Mustang & Sports Car Lovers

[freebird5825]

- lifestyle allowed us to take retirement prior to normal SS age
- completly debt free, and having a healthy "cash bucket" for current expenses
- our home is paid for, and we expect to live here for many years...not considered part of our retirement income
- no outstanding loans, nor any CC debt...pay them every month.

forgive me for such brutal editing, but i saw the elements of the recipe of success to be able to FIRE and wanted to highlight them for effect.

are we related? LOL

a bit off topic...a very very brief excursion...may I ask what type car your avatar is?

FB

 

[rs0460a]

a bit off topic...a very very brief excursion...may I ask what type car your avatar is?

FB

'02 Mustang GT vert (like yours - only an older model, on the old Fox frame) with the 5-speed manual.

Ordered it from the factory (my color combination not offered by the local dealer).

Currently has 15k and is my "sunday car" - e.g. the sun has to be out before it leaves the garage ...

- Ron

Here's a larger picture (courtesy of Ford)...

 

[freebird5825]

'02 Mustang GT vert (like yours - only an older model, on the old Fox frame) with the 5-speed manual.

Ordered it from the factory (my color combination not offered by the local dealer).

Currently has 15k and is my "sunday car" - e.g. the sun has to be out before it leaves the garage ...

- Ron

the headlights threw me off for a moment. very nice ride!!!!
mine is a 5 speed also. it is downright criminal to put an automatic trans in cars like these.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

oh, so this is where i post the stang pics...

white with black top and tan interior. black inserts inside doors, black mats on tan carpet. hot hot hot. only one in southeastern u.s.a. at the time. the dealer found it for me in jax and shipped it down.

(don't shoot me, auto here. hey. it's my only car. love a stick but not for everyday. sometimes you have to compromise in life. that doesn't make me a criminal.)

if you're blue and you don't know
where to go, why don't you go
where fashion sits
puttin' on the hitch

 

[Milton]

Ironic that a LBYM thread has turned into an opportunity for people to show off their sportscars! Well, everyone is entitled to one or two luxuries, as long as those toys are paid for (i.e., not financed with debt). Obviously Ron et al. have everything under control financially, and LBYM has allowed them the freedom to afford such indulgence.

I think the issue was lack of risk management. There must have been a lot of actuaries asleep at their differential and integral equations

Apparently it is easy to make complex mathematical models say whatever you want them to say. If you keep tinkering with the parameters long enough, eventually you'll manage to obtain favourable 'stress test' results.

 

[rs0460a]

Obviously Ron et al. have everything under control financially, and LBYM has allowed them the freedom for such indulgence.

Yes ....

Also, it's a bit of "making up for lost time" in my "youth" (but that's another story, not suitable for public discussion )...

- Ron

 

[ladelfina]

Ironic that a LBYM thread has turned into an opportunity for people to show off their sportscars

It's like that saying about the two ways to become rich: "Make more, or desire less". The first route for people already in ER is not so open, so we'll be tested as to our capacity for the second.

 

[freebird5825]

Ironic that a LBYM thread has turned into an opportunity for people to show off their sportscars! Well, everyone is entitled to one or two luxuries, as long as those toys are paid for (i.e., not financed with debt). quote]

sorry bout dat...i'll start a new thread...it was a very brief excursion...

very good point about not being financed with debt.
FB

 

[freebird5825]

Let's see what ya got!

and why did ya buy it?

when i was 45, i set a goal to have a Mustang (convertible with 5 spd transmission) by age 50. i saved up and actually achieved it at age 48. i drove my old faithful 92 Honda for 13 years vs buying a newer car, and bankrolled the Stang fund. Honda still runs and is my winter rat.

FB

 

[rs0460a]

Ironic that a LBYM thread has turned into an opportunity for people to show off their sportscars! Well, everyone is entitled to one or two luxuries, as long as those toys are paid for (i.e., not financed with debt). quote]

sorry bout dat...i'll start a new thread...it was a very brief excursion...

very good point about not being financed with debt.
FB

Actually, "showing off our toys" make perfect sense in an LBYM thread. Speaking for myself, I could have had a "toy" much earlier in life (other than my DW "strongly encouraging me not to participate in such a purchase ), but that desire was delayed to many years later and lead to our FI status.

BTW, I truly believe that I appreciate and enjoy the car more at my "advanced age " than I would have 40+ years ago. I also have the time to take it out for a long ride in the early spring or late fall (perfect time for a vert) without having to worry about getting to a j*b!

Life is good...

- Ron

 

[freebird5825]

Actually, "showing off our toys" make perfect sense in an LBYM thread. Speaking for myself, I could have had a "toy" much earlier in life (other than my DW "strongly encouraging me not to participate in such a purchase ), but that desire was delayed to many years later and lead to our FI status.

BTW, I truly believe that I appreciate and enjoy the car more at my "advanced age " than I would have 40+ years ago. I also have the time to take it out for a long ride in the early spring or late fall (perfect time for a vert) without having to worry about getting to a j*b!

Life is good...

- Ron

see new thread "Mustang & Sports Car Lovers" in Other Topics.
FB

 

[rs0460a]

I drove my old faithful 92 Honda for 13 years vs buying a newer car, and bankrolled the Stang fund. Honda still runs and is my winter rat.

FB

Oh my! I think we are about to get into another "my car vs. your car ".

Last year we traded our '89 Olds (18+ years!), purchased new. Even though it still ran without any repairs other than "normal" - e.g. muffler/brakes/tires, it was built before such things such as airbags (both front or side) were generally used.

At our age, if we "break", it will take longer to heal ourselves, so it was more of a lifestyle/safety move.

Just another story of LYBM. BTW, my son is picking up his new car today (yes, he paid cash ). His previous car was purchased (new) in '94 after he graduated from a state university. That's 14 years for him - not bad.

- Ron

 

[cj]

Can't beat a Honda - I drove my 1994 Accord for 13 years, and now the 19 year old daughter of a friend has it and it's still running. I now have a 2007 Civic (paid cash) and on my trip last week to western NC, I got 44 mpg on the highway (and it's not a hybrid).

 

[freebird5825]

Oh my! I think we are about to get into another "my car vs. your car ".
Last year we traded our '89 Olds (18+ years!), purchased new.

wow, 89 Olds. you got your money's worth and then some.

My Stang is my mid life crisis car. it took me 3 months of driving by it to finally test drive it. i knew once i did that was all she wrote.

My mom had a 69 black Mustang convertible, but sadly it was an automatic. she let me drive it 1 year at college until i saved up for my own used car. I was hooked! i did my first 100 mph crazy run in it. A guy in a Chevy Nova teased me into a short race. Guess who lost?

Mine is a 2005 Premium, 6 cyl. the insurance for the GT was off the scale. but the Premium has lots of guts and about 22 mpg avg for both city/highway. it looks just like a 69 in general appearance, updated all over.

as you know, these are a dream to drive. and we deserve it, eh?

FB
PS I'm a female, BTW

 

[freebird5825]

from CJ
Can't beat a Honda - I drove my 1994 Accord for 13 years, and now the 19 year old daughter of a friend has it and it's still running. I now have a 2007 Civic (paid cash) and on my trip last week to western NC, I got 44 mpg on the highway (and it's not a hybrid).

when my 92 gives out, the replacement will probably be a used Honda. it's costing a lot in "wear & tear parts" lately at 130K miles, but still better than car payments. my fiance does all the work himself.

amazing mileage for the Civic. thanks for the info. i may seriously think about a used Civic now, assuming i can even find one. all i need is a car for local driving in winter.

FB

 

[TromboneAl]

a bit off topic...a very very brief excursion...may I ask what type bike that is on your rack, Lazy?

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

online stangphiles go nutz on the inquirer of a hitch but it is hardly noticeable with all but the 1&1/4 inch box & two steel loops sticking out slightly (less than the exhaust pipes) from under the bumber (top of box lines up precisely & flush with bottom of bumper--nothing else of the hitch shows.) what the hell, they are already upset with me that i violated gt stang sanctity with an automatic. (hey, it's not my fault they haven't yet designed a pony tiptronic transmission.)

was tough getting the hitch on just right. u-haul screwed it up and so ford had to completely redo, re-aligning the exhaust system. they wound up with most all of u-haul's installation fee & hitch cost.

all well worth the hassle. the bikes ride beautifully. the rack is about 30 lbs of what is either powder coated or very well painted steel. the finish is lasting nicely. i don't like some of the large plastic inserts which do not stay in well. also i do not like the hinge feature which allows access to trunk or back of a truck. it eliminates the safety of that lock bolt i bought to attach the rack to the hitch because instead of now being a solid steel connection, the bike could be removed by just taking out one bolt and taking half the rack with it. so i have to cable that half of the rack or bike or both directly to a steel loop at the hitch.

otherwise i'm very pleased with the system. it holds the bikes far enough away from the car paint so as not to scratch. i like the fold down arms when not carrying bikes. i love how the bike rides as one with the car, so i don't lose a bike when i'm driving like a shoe lace through traffic. it should have come with a few extra rubber bands and there is a breaking mechanism built into the bike clamp which is supposed to keep the clamp in place on the arm that is ineffective, so if you are doing 80 mph, the bike needs to be tied directly to the rack so that wind does not push it backwards.

the rack is a thule which my store sells for $10 off list.

http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=958

Thule 2-Bike Parkway - Downtown Bicycles - Fort Lauderdale

 

[TeeRuh]

2001 Mustang SVT Cobra convertible

... assembled on 5/23/2001, #1806 of 3384. Hand assembled 4.6L dual overhead cam motor with signed template on valve covers of the two assemblers. 25,700 miles. Just came back from a short cruise with the top down as we have an absolutely beautiful day. (Though I shouldn't be using the gas since it's difficult to get right now; post-Ike.)

 

[TromboneAl]

CJ, your avatar is uncannily similar to a photo that I took:

 

[jambo101]

Speaking of sportscars heres mine http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/jambo101/41810012.jpg



http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/jambo101/41810006.jpg

 

[freebird5825]

Speaking of sportscars heres mine http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/jambo101/41810012.jpg

ummm...i don't recognize what type car that is.

whatcha got there?

 

[cantlogin]

ummm...i don't recognize what type car that is.

whatcha got there?

I think that's his Yata. Not mine, his.

 

[Outtahere]

Gosh I haven't posted here in ages but this thread caught my attention. I won't go into details but some serious stuff going on in my life made me finally do some things I wouldn't normally do, fun things. This is one of them Aquired this back in June, the second picture is of the one I had when I was 22.

69 Mach I, 4 barrel 351 Windsor, 4 speed, everything is original except the radio. Acapulco Blue/white interior.

69 Fast Back 302, 3 speed, Gulfstream Aqua/black interior. Like all cars of that era that were driven every day it rusted out from under me.

 

[freebird5825]

now that's a color i've never seen on a Stang. beautiful!

my mom's 69 rusted out terribly - first thing to go was the front quarter panels and the floors behind the bucket seats. following right along was the rear quarter panels and trunk. the rag top lasted longer than the metal body.

true story...i had the car in San Diego and was going thru a causeway toll booth. the toll collector took one look at the rusted out car (think Swiss cheese) and said..."I hope it's not in a lot of pain".

FB

 

[dm]

Here is my 73 Porsche 911. I got it cheap, but it was a project. But whats a ER guy to do over the winter?