This has got to be the biggest understatement of this thread.

Trying to do this without a proper garage and tools, all the while under the angry eyes of your neighbors.......

It's a big project to swap like for like, do you really have any idea what is involved when you start a bastard swap like this? I do. It's not trivial to just swap out like for like, let alone all the time required to engineer out the interfaces required when doing something the factory never did.

You've also admitted that even the truck needs work. Wow.
Here's some advice:

You are not in a good position to have nothing but needy cars as daily transportation. You need to prioritize your time and money to get yourself in a situation where you can play with cars.

First, if you and your spouse both have jobs, what you need right now is TWO reliable cars. By your own admission, none of your vehicles qualify for this category. Get this priority out of the way first.

Second, you need to own (preferably) or rent a place that has a garage, and enough room to hide any projects from the neighbors. This means that any money you save should not be spent as a sunk cost on needy machinery or expensive vacations. Save for the house.

Once you have achieved these goals, then it is time to play as a reward.
Until then, spend your talent where you can make money, and save as much as you can until you fulfill the above goals.

It took me a while to learn this myself (although I got the house part fairly quickly), and I wish I had learned it much sooner.

Jim

my truck needs an alignment due to abnormal tire wear, big deal.Might need lower ball joints, an hour job at most.But

you're making it seem like I'm some 16 year old working at McDonald that makes $7 an hour with 12 cars in various states of disrepair.

we own a town home with a good sized 2 car garage.....that was purchased on short sale 7 years ago and has already double in value thats sitting in a very very popular area that would make it easy to rent out in the near future and is being paid off, dare I mention our savings and investment portfolio So I think I'm allowed to have a car or two that need attention


and the 603 to w123 swap is pretty simple when compared to a V12 to 107 swap.I should probably do it just to spite the nay sayers.... Its been documented and works well.

Ha. The attention to detail is very obvious. Maybe these cars "need" said work done, but they still go down the road just fine.

Mines that way. It needs a lot of stuff. But it's now at the point that it will get me to work. I consider it just as reliable as the 09 Buick suv with 100k on it. Probably more reliable, because when these old benz's "break" they tend to still get you home. If a coil pack goes out or God knows what else on the Buick I'm calling for a tow.

We sometimes aim for perfection in life, but the reality is the happiest people are just doing their thing, which may not make sense to others.

My landlord is a billionaire. Literally. I'm watching him plant a small vineyard right now, and none of it makes any sense. He won't make any money. The row orientation is wrong. The variety is a poor choice for the climate. Soil prep is non-existent.

But when he gets towards the end of his life, will he be saying "I grew the wine that I prefer and drank it!" Or will he be saying "I grew the correct variety with proper row orientation soil prep etc, but didn't enjoy drinking it?"

I think we all need to pursue our own version of crazy. You only live once. Enjoy the ride.

He may end up selling vinegar instead...


Sent from an abacus

Yeah that's the hard part. I set him up with a buddy that knows what he doing and will keep half the wine.

Joe,

Not trying to offend.

You assume everybody knows your situation. What you say above gives quite a different impression than your OP. Congrats on recognizing the value of owning a home with a garage.

But, what I wrote still holds true.

Years ago, Peter Egan wrote in Road and Track about having one good car.

I've found that over the years this is a very true philosophy. You need one good car in your fleet. Something your wife can drive with reliability, something that doesn't require an explanation of how to make it work, something with no immediate needs either cosmetic or mechanical.

You said you were getting hassled due to the sheer number of cars you own. This really stood out against the laundry list of needs all your cars have. My advice is borne from experience and years of observation. Cutting loose the needy cars and replacing many with one good one is a very sound move. I learned this lesson the hard way, and looking back I wish I had taken the suggested path.
I got lucky in real estate and was in the right place at the right time with the right house a couple of times. This enabled me to set up a nice shop building to work on cars. I didn't learn the one good car theory as quickly. When I look back and consider how much money and time I spent keeping older cars running (and I'm real picky about cosmetics and mechanical condition), I could have bought a newer car and had a lot more time and a bit more money.

Time has low value when you're young, but increases in value as you get older. While I don't regret the path I took, It wasn't the most effective use of my time. What I paid myself for my time was zero, which is about what I get per hour now. The difference is that now I can pick and choose my battles, whereas before my battles came to me. It's not a lot of fun to be working on your car Sunday night so you can get to work or school on Monday. I've also done several custom engine swaps and this path is not for the fainthearted. Especially in a condo environment. My favorite was an 86 Dodge Caravan that I bought from the Chrysler proving grounds as a shell in 1986, and installed a Dodge Shelby Charger 2.2 turbo with a 5 speed manual transmission that came from a rolled new car. This one served to get me the one new car aspect, but still was a lot of fun to drive. It's fun to dream, it's another to get the dream to run well.

Joe, not trying to impune that you work at mickey D's, you've been on this list a long time and those of us who have followed you know that you graduated, got a job, and got married. Old news for me.

Good luck on your decisions, I wish you the best.

Jim

Sell them all and start fresh with a small Japanese truck and a decent MB, maybe a W126 diesel.

I like the dodge.


I wasn't being hassled about the number of cars, with a roommate that has a jeep, motorcycle and had a pickup truck(he just sold) it's difficult for me to have my space. Thankfully they are moving out in two months or so. So I'll have space. :D in the garage.

The 300D isn't terribly, it looks fine from 10'. I'm just not picking.

What about selling the truck, & keeping the 2 cars, for now?
 

Nobody has mentioned this idea but if you only use a truck/trailer now and then, what about renting, and only when needed?

Possible benefits would be easy garaging of your two cars, and less expense of garaging. insuring, repairing a third car, and even depreciation and maintenance..just wondering.....

Also, many people bought a gas guzzling big SUV or full size pickup truck on the logic they need it to tow a boat or trailer sometimes. But the extra expense in fuel, repairs might, on simply just a cost per mile basis alone, make it quite a bit more expensive to own, in the long run.

Might not make it that sensible to keep a truck/SUV if you are budget-minded and could use the money saved for something else more important, too..

What do you think?

Nah, the truck is very useful. But if I quit teaching I might just sell it since I used it a lot for class. But in the past I've needed to use a pickup for many tasks around the house and didn't have one. I sold my MINI and bought the truck with the money from that so it was a wash really, no money lost or spent on it. Renting a truck is a hassle...


Another reason for keeping the 124... I've owned and driven w123's and an SDL, WHICH I MISS TERRIBLY! But the w124 is a great compromise between the two chassis. When I got in it the other day and the doors made a nice thud instead of a clunk like my w123, with new door strikers, it was nice. New thought, 5 speed swap for the w124!

If I'm going to save for something else it's going to be an early Viper.......

Wasn't there a truck with a Viper engine it?

Yes, and it had a mini version of the superbird rear wing on back as well. Huge aluminum wheels, big brakes, and on and on. To me it was the answer to a question that no sane person would ask but they sold some. It was a full sized dodge ram.

Cool - gotta have wings - just like panty pads

Here's a picture of it

http://www.shadetreemechanic.com/ima...Quad%20Cab.jpg

I'm sure it is fat 'n' furious and fast 'n' loud and yet when you look at it perhaps not. It's a four door!

There's this kid in my town that won the lottery. Had to split it with other people.

He bought a viper. Still works at the grocery store. Still lives with his parents.

It makes no sense. But he seems happy. So good for him.