sell or pay 2k?

[Chris Harris]

hey everybody,



the 01 trac needs new tires, new brakes, new sway bar not to mention all the other little things for maintenance. Basically the estimate was 2k to fix everything. Im not sure if I should sell the trac and put a little extra money into something else that is a little newer, or just pay the 2k and keep the truck. any advice?



ps) how much do 01 tracs (2wd) in relatively good shape go for?

 

[Jacob Dryer]

I don't think you will be able to sell it.. you would take a large hit to get rid of it I think.



kbb lists it was 6400-5100 but realistically I think to sell if you would have to be on the low end of that.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

I feel the same as JDBoxes; you will be money ahead by fixing it up and keep it for as long as you can. Follow your owners manual for maintenance schedule, then do all maintenance sooner than needed. Depending on how handy you are and / or how close you are to a site member that can help you, the sway bar is a DIY, the brakes you can also do yourself w/ a little more expertise but not that difficult. The tires you will have to have done, and should run around $400 - $500.

 

[Jeff C]

You need a new sway bar? What did you do to it?

 

[Nick Barber]

you dont want to buy a whole new box of problems.

 

[J Piroth]

I have an '01 Trac as well, and while I've thought of getting something else a few times (for better gas economy, or just to have something new after 6 years with the ST) I've always come back to the fact that keeping the ST is a better financial decision. Mine only has 46K on it and is in good shape overall, so I could realistically expect to drive it another 4 years (which would put me right around 80K) without any truly major repairs being needed, perhaps even longer.



I assume yours is paid for as well, so even if you do drop 2K on maintenance/upgrades, that's only 4-6 months of car payments on anything you'd be likely to get. Keep the ST that long, and you've broken even. Keep it longer, and you're ahead.



Vehicles are an awful investment no matter what you buy. The only way to really get the most out of one is to run it down to its final resting value and then milk it for all it's worth while hoping a catastrophic repair isn't needed. My first car was a Toyota pickup that my Dad bought used for $1,800 in 1992. I drove it, then my sister drove it, then my Dad kept it for years as a weekend project truck. In 2007, he sold it- for $1,800. That's the best ROI for a vehicle I've ever heard of.

 

[Carey Frennier]

I'd sell/trade it. I'ts barily worth putting the money into it if you're going to trade. If you sell yourself people will scoff at the repairs it needs but at least you have a complete list of repairs needed.



If I took that in on trade I'd wholesale it for whatever I could get.



Financially speaking, it's better to put the $2,000 in it and drive it forever than to take on a payment and go into debt. You couldn't replace that vehicle for $2,000 so you would have to put down cash or finance something.



How active is your credit? It may be worth financing something if you don't use your credit often. I've seen older generations pay cash for everything and then have terrible or no credit when it comes to buying something that can't pay for in cash.

 

[TomT]

Shop around. You should be able to get new tires and brakes done for under $1000. If your sway bar was oem then your better off getting the larger aftermarket EE swaybar. That and new shocks will greatly improve your handling. Get those things and your Trac will be better then new because the oem Ford stuff sucks.

 

[Dreman]

Figure it this way...



This month get the tires or the brakes, whichever is worse. $500



Next month get the other one (tires or brakes) $500



The third month get some maintenance items done. $500



The fourth month get the rest done. $500



The fifth month... Hey it's all done!



If you buy another car, there'll still be a payment to make in the fifth month! And the sixth! And so on!

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

C, I think you are getting taken to the cleaners here. There is no way the swaybar needs to be replaced. (unless it's bent like a pretzel) If it's the end links, they will only run you $17 a piece from Ford and they are VERY EASY to replace. The tires will run you a bit, I paid $105 per (mounted and balanced) for my tires. Other than that, brakes will run you $50 for a good set of brake shoes, and have the rotor's turned (reletively inexpensive). Even if you need to replace the front rotors, I've found them for $30 each (4 wheel drive front rotors). All in all, you are looking at about $600 in parts, and even if you aren't mechanically inclined, you can do alot of it yourself. No way it should be $2K.

 

[Chris Harris]

yeah i didn't really understand how the sway bar needed to be replaced anyway..I think they were trying to scam me because as an 18 year old kid, it doesn't look like i know much about trucks from their standpoint.



They also told me that its 150 per tire, and thats a low end tire. Should i try getting a quote from a place that specializes in tires and see if its cheaper?

 

[TrainTrac]

Shop around for your tires. Check out Tirerack.com, Sam's Club, and local tire shops. You can get a set for much cheaper than they're quoting you. If you're having the brakes done rather than doing it yourself, it shouldn't cost you more than $100-$120 for the front discs, and even less for rear drums.

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

As I said, mine were $105 with mounting and balancing included. 245/75R16's.

 

[Dreman]

And I thought I was cheap!:lol:

 

[Gerald Pierce]

I just toyed with the same decision, was looking at a new vehicle and when I thought long and hard, I decided to spend the money on the trac for the same reason many have pointed out, I still dont have a car note. I spent 1k and got new tires, brakes checked and adjusted, brake fluid flushed, alignment done, and tranny flushed. Only thing left for now is coolant flush and I will do that this weekend.



YMMV, but if it is paid for, keep it and maintain it.