New Truck Time - Suggestions.

[westcliffe01]

I'm not buying a new car again, ever. Just no reason to. Right now every car in the household has more than $100k miles. 2009 Subaru Forester, 2005 BMW Z4 Roadster, 2008 Buick Lucerne, 2008 F250 SD diesel.

The most expensive was the F250 when I bought it 2 years old with about 70k miles in Texas for $26k. The engine (Navistar) is basically a lemon and it has the awfull DPF system on it which doesn't work worth a crap, especially in winter when the temperature is low. But if you look at similar model year F150 models or the gas powered F250's there were so many issues with those engines I wouldn't touch one of them. I know several people (working in MI) who had to rebuild their engines due to oil pressure failure from leaking valve timing parts and Ford has somehow avoided a class action lawsuit on it. I also needed to haul a 12k trailer and could figure any way to do it legally with a F150 at that time.

Some of the other vehicles were bought in more recent times, like the BMW I got for my wife as a wedding present a year ago (cost $7k with 125k miles on).
It sure is a heck of a lot more fun to drive when it is not snowing out compared to a truck. The Buick was a car my wife bought with 86k miles for $5500 before we got married. It makes a very nice long distance driver with seats like a sofa and a very comfortable ride. It is perhaps a bit finicky to maintain given its Cadillac running gear, but so far nothing I couldn't handle.

Just recently we purchased a smaller house and that ran less than $30k so frankly I think people who go out and buy $70k trucks are committing financial suicide if the truck is not used for justified business purposes that allow you to charge for its use. Next year, when I sell my current house I will have no mortgage whatsoever and thus if my employer restructures or whatever and I get made redundant, I don't face near immediate bankruptcy....

 

[MossRoad]

My wife says we have to have one vehicle that's acceptable to drive to funerals and weddings, and then we can have whatever I want to drive....

 

[goeduck]

My wife says we have to have one vehicle that's acceptable to drive to funerals and weddings, and then we can have whatever I want to drive....

Smart lady. :thumbsup:

 

[Jstpssng]

My wife says we have to have one vehicle that's acceptable to drive to funerals and weddings, and then we can have whatever I want to drive....

I don't know how you guys do it; every time I buy something used I just start dumping money into it. 3 years ago this week after looking for months trying to find a clean pickup, I bought a 2004 Ranger with 62K miles on it that an 83 YO had traded for a new truck. (Good for him, BTW. :thumbsup Within a year I had replaced the rear springs and shackles; 4 new shocks; 4 new ball joints; front wheel bearings on both sides and one on the rear; all new brakes including rotors and drums; and a few other minor maintenance items such as muffler and alternator. (The last I replaced on the side of the road.)
Since then I have had new catalytic converters, a week after having the 100K mile service and getting the transmission flushed and serviced.
For the last two winters I have parked it after the close of deer season to keep it out of the salt, as the frame is starting to show it's age. (Mostly because of the stupid place they store the spare tire.)
I've put 50K on the truck which I bought for round $7500, sunk well over 4K into it; and will be lucky to get 3 out of it when I sell it this fall .

 

[westcliffe01]

I did own a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 3.7 V6 and 6 speed manual transmission. It didn't give me the slightest bit of trouble, but it was geared all wrong with a 3.55 rear end that needed to be more like 4.88. It also needed a limited slip rear end something terrible. You didn't drive it in winter since in icy conditions it was basically a 1wd death trap and usually couldn't even get itself out of its parking spot. That was after I put a set of proper snow tires on it..

Since I already owned small compact FWD cars with snow tires on them, which were not death traps in the snow, there was no reason to risk ones life with the Ram in those conditions anyhow. My F250 is a lot better under similar conditions, being 4wd and having low range, but it is better at going than stopping and I had a steep learning curve to not run over all the smaller cars on the road that can stop a whole lot quicker than I could....

After enough time, I think all the trucks rust at the same rate, I cant give any particular advantage to any particular OEM, while European and Japanese cars go 10+ years with no noticeable rust at all, while I can put my fist through the holes in my truck bed on the F250...

 

[MossRoad]

I don't know how you guys do it; every time I buy something used I just start dumping money into it. 3 years ago this week after looking for months trying to find a clean pickup, I bought a 2004 Ranger with 62K miles on it that an 83 YO had traded for a new truck. (Good for him, BTW. :thumbsup Within a year I had replaced the rear springs and shackles; 4 new shocks; 4 new ball joints; front wheel bearings on both sides and one on the rear; all new brakes including rotors and drums; and a few other minor maintenance items such as muffler and alternator. (The last I replaced on the side of the road.)
Since then I have had new catalytic converters, a week after having the 100K mile service and getting the transmission flushed and serviced.
For the last two winters I have parked it after the close of deer season to keep it out of the salt, as the frame is starting to show it's age. (Mostly because of the stupid place they store the spare tire.)
I've put 50K on the truck which I bought for round $7500, sunk well over 4K into it; and will be lucky to get 3 out of it when I sell it this fall .

All I can say is that I have a trusted mechanic that I have look over every vehicle we are considering buying. For example, I saw a nice, clean body 20 year old S10 sitting at a local body shop for sale. They wanted $2500. The body was super clean, one dent. NO rust. Had my mechanic look at it. It needed $2500 in repairs. He told me to pass on it, because putting $2500 in repairs into a $2500 truck, I'd still have a truck that was only worth $2500. So I told the body shop no thanks. They asked why? I listed the things my mechanic found. He asked who my mechanic was. I told him. He said "Oh. He's our mechanic, too." :laughing:

 

[goeduck]

I don't know how you guys do it; every time I buy something used I just start dumping money into it.

It takes a LOT of looking and a number of walk aways. I have never had a bad used car experience but I look for months and then when the vehicle is the right one I jump fast. Most recent was a 2009 Toyota FJ with 108K two years ago. Has required NOTHING but fuel and oil and now has 129K. Maintenance records are a must from day 1 and how it is kept (garage) and light use is an equal. Mechanic review is also mandatory.

 

[westcliffe01]

Is the maintenance DIY or paid for ?

If I had to pay a mechanic I would probably only have 1 car. The most expensive single job I have done so far was a total rebuild of the F250 brakes with replacement of all the calipers too, in addition to disks and pads. That was under $1000. And I came here to this forum to ask how to break the wheels free of the hubs, which involved chain and a 20 ton jack and application of heat, all because the OEM refuses to put anti seize on the hub surfaces.

The Subaru had a clutch failure a year ago which would have cost about $2000 to repair at a mechanic shop, parts only ran a few hundred $. Yeah, its a pain in the *** job, when you dont have a barn with a concrete floor and a car hoist....

The BMW needed the rubber gasket under the cylinder head cover replaced which was about a 2 1/2 hour job but the parts were only $120.

The Buick has needed brakes several times because of inferior disks and hard pads that squeak. I have replaced both front hubs due to an annoying steering knock, and apparently I still do not have the cause, although it is not a safety issue just an annoyance. It needs front struts and rear shocks (120+k its time) and that will be closer to $750 for parts but I expect it will be good for the balance of the time we have it...

I don't know how you guys do it; every time I buy something used I just start dumping money into it. 3 years ago this week after looking for months trying to find a clean pickup, I bought a 2004 Ranger with 62K miles on it that an 83 YO had traded for a new truck. (Good for him, BTW. :thumbsup Within a year I had replaced the rear springs and shackles; 4 new shocks; 4 new ball joints; front wheel bearings on both sides and one on the rear; all new brakes including rotors and drums; and a few other minor maintenance items such as muffler and alternator. (The last I replaced on the side of the road.)
Since then I have had new catalytic converters, a week after having the 100K mile service and getting the transmission flushed and serviced.
For the last two winters I have parked it after the close of deer season to keep it out of the salt, as the frame is starting to show it's age. (Mostly because of the stupid place they store the spare tire.)
I've put 50K on the truck which I bought for round $7500, sunk well over 4K into it; and will be lucky to get 3 out of it when I sell it this fall .

 

[goeduck]

I have to agree with the comment about hub surfaces.

 

[4570Man]

I have to agree with the comment about hub surfaces.

Same. I’ve had several that were hard to break loose.