Is It Time????

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cosgig

cosgig

MoBro Inc.
FABO Gold Member
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Location
Pinckney, Michigan
Hey all, I have a little scenario that I would like your opinions on. First, a little background...

Anybody who knows me here also knows that my daughter Nella (cudagirl) uses a wheelchair and needs a lift van to get her about when she's not in her car (Sunfish). We currently have a 2000 GMC Savana liftvan which as of today has over 160,000 miles. Now, don't get all over me cause its a GM, but Dodge vans were on their way out and a lift would not fit in a Dodge, only Ford and GM. Anyway, it's been a dream of mine to one day build her a sweet lift van out of a 1970's era Dodge Sportsman style van. Well, one has popped up here on FABO for sale, rock solid and beadblasted and ready to do up a sweet conversion to Nella's chariot. When she saw it, she immedietly made it her screensaver and photoshopped her picture in the driver seat!!!

OK, so heres the dilemma. I have enough $$$ to buy the van, thats not a problem, but I don't have the $$$ to do up right. I want this van to be customized to her needs, and still be true to the cool van that it is. I want to make it into sort of a 70's custom style van, but have a lot of the ammenities of modern vehicles so the Mrs. will not squack about driving an "old" van!!!

So, my question is this...is it time to sell one of my other vehicles to fund this most important project. I can't sell Sunfish, it's Nella's...and I can't sell the 66, that's mama's... so...is it time to sell the GTX to fund this project??? I have had this car over 15 years now, and it hasn't seen a lot of road time the past couple years. I would hate to see it go, but a liftvan for Nella is a HUGE priority here at the cosgig compound. The GMC has a couple years left of decent service, but it's gettin' rusty and up in the miles, and I don't know if I can get up the $$$ in a couple years to do the Dodge before it's needed. So, is it time to sell, or should I be socking away every last penny of parts $$$ or ???? HELP!!! Heres the only pic I have of the GTX right now, so help me decide PLEASE!!! Thanks for any and all input!!! Geof and Nella
 

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As much as you love the GTX and it is a beautiful car. Nella needs the lift van and the cash the GTX would garner would finance the resto of the van. I saw the pictures of the van you are referring to and it would sure make an awesome van for Nella. I vote for selling the GTX and going full tilt for the van.
 
That is a beautiful GTX and anyone can understand wanting to keep but then priorities are priorities. Best to everyone in the compound.
 
My thoughts are for Nella's custom Van
Your GTX can take you a long way on Nella's Chariot on what you want to do to the build :happy10:
I have not seen the van but it sure sounds like a cool plan that the family will enjoy and give you peace of mind that it will be there for her and company :cheers:
 
I say sell the GTX. And I know the Van you are talking about. Soo, I say, pull the trigger!! You can make one coool van out of it.:cheers:
 
Ask Nella, It might bug her that you sold a car you wanted to keep to help her. She may only like the van because you do. Good luck.
 
You can't take out a loan to do the van? Use the GTX for collateral.
 
I hate to say it because I had a GTX,but Nella comes first.Bite the bullet and sell the car,you will be glad you did when everything is done.8)
 
I think the general consensus so far Geof is to sell the GTX. I agree with them, but agree with Herschel as well, ask Nella and get her input. Thru the love of mopars, you have made many friends here and you know as well as I do, that another beautiful car will come up for sale when the time is right. Best thing is, you have a driveway full of mopars, so its not like you will be stuck driving a Lada, when you get the urge you can always take one for a spin!! Good luck! BTW I saw the van too, and it would be sweet!!
 
Well look at it like this, You will lose an awesome car in selling the Plymouth, but she will be making the ultimate sacrifice also to leave your family to help out another member of your family. And I am sure that you and Nella will have a blast in the new arrival to your family who will be able to spend lots and lots of quality time with Daddy restoring the newest Mopar to arrive. it's just the right thing to do. Why buy a new van for thousands of dollars that would cost a fortune to repair if it broke down when you can have that awesome Tradesman all restored and actually be able to fix it yourself.. and think of the cool factor also!!!!!
 
4spdragtop said:
I think the general consensus so far Geof is to sell the GTX. I agree with them, but agree with Herschel as well, ask Nella and get her input. Thru the love of mopars, you have made many friends here and you know as well as I do, that another beautiful car will come up for sale when the time is right. Best thing is, you have a driveway full of mopars, so its not like you will be stuck driving a Lada, when you get the urge you can always take one for a spin!! Good luck! BTW I saw the van too, and it would be sweet!!
Click to expand...

From my experience, dads dream isn't always the child's dream, and the more you talk to your kids the better off both child and parent. Maybe she wants the GTX. Just a thought. Could it be altered for her needs win win there.
 
Cosgig, it seems to me that you already know what you need to do. Judging by her reaction when she saw the van, and how you as her father want to make her happy....well, I think everything points to selling the GTX. For me, though I'm too young to have a kid, I would think the smile on my daughters face and the joy that she'd have from you building that van for her would be way better than any car you could ever own. Family first, always.
 
i also agree to sell the gtx, and i just want to tell you, i know you probably already made up your mind.lol you are just looking for thoughts and opinions, and i respect you as a person for the sacrifice you know you are going to make. god bless
 
If the banks there are like here you can't take out a loan on a classic, I tried to take out a loan using my cuda to get my wife a car so that won't fly but maybe you can sell the car local or to someone on here and one day when you get some money you can track the car down and buy it back. I'm sure who ever ends up with it will understand and if they sell it would give you first dibs on it. good luck with your decision.
 
you state the GMC van still has a few good years left in it, and you have enough money to buy the dodge sportsman, so there is no need to sell the GTX at the moment, the collector car market is soft so not a good time to sell anyway, you can start working on the conversion now as money and time allow, and with a bit of luck you may be able to finish it without having to sell the GTX, you always have the option of selling the GTX in the future if you need to in order to finish the sportsman van project, if it comes to that, hopefully the market will have picked up by then and you can get a better price for it
 
If the van is her best option for mobility and she likes it, then thats the priority and the GTX must go.
Keep in mind some of the various options that are available these days. With a front drive van, a ramp can be installed at the rear. With most any van, a side load ramp can be installed. Depending on parking situations the rear load might be more practical. If she can shift herself from a wheel chair into a drivers seat, then a car might be a better choice. There are wheel chairs that are lightweight and are designed for easy disassembly and assembly so the occupant removes the wheelchair arms, swings themselves into a car's drivers seat with their upper body strength, then disassembles the wheelchair into manageable components which can be stored behind the divers seat of a two door car or put onto the passenger seat. Theres a guy I know with a vintage GTO that has no use of his legs but has no problem getting in and out of the car and managing the wheelchair without assistance.
There are also modifications that can be made to a car or van that, at the push of a button, extend a seat out of the vehicle for access to the seat. Once seated, will then retract with a passenger back into the vehicle.
Before starting on the van project, make sure its the best vehicle for her needs in the long run. She has the Cuda for a toy, as cool as this van is, be sure its the right vehicle for practical daily driver use for her for the years ahead. For parking, a shorter van may be preferable to an extended van. Also, depending on where you live, keep in mind that some vans may be too tall to fit into some parking garages (especially in urban areas). I remember seeing a Chevy van stuck in the parking garage at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland years ago. They had to let most of the air out of the tires to get it back out of the parking garage.
 
Hey all, thanks for all the replies!!! One thing I know for sure is that it owould be a win/win all the way around. One cool vehicle for another!!! For a little more background on Nella... I'm pretty sure that she will never drive a vehicle on the streets, she just doesn't have the neurological coordination that driving involves, so the van will be driven by either Mom or Dad, Nana or Papa. I am working with Chuck right now to gather dimensions from the van to make sure it is feasible to install a lift in it, and I'm pretty sure it's possible. Heck, with a torch and some welding, anything's possible, ain't it??? My biggest obstacle right now is Mama's resistance to daily driving an "old" van!!! She has no problem driving that barn on wheels she's driving right now, but for some reason she has this bug in her bonnet about this idea. But, being the man that I am, I'll just forge ahead with my plan, and when it's done, she'll be all happy to drive it!!1 She's a woman, and she has to hit the "NO" button a couple dozen times first before she finds the "YES" button!!!LOL!!! (Oops, don't hit me Leanna and Cheryl!!!LOL!!!). Anyway, I'm buyin' it and heading straight into the sun with this idea, and if I have to sell the GTX, that's what I'll do. Cafe's right, I don't have to sell right away, but I think I'll need the $$$ to really do it right!! I'll keep y'all posted!!! Thanks for all your input!!! Geof
 
Good for you Geoff. The van is going to be an awesome build and the best thing about that is you are at peace with selling the GTX. What a cool van you will have when you are done, An old skool Mopar with newer updates and outfitted for your little angel!!! What color were you thinking of painting it? Maybe you can have Nella choose the color. Post up lots of pictures and keep us in the loop. It would look cool with the turbine wheels back on it!!!
 
Can some one point me to where the van is so I can see it, Please
 
dustermaniac said:
Here you go Mike;

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=123811
Click to expand...
Thank you dustermaniac :happy10: Man-O-Man =P~=P~ 77 model =P~
Just look at that =P~=P~
Hay Geoff !! That is the best of them all =P~ that grill and the body style hits me like a sunny day :cheers: all of mine and the two boys race car numbers was 7, 77, 47, 27, 237, and 247 :happy10::happy10::happy10:
The power of the #77 will be with you on this build :happy10:
I agree :happy10: when you get it driving your wife will love the dodge over the chebby van you have now, I drove a 75 for a bear hunt up in northeast Arkansas with gear and three people and the braking and steering is so user friendly and you do know that is the A#1 van of choice for a MoPar family :cheers:, Get that tough, cool ride home and let's get started :happy10: I see a two tone paint with a big MoPar hart on it with flower power with one color the same as Nella's Barracuda on it :cheers:
I wish I was closer so I could be apart of this build :happy10:

That is one COOL Van Nella :cheers::cheers:
 
Well, for all who are wondering, Nella has already picked the color for her van...her favorite color...Purple!!! I have a bunch of old PHR magazines from the 70's with a ton of old custom van pictures and I will be tattering the pages some more looking through them for ideas. This van is going to be a fun build, and of course Nella will be in on a lot of the decision making to make sure that is is just what she needs, and wants!!! For all who have offered their input, we would like to thank you. Your positive comments are just what we need to get us amped up for this project. You will all be in our hearts and thoughts as we get this baby up to the high standards that Nella deserves. You are our family here, and we cherish your opinions, input and well wishes!!! Of course, we'll keep you up to date on our progress, and we'll take plenty of pictures along the way, as long as our camera holds out!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and ideas, we really appreciate it!!! Geof and Nella

P.S... Nella says hi to y'all and is sending out the love to you all, and a special big hug to her valentine...Memike!!!
 
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