My old Boxster needs the intermediate shaft bearing update and some maintenance stuff. My wife and I just bought a house, and my car project money stays separate and the hobby/addiction has to support itself.

I love the old Boxster, so selling it isn't an option. The goal is to get it back to daily driver status. So, in the meantime, I have to pare down the fleet. All but one of the following junks has to go. The remaining junk will be my daily driver until the Boxster is fixed.

Here's what's lingering. Help me, fellow GRMers, to figure out what to keep, what to sell and what to drive until the Boxster is fixed...

1. 1984 Porsche 944, 168K miles, runs OK, A/C doesn't work, interior looks like it was used for low income housing. Smells like it, too.

2. 1990 VW Jetta, German-built, 200K miles, 5-speed, clean rust-free car. No spark. Impulse buy - whenever I see one without rust, I have an uncontrollable urge to rescue it.

3. 1991 VW Jetta, Mexican-built, 120K miles, my current DD but it's ALWAYS got something that needs attention. I kind love it because I converted it, myself, from an automatic to a manual. But, like an idiot, I deleted the power steering at the same time. Nice-ish car but it's starting to get a little rusty.

4. 1996 Volvo 850. Automatic, 171K miles, runs awesome, needs front struts, ball joints and climate control unit. Black on black car with no heat or A/C at the moment.

So which one would you fix, and which three cars would you sell?

I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I think I'd keep #2.

There are a lot of $1000 944s out there and I don't think there would be a huge following for that particular Volvo. VW #3 sounds like it's not a lot of fun to own.

There will always be a market for a rust free Jetta.

I'd freshen the Volvo, get the HVAC working, and dump the rest.

I would keep the '91 Jetta since it sounds like it needs the least work at the momment. Sell it and get a reliable DD after the Boxster is back on the road. I know about "self funding" car projects. I just got another track car so now I have to "recover" some funds as well.

DILYSI Dave wrote: I'd freshen the Volvo, get the HVAC working, and dump the rest.

What year did manufacturers switch from R 12 to R 134?

Is it an option to sell them all since you're willing to part with any of them and just buy a fully operational vehicle? Then put the time/money you would have spent fixing one toward the Boxster along with the leftover loot and get the Boxster done quicker.

List them all for sale, whichever one is left standing after the first 3 sell, that's your answer.

In reply to Rad_Capz:

Not really, because if I bring ANY more cars home before something leaves, I think I'll end up living it in. I have a few too many "Keepers"

My wife is VERY understanding, but to keep the peace at home, I kind of have to work with what I've got here.

My '95 850 is 134a

I'd keep the 850 for a DD.

• Lee

JThw8 wrote: List them all for sale, whichever one is left standing after the first 3 sell, that's your answer.

This.

vwcorvette wrote:

JThw8 wrote: List them all for sale, whichever one is left standing after the first 3 sell, that's your answer.

This.

Heck no! That GUARANTEES that you will be left with the least desirable vehicle!

Keep the Volvo. It has the highest probability of being a dependable and comfortable driver.

I'm a big fan of "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know." I'd keep the DD Jetta because it probably has the lowest potential for Bad Surprises. The impulse-buy Jetta can be somebody else's impulse-buy Jetta too, particularly if it regains the ability to spark. Lots of people don't want or need an interior or AC in their 944s; go find them. Nobody should have to drive a black-on-black car with no AC in the summer; this violates several paragraphs of the Geneva Convention. I'd fix it up and sell it, either with the AC fixed (which I gather is a major PITA) or with all the parts so the purchaser can wade in.

As always, this advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

This is a hard one.. Id probably dump all of those..

I think i'd keep the Volvo. But this may be only because i have 0 interest in early 90s jettas and 944s.

Sell the VWs and the Volvo. Keep the 944, fix the a/c, buy some $100 molded carpet,and a pair of those $150 racing seats from Summit.

91 jetta is working well enough to serve DD duty - keep doing it for a while. Move the 944 down the road. Use funds for getting 90 jetta running and send it on its way - use funds for struts, ball joints and a/c on volvo, Send on its way. Fix boxster, Send 91 jetta on its way - go buy new project.

I like the way you think, oldtin.

Sell all of them. Keep the Boxster.

I'd keep the 850 first keep the 944 second

and not keep either Jetta, no matter what.

Well, it depends on what you want. If you need a a DD and can drive the volvo for a while, take VWs and make the 1990 a fully running machine with heat and air. Sell the 1991 for parts and use that that money to fix and sell the volvo as well. Rip the interior out of the 944 and either replace it with a cheap second hand version a la 'wheeler dealer' or add a roll cage and turn it into a cheap track car. Then, sell it and fix the boxster. Alternatively, sell the 1990 jetta as well after it is running, fix the boxster, and keep the 944 as a track car.

DILYSI Dave wrote: I'd freshen the Volvo, get the HVAC working, and dump the rest.

1

I'm thinking fix 2 to use as a DD and sell 3 and 4.

Aeromoto wrote: Sell the VWs and the Volvo. Keep the 944, fix the a/c, buy some $100 molded carpet,and a pair of those $150 racing seats from Summit.

I like this one. The other cars have very little appeal to me.

I would fix the 90 Jetta, keep the Boxster and sell the others for $$$'s.

I love A2 VW's, especially rust free ones.