Don’t want a new truck

[LCV]

I love my old truck, but every time something needs fixing, which seems to happen at the worst time, a new truck starts to sound pretty nice. I imagine at some point people just get tired of wrenching

 

[Steve300xcw]

That'll get you home but it requires you cutting the other hose to isolate both ends.

Thats a pretty easy fix to no longer be stranded..

I've pretty much spent my life around people who drove only older vehicles - some because they were poor, some because they were cheap or just stubborn - and I've done or seen most of the tricks, and it's a huge part of the reason I carry a miniature garage in the trunk with me. But at some point the maintenance of an older vehicle just makes it no longer worth it. I'll likely never own a 'new' car again - and now I understand why my grandpa never did either - but you have to be realistic about what it costs to keep older stuff going.

Oh I agree. Some rigs are also worth fixing more than others. I'm a bit over $5k into a 04 tacoma this year. While my '14 f150 is just parked out back hoping that it gets stolen

 

[Chris in TN]

2010 is a new truck for some of us.

Run it til it won’t run no more is my vote.

View attachment 958696

Nice!!!!!!


But I heard you slam the door all the way from Tennessee.

 

[NMNomad]

Agreed. I have pumped close to $10k back into my truck over the last couple of years just in preventative maintenance. Happy with my old truck. She runs just fine. No issues. No interest in taking on debt.

 

[cal30_sniper]

Nice!!!!!!


But I heard you slam the door all the way from Tennessee.

Dang thing is louder than a supressed rifle.

You should see me trying to sneak it shut when leaving an hour before dark to go glassing. Thankfully the power tailgate window allows me a silent egress option.

 

[WRO]

I had a 4.6 that costed me half as much as new one. Glad I got rid of it.

My 5.4 eventually shit the bed at like 120K, after 10k or repairs over 5 years.

I keep them until they leave me stranded once then they are gone. I’m not willing to risk losing a good hunt to a broken truck.

 

[Trogon]

I plan to drive my 11 Tacoma as long as I can. Anytime I drive I’m thankful I have a capable vehicle that’s paid for and does everything I need. I stay on top of maintenance, including transmission fluid.

 

[Bcoonce117]

My 5.4 eventually shit the bed at like 120K, after 10k or repairs over 5 years.

I keep them until they leave me stranded once then they are gone. I’m not willing to risk losing a good hunt to a broken truck.

I know 3 people that had a 5.4 and all went over 300k, one went 455k and he retired it. It never broke. All used synthetic oil for the life of the truck is all I can say

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

I agree. If your vehicle has been well maintained and isn’t rusting out, there isn’t anything that could go wrong (other than collision) that wouldn’t be worth replacing in today’s current pricing and market. I still rock out a 2013 Frontier, and plan to until it falls apart.

 

[Steve300xcw]

there isn’t anything that could go wrong (other than collision) that wouldn’t be worth replacing in today’s current pricing and market.

Really going to depend on what yall are calling old trucks. Theres a lot of obsolete parts that a guy cant just buy anymore though.

 

[Jbehredt]

Check out Valvolines newest oil, I bet it would be a great addition to your maintenance schedule.

Great stuff. My 190k ‘00 4Runner had developed the tiniest bit of smoke on startup after a few day sit and R&P cleared it up. Runs like a Swiss watch again. on its way to 400k.

 

[Jbehredt]

It makes sense, if you can do the work yourself. Alotta folks out there dont even know which end of the crescent wrench to use as a hammer though.

Comes a point though where you have a monthly payment on the truck, be it going towards a new rig or towards parts/labor

Trick question! The crescent “tool” is two contains 2 hammers. A light tapper and a heavy hitter.

 

[molliesmaster]

I don't want a new truck. But I need a reliable vehicle.

I do preventative maintenance and take care of it the best I can, but once it becomes unreliable, it's time to start shopping.

I sure hope they start making some decent trucks before I have to start shopping again.

 

[IdahoBeav]

I have a 2010 f150 that I really don’t want to have to replace. It has 230k miles and I tow my 30’ travel trailer with it.

I just got done replacing uca, lower ball joints, iwe 4x4 actuators, struts, shocks. I’m adding an aftermarket transmission cooler and an inline filter to help keep my tranny in top shape.

I’ve always used full synthetic oil and for the last 3 years I’ve been adding the Lucas oil stabilizer in with my oil changes. I have always added Lucas upper cylinder lubricant in my fuel every few months.


Why do people want to spend all this money on new vehicles when you can just maintain what you have and keep it for a long time. I did have to upgrade my stereo head unit and opted for a touchscreen and adding a back up camera. Basically I have a 2026 now lol.

That's some insane luck for an F-150. You should buy some lottery tickets.

 

[Chris in TN]

Thankfully the power tailgate window allows me a silent egress option.

Yeah, but I bet it gets hung halfway up, at least half the time, and you have to nudge it inward a bit before it'll roll all the way back up.

(We had several blazers and jimmies and suburbans when I was a kid and I drove an '88 model for several years and I have a ton of good memories of it)

 

[2five7]

I know 3 people that had a 5.4 and all went over 300k, one went 455k and he retired it. It never broke. All used synthetic oil for the life of the truck is all I can say

I've owned 3, all went well over 100k with literally zero issues. Never even broke a spark plug. My Sons currently has 180k, again no issues. All ran 5w30 since new, not the 5w20 Ford is required to recommend due to EPA and CAFE regulations.

 

[nobody]

I have an 09 king ranch f150 that just crossed 101k miles. It’s a clean, one owner, impeccable maintenance history, old man owned specimen that I purchased planning to keep 5-ever. It had the cam phaser issue (5.4) right after I bought it, and it was fixed at 94k miles a month after I purchased it. I love the thing, it’s cushy and comfortable and has plenty of horsepower and torque for me.

I’m planning to replace it next year for 2 reasons:

1. It has a payload of 1050 pounds. The king ranch has lower payload capacity than the other trim levels, but I just didn’t think about it being an issue when I bought it. It’s got a 150 pound hard tonneau cover on it, so between that and my fat butt in the drivers seat, my effective remaining payload capacity is 700 pounds. Once I get gear and a couple coolers and another guy in it, my bed is like half full and I’m at full max payload before hooking onto a trailer. Drives me nuts.

2. It’s a garage kept truck in fantastic shape for its age. It borderline looks showroom ready as far as the fading and such when looking at it in the driveway or parking lot. However, it’s STILL a 16 year old pickup, and I just spend $3k fixing some rust on the roof off the corner of the sunroof. Some of the bed cross members (between the bed and frame) are starting to hard rust and rot. I keep it washed in the winter, but road salt still causes issues. At the rate I drive it (about 4k miles per year), coupled with the rate it’s rusting, it’ll be rotted out before 120k miles.

I’m planning to replace it with an aluminum body, new or low mileage 2.7 ecoboost (1800-ish pound payload capacity and 7500 lb towing). I don’t WANT to, but I can’t stand the thought of driving a rotted out pickup. It’s all about longevity for me, both mechanical and physical. I’m not interested in driving a low mileage rust box, and at the rate I drive, any vehicle will rot before major mechanical issues hit. I realize not everyone cares about overdoing payload or rusty trucks, but I’m pretty anal about stuff (get it from my dad) and take care of stuff for not only my long term use but also to increase resale value when the time comes. My plan is to buy a perfect specimen for my next one, and then keep it long term (10-15+ years).

The key is to get the right vehicle to push that long. Not all vehicles are worth keeping that long, but get the right one and it’s way smarter to keep them long term like you’re talking.

 

[cal30_sniper]

Yeah, but I bet it gets hung halfway up, at least half the time, and you have to nudge it inward a bit before it'll roll all the way back up.

(We had several blazers and jimmies and suburbans when I was a kid and I drove an '88 model for several years and I have a ton of good memories of it)

Dude, the struggle is real.

I gave up about the 84th time it wouldn’t come down and converted to relays with the NuRelics regulator setup. Now it works great, even with the tailgate key!

 

[nobody]

Really going to depend on what yall are calling old trucks. Theres a lot of obsolete parts that a guy cant just buy anymore though.

Very true. My dad has an 09 jeep rubicon 4 door. It has 100k miles on it and the disconnecting sway bar actuator motor just went out. Since it’s older than 10 years old, Jeep doesn’t make the part anymore, so the shop had to spend a week tracking down a leftover part and then paid double what it’s worth for the part. It’s back up and running again, but he’s definitely considering what to do when it inevitably goes out again.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Very true. My dad has an 09 jeep rubicon 4 door. It has 100k miles on it and the disconnecting sway bar actuator motor just went out. Since it’s older than 10 years old, Jeep doesn’t make the part anymore, so the shop had to spend a week tracking down a leftover part and then paid double what it’s worth for the part. It’s back up and running again, but he’s definitely considering what to do when it inevitably goes out again.

No idea how the auto swaybar disconnects work. I'd be looking at what it takes to swap over to a swaybar that you can manually disconnect.

I get a lot of 70's-90's rigs through my shop. Always interesting what parts are available and then wtf is that unobtainium?