UPDATED Car mechanic question · 12:49am Oct 4th, 2022
UPDATE: friends dad whos my go to mechanic told me about california paying you to get rid of your old car and since it still is driverable enough to make it to a junk yard and a few other qualifications I and it pass, it looks like I can get $1500 for it with very little work compared to whatever else I do so assuming I get accepted which is extremely likely once I finish the application I need to finish, the question becomes whether the insane cost of a new used car hurts more than... wait is there any reason I cant sell the motor AND replace it with a crappy one good enough for one last trip down the road? none of the first brief reading of the caveats on the website would disqualify that... wait fuck need to have owned it for two years. or do I I? technically it was a seaside california cop car and (I hope) insured by the seaside PD, so they will probably tell me that doesnt count but it may be a loophole. heres the website https://www.bar.ca.gov/consumer/consumer-assistance-program/vehicle-retirement-1500
huh. sudden this has become more work again lol.
ORIGINAL POST
I got on fimfiction specifically to ask Admiral biscuit this but it can't hurt to copy and paste it to a blog post too you never know where a spark will blossom, to mix metaphors.
Hey, I know you do car stuff, i have a question(s).
My 2006 crown Vic cop car's transmission is shot which has now killed the fan that was having to always run from the rpms so the car overheats repeatedly so this may be the end of its life with me driving it.
But my mechanic friend has said it has a really good engine (v8) in good shape and I was wondering if you knew anything about people who buy engines or if you think given how ridiculous car prices are right now I should try to replace the transmission, or recommended junk yards or even just like a website link for partsing out cars, anything of that nature be a device or a resource would be a blessing. Hope you're doing well, thanks and have a great day!
oh good, I saw the title and was like, "why are you posting a blog and not asking biscuit?"
The biggest question is just how much effort you're willing or able to put into it.
In my experience, unless you have the time, tools, location, and knowledge to do a transmission swap yourself, it's generally not worth the cost. Gas prices being what they are, you might want to downsize anyways.
If you have a place to pull the motor, you could advertise it (if the car is an Interceptor model, absolutely include that in the advert). Then find a wrecking yard to haul away the shell (they'll probably pay $100-$300, call around and ask).
The least effort option is to just sell the car as-is to whoever want's to buy it. This will probably be around the price of the motor alone so you'll be out any money from selling the shell to a wrecking yard.
As for websites, aside from ebay and craigslist, I am not sure. Sorry. I'd love to know what Admiral Biscuit recommends, if he doesn't mind you passing it along to me.
Also, keep in mind I live in Arizona. California may be different. Best of luck getting it sorted.
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see updated post
5690267
Are you going to the pony convention there that I doubt will have more than like 100 people cause numerous reasons its this weekend Im going to watch the dumpster fire and play my first ever main stage piano performance even if no ones watching.
I'd try for the 1500 first--skimming through the requirements, if you go for option one the only thing that might be a problem (if you've owned the car for over 120 days and it's been registered for all those days) assuming it's complete, all it needs to do is fail a smog check, and there are a lot of easy ways to get it to fail with very little effort.
Best of all, some of the easiest wouldn't diminish the value of the car if they don't accept it for the program--although it might be impossible to re-register until the smog thing is fixed.
What I would do first is look around on Craigslist or whatever and get an idea of what those cars go for is the condition yours is in. As I recall, transmission problems weren't uncommon for the Crown Vics. It's probably got the pursuit 4.6L which is a nice, solid engine, and a good engine for a lot of Ford projects. I don't know about California, but in some areas those cars are in high demand as taxi cabs, since they're tough as nails, and that might increase its value, either to a buyer or to a junkyard (they'll pay more for cars that they know they're going to sell a lot of parts on, versus ones that are likely only worth their value in scrap weight).
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Thanks friend.
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okay bot