Marie Kondo may be right. It's easy to collect and hold onto things for the wrong reasons. Uncluttering and simplifying our environments CAN pay dividends in tranquility. I could do with a big dose of tranquility!
Now that the Holidays are over it's time to get a move on.
At the end of last year I was dealing with getting my old cars through the Star smog test requirement.
They all passed and now I can lay that worry to rest, at least for awhile.
I've been fussing over these cars for quite awhile.
It's time to start moving these things forward. I'm getting to the point that it's make or break time.
Dealing with these cars one at a time. I'll start with the cars that are parked in the street.
2007 Ford F150. There are not any real problems with the truck. It could use a plastic tailgate molding and a cowl vent panel. The truck will need regular maintenance items like belts, spark plugs, hoses, and fluid changes. I still enjoy driving it and it's still quite useful. I don't like loading it from the rear tailgate, there's a lot of stretching and reaching that can be tiring. I kind of like the idea of an SUV with a rear hatch.
Still, I don't see any reason why I would want to get rid of it. I don't think that replacing it with a newer big SUV would be a good idea.
'96 Explorer. I've recently replaced the heater blower and both of the rear tires. The "ghost in the machine" still haunts me at times, but it appears to be getting better. The smog check for this vehicle will be coming up next month. I find this thing to be quite useful and very handy. Will I hold onto it? I don't know that this truck will be still be useful to my Daughter, so that will factor in.
'96 Mustang. I've done quite a bit to it last year and I've been driving it quite a lot in the last week. It seems that it has developed a messy oil leak. The car still runs very well. There are little things that I should attend to, but I've kind of let them slip. I shouldn't forget that I made a commitment to keep up on the maintenance on this car. That's what has kept it so reliable. I've thought that I might go for a newer model, like a 2013. But why? My '96 has over 208,000 miles and it's still runs great. I wouldn't be surprised if it could do well over 250,000 miles. I'm always going to have other cars to drive. Fifty thousand miles taken at 5 to 10K miles a year could stretch out to over 5 to 10 years. I probably don't need another Mustang.
Now, for the cars parked in my driveway.
2007 Mustang. The suspension seems to be okay but it still needs that steering rack replaced. It's also do for regular maintenance like belts, hoses and fluid changes.
The big issue is still the front suspension bushings. If I don't do this work, then I'm not going to do anything else. If I don't do anything else I'm just going to get rid of the car. That sounds harsh but it's the truth. I don't want to have this car in only partial use mode.
I could keep this car for a long time, if it was in perfect shape. As far as I'm concerned this car just satisfies all the requirements of a collector car for me. I don't feel the need to find a "better" car. I've just got to buckle down, spend what's necessary and do the work.
Inside my garage sits my XJS. Warm, dry, and safe. I drove it a week or so ago. There are a lot of little problems and one real big one. The front suspension. If I don't fix that I don't fix anything. Like the XJ6 I might just get rid of this car as well. While I like the "thought" of this car I can't say that I've formed a real bond with it, at least not yet. However, I know that this is the car that I should hold on to. If I sell it I'm certain that I will regret it in the future.
That just leaves the elephant in the side yard, my 1951 Jaguar Mark VII. I had to put this car "on ice" last year, because it had just taken up too much of my time. I'm about ready to order one of those universal aftermarket master cylinders and see what I can with it. I'll try to keep some progress going with this project. I'm still interested in the car, and it will provide me with copious content for this blog.
Of course it would be much smarter and productive to thin out my stable. I could obviously make more progress with fewer cars to fuss with. Marie may be right, but I find it irritating when she tells one of her clients to let some of their cherished items go. Sometimes just having these things is satisfaction enough.
Speaking only for myself, thinking about my cars still brings me joy.
At least for now.
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