I currently have a dilemma that I need some friendly feedback and advice on.

I currently own (2) 1998 Chevy ventures, one is my parts van and the other runs and has 207k on her.

I also own a 95 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with 197K on her and has sat for 1 year this month. I’ve started it a few times.

So my dilemma I have is that I have just enough cash to repair one of them.

Olds needs the following to get back on the road.

Both heads gaskets need to be changed.
Intake manifold.
Exhaust manifold
Muffler
More then likely a brake job
Maybe an alternator
Maybe an O2 sensor since it is running rich.
Body is in mint shape for the year.

If I do the work myself I might be able to do so for $800ish.

Now the Venture (207K)

Needs both sides control arm bushings and maybe the control arms themselves replaced.
Link arm.
Tune up (spark plugs) (pain in my butt for those back 3)
Drivers window does not go up/down. (Can swap the whole door from the other van if I wanted to)
Back door sticks and the wiper motor needs to be replaced (once again I could from the other van)
Gas gage is off by a ¼ tank (I can live with that)
Nasty rust / holes on quarter panels by back wheel wells.
Wipers work on one speed, but can switch the board out from the other.

The Venture has already had the intake manifold replaced and leaks maybe a drop of oil from somewhere in the back over night. Runs a little rough since it needs plugs, but other then that pretty good.

So just stuck on what I should do… I have a whole parts van for the venture, but the damn engine is a royal pain to work on. And I loved my olds when I had it on the road. Just concerned since it has sat for so long.

Feedback?

 

My votes for the venture. You have got to save some big bucks somewhere down the line with a whole parts vehicle to draw from. Not to mention the grief extra wheels saves you. If you put both donut spares on 1 axle of the parts truck, you still have 8 wheels left, which is two spares unmounted and two more spares you can take off the junker anytime...

...I'm haunted by two flats. When I have a flat tire, another usually follows within 24 hours. A couple of tricks I learned early was to get a couple extra full-size spares from the junkyard(Which you already have...) usually you can rustle up decent tires on the rim pretty cheap. If you plan your budget so you get 2 new tires on the spare rims right before your tire
rotation, you can put a new set on the front of the vehicle, rotate the best used tires to the rear axle, and you've still got some pretty respectable spares in case of emergency. Come the next rotation, you can decide if you want to rotate the tires which are still on the car, or put another new set on the front. It's a great way to get new tires on a tight budget.

Why not switch both sets of control arms? While you've got the set of arms completely off the parts van, you've got a perfect opportunity to either change the bushings or keep them, if they're still strong.

... since you asked...