2004 - Sell or Repair?

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notquiteflotsam

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Dec 11, 2020
Thunderbird Year
2004
Hello folks. I'm looking for some counsel. A few years ago I purchased dad's Pacific Coast Edition from my mom. About a year ago, I decided it was time to move on and put the car up for sale, but didn't have any serious takers. After all, it does have 193,000 miles on it. Its generally been a fun weekender, but I'm increasingly having a hard time justifying continued investment to keep it running, passing emissions tests, etc.

Today I had a misfire code. When I pulled out the coil, it was covered in oil. The local shop wants about $600 to replace the gasket. I guess the counsel I'm seeking is should I get the gasket replaced and continue to enjoy while waiting for that buyer to come along, or should I cut my losses and sell it, as-is, essentially for parts/scrap which probably isn't going to be more that $1000, if that. Cosmetically it's in very good shape and we do get a lot of nice weather days for top down this time of year. So what do you think...fix it or cut it loose?left top down.jpg
 

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You can’t change the gasket ?it’s fairly easy
 
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Bigdog1949 said:
You can’t change the gasket ?it’s fairly easy
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I didn’t finish ( dinner bell rang ) ! ,it’s pretty easy ,one thing I would is Jack it up ,too save your back ! And take your time ,I’m 75 and am thinking of putting in a mall block Chevy ,700R tranny and rewire the lites etc mine has 110 thousand runs good but not happy with those computers ,I know one will take a dump sooner or later ! And it will be on the road nowhere near home ! But be honest I’d fix it ,then drive it like you stole it !
 
Yeah, you guys are probably right. I found the video of the replacement and it doesn't look too bad if I can avoid breaking any brittle plastic bits. I'm just kinda gettin tired of putting money into it, you know? I think in service alone i'm running about $1.50 per mile since I've owned it.
 
notquiteflotsam said:
Hello folks. I'm looking for some counsel. A few years ago I purchased dad's Pacific Coast Edition from my mom. About a year ago, I decided it was time to move on and put the car up for sale, but didn't have any serious takers. After all, it does have 193,000 miles on it. Its generally been a fun weekender, but I'm increasingly having a hard time justifying continued investment to keep it running, passing emissions tests, etc.

Today I had a misfire code. When I pulled out the coil, it was covered in oil. The local shop wants about $600 to replace the gasket. I guess the counsel I'm seeking is should I get the gasket replaced and continue to enjoy while waiting for that buyer to come along, or should I cut my losses and sell it, as-is, essentially for parts/scrap which probably isn't going to be more that $1000, if that. Cosmetically it's in very good shape and we do get a lot of nice weather days for top down this time of year. So what do you think...fix it or cut it loose?View attachment 30562
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Fix it. Never give up! Never surrender!
 
notquiteflotsam said:
Yeah, you guys are probably right. I found the video of the replacement and it doesn't look too bad if I can avoid breaking any brittle plastic bits. I'm just kinda gettin tired of putting money into it, you know? I think in service alone i'm running about $1.50 per mile since I've owned it.
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The "plastic" used in cars is not regular plastic. With that said, the car is 20+ years old so you do have to be careful to some degree.
 
I think you have undervalued the expected value of vehicle in current condition. Your parade cover is worth almost your expected figure. Then hardtop, top carrier, etc
If you are looking for an excuse to exit ownership of a family car without quilt, I suggest repairing car then sell. Insurance, taxes, maintenance add up to keep memories alive. Or maybe just take off the road, park in a shed.
Guessing you are on the west coast, there are alot of other states east of you that make ownership of an older vehicle possible without goverment intrusions, so selling maybe easily done.
Carmax may even buy straight out since it has special interest appeal.
 
Daily Driver said:
I think you have undervalued the expected value of vehicle in current condition. Your parade cover is worth almost your expected figure. Then hardtop, top carrier, etc
If you are looking for an excuse to exit ownership of a family car without quilt, I suggest repairing car then sell. Insurance, taxes, maintenance add up to keep memories alive. Or maybe just take off the road, park in a shed.
Guessing you are on the west coast, there are alot of other states east of you that make ownership of an older vehicle possible without goverment intrusions, so selling maybe easily done.
Carmax may even buy straight out since it has special interest appeal.
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Thanks. I've had it listed for a while at $8900 with no takers. I did think I could part it out for more than that, but that is a lot of hassle and the Mrs. isn't too keen on a Sanford and Son's scene in the front of the house for some extended period. But alas, after my moment of frustration and the pointers here, this looks like an easy enough job. The parts are on order and I hope to knock it out this weekend.

Now if anyone has a pointer as to solving the pesky 'minor evap leak' code, i'm all ears.
 
Just about any repair can be done by you if you put in the effort. Remember it's 20 years old. If your paying someone it will add up on any 20 year old car. I have 4 cars, Tbird, 68 Impala, two drivers, one 10 years old and one 16years old. I do all my own repairs, including tires. No car loan, no labor cost except my time. In Massachusetts 15 year old cars are exempt from emissions, so it will pass with a check engine light on.
Look for a split or cracked vacuum hose, it could be a cause of EVAP leak.
Good luck, don't give up!
 
Fix it! Polish up the exterior and drive it. There are fewer and fewer of these babies out on the road, and they always draw glances from admirers. Bought mine in NC 11 years ago, moved to Cincinnati and saw maybe 2 in the 6-years we were there.
Moved back home to Tucson 2-years ago and have seen 4 other distinct 11th gen cars here. I suspect there are more lurking about. Point is these automobiles were unique when released and continue to be to this day.

Yes, they are computer laden, and some parts are difficult to find. And I still take it to the local Ford dealership for oil/fluid changes. Much cheaper than my 2013 VW Touareg. All other repairs I do myself.

Keep it, drive it and have fun.
 
ranariz said:
Fix it! Polish up the exterior and drive it. There are fewer and fewer of these babies out on the road, and they always draw glances from admirers. Bought mine in NC 11 years ago, moved to Cincinnati and saw maybe 2 in the 6-years we were there.
Moved back home to Tucson 2-years ago and have seen 4 other distinct 11th gen cars here. I suspect there are more lurking about. Point is these automobiles were unique when released and continue to be to this day.

Yes, they are computer laden, and some parts are difficult to find. And I still take it to the local Ford dealership for oil/fluid changes. Much cheaper than my 2013 VW Touareg. All other repairs I do myself.

Keep it, drive it and have fun.
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funny as there are several within a 2 mile radius of my house, including an 02 just down the street from me. But I agree... on a nice day, cleaned up, top down, tonneau on...always gets lots of nods and smiles of appreciation.
 
well, not sure how easy the fix is. I've got the RH cover off well enough, but the LH is a chore. The FSM seems to be missing a step or two as I can't seem to get the cover out without removing the fuel line which i don't really want to do if I don't have to. Any suggestions?
 
Gotta remove the fuel line at the disconnect.
Not hard, or complicated, just get the tool at Autozone.
The hard thing is the left side valve cover bolt, at the firewall.
You got this !
 
notquiteflotsam said:
funny as there are several within a 2 mile radius of my house, including an 02 just down the street from me. But I agree... on a nice day, cleaned up, top down, tonneau on...always gets lots of nods and smiles of appreciation.
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Agreed. I'm in Florida and I can find one in any parking lot I enter. I saw somewhere once that most of these cars are registered in FL, CA, and TX, so that would make sense.

Having said that, I can watch Audis, Mercedes, and BMWs pull up at an outdoor cafe and barely anyone turns a head. But drive up in one of these and people look. I went to an O'Reilly's a while back to get a part. I was describing it to the mid-20s girl working inside, and she wanted to come out to see what I was talking about. When she approached the car she stopped and said, "What is that? I've never seen one of these before." Too funny.
 
Ihave a 2005 in the same color which was rare. Mine has only 42,000 miles and parts are hard to find. if you elect to part out the car, I will pay ypio double what you expect to gain. mostly because os it close to muown car, so part should be greatly compatible. I would have to ship the car to Michigan when you so choose to scrap it - meantime fix and drive it...
John
 
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RH cover is back on. Traveling for holiday and expecting fuel line removal tool and VVT solenoid seal to be waiting for me upon return. Hope to finish up LH side by the end of the week and have her on the road again. Still looking to sell so dm me if you’re interested in learning more or additional photos.
 
notquiteflotsam said:
A few years ago I purchased dad's Pacific Coast Edition from my mom.
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I purchased my Tbird from my dad's wife a few years ago. I'll never sell it and plan to hand it down to one of my kids one day when I'm too old to drive or work on it. I restored a 73 Vette over 20 years, so maintaining the t-bird is not that difficult.
 
Well, got the left side off easy enough after fuel line disconnect. However after removing all the old seals, one of the spark plug tubes has a bad chip in it. I have no idea if it this happened during seal removal or was the root cause of so much oil in the tube. In any event, a new cover seems unavailable. There appear to be a couple of used ones on eBay but significantly more than I'd like to pay at this point. Anyone know if this is repairable or not with some sort of high heat epoxy or otherwise, or is that just a terrible idea and I need to roll the dice on a used one.

thanks
 
notquiteflotsam said:
one of the spark plug tubes has a bad chip in it. I have no idea if it this happened during seal removal or was the root cause of so much oil in the tube. In any event, a new cover seems unavailable.
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Do you have a photo of this crack? Would help to get feedback.
 
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