My latest $600 car

[fordnmerc]

This makes me feel like I really got ripped off with the total of $1,070 I ended up paying for my '93, with a way worse body, worn suspension, non-working A/C and a broken odometer.

In a situation like that you might want to look around for a better deal and use the one you have now for parts....for what you need on the next one and part out and sell the rest.

I was originally just looking for a parts car for the '95, for a few minor parts and then to part out and sell the rest and gain some experience with the guts of how everything goes together. But these other two cars turned out to be worth taking care of their minor issues rather than parting them out. All 3 happened to be one-family-owned cars.

I was quite surprised to find such good deals. But I checked ebay a couple times a day and I also used the search engine that allows you to easily search ALL of Craigslist nationwide....although I pretty much figured to keep a deal within a 500 mile radius of home, so that shipping costs would not tack on too much extra cost.

One other thing worth mentioning is that I did not rule out ads that did not include photos. The ad for the '96 had none, and even the wording was a bit confusing, but I followed up on it anyway and I'm very glad that I did.

Good Luck

[Midnight Drifter]

For the money I invested into her already, it wouldn't be worth the hassle and cost of registering another aero - plus, I don't have space for a parts car. I'll make do with what I have. Besides, in spite of having a smoking habit almost as bad as my own, she runs like a champ and is mechanically sound. Something I need in my life right now.

[fordnmerc]

I see....hope it all works out then.

We sold a Caprice station wagon a couple of months ago and will be transferring the license plates from that onto the '96 Merc for $4.50. That helps.

[fordnmerc]

The '96 arrived this morning and here are the details about the condition of this $600 car:

The body has no rust, no dents, no scrapes, no deep scratches, no paint off and no paint that is faded or peeling. The only body issue is the front fascia is cracked on both sides up underneath. Probably from parking barriers, because the fascia is so low to the ground. But, I can fix that.

The big surprise was that the whole underside of this car is so clean that it looks like it just came from the factory! It was obviously never driven in winter at all. The undersides of the doors look new as well. Except for a little rust under the battery, there is none anywhere else on the car at all.

The rubber part of the exhaust hanger was cracked in half and that's the reason the tail pipe was hanging low. I believe that the exhaust system is original and that is not rusted either. I was able to get that back up where it belongs.

The engine runs smoothly and quiet and the transmission seems to be just fine as well. The tires are a new set of Goodyear Assurance. The wheels on both cars are all in perfect shape. No curb rash whatsoever, no corrosion, etc....they are really amazing.

The interior needs a really good cleaning and a few small trim pieces.

The biggest issue right now is that the shift lever is very vague and sloppy and it's very difficult to find the gears, as well as Park and Neutral. That's going to be the most involved fix.

I am going to do a steam cleaning of the engine compartment....already have a small steam cleaner coming from a seller on ebay. Going to do a coolant flush very soon, too. Probably transmission fluid and filter in the very near future, though the '95 is going to get treated to that first, just as soon as the weather allows.

I already replaced the passenger side marker light housing. Have to get a right tail light as well, because that is broken.

All in all, it's a heck of a lot of car for $600.

Here are a few photos. The '96 is closest to the garage. It has a plain gas filler door, while the '95 has the power door. Pinstripes on the '96 are a bit more pale and not quite as prominent. They were built 5 months apart. The '95 was built in June of '95 and the '96 was built in November of '95.

The funny thing in these pictures: from the other side of that long hedge, people will see the front end of the '96 and the back end of the '95 and probably think that we have an extended stretch Grand Marquis limo!

[sly]

for the shifter, check the bracket at the end of the shaft under the dash to make sure it's secure. Those bolts have a bad habit of coming loose.

[fordnmerc]

for the shifter, check the bracket at the end of the shaft under the dash to make sure it's secure. Those bolts have a bad habit of coming loose.

Thanks....will do.

[fordnmerc]

Those bolts were indeed the culprit. One was loose and the other was missing. I tightened the one and the shifter works now, but I will get a replacement for the other one as soon as I can. I'll probably visit a local boneyard soon. The insulation panel under there that also supports the courtesy light is missing, so I will be after one of those. As well as the plastic panel under the hood that fills the gap between the top of the radiator and the header panel. Also need a right tail light lens and a couple of minor interior trim pieces.

I didn't even end up needing to remove the top of the column shroud. I had enough room to see that the shifter tube was not broken and I also had enough working room to change out the multi-function switch.

Mother's leather conditioner seems to be slowly removing the white paint from the leather, so I will work on that from time to time until it's all gone. Getting things back in good shape quite rapidly.

Here is a youtube video that someone made about those problematic shifter bolts in FoMoCo vehicles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFa5maYbW8I

[slack]

On my box, it's a plastic collar ring around the column that's held on by one screw. The thing is broken and the previous owner zip tied it together. Seems to work fine though. Interesting that even the later Ford cars have an issue with the same thing.

Here's a pic of my zip-tied goodness for comparison:


Good to hear the Mother's stuff is working. I used to use that stuff on my Towncar's seats when I owned it.

[fordnmerc]

In the old days, the go-to items for fixes were chewing gum and baling twine....today it's duct tape and zip ties.

[sly]

On my box, it's a plastic collar ring around the column that's held on by one screw. The thing is broken and the previous owner zip tied it together. Seems to work fine though. Interesting that even the later Ford cars have an issue with the same thing.

Here's a pic of my zip-tied goodness for comparison:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]40571[/ATTACH]

Good to hear the Mother's stuff is working. I used to use that stuff on my Towncar's seats when I owned it.

I bent an L bracket into some crazy shape and mated it to that screw to form what the old plastic collar used to and used a bolt/double-nut setup to hook the cable. It'll never break now. doesn't mark P right (stops half way between P and R) but marks every other gear right.