need help making a decision
 

well last year i got my truck, its a 1998 mercury mountaineer it has a 5.0L v8 (same engine used in the mustang mach 1) and i've done some asking around and some research and have found that its a great car and there were no problems with that year+model and well, my mom has been driving it some and is a little unhappy with it and does not really want me to have it because its gotta lot of "get up'n go" and not to mention its top heavy. currently the book value is rated at around 9k (i paid 1/4 that) and my parents gave me these options,

1. i can keep the mountaineer but have to keep it stock
2. i can sell it and buy a cheaper truck and modify it (im thinking a 03-05 chevy s10)

so i've come to you guys to get some opinions.

heres the pro's and con's

mountaineer,
pro's-
-nice interior
- its a 5.0L v8
- nice room in the back for friends/gf's
- its a really pretty car
- pretty low miles
- extremly realiable
- garage kept since new, only spent 1 night outside since it was bought off the showroom floor

con's-
- it rides like a semi-truck with absolutly no suspension
- it gets 12 mpg
- i have to keep it stock
- it just does'nt really fit my personality
- (this ones for tex) its a ford

03-05 s10,
pro's
- its a very pretty truck
- its got a decent sized bed
- i've always liked the bosy style
- lower insurance cost
- reasonably cheap (one with under 100k miles is about 4k-5k
- i can modify it (body kits, super charger, etc etc..)
- i think its fits my personality abit better,
- 23-28 mpg!
con's
- no back seat fun with the gf :cry:
- since most come with a 2.2L its defo not going to be fast when i get it
- i'll have to spend money to get upgrades i want
- most dont have leather seats
- defintly not a chick magnent

right now im kinda leaning towards the s10 but i really want to hear your opinion, and please dont turn this into a ford vs. chevy war

thanks guys!

I would go with the mercury because as it stands you don't need to do anything to it and you have the room for whatever you want to do, besides fun with the gf, like a bigger sound system. The other is nice but the money you will spend just to get it to go as fast as the mercury you can save and do something else and when you finally sell it you will get more for it as I guessing you are not going to keep it longer than 2 years anyway and by then you will have saved enough to get what you want. Gas mileage may suck but you fill it up and keep it tuned up you may find you get more miles per gallon than you think. Just my opinion but good luck with whatever you decide to do.

gas mileage is one of the things making me rethink the mercury, its a great car dont get me wrong but i do alot of traveling to out of the state places for sailing regattas, so it would be hard to save up and get a nice car because all my money would go into paying for the gas to go to florida, nc, sc, etc,

but thanks!

we have a 97 mountaineer thats in great condition and the gas milage isnt that bad its got the 5.0 and the suspension is just fine on it. maybe you need new suspension on yours. everyone has an s10 and if you wanna go fast drop a 350 in it. we used to have one with a 350 and it was badass

lol the suspension counts as a upgrade, i want to put in a shiney new air ride suspension, but thats a upgrade... imnot allowed to upgrade it... :cry: and i theres no way im going to be able to drop a 350 in it lol.. just dont think i'd be able to afford it :nodno:

but thanks for the help!

Upgrade Merc, put a removable throttle-stop in when parents want to drive. Keep stock motor. Success.

I met a guy who claimed he did this to his mother's Malibu back in the day, car ran 12s at night. Detune motor a bit, put in throttle stop, return to home for groceries during the day..

+1.

Keep the Merc, screw the parents. Or move out. Lol.

i honestly dont feel thats a good idea when it comes to trying to get away with something with my parents.. as the mexicans at my school say "maaan i cant doo no ting" but done some thinking, (monsterhunter convinced me) if i get a s10 imma throw a junkyard 350 with a 700 tranny if i do get a s10