How many of you guys are in this for the long haul

Nope. Not doing the Audi "thing" either. No car stuff for now.

The best treatment the Audi is getting is a synthetic oil change.

Next car "thing" will be me in a Nissan 350Z.

I decided on a Tbird in 92 when I wanted a full size 2 door rwd car that had a sporty look. I ordered my 93 in October 92 as the family car. I have enjoyed it from day one, but always wanted a little more power. Three years ago I decided to make it my weekend play car, and give it the power I wanted.

It is a blast to drive now, and I turn into a Kid every time I fire it up. As long as I can still drive, I will keep it. After that, It will belong to my Son.

At this rate HE wont be able to afford to drive it.

Chris

Difference in maturity. When you are young and get bit by the mod bug it's cool to invest thousands into your baby. Then you get older and take on newer responsibilities...like a house, wife, family, etc... and you realize, "Crap, I put $15,000 into that car and it's barely worth $5000 now." That makes you re-think things.

Cars are bad investments. They depreciate on their own. But when modding them you really start to piss your money away. One big reason why I don't want to sell my Bird is because I like having the investment in it, but would not want to invest this much into a future car. So I would rather just enjoy what I already did to my Bird than get say a stock Mustang and feel like I would need to do this all over again to it. Cause a stock Mustang would be a downgrade at this point for me.

That is also why several SC guys got out of the game....someone offered the right price to them and they knew they would never be able to get that kind of offer again....so they took it.

Micah

I spun a bearing in my 92 about a week ago. So now I have to rip the motor out. I'm not happy about it. But now if I was to sell it I wouldn't be able to get much, and if I fix it, I'll be able to drive and enjoy it again. So I might as well just take it like a man, spend the money on parts, and then enjoy the car. My girlfriend has driven the car more in the past 2 years since I did the upgrades to it than I have. So now that it is getting rebuilt I will finally get to enjoy it myself. But in order for that to happen I have to either fix her car or buy her a new one. Damn.

Its stuff like this that makes me want to give up. But I just can't do it.

In it for the long haul,it just gets painful sometimes.To replace the car i would need to start with something that not only drives nice but is comfortable as well.If you take it slow you can enjoy it better.

I was in for the long haul a couple weeks ago.
This week I am ready to junk it again.

Putting in a new trans this week.So
I will be back on the long haul band
wagon this weekin .

until it breaks again in a couple week.

RANDY

After 7 years and 9 SC`S later I have given up. I have sold all my tbirds but one lx that looks like a SC. Here in Chicago the price for regular has just hit
$3.45 gal. I think prem is around $3.65 ouch but I had a hard time selling some beautiful SC`S so I figured its time to part ways. I still have a lot of love for these cars but just can`t afford any toys. Still have some nice parts to sell as my last car went to the crusher due to title hassles. I will still be around from time to time just to see what Dave D, is up to. I think if Ford had him on there staff they would still be building MN12`s

i think im in it for the long haul. my sc has been wrecked for almost a year and a half. i haven't done too much with it yet except starting it up and runnong up and down the drive way for a few seconds so she's still on the side of my house waiting, wanting, wishing to be fixed. looks like she'll still be waiting till next spring the only way i might get rid of it is if when i move, its still not fixed. but i have some plans for it i love that car!!

LOL, how about 9 years, and 7 mn12's, including a couple v8 cars, and 1 na 3.8 car. through countless aod's, motor mounts, colling system woes, ABS probs with my SC (pump twice, pressure switch twice) and then making a bunch of power, oh god the torque these cars have, watching the boost guage dance, then frying spindle bearing after spindle bearing on that drivers rear tire (these bearings HATE that 1-2 shift) of 2 of my cars, yeah i got it bad. ive also had a fox v8 bird (351) but i like the SC best. ive been out of the game too long, and im glad to be back. heres a couple pics of the old rides

That GT looks like a Merc with that spoiler...

Chris

Hmmmmm...a year and a half later and I wonder who is still in it for the long haul.

Chris

I've put in many thousands to rebuild the engine and trans as well as did a lot of porting, all new valvetrain goodies etc...
Yeah, i'm still in it for the long haul.

Well since then I got two more (35th and 92 5.0) and...wait ...maybe I see another one coming . Shhhhh!

me three;-)

I guess I am in it for the long haul too. Just spent nearly $1200 on my Mastercard today for parts for my two '95s. I have a '95 auto that has 183k on it, and I ordered tuneup parts for it (plugs, wires 02 sensors) along with new KVR brake pads, and for the 5 speed (26k miles) I ordered a C&L 76mm MAF, BBK 75mm TB and the SCP 3" air intake setup, which oughta really make a difference and alow the recently installed s-ported blower with MP intake plenum (10% OD pulley too!) to breathe. Next I will order a chip for it.

One hassle I don't look forward to is that the EGR tube is cracked on the Kooks header, and I plan to remove that and take and have it welded during the time its down for the tuneup process. While I'm at it, I will just replace the SC with one I removed from the 5 speed car which only has about 24k on it.

Question: has anyone out there installed a set of those new stainless steel brake lines yet? I bought two sets to install on my cars, but haven't gotten to it yet. Any hassles involved? I bought them while under the impression from the vendor that they are a direct replacement for the stock ones with no modification required.

Don

I'm still here. I don't spend as much time working on my car or going to events as I use to, but I still have my 2 SC's and somehow they are both working. I'm hoping to get one of them into the 12's this year then return to retirement from racing again for a while.

16 years so far for me....

The car just keeps on going, and as long as it stays reliable, I'll be in the driver's seat.

True story, I use to be a hard core Chevy guy intill 89 when the SC came out, first time I liked a Ford! So around 97 I was at a used car lot & was looking for a blazer & my dad spots out a 90 SC, he says to me "didnt you always want one of those cars?" I did but I always had in the back of my mind "its a Ford!" So I was like naaa Ill look around. The car sales man then starts trying to sell me the SC! Finaly I took it for a test drive & ended up buying it! Had a few mods on it, totaled the car in 94 drinkin & drivin like a maniac! Year later I bought a non opp 91 SC for my evil plans...... I will always own an MN12 for as long as I live!!!

Long Haul, only reason is because I got the wife to love the Tbirds as well.

When I got back to the states, and actually owned my first car, it was a 59 Baja Bug. I found an 89XR7 5spd for 2500 with 140K on it. I bought it. The cougar started having problems and I couldnt afford maintain both, I was only an E3 in the Air Force. I sold my 59 Baja Bug. A friggin oval windowed 59 bug! Then I bought my 89SC, 89XR7 crapped out and wouldn't start ever again, which a lot of the guys in Hampton Roads have seen...One of them helped me work on it, and I nursed a headgasket problem for about a year. I then had an 88TC 5spd. Got rid of it, regret every day of it.

I married my beautiful wife, who hated Tbirds. We buy an 02 mustang, in 05, which I still hate to this day, it gets flooded in Katrina and is now my daily driver.

I try to convince her to buy a Bird, doesnt happen.

I find a cherry 93SC auto w/ 47K on it, wife drove it, loved it, and didnt complain when I laid 4500 on it. She doesnt complain the few times I have had to buy parts for it...IAC just went out on it.

The 93SC sits under covered parking with a cover and window covers under that. It only gets driven on the weekends and I wouldnt have it any other way.

If times became really had, as they had after I lost my job, I contemplated selling, but would rather send the mustang to the junkyard before the Bird was gone. My wife thinks the same way.

I have yet to find a car that I am comfortable in and I am by no means a big guy 6'3". I feel like a circus clown getting out of the mustang. And am comparable to a midget trying to get out of a toaster with the 03 Tiburon we have now.

Long haul is an understatment. I WILL be buried in this car.

I bought my 93 new as the family car. Decided to make it my weekend play car about 4 years ago. I hope to have it completed next year, so I guess I am in it for the long haul.

This Winter installing 1 3/4 lomg tubes, YSi trim Vortech, roll bar.