The old truck is staying!

Thats a great lookin pickup

 

There are laws prohibiting retreads from being on the steering axle of trucks (as they're called in America, but you know that.). Not PU trucks mind you. The overloading of trucks and the temps of highway use lead to their premature demise.

It sounds like you don't get out much, but next time, take a gander along the roadsides of interstate highway systems and view the leftover blowout of those retreads.

 

These truck things you want cost money to buy and also just to maintain.

Don't forget to add to the cost of the old truck sales tax, registration, transfer of title fees, insurance, upkeep such as fuel, oil changes, any systems that wear out with age...(cooling, braking, heating, wipers, lights, tires, suspension to name a few) and for goodness sake, make sure it has a good tranny!

 

No, I don't travel much. If that is the case then perhaps retreads should be prohibited on certain vehicles if it can be a hazard on the roadways. A long time ago I use to travel down to Florida with my brother's father-in-law and didn't recall seeing a lot of retreads on I-95 but maybe at that time retreads were not used that much. There is a motorway nearby that I have been on at times that does see a lot of heavy lorry use and I don't see it littered with retreads. I don't know. I do know that my sister hit a retread years ago that was in her lane and she couldn't avoid it.

 

You have all that with any vehicle. I was talking about buying an old truck that was in good shape engine and transmission wise. I recently rebuilt the front end of the Buick LeSabre; 1998, when I had to swap out the transmission. Yes, parts wear out but you can replace them if you have the knowledge; perhaps Yooper you don't and that is a consideration. I was helping Dad working on cars when I was little and did nothing more than hand him a spanner when he needed one.

 

That is a classic truck. I have a friend who has a T100 a bit older than yours that he uses as a hunting truck. I keep trying to pry it loose from him without success. I have the corroding wheels problem on my 2005 Tundra and will probably replace them all next time I buy tires. Like you, I recently looked at new Toyotas and decided to keep mine.

 

That time in our area of northern MN has long since passed Maina. We purchased that house, which was our first home, in 1989. After raising our 3 yougins up there, we moved and sold it, along with 10 acres for $90,000 in 1998. It was listed again recently and sold for $214,000.

The house itself was modest (28'X28'), but built like a fort, well designed, and easy to maintain. The guy that built it is multi-talented and OCD like many of us here on FHC. He owned his own sawmill where he made all the lumber for it. It featured vaulted post and beam construction, three bedrooms, one bathroom, a masonry chimney, a gas boiler, and a wood stove in the center of the basement adjacent to the open stairway to the upstairs, that was our primary heat source. I built a 2 car garage a few years after we bought the house.

When we were initially in the market for a home up there we looked at 40 acre bare land listings for $5,000, as well as a lot on Lake Superior for $14,500, but we needed a place to live before we would have time to build because my wife was pregnant, and there were no rentals available.

On the 10 acres we kept, I cleared the road and building site before leaving and we built our off grid cabin/home ourselves starting in 2000 for about $50,000, which included paying someone $1500 for a road, one culvert, and building pad. Prices have not gotten out of hand everywhere, for just about everything, except electronics which I don't buy anyways.

When we moved down to the western suburbs of MPLS in 1998 I couldn't believe what we had to pay for a basic 4 level split or rambler.

 

My friend in upper New Jersey keeps his vehicles washed underneath during the winter months to keep as much road salt down as possible.

 

I was attempting to make you aware of the costs.

Based on your posts, I thought you would take the advice constructively.

Maybe getting a job with OT available would be of some benefit?

 

yooperdave I have actually been giving a lot of consideration to getting back into the job search. I really don't have enough clients to make enough money to save up. It takes me a long time to save and then something happens like car repairs or house repairs. I am self sufficient for the most part, I earn enough to pay my bills. I don't want to be a public charge. Currently I am in the process of replacing all of this old plumbing with PVC. I have cut off part of the house plumbing already and ran two new lines to the kitchen sink; $20 just to run the kitchen sink lines. The hall bath is still out of commission but I have everything now to get that bath back together; have already repaired the floor. Now the holding tank has gone bad. My BIL gave me a used tank that came out of a house that is being torn down; the tank was only a year old. I am just hoping the well pump doesn't give out any time soon as it is at the end of its life according to what I have read on submersible pumps.

I was thinking an older truck would be easier to maintain if it was already in decent shape and wouldn't be too expensive. I don't need a car; it is just me here. If I was to sell the Buick for $800 I wouldn't take a lost because the car was given to me; however, the issue with the TCC stuck on would make it hard to sell. I need something I can haul wood in. Someone mentioned getting a trailer so that might be the best option as long as I realise the class of the hitch and don't get greedy on hauling. Not really sure about the 4T65E on hauling. The input shaft is a weak link in these trans; I probably should have paid the $147.00 for a harden input shaft but I figured the new standard shaft I install would last the life of the car.

I do appreciate the advice and have actually been thinking along those lines. I could continue the server business and that would be extra income on the side. I am not opposed to hard work; I cleaned flats after the tenets moved out and that was hard work considering the condition they would be left in. I could tell you some stories.

 

Mine is a 97 with only 115k on it. I bought it in 2012 with 99k for $7200 from the estate of the original owner. There was a long list of people behind me wanting to buy it but I was the fastest person to respond to the craigslist ad.
Obviously I don't drive it a lot.

 

Luv you Yoop!

 

I was also thinking about upgrading my truck but I honestly don't understand how people can afford to buy new. I for one do not want to be making mortgage payments on my truck haha.

 

Beautiful T100. As many have said, hard to keep a daily driver rust free in the snow/salt belt. Not sure how much weight you typically haul, but I tend to "maximize" my Tacoma bed so I always look at the weight rating when shopping for tires. There can be quite a delta between tires in the same price range.

 

Those strips of truck tires you find all over the road can be from new tires just as well as retreads.
That they are ONLY from retreads is a baseless myth .

 

I agree with the OP, drive it 'til it drops.

Still waiting.....

 

Every truck you buy is a used truck by the time it comes off the dealer's lot.Even if it's new.The best thing about a new truck is the warranty.
I have three trucks in service on the farm.The youngest is a 1993 F250 7.3 IDI.Next is a 1988 Chevy C30 with only 58,000 miles on it and finally a 1969 C60 with a 366. My property taxes and insurance on them are low and they take me anywhere I am going as well as a new one.If I drove a distance,I'd want a newer one but I don't go that far.

If someone wants a new truck,that's great but I don't see the need in my situation.

 

My T100 is rated to haul over 1600lbs which is better than some other full size trucks of the same era. With my sideboards on and a load of wood I probably approach that sometimes. 112 load index tires are still enough. My previous tires were rated as 123's and made for a rough ride.

 

Hated that personal property tax when I lived in Virginia!