This photo was taken in my driveway last June (2013, about 16 months ago). Only one of these vehicles remains in the driveway today. Which one (or two) would you have kept, and why?
- 1950 International L-170 (non-runner)
- 1984 Ford Mustang L (2.3l, manual)
- 1995 Ford F-150 XL 4WD (4.9l, auto)
- 1999 Ford F-250 XLT 4WD (7.3l Powerstroke, auto)
- 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle TDI (manual)
- 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible TDi (manual)
A trick question! The remaining vehicle has to be the International L-170, because it doesn’t run. It would also be the one I’d keep, together with the new TDI, because you need something for trips to the parts store.
John/SeVair
I would have kept the F250, the Mustang, and the 2000 Volkswagon. The F250 because of the 7.3, the bug because it was paid for (I assume…) and gets good fuel mileage, and the Mustang because it would be turned into a drag car.
I don’t do diesels, so bye-bye to both VWs and the F250.
I am not a mechanic , so adios to the International.
I can’t drive a stick , thus, the pony gets let out of the barn.
By process of elimination, the F-150 stays.
Wow – a complete driveway turnover does not happen very often at the JPC homestead.
I would have picked the 4.9 Ford pickup, but I know too much about what a rusted pain it was in your . . . life. Personally, the only sane choice is the Powerstroke F-250.
The International is really cool, but non-running and useless. The two VWs likely have the tendency to become like the International. (A bad influence? 🙂 ) And there is just no reason to hang onto a 4 cylinder Mustang. Soooo, Howmahdoin?
You’re pretty “warm,” JPC! (c:
The F-150 is indeed gone – finally sold it just last week.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-stormy-relationship-how-long-will-a-ford-f-150-transmission-last-without-fluid/
The International would be at the top of my list, unless I needed a daily driver. Then it would be the other International (the Powerstroke). A brown Fox body would be kinda cool, so that would be next. No love for either the F-150 or the VW’s from me.
Yup the two Internationals for me too.
The 2013 Beetle TDI, I love diesels and that has an appealing retro look to it with the choice of colours and wheelcovers.
Yup, I’d keep the 2013 Beetle too. Classics are fun but getting to work is the priority.
I’d take the International pickup truck. It’d make an awesome restoration project, or maybe even a resto-mod.
I’d keep the F150. Not worth a lot, and it’s a good runabout truck.
I’d sell the 2 Beetles, as they’re too small for me.
I’d sell the 7.3 Diesel. For the little bit I use a big truck, I’d get a Chevy 2500 with the 350 or an F250 with the 351 and pocket the difference (It would be a lot!). But, I only put about 3000 miles on my big truck per year, so your situation might be different.
The International might go or might stay. I’d put a For Sale sign on it, and see what type of offer I got. If nobody wanted it, it would be parked for about 20 years until I could “get around to it”.
The L-170 is indeed gone… didn’t have a For Sale sign in the window, but when two guys stopped by and asked if it was for sale – and subsequently offered an amount 25% over what I paid for it – I decided it was time to take it off my “get around to it” project list.
Not knowing the Ford trucks all that well, or the other cars for that matter….
The 1st to go would be the VWs. I am amazed that the internet is loaded with stories about how bad these cars are (especially the Mexican built ones) YET folks still buy them. Actually, from what I see a lot of clueless young women buy them.
FWIW, the VW GROUP is close to overtaking GM AND Toyota in global sales.
If the International is a non-runner, it goes.
I seem to remember that 84 Mustangs, especially the 4 cylinder models, were big victims of Ford’s cost cutting/de-contenting and therefore had a 4 speed manual transmission. It’s a tough choice, but the only reason I’d keep it is if the A/C worked.
That leaves the 2 “F” series as last to go and it would be a toss-up decided by condition/miles of each truck…but I’d probably keep the 6 cylinder and ditch the diesel.
the internet is loaded with stories about how bad these cars are (especially the Mexican built ones) YET folks still buy them.
I think all the US market bugs are built in Mexico. Odd that they are so problematic as the Jetta wagon is also built in Puebla, and, according to CR, is actually fairly reliable, in gas engine form.
FWIW, the VW GROUP is close to overtaking GM AND Toyota in global sales.
done.
And now Volkswagen can point out that it’s on track to become the second-largest selling automaker in the world, right behind Toyota. VW just edged out General Motors to to take the No. 2 spot for the first three quarters of the year, as measured in vehicles sold, the Associated Press reports.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/10/15/volkswagen-vw-gm-global-sales/17307031/
I have been hearing a lot of rumblings that VW is buying market share as earnings are below plan. VW hired McKinsey to recommend where to make cuts. The Works Council objected because McKinsey’s usual default solution is to take money away from the line workers. The Works Council suggests VW get rid of it’s redundant brands, like Skoda and Seat, and the halo models like Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini.
None
Answer of the day!
Hey, it’s a valid answer!
I’d keep the ragtop. Not crazy about diesels, but, I’d endure it to let those fleeting glimpses of warm sunny, Michigan weather in.
I’d only keep the newest pickup. All else can hit the road, but most likely, I’d get rid of them all and buy a GM-built vehicle…
No VW – ever.
Old trucks? I don’t like either example.
Old Mustang? Not in your life.
Not a Ford man, but especially diesel-powered anything regardless of make.
My QOTD: What’s hiding in the (envious of you) garage?
These!
For next weeks question:
I’d keep the Allis Chalmers and sell the Ford. That is, unless the AC 180 is a gasser. Then, I’d sell them both.
It’s a gasser *and* an oiler (needs rings). I ground-up restored the 8N seven seasons ago, so it has a bit more of an attachment for me.
Then, I’d keep the Ford (8n?). I’d probably sell the AC if I could get anything for it.
I’d then get a diesel Allis or an Oliver. And keep the 8N for sentimental reasons.
Nothing wrong with keeping something for sentimental value- I do it with cars.
I always loved that 2-door sedan body style on the Fox Mustang but not sure a 2.3 is worth keeping. I love the color combo on the new Beetle convertible but I’m guessing the one you kept is the International simply because you listed it first and it probably has the most good memories for you.
Ah, but the vehicles are listed by birth order! (c:
The Fox was on its last legs when the photo was made. It was my younger son’s first car, and he relived my youth experiences (with my Vega) by spending almost as much time working on it as driving it. He ended up getting our ’05 Town & Country and sold the Mustang to someone who wanted to make a drag car out of it.
I’m not a fan of either of the Ford trucks in the driveway, nor am I interested in the Mustang. The Beetles? Forget it! I reckon that leaves the International. I reckon it could be a daily driver if certain mods were done to make it safe for today’s daily driving. 🙂
Steve:
I have an older Consumer Reports used car buyer’s guide (2010)and cars under the VW brand have a large number of “black circles”, they are about on par with Kia products of the early 2000s.
CR also used to “blanket recommend” Toyota products until about the time of the unintended acceleration debacle.
BTW, Golf GTIs and some Jetta models are built in Germany. Look for a V.I.N.# that begins with W…then still buy with caution.
…cars under the VW brand have a large number of “black circles”,
Yup. I have most of CR’s annual auto issues going back to the mid 90s…tossed the 1980 issue a few years ago.
CR usually didn’t break out the gas engined Jetta wagon due to low volume. Looking at the TDI version in the 2013 issue, the only black marks are fuel system (TDIs have a well documented history of fuel pump problems) the audio system and some problems with body hardware. Every other system is given either a half red or full red circle (better or much better than average) The 2014 issue does break out the gas engine wagon, but only gives the overall rating, not the individual system ratings, and the gas wagon gets a half red circle or white circle, depending on year. The German built US market Golf has also been rated better than average over the last several years. Over 35 years of struggling with liquid cooled engines and front wheel drive, they got that one platform right.
I had been interested in VWs since the 70s. Finally figured a Jetta wagon was worth the chance, so I picked one up before the new generation with it’s “innovative” engine came out. As I said to the salesman “I don’t want to be VW’s beta tester”
Not a diesel fan despite but a retro car appeals to me.I’d have the Herbie as a convertible would be a magnet for scrotes in my war zone
Herbie was a huge magnet for cell phone picture takers… couldn’t take a road trip without getting “shot” at least once. (c:
I sold him to a high school student not long after the picture was taken, and he’s still kicking around on the other side of the Illinois River.
This is a toughie, because I’d have trouble with keeping any of them. (I swore off VWs after my 2 Rabbits in the 70s).
But if forced to choose, the newer Beetle would be first and the old International second, depending on what was needed to get the latter on the road again.
A 2.3L Mustang defeats the purpose of owning a Mustang. Around here it’s usually women that drive the “new” VW Beetles from 1996 onwards, so I’ll have to cross those two off the list. The 1950 International does make a nice lawn ornament, especially when parked next to a barn, but I wouldn’t know how to revive it. The 1995 Ford F-150 XL would have been my second choice but it seems a little old for me and I hate breaking down. The 1999 Ford F-250 XLT 4WD, which is the newest running truck, looks like something I could use.
*One correction to be made to my previous comment is that the “new” Beetles went into production during late 1997, so they were essentially 1998 models. These came out when I was still in high school, and a more fortunate girl in my grade drove one of these brand new Beetles in bright red. I forgot that I actually have one of these 1:24 scale 1998 VW New Beetle models lying on my desk right in front of me, also in bright red.
A minority here but would keep the newer VW, and if I decided on keeping a second vehicle, the F150. I don’t have the skills to resurrect the IH pickup and can’t envision having enough use for it to justify keeping the F250. Have no desire at all for a 2.3 Mustang and the “Love Bug” VW is a little too cute for my tastes.
I’d keep the F-250 mostly because that’d be the most practical down here on the farm. A 300-equipped F-150 may be able to pull stumps out of the ground all day, but if you want to go any faster than 55 pulling a load, a bigger engine is essential. Plus going from the 92-97 pickups to the 99+ Super Duties represented a big jump on Ford’s part in terms of refinement. Need I also mention that the instant MPG-meter (a.k.a. the “lie-o-meter”) once read 27 MPG on a friend’s 7.3-equipped F-350? Granted, we had a 30 mph tailwind going downhill.
But it’s too bad it’s not a SuperCab. An extended cab pickup, short bed or long, is so much more useful thanks to the extra in-cab storage space, or the ability to sit six in a pinch.
Your 300 can do 55 while towing?
What’s your secret?
A tailwind and a downhill grade.
Or push it off a cliff.
I know I know! 🙂
Shhhhh!
I do also! Mums the word.
The Fox Mustang, of course! the Tri-Five Chevy of the 21st century!
In my situation, I would’ve kept the International, just because I love them, and the 2013 VW, because it probably still has a warranty.
I’d keep both VWs. I own a few VWs and working for a VW dealer helps too!! One of them I have is an 02 Jetta Variant, 2.0L with manual windows, manual mirrors, cruise delete, console delete, cloth interior. One of my favorite cars!! None of the junk to break!!
I’m guessing you kept either the newer VW or the Powerstroke. I think I recall reading that you were going to sell the older VW once you bought the new one, and that you were going to sell the F-150.
I’m not a particular fan of any of these vehicles, but if I was to choose one for me it would be the F-250 Powerstroke, and for my wife it would be one of the Beetles. Or I’d put the body of the International on the chassis of one of the newer pickups.
” I’d put the body of the International on the chassis of one of the newer pickups.”
+1
’99 250. Favorite Ford styling generation. Just a nice old, diesel pickup that you can haul stuff, tow things and sleep in too. Plus, I happen to love a nice diesel engine. The way they spool up and down and just seem like they will never stall. Nobody likes a pickup until they have to move or take their kid to college or make a trip to the local Ikea.
The IH because it’s a bit older than I am and I’m a hopeless optimist. Also, if you’ve read John Jerome’s “Truck: On Rebuilding a Worn-Out Pickup and Other Post-Technological Adventures,” you’ll understand. It’s about one man’s redemption of a Dodge about the same vintage as the IH and possessing about as much character. At our age, silly distinctions like nameplates don’t matter anymore.
Great book. Either I’m confusing it with another similar book, or his truck was also an L Series International.
2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible TDi (manual)
The Inter and diesel pickup plus one diesel VW scrap the rest.
International as a project and the 2013 Beetle for every day, wearing dark glasses at all times, obviously.
Or maybe the Mustang and a proper engine put in it
Ditto about the Mustang. Years ago I had a 2.3 powered Mustang hooked to an automatic. It was the embodiment of tedium – never before or since have I worn out the carpet beneath the accelerator.
Well, assuming that the last one standing wasn’t chosen by way of a backyard demolition derby, in which case I’d give it to the non-running International, then I say you kept the 2013 Beetle. Manual too! Must be nice.
I think I would pick the 2013 Beetle, if I needed to get around, and the F-250 because of that huge 7.3.
Otherwise the F-250 and the International.
I’d like a Fox but I’d prefer a 5.0, for obvious reasons.
The 4.9 on the F-150 must be interesting but I remember the story on that one lol.
My dad had an ’04 Beetle Turbo convertible so little Herbie would feel underpowered.
The L – Series Cornbinder because it’d be the cheapest to fix up , the easiest to keep running and the longest lasting of any of them . (if incredibly slow)
Also because I love those L – Series Cornbinders, we had a few 2 & 5 tonners on the farm in New Hampshire in the 1960’s .
Mr. Jerome’s excellent book ” Truck ” was indeed written about a ” Pilot House Cab ” Dodge 1/2 Ton Pickup ~ when he wrote it , I had a battered 1949 B1B Dodge Pickup with hydraulic drive and a worn out FlatHead 6 Banger in it….
-Nate
I’ve actually got my eyes open for a nice ’79-83 Mustang (if any still exist…).
As I reported in April, they’re a member of the “Black Hole of Mustang History.” The cars built during this period (1974-1983) were almost universally underpowered and unloved, and pretty much unrepresented at any Mustang event. For example, there wasn’t a single normally aspirated four cylinder Fox body at the fiftieth anniversary celebration in Las Vegas this year, and damn few V-8 cars.
I’m not all that excited by the 2.3 Lima engine, but I’d take it with a four speed. The four bangers made up a big part of the early Fox body production, and someone needs to save a few for posterity.
The 82 Mustang marked the begining of the end of the Malaise era representing the first mass market car that had it’s HP go up and the performance aspects go back in.
Underpowered and unreliable, I still got a huge grin on my face every time I drove my son’s car. Despite being over a decade removed from my first car (’71 Vega), it reminded me very much of both my car and many others from my high school / college years. Tyler’s Mustang was as base as they came – 4-speed, no a/c, no cassette (am/fm), no power brakes. It did have power steering (must have been standard). The car was purchased new by a large homeschooled family and at least three of their daughters learned to drive on it.
“no power brakes. It did have power steering (must have been standard).”
That’s probably right. My grandmother had a 1980 Pinto equipped the same way. It’s the only car I have ever driven (age 43 now, got my driver’s license in 1988) that didn’t have both power steering and power brakes.
I’d have kept the ’95 F-150 and the International. The F-150 because I like the styling and a rough ‘n’ ready old pickup would be useful. The International because it looks fantastic, so I’d spend the money I made selling the others to get the International running so that I could use it regularly. That’s my 2c worth!
I had one of those AL inters a one tonne flat deck came from Te Rapa decades ago now.
The pickup trucks. One of them. They are easy to work, they are reliable, and the parts are cheap. The VWs are right the opposite of the the F-series, I don’t like this generation Mustanmg so much.
Mustang. Don’t care what it’s powered by NOW, it’s what it could be powered by!
By the way I found a love bug new beetle at the u pull it by me last week. wasn’t as nicely executed though but I was kind of shocked to see it nonetheless
The Beetle convertible is the one I would keep. The 1950 International for a project truck, if I’m also allowed to use that cool shop. Or is it a really nice barn?
Just a machine shed full of hay and tractors… the shop’s in the other machine shed. (c:
Could you use the 300 from the F150 to repower the Inter?
That model F250 is good too being pre-computer diesel and probably the one I’d keep. Not a fan of the notchback Mustang after 1968, nor the newer Beetle especially in a drop-top to better hear the diesel clatter.
I don’t have much use for a big ol’ truck, but I do have a soft spot for fox mustangs. Especially the early coupes. Being manual is a big plus too, so that’s what I’d keep.
The car to have kept was the NB TDI…… the fold down rear seat and/or open sun roof can carry a surprising amount of supplies……. 2×4’s, etc through the open sun roof. The fuel mileage should be better then the newer TDI, too. Not to mention the Freeman Thomas design is the one that started this whole retro thing, the Herbie look seals the deal.
Second place is the Mustang, another car that saved a company and paved the way for what we have today….
I really miss the NB, actually… and you’re right about it being able to swallow a lot of stuff.
Well the VWs would be gone for me. I never liked the ‘old’ new beetle…the ‘new’ new beetle looks great, but I don’t dig diesels on sporty cars, and not too crazy about ragtops. Now, a 2nd gen new beetle in Herbie trim with the 2.0T and manual…thatd work!
The ’84 Mustang, being a 4 eye model is a good place to start an upgrade. Scrap the drivetrain and stuff it with 5.0 guts and ’89 GT turbine wheels then go have fun.
The International has the most potential, by far. As Big Old Chryslers said, drop the cab onto the frame of one of the newer Fords, hammer out some personal touches and call it good. OR, itd make a helluva rat rod.
I would pick the Super Duty, but what little knowledge I have of Fords says that SOME powerstrokes are garbage. Which ones, who knows? So that’s a big expensive what if.
Taking this QOTD at face value, the ’95 is the pick of the bunch. Its nice and basic…shorties are my kinda trucks. Keep your longbeds, mega king family cabs, etc. The 4.9 is a dead reliable torquer and a solid git er done powerplant for a back to basics truck. Its the one that would fit into my life the best.
Now, if therse WERE in my driveway and I needed to do something…Id sell em all for cash, and go buy the immaculate midnite blue ’05 Magnum R/T that’s for sale across town. Earmark some funds for a set of Torq-Thrusts, Eibach suspension, and the most aggressive exhaust system I can get thru DEQ!
I really didn’t know much about the Powerstroke until after I bought it. Turns out, I got the most desirable year/version, with the intercooled 7.3l Navistar engine. They’re supposed to be anvils. It’s definitely the most powerful vehicle I’ve ever owned.
The PS 7.3 is the best of the bunch.
The 6.0 is the one with the bad rep, mostly well deserved, though once “Bullet Proof” it it will give a long life. At the auction where I picked up the P71 for my daughter there were 25-30 E450 Access buses, one with the wheel chair lift places to tie down two chairs and a dozen or so regular seats. They all had ~450K on them and all but one or two had the 6.0. Of course there is no way to tell what it took to get them there but I’ve seen people who say that isn’t hard to do with the OE engine once it has had the fixes applied. Yes that doesn’t excuse the fact that they needed those expensive fixes.
The 6.4 has some of the same issues but there is no reason to think that you can’t get a long life out of one with the fixes specific to that engine applied.
The verdict is still out on the fully Ford designed and built 6.7. So far I haven’t seen anything that indicates it has any level of problems like the immediate predecessors.
I’ve never been a fan of the front-wheel drive Volkswagen, and the front-wheel drive Beetle is no exception.
The Powerstroke is the one. I have a ’93 E-350 7.3 non turbo (with only 27K miles!) and it’s a wonderful engine even without the air pump. Not a whole lot of acceleration but lots of torque and great highway cruiser. Doesn’t hurt to know of the legendary durability, either.
The F-150. The 2 VW’s are out on general principle, and I have no desire to spend any time at the local VW dealer besides that. The F-250 is just too big, and the old International is just too old and needs to much work. The Mustang is just too boring.
i would have kept the old binder, and the superduty. love old trucks.
Super Duty Best engine ford ever bolted in a truck plus the 2nd best body style ever, on a Ford truck right behind the other Ford you owned.
F-250. It pushes all the buttons for my perfect truck.
Regular cab long bed, check.
4×4, check.
Pre-computer diesel, check.
Cloth-seat trim level, check.
Not a jacked up big wheel “Bro” truck, check.
The VW’s are tempting, maybe the one still under warranty, but it would have to be a Golf body, not a Beetle convertible.
Jack up the mustang and jam all power stroke mechanicals under there! I mean including the 4×4. Add some really aggressive off road tires and a huge honking bush bumper!
Really mad max it out with some side stack exhausts!
Maybe even chop down the frame and put the whole body on top, with a tow hitch for some utility.
Then find a redneck with more money than brains and sell it to buy what you really want…