Keep the ford maverick or sell it?

General Discussion
1

I have a question about what I should do with the 2 cars I have …
I want to do what’s most environmentally safe and what’s gonna save me the most money in the long run…
I have a 1971 ford maverick…it has always been a daily driver for past 5+ years but it’s also very built up, powerful engine, supercharger, caged, race equipment etc…gets 11mpg…looks like I can sell it for about 15k…I fully own the car…it is carb’ed so probably isn’t the best for the environment…

Then I have a 2013 leased smart car, 38mpg, I am paying 162/mo for the lease…another 30/mo for insurance…I have 2 years to go but can end early for just a few hundred dollars…

I can keep the maverick and maybe sell the engine and put in a gas efficient engine…maybe get 20-25mph…
I can sell the mav and pocket the money or buy the smart which is worth 14,500 if I bought it…

thoughts?
thanks

2

I’d sell the Maverick, get out of the smart lease (if you can reasonably do that) and get something fun and economical, like a Mazda 3 with the 2.5l engine.

3

Environmentally speaking, the Maverick should go. However, the environment will not be helped because whoever buys it will drive it.

Monetarily, the Smart Car may be a losing proposition and I would take that 14,500 with a grain of salt. Around here sellers can’t even seem to give them away. A 2011 here sat near Wal Mart for about 4 or 5 months before being sold; I assume. The window price went from 7500 to 7000 to 6500 and the last revision I saw was down to 5500.
A look at eBay’s Completed Listings show none of the ones listed on eBay sold either and from several stories I have read, Smart car sales are in the tank to the tune of an 80 something percent drop.

Maybe some tweaking would bump the mileage on the Maverick up. Rear end ratio, conversion to an AOD transmission assuming you have a 3 speed in there now, timing tweaks, and a light foot.
I’ve got a car toy here with a small block Ford, dual 4 Barrels, 3:38 gears, and it gets 20-21 on the highway. Not too shabby for an overcarbed engine…

4

I have to agree with @texases You should get rid of both cars. Putting a more economical engine in the Maverick (an old and very mediocre car ) is putting good money after bad.

A Smart car lease is also not the best way to spend your money. If you can get out of the lease, go for it. If not finish it and buy a fun to drive car like a Mazda 3, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 2, Kia Rio, and many others. All are more fun to drive than a Smart car.

5

Sell the Maverick and drive the Smart until the lease expires. They use the money you make for the Maverick to buy a car you like.

6

I’m kinda curious as to why someone who is presumably concerned about the environment would own and/or use a car like that Maverick as a daily driver, seems sort of hypocritical to me.

7

Do NOT sell the Maverick

I’m sure you really like the car

If you sell the Maverick and use the money to buy something else, that car will lose in value.

But it might be more fuel efficient.

So you’ll save money each time you drive, but its value will steadily decline

Keep the Maverick, but not as a daily driver

8

darn it! you busted me…i don’t really care about the environment…and you somehow figured out that i was a hypocrite without even knowing anything about me…you are a wise and insightful soul…

9

@mashori

Perhaps you can enlighten us about your values, seeing how they appear to be mutually exclusive based on what you’ve chosen to share with us thus far.

10

Life has to have some good times. I would be partial to keeping the Maverick, AS IS. As someone pointed out, if you sell it, someone else will be driving it. So, if you enjoy it, keep it.

Unless you can’t afford the gasoline, which is a different issue.

If protecting the environment is very important to you, cut it up for scrap metal so one drives it. Otherwise, keep on truckin’. If you don’t drive it, the person who buys it will.

I remember some years ago, a fellow worker who drove around in 100 degree 100 percent humidity without a/c on his car, because he thought he was going to destroy the planet all by himself if he added Freon. A bit carried away with himself.

11

I agree. You seem to have a choice of bad car for a daily driver and worse. IMO, you need to include more choices in the mix.

12

As a 1 time pinto owner I can say that the maverick is a pos. at least my pinto had the German OHC 4 cyl which was kinda/sorta cool in 1971. IF the mav is rust free than it is an ok platform to at least haul around a V8 which is fun.

13

Since you’re ready to sell the Maverick ( I’m not ready to sell my 79 ), sell it as is to the racing and collector sector to get all it seems it’s worth.
Advertize it in like genre publications and areas like race tracks and car shows.
Heck , you shopuld have had it HERE at my Ford dealer last saturday for our annual RT66 car and rod show…with a for sale sign on it…it wouldn’t be in your driveway today.