Hey guys, I need some help

Hey guys, I need some help.

I just turned 18 and I've had my 1983 944 since I was 16. I truly and deeply love this car. And I have done all of the work on it myself, spending hundreds and hundreds of hours in the garage with it. I look forward to driving it every day and it has a special place in my heart.

Just recently, I got sideswiped in a hit and run in a Lowes parking lot. The insurance wants to total the car, but they agreed that, if I show them the receipts proving that I've spent over $1000 in parts (which I have many times over) that they would not total it.

Now, the dilemma I'm having is that, now that I'm going to be on my own, having a not so reliable car isn't the best. I can't borrow an extra car from my parents while I'm fixing mine. The opportunity arises for me to just give the car to the insurance and go get an old 240 brick that will run forever. Or I can keep mine and keep dumping money into it.

I genuinely love my car and I love driving it. But I don't know if it's practical. I don't want them to crush it, I've put so much love into her. But I need something that I can drive every day without worrying about it.

I'm just so sad right now. Any advice?

take the money from insurance, take the money from your parents and buy a corolla or something that wont break on you. being poor and on your own is no time to be dicking around with ancient cars.

People make accidents seem like the end of the fucking world for a car. Its not that bad my car is a salvage and ive salvaged 2 cars for friends with no complaints. Just get the thing fixed and it will keep on going as long as theres no frame damage

Go test drive a Miata. As gay as it is it's the only car that will give you the combination of qualities you need to be happy at this point in your life

this unfortunately
sometimes you gotta just bite the bullet. Get something that will last you a long while, get a job, save up, then buy either another one or something else you can put time into. Sooner or later all things die this might be that time for your car.
rip i know the pain all to well user

Cars, they come they go. I've had 10 in the last 5 years, 3 on the road now.

Trust me, if you really love it, later on you'll find a way to buy a way shittier one and resurrect it at far more cost overall to pay for your sins.

Ask me how I know.
I really like volvos. They're fun.

If it meant a lot to me, lets say it was my first car and it was gift from a parent I would try to keep it. Then I would get a 3k civic or fix it up and get it to par to be a reliable dd car. A lot of ppl will tell you get rid of it, but if it truly has a soft spot in your heart and you are a car bro try to save it as long as you can afford to do so. Otherwise you might regret it later. My dad knows better nice 1984 isuzu pup diesel 5 speed he has kept over 23 years.

...

It's not the end of the world for the car, I could still fix it and drive it. It's just that now, it's making me see just how unfeasible it really really is to own this car.

As much as I hate to hear this, you're probably right. It genuinely makes my heart ache.

Thanks dude. I was actually considering a Volvo once I give up the 944.

I know dude, ive had 3 cars taken from me that i loved dearly, I'm here with you just make sure you have plenty of pictures for those primo memories

What makes the car unfeasible?

Thank you, user, I do. I was a lonely loser all through high school and my car is is the one thing I loved. I don't want to give her up.

The problem is that it would be so easy to keep it. I could just keep fixing it, but I know it wouldnt work. I know as soon as I get rid of it, I'm going to cry my eyes out.

It's a 30 year old Porsche that is hard and expensive to fix. The issue is that, once I'm on my own, I can't borrow my parents extra car to get to and from school and work. It takes forever on the 944 to replace something that would normally be really easy and cheap on, say, a Volvo 240

Mfw all 7 cars in my family is over 150k miles and all but 2 were owned from new the record holder is our 2008 civic with 260k miles. The trans might be dieing but ill swap it out since we have a new engine after the original one blew up.

Oh, i thought it was a miata...well shit

Unless you are made of money tryna fix and old Porsche is gonna ruin you financially. just get an older shitbox Toyota or something real reliable. Nothing new, or newish, for many reasons. Alot of mid 90s cars are the perfect balance of easy and cheap to fix, without overeliance on electric bullshit. Replacement parts on cars like your 944 can cost 10x more than the same exact part on a shit box, or just old Yota

The parts really aren't as bad as you'd think if you don't buy them through Porsche. The biggest issue is how long it takes to fix compared to other cars. I can't be fixing my car for a week when I have no other way to get around.

>I do. I was a lonely loser all through high school and my car is is the one thing I loved. I don't want to give her up.

The feels are too real for me right now
Had the same exact bond with my mustang still have it thankfully but there have been a few close calls where I was genuinely scared I’d have to let her go.

user I’ll be straight with you there’s always a way to trim the fat in your budget and if this car really means that much to you then you can keep it but it means you’ll have to cut some things out of your budget
Examples:
>don’t go out to eat (mcdonalds is okay but like Applebee’s or red lobster is a no go)
>ramen is your best friend just get something like yakisoba not top ramen as if you eat too much of that you’ll get dehydrated and throw up all night.
>if possible don’t get a gf I know it sounds counterintuitive but a gf can be as much of a money pit as your car
Point is if you truly love this car and can’t stand to see it go then don’t.

>t. user who’d probably an hero if my mustang got totaled

I'd say keep it if you love it that much, you're gonna regret selling it for a long time.

I had a similar problem a year ago. Drove a 1992 Eagle Talon for eight years, and then my dad decided to buy a new tundra and gave me his old 2003 one. Naturally i said yes. The talon was reliable-ish, but had problems, of course. Its the care i attribute to having constant paranoia that something is going wrong while im driving (oil leak, dome light left on after turning the car off, stuff like that). It literally drove me crazy, no pun intended. When it came time to get rid of it, i sold it to some random neckbeard on Craigslist for $300 cash. Broke down and cried (again, no pun intended) for a while, but then i got over it. Fuck those money pit cars. I get your feelings though, I formed an emotional bond too, but like a girlfriend or something, you have to also remember the bad and the good when it comes to assessing if you should stick with it or not. In my case, it definitely wasnt worth it. On the other hand im not nearly as handy with a wrench as you seem to be. Personally id give it up. Theres enough chaos and chance in this world as it is, i dont need a car adding to that. Fuck it.

Again, it's not nessisarily the budget, it's the fact that, when I have to fix something, it takes a couple days, even for easy stuff, to fix. I can't be without a car for a couple days.

My only other option would be to go ahead and get another shitbox that I could drive when mine is down, but that's even less feasable.

I just don't know that I can make ends meet.

That's exactly how I am. I fix every little thing that needs to be fixed. I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to have to do just that, getting rid of it and all. It sucks, but it also sounds good to hear it from other people.

It's shitty because I've poured hundreds of hour hours of my life into this car. I've replaced just about everything but the engine and I've spent many long nights working on it.

Usually, my car is the thing that takes the chaos away from my life. I feel calm when driving and fixing it. It just doesn't stay running for long enough to be feasable.

Don't buy a 240, they're anemic as shit. You'll have a better time in an 840 or 850 even though the 850 is fwd.

How so? Also, if possible, I really want to stick with rwd because I dont have to worry about working around a big ass transaxle and I love sliding my car around in the snow.

Is it possible to store it away somewhere so you can restore it when you get the finances to have a dd and a weekend car?

Not really, because I need the money from the car to get a new car.

It's easy to fall into the trap of making emotional decisions about vehicles. I think you will regret keeping the 944 if something goes wrong and you are left stranded when you had an opportunity to replace it.

First car is the hardest one to let go. If you have a way to just leave the thing at your parents' for a few years and buy something else in the meantime until you can afford to go back to the 944, go for it. But don't expect to daily an old porsche when youre poor.

Buy a motorcycle and use it for when your car is down. That's how I justify driving my project, and it works.

If you're scared of bikes just get a $500 cavalier. If you do it right only one car is broken at any given time.

What year is the Mustang?

i think you should let it go. a car is special, but not so special your life should be made difficult owning it. it should be a labor of love. how much do you love the car user?

2003