Do i really have to get rid of my car?

i drive a 1988 lincoln town car. a 5.0…i do not like new cars, i don’t like small cars, i like land yachts. i prefer 8 feet of hood in front of me to an airbag. my problem: i’ve had people say you have to lose that car, it’s old, etc. i have always been particular about who worked on it and who drives it. i let two people raise the hood on it, my son and my husband. i thought i had a valve cover oil leak, my husband took off the valve covers, called me out to look at them and boasted that they were as clean as could be. i have always checked the fluids each weekend, etc. my husband has been working on cars since he was in his early teens, his only problem with my car is that it’s a ford, he’s a chevy guy. now, here’s the rub, my car has never had any deep engine work, only the tuneups, oil changes, alternator, belts, all the usual maintenance needs. BUT- it’s 20,000 miles shy of 500,000 miles, same engine, same transmission, etc. my husband says that 5.0 will go forever if it’s taken care of and i have no desire to sell up, so i have a great mechanic, he works for free, and should i keep telling the people that tell me no car can to 500,000 miles to shut up? i had another lincoln, a 1979, i got 300,000+ out of it. i had a cadillac that i had 275,000 on it before it slung a rod. i pet my cars and like i said, i don’t let just anyone drive it, i have always thought that was the kiss of death for a car. my son, thank god would rather be caught dead than seen driving this car and my daughter could always be trusted to drive it like i do. she’s under the hood of hers each week, checking it’s vital fluids etc. she drives a 1993 or '97 nissan 240, and it’s spotless and the body is straight and it looks brandnew. bottom line, i’m not losing this car, does that make me crazy? i think my critics are just annoyed that i won’t give in and drive something smaller. i don’t like looking at a car and thinking that in an accident, it could double as your closed casket. it’s black, straight, and their are a certain group of fellows out there that look at it and give me the thumbs up and tell me if i ever want to get rid of it, i couldn’t stand to see it with 22’s on it, and hear the stero bass thumping etc. i love this car. tell me this is an okay thing.

You belong with this car. Do what you want and ignore anyone who tells you otherwise. In fact, given the way that you talk about it and take care of it, if this one happens to throw a rod, fix it. The same with the transmission.

The only thing you should get is compliments regarding how well you care for your cars.

Just keep driving it and don’t worry about what others say or think. It’s YOUR car. As long as you’re happy with it that’s all that matters.

Please post again when the car reaches 500K miles.

thank you both for your thoughts on the car. i forgot to mention that i get 22 miles per gallon in town, i am retired now and i live in a great city where i prefer to walk to the shops and library, so i don’t think i can complain about 22 mpg considering when it was made, i suppose that was common for cars at that time.

That’s great mileage. When I had my '85 Crown Victoria (same engine) it got 17.5 mpg regardless of where it was driven.

No, you only have to do what you want to do.

What’s up with the critics? Your Town Car could keep going a long time still. Most of my life has been lived in areas where roads are sanded and salted all winter. Meaning the body of the car goes before the motor. As long as the body is sound and safe you can drive this one perhaps over a million miles.

Along the way you might need a new transmission or some motor work, but no reason to buy a newer car you don’t even want. Tell these critics that they can waste all their own money on new(er) cars. You’ll keep your Town Car and enjoy being debt free.

i’ve never been in debt for a car. like i said, other than routine maint. and the stuff that happens, ie; belts, brakes etc. it’s never had any deep engine work, only the valve covers taken off to put on new gaskets, turned out my power steering pump (a seal) was the leaker, not the valve covers, but like my husband said, he’s 51 and been working on and building engines since he was about 14 or 15, these valve covers are unbelievably clean, no sludge on anything. the body is straight, no dents, i will need a new landau top since i moved from where i had a garage. but theres a guy here in my town that will come to my house and do the job. the car is black on black, paint is good, zero rust, i live in georgia. even though i earned most of my money as a neuro nurse, i would take time off and drive 18 wheelers and taught people how to drive school buses, so i have a certain way i drive and i do use size to my advantage, small cars move when all they see is grill in the rearview, some habits are hard to break. seriously, people tell me it’s impossible to get the mileage i get out of every car i’ve owned (since i grew up a bit) now in the seventies when i owned gto’s '67, '69, mustangs '67, '68 and a sweet ‘69amx, i must admit, i was rougher then than i am now. but when i got 275,000 out of the caddy, people said it was impossible, and i suppose it i hadnt’ slung a rod in it, i might have gotten close to my ford/lincoln mileages. the old man does prefer chevys, says parts are cheaper but i prefer the ford. only thing, someone hit and ran me one day and broke a tail light lens, couldn’t find it online, finally found a junkyard with three cars like mine, so i got the tail light lens for 25.00 the ford place in town told me that if they could get it i’d pay 250.00 for it. the older cars got crushed when scrap went up, so i keep my eyes peeled for cars like mine that have given up the ghost and are sitting in other people’s yards. i appreciate the response to my question, i couldn’t understand why anyone would question my sanity re: the age of this car, but i’m stopped all the time and complimented on the shape it’s in. like i said, i have driven 18 wheelers and buses and dumptrucks and i just love big cars. thanks guys.

Heck no , don’t sell out.
And I’m not talking only about the car.

I still have my 1979 Chevy pickup and the yayhoos that say to sell it …
are the ones who want to BUY it :wink:

( aside )
( please break your writing into paragraphs for easier reading )

thanks, i had suspected that the people that always say sell it, want it. as for paragraphs, that’s funny because i am a writer and i have a degree in english, but when i write on the computer i always do it this way, makes my daughter crazy, and since i got multiple sclerosis, i have this insane issue with syntax. thanks again

With the way you talk about your car, the only reasons to get rid of it are rust and not being able to find parts to fix it anymore.
Not only did these cars get crushed when scrap went up, they also got killed off by the cash for clunkers fiasco a couple years ago.

no rust, so it’s no clunker. the worst thing as you’ve pointed out would be finding parts, and where i live there are still some really great junkyards out in the boonies. (god i love a good junkyard, have since i was a kid.) so even if i wanted something else, it would be buy it with cash, i don’t believe in financing a car, and i’d still keep this one to drive as a treat. i’d go with another lincoln/ford product, but it would have to be a land yacht. thanks guys, i knew i wasn’t crazy in love with a car that didn’t deserve it. it’s a keeper.

Say HI to Rachel:

http://growingbolder.com/media/technology/vehicles/romancing-the-road-259598.html?fr=ot1157fs2645-3727-3725-3726-3730-3737-3736-3732-3739-469260-3728-3731-3734-3738-3733-3735pi360sbv966d#content_tabs

Keep driving it and give it lots of TLC. You may get to 800,000 miles without anything major! As limos or taxis these cars routinely get over 600,000 miles if maintained properly.

Happy motoring; you’ve got CLASS lady!!

You know what you want and you’ve got it. Drive on.

Rachel’s car is just broken in… say HI to Irv:

You have exactly what you want; don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong.

Yours is an example I hope to follow. I’d love to have my car another 12 years and put another quarter-million miles on it.

There’s a lot of good things about new cars. Some of their tires cost $250 each. I was looking at SUV’s this Sunday and people who drive Yukons must have had a lot of money a few years ago. Pickups have roof pillars that are about six inches wide; dual blind spots waiting to hide a car from view.

I saw a 1940 Ford sedan at a show. If a new car looked like that, it could be a luxury model that could sell for $80,000 a copy or be a cheap $49,000 good looking imitation of a luxury car. Why were we stuck with PT Cruisers instead?

You’re a little bit car crazy but the rest of us are getting there for another reason. We are style deprived. Some of us are kept going by the Mustang and Challenger. A Charger that lookied like a Charger could only help. I wish there was a new Camaro with both of the good body styles that looked worth owning. If you like your present car, stay happy.

Keep the car, not because you may love it (that always worries me when people love inanimate objects) but because it’s the practical thing to do. Your son can walk. Have a nice time with a good car.

Start saving those pennies, the new Town Car costs about $50,000, but it’s about 5 inches SHORTER than your car(assuming a 1990 TC is the same size an your 88). For today’s land yachts, you’ll be needing to look into SUVs and trucks, I don’t think they make cars that big anymore.