Is it worth is to ever buy a new truck again vs maintaining your current one?

[JeffRaines]

If I put in a new engine /transmission in a couple years would I still have much worries around reliability from a getting stranded standpoint?

This would be my motivation to buy new over used or "keeping her".

Yes, of course its cheaper to fix what you got and keep running it.

Reliability comes into question when hunting season involves 8-12+ hours of driving to the hunt. If you're hunting local and it breaks down, no big deal. Run it to your mechanic/preferred guy/your garage. Call one of your buddies to help drag it there. You can be back in action pretty fast, fairly cheap.

Now the same situation 12 hours from home is a completely different deal. Maybe you can do the work yourself and you packed some tools with you - great. If its something simple like a water pump, belt, u-joint, alternator, etc you could get it fixed in the parts house parking lot IF you can make it there. If its something deeper you're looking at quite a bill just to get yourself home... and then your hunt is likely ruined. Not mentioning the fact that there are a lot of parts right now that are backordered... if you need one of those, you're really screwed.

Something tells me the "repair and keep it" guys would change their tune after a fiasco like that. Nothing sucks worse than being stranded 12 hours from home... and hope it doesn't happen 30 miles into the woods!

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I think you have to factor in the value of reliability somehow. If you are just hunting local, probably no big deal, but if you are driving all over the country for hunts or recreational activities, there is something to be said about driving a newer reliable truck. Not saying new ones can’t break down, they do. But once you get over 150k miles on something, the chances seem greater - a breakdown 1700 miles from home can really be a downer.

 

[rideold]

If it's the right vehicle then yea, keep fixing it! My 02 Sequoia is over 280k now. Planning on 350k. I've owned it since 2013 and have put very minimal money into it. Replaced the radiator and the shocks/struts. Had one brake caliper freeze and need replacing. Having an axel seal fixed next week. That's pretty much it in almost 10 years and 90,000 miles. Paid $6k for it. Now I'm bumping against the little stuff like the seats getting worn, the back window doesn't roll down (or should I say, doesn't roll up), the locks are wearing...that kind of stuff. All fixable.

 

[Silveroddo]

The drive shafts and possibly the ball joints.


When I saw this, I had to google it........as I have always considered the Maverick to be right up there with the Pacer, the Gremlin, and the Pinto as some of the worst cars ever. Had no idea Ford was using the name again.

I can only imagine the quality of a unibody ford vehicle with a sales price in the low to mid 20’s. I’ve got nothing to base my skepticism on, they might be great, but given all of the supply chain and vehicle pricing issues out there it would surprise me that ford would knock it out of the park at this time.

 

[Forestryguy]

I’m driving a 2013 F-150 with 150k on it. It’s 4x4 and a long bed with 36 gallon tank. A similar truck would be mid 50s minimum. It’s been perfect for hunting trips and driving the boys on road trips. I suggest keeping a log in your notes section of your phone of vehicle maintenance costs. When you have to drop $1500 on repairs is much easier to put in perspective. Over the last two years I’m well under $300 a month on maintenance and repairs. A 4 year loan on a new truck would be 8-900 a month plus increased insurance costs.

I have the same truck except a 6 ft bed. I have had very few issues, and those where all when it still had a warranty. A coil spring actually broke. Was so new I had to wait for them to get the bolts needed to put it back together. My issue is with rust in WI. The last 2 years it has taken off. Trying to figure out how to slow it down to get more years out of the body. Either way I am driving it till it falls apart.

 

[SoloWilderness]

Precisely why Land Cruisers are the only thing my family has been driving the last 25+ years wth up to 500k miles.

Low cost of ownership. Can’t kill ‘em and can’t live without em.

View attachment 428124

Now that is a nice fleet of LC's.... I just sold my LX470 last summer at 265k miles. I'm firmly in the buy a nice truck lightly used (for a Toyota that's typically at 75-80k miles) then drive it until it starts to see the more expensive repairs, or the frame rust gets too bad. I enjoy wrenching on my trucks, and through 25 years of owning and abusing Toyota trucks (Tacomas, LC's and Tundras), I don't think I've spent more than $10-15k in that time on repairs. To me spending $25k on a 10 year old truck and having another $10k to build it exactly like I want it (lift, tires, winch, shell, etc.) is much more worthwhile than spending that $35k on a 5 year old truck and not having money to build it. I also save $5k a year towards a new vehicle, then only buy when I can pay cash. Especially with something like a Tundra, an '08 has the same motor and transmission as a 21', so other than it being a bit rougher around the edges, the extra $25k doesn't get you much extra other than the warranty. Go slightly newer to get a certified truck and that's a non-issue.

 

[ChrisAU]

I bought my 2018 Tacoma new in 2018 for $36k

I'm trading it in when my new GMC Canyon comes in for $36k.

My new Canyon is $41k. I'll have very little taxes to pay after the trade in.

So I'm getting a new truck for $5k by giving them a 4 year old one with 40k miles on it. (I don't drive much ha)

No repair expenses for 5 years, and new truck will have features I wanted (long bed, better fuel mileage, and apple car play ha)

When I wrote that all out when making the decision in November of 2021 I couldn't make myself not do it.

Now on the other hand...I ordered the new truck 11/9/21, it was built 5/12/22, and I'm still waiting on it to ship to me...which sucks.

 

[JeffP_Or]

Mine is a 1994 Chevrolet K1500 with 150k on it; bought it new. I quite possibly have bought it a second time over the years - only paid $19k and change for it new off the lot.
I do most of the basic maintenance on it myself - used to do more of the tougher stuff myself as well but have other options available now. The biggest issue coming down the road for me is obsolescence of original parts - it was a popular [and basic] truck and parts were carried for a long time but that is changing.
No major is wrong with it and the frame and body are al in good order so I keep driving it with the expectation every other year something to the tune of $1k - $2k will go wrong.
My biggest fear is reliability - one minute it is going strong - the next, I can't get it to move off the mountain. Not necessarily from abuse or anything other than and old part simply - got old.
I cannot fathom trying to parse through the stuff that comes on vehicles these days to try and find something I am willing to pay money for - most everything is unnecessary and wasted money for something that just needs to get me from point A to point B.

 

[Customweld]

I try to keep my rigs until the wheels fall off. I've had an '01 GMC HD since it was new. It doesn't have much for miles on it due to me having a company rig for many years. It has the 6.0 in it and gets absolutely miserable fuel mileage( to the tune of 6 -8 mpg). The short beds also has a small fuel tank in it. I decided to go diesel , so I bought an '01 Cummins with the 6 speed manual. So far, that truck has impressed me. More power and torque than I will ever need and I'm getting an average of 19 mpg. I don't mind doing my own mechanic work and I think that is an important part of keeping an older rig.

 

[Yarak]

Why not do both ?
Buy a new one and maintain your older one unless the older is suspected to become a money pit

 

[Sccritterkiller]

People in Cuba have been keeping trucks and cars running from the 1950's.

Yep and they put diesel in boards in 60s model Buicks and make gaskets out cardboard...do they run sure...are they reliable...nope...

 

[ozyclint]

My current dilemma is the price of fuel. I have a land cruiser pick up with 290k miles on it, that has taken me around the continent plus some and the wife has a land cruiser wagon.
Recently bought a Toyota corolla for her as running the wagon as a daily drive was becoming ridiculous on fuel costs.

The problem now is we have 3 cars when we only need 2. Thinking of selling the 2 land cruisers so I can get a 4 cylinder 4x4 dual cab of some sort so that I have a pick up and can still take family trips.

But it hurts to think of getting rid of cars that have been super reliable and are simple to repair and maintain. But they are 6 cylinder heavy fuel drinkers and it is becoming ridiculous putting fuel in them. There is no other reason that is making me consider selling them.

The electronics in modern cars scares me from a reliability standpoint. As mentioned already they make things to last only a certain time now, not a lifetime. Electronics in general has been so unreliable for me that I actively avoid excess of it in my life. Phones, computers, batteries, anything electronic just seems to be a random piece of shit.

Buying any new car means a 12 month wait for delivery and used cars a couple of years old with up to 100000kms are selling for marginally less than new price.

 

[5MilesBack]

Why do people think power windows are standard? No more manual transmissions?

Because people are dumbasses.

The lack of "actual" real manual transmissions these days is why I still drive a 34 year old Toyota, 22 year old F-350, and a 23 year old Maxima. I hate automatics.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I keep saying I'm going to trade mine in.......until I go look at new trucks.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I bought my 2018 Tacoma new in 2018 for $36k

I'm trading it in when my new GMC Canyon comes in for $36k.

My new Canyon is $41k. I'll have very little taxes to pay after the trade in.

So I'm getting a new truck for $5k by giving them a 4 year old one with 40k miles on it. (I don't drive much ha)

No repair expenses for 5 years, and new truck will have features I wanted (long bed, better fuel mileage, and apple car play ha)

When I wrote that all out when making the decision in November of 2021 I couldn't make myself not do it.

Now on the other hand...I ordered the new truck 11/9/21, it was built 5/12/22, and I'm still waiting on it to ship to me...which sucks.

Your canyon won’t hold value like your toyota did, and won’t be near as reliable.

 

[ChrisAU]

Your canyon won’t hold value like your toyota did, and won’t be near as reliable.

Probably not, but I bet it’ll get better than 12mpg. It sucks driving from Alabama to Colorado/Wyoming and only getting 225-250 miles between fuel stops.

 

[30338]

Kind of same way I felt about finally leaving my Tundra. If I am going to get 13 mpg I'll take a F250, 7.3 gasser with a 3.55 rear end. May actually beat 13 mpg with it and I can tow 15,000 pounds if I need to. Time will tell if its a mistake or not but no big deal.

 

[Mosby]

Yep and they put diesel in boards in 60s model Buicks and make gaskets out cardboard...do they run sure...are they reliable...nope...

Well the good news is their island is pretty small so it's a short walk home.

 

[Anobody]

IMO no car payments are the biggest waste of money. If u can fix what u have and save for a “new” vehicle when this one finally dies then pay cash. And save yourself the headache of bills. I drive a 2014 focus with 210 k on it. Does it scream I’m a hunter… no but it’s paid off.. get 36 mpg and hats a up to two full size deer in it. All around win

 

[mtwarden]

At some point I'll replace my 2012 Tacoma, but that point is a ways off me thinks

With low mileage- 85K and doing all my own maintenance, would be pretty stupid at this point to even consider it.