of how the PO used to "fix" things. The engine had more oil leaks than my Festiva......which is hard to imagine. It couldn't even rev above 2000 RPM without choking and I think it had that funky CFI carb thing. It may have been OK with a good tune-up and a little work, but the body was pretty rutsy all over. That makes it a $250 car in my book. The guy said the A/C worked good because it was blowing cold air when it's 20*F outside.....and the compressor wouldn't kick on! He was an older Gentleman and I don't think he grasped the concept of mechanical things.

On to the next!