Good move. I have a company car and a truck for personal use. I can load the truck down and jump in the company car for work and take my time unloading the truck.
I know that people "overload" their trucks with goods and then drive home on asphalt/concrete roads...this is not what I was talking about how quick the truck will wear out. What I should have said is when the truck bed is overloaded (usually) with firewood and you're driving out of the woods on dirt/gravel logging roads that have no similarities with the smoothness of highways. This is what wears out the trucks components much faster. And don't forget that the bed of the truck is metal and under the stress of a lot (too much) of weight-every bump/roll/bounce/twist/turn you take with the truck loaded that way only serves to stretch out the metal of the box and related. This is why my own tailgate needs "special" attention only to get it in a closed position. (2000 F 150)
My F-150 is so rusted out right now, I went looking at a couple used lots today. Upgrade to a 3/4 ton 2005 gmc reg cab V8 4wd with 84K.....asking 10,000. Paint is peeling in some spots and probably needs new brake lines. Don't know about the rotors or calipers or pads, but I think it's high on the maybe list right now
Speaking of which... I actually find the older trucks to be far better because they where built simple and built to work.. No frills just thrills. This old truck has had its but kicked. I dropped a new motor and trans in it last winter and it still goes strong on the body. I regularly tow large trailer loads and yes it hauls logs. To be honest I'm gonna keep this one till there's nothing left of it. My point is you can also look for a good restored or well kept k1500 or c10 truck and they usually come in around $3000 to $4000 here. The parts are cheap and they are simple to work on for the most part. A good example is the 13000 + factory hitch on this truck it can do every bit of that and then some. It out tows most of the newer trucks my friends have and out hauls almost everything on the road in its class today.
I've had Ole blue twisted into a pretzel a couple times 12 railroad timbers were more than my steep driveway could handle, wheelstand/ leverage/sliding/reversing downhill into the woods in order to stop - ya know. Good load of loam straightened her right out
Well NYcountry, there you have it! Should all be cleared up about the truck purchase, right? Once you get a truck , be sure it has 4WD and like an earlier post said, you'll wonder how you ever got along without it! And since this thread blasted open 6 pages, do us the favor of posting a pic...maybe with a load of firewood on it!
My vote is get a car for hauling you and the family and a cheaper older truck for wood and other hauling. A pickup as a commuter seems like overkill and the expense of the vehicle and the gas is high when a car is all that's needed. I can understand why a person would like a truck as a daily driver if budget permits.
IMHO, trucks should have at least one or more of the following: A dent, some paint missing, a little rust, cracked glass somewhere, engine light on, broken mirror, a part held on by duct tape, covered in mud, bullet hole, loud or no muffler. If your truck does not have at least one of these, I'm sorry, its not a truck. The more of these qualities you truck has, the more character it has.
My new old truck is cosmetically flawed and it is great. If I dent it or scratch it along the way, it makes no difference. A 40k garage queen would be too much anxiety when driving out into the woods or chucking wood into and occasionally hitting the side instead of landing in the bed.
Wow. How did I miss this thread? I have owned many a truck. Like them all. But. Chevy - Good Ford - Good Toyota - Gooder Nissan - Okay Dodge - Okay- most stink on gas mileage. All trucks stink on gas mileage I don't care what anyone says. If they only would have listened to Homer.
Get a rumbly v8 and use it only when you need it. Total fuel use over a few thousand miles a year is immaterial.
I've heard of de-badging but not re-badging. That is awesome. A good workhorse either way. Love work trucks.
Yep, since the install of the grill works, it pulls better, rides better and the stereo sounds better!!
In 2008 (Sept 30th..perfect day to buy a car, great deals) bought a 2004 Chevy Suburban AWD, loaded, 32000 miles, for $16,000. Have put 80,000 miles on it, no major issues. Handles unbelievably well in snow and ice. You can't make the thing slide. All weather tires last 80,000 miles. Drive the stretch from Syracuse to the 1000 Islands and see lines of pickups in the ditch on a really bad day...while my car just breezes along. Lots of passenger room, lots of carrying capacity, great trailering capacity. Safe. And a lot cheaper than owning two vehicles. JMHO.
Disagree big time!!!! I drive my truck all over the country. I couldn't do that if she met all your criteria as the "out of state" coppers would have a field day!!! Granted; she does have some rust, paint missing, some dents and usually has mud on her.....................but she's more truck than most. She's my call-name here...............MightyWhitey.................and what she did on the dyno a few years ago is in my signature. She tows my work trailer, my boat, hauls firewood, hauls my dogs and me on our hunting exploits, and she hauls "DUPA" when I put my foot down all while still religiously getting 19-21mpg highway when empty.
I would vomit blue if any of the above happened to my truck..lol.. I have a tiny ding in my passenger door that is driving me nuts and will be fixed soon.. I run up the miles but I'm very very particular about vehicles..
