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Driving older Volvos is attractive to a very narrow subset of the population, a respectable representation of which can be found right here on the BB. For the most part, we enjoy fairly safe and economical transportation, especially when figuring in licensing and insurance costs. Generally, we can support a household "fleet" of vehicles on modest incomes, but we do so at a cost that includes:
1.) Spending an inordinate amount of time performing repairs on our DIY-friendly vehicles.
2.) Driving a car that will never be particularly "stylish" (by most people's standards).
3.) Driving a car that will never enjoy the value appreciation of an old Mustang.
4.) Tolerating, in most cases, a crappy looking body because paint jobs are expensive.
5.) Spending an inordinate amount of time performing repairs on our DIY-friendly vehicles.
6.) Tolerating a smelly, worn interior.
7.) Tolerating friends and family, many of whom are on the brink of bankruptcy, that don't stop and do the math to see why you "continue to drive that old POS", but prefer to ridicule you for it.
8.) Letting a certain amount of family responsibilities go to the back burner because we are spending an inordinate amount of time performing repairs on our DIY-friendly vehicles.
On the other hand, if time and money are tight, I don't think trying to resurrect a "superficially lousy" brick into a cherry vehicle would be in your best interest either. If you absolutely have to have a cherry brick, then go buy one. You'd be money way ahead than trying to bring one back from beater land. But even if you did buy a different one, you can still count on spending an inordinate amount of time performing repairs on your DIY-friendly vehicle. If all you really need is a single, reliable vehicle to get you through school, then bailing out of your bricks may not be a bad idea. If, a few years down the road, you are in a different situation and would like to have another brick, you could then go buy one. They'll be out there and they won't cost as much as a 66 Mustang. Just my 2 cents.......
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