4x4 truck hunting again

[Carbine64]

I kept my Dodge after picking up the F150 just to haul stuff that a new truck should not. Just about everything in the front end has been replaced.The motor and trans has been great.Still getting recalls 16 years after buying it new,sometimes a recall on a recall.It has a double recall on the cruse and the horn and still waiting for the recall for the front end .The rust started right after the warranty ran out,it only had 30000 miles,I was using the old Ford Ranger for my daily driver at this point I wish I still had that truck.

[S.A. Boggs]

Our daughter finally made her decision on a vehicle yesterday. She decided against a new vehicle due to the amount of monthly payment and what she wanted in a vehicle. Sam decided on an all terrain Ford SUV [the name I do not remember] with all the bells and whistles. It is a 2014/150/000 miles on it and it looks nice. She is going this A.M. to have our mechanic/family friend look over it to find out any problems. If Mike gives the nod the car will be in the driveway this P.M. My Grand Cherokee will be held in reserve for going to Church on Sunday's. The weird part was the buying experience due to the CV19 emergency. Normally the dealership is busy, quiet as a tomb. Only the general manager and lead salesman was there, all other's laid off. Book value is $13,500 and she got it for $8,300.00! Our banker was astounded and gave Sam the loan with nothing down save for tax, title and insurance. Sam is attached as a rider to my insurance policy of 45 years standing. A really weird buying experience, literally giving the vehicle away. My only suggestion to her is to do an oil change and upgrade the tires.
Sam

[Darreld Walton]

Much to still be said for keeping a vehicle with points and carburetor. Yeah, yeah, I get it...my EFI pickups start without a hitch, even when it's -20 and a 30 kt wind overnight. If they quit, though, or start acting weird, I look at that loom of wires and the 'little black box', and all I see is dollars floating away.

[S.A. Boggs]

Went in this past Saturday to pick up the "new" vehicle and did not. Asked the salesman for the repair invoice regarding the repair to the rear axle and he asked ""what invoice?" I said that he and I had a verbal agreement to have the dealership fix the rear end and I would buy the vehicle. He said that he didn't remember our conversation on this point but would go ask his boss. Came back a few minutes later and said no, the dealer would not do this. I thanked him for his time and my wife and and daughter got up to leave. He said he had the paperwork all done up and was I going to still buy the car. I said no as our daughter was over budget and I was going to pick up the tab for new tires, tags, and sales tax. I was not going to pay for the repair before I could pit the vehicle on the road as this would make my out of pocket cost another $2,000 over her budget. He looked stunned as his sales commission just got up and walked out. My wife asked why I passed it up as it appeared to be a good deal. I said it was a good deal but not good enough and I would continue to look for another vehicle for our daughter. Samantha was O.K. as she and I had agreed on our course of action as she is a "Daddy's" girl.
Sam

[shadycon]

This happens all the time. I would look for a vehicle with less than 100k. Why buy a vehicle that has to be repaired before you can use it? Keep looking there a good vehicles out there at decent prices, be patient. Check book prices, today's dealer mark up is up to 50% of value.
Salesmen are like politicians, Promise anything to make a sale. Bottom line is you pay for it in the end.
Good luck and stay safe............

[Gun Smoke]

This happens all the time. I would look for a vehicle with less than 100k. Why buy a vehicle that has to be repaired before you can use it? Keep looking there a good vehicles out there at decent prices, be patient. Check book prices, today's dealer mark up is up to 50% of value.
Salesmen are like politicians, Promise anything to make a sale. Bottom line is you pay for it in the end.
Good luck and stay safe............

Agree but 200K is the new 100K due to trucks overall being more reliable due to elec. ignition and fuel inj. along with great improvements in rust proofing.

A typical 2 year old nice full size GM, Ford or Dodge 4x4 pickup cost $30K and up with over 100K miles on them because new they go for $50--$80K. I see many for sale with over 300K on them but I certainly wouldn't rely on them. Though they may run great and still have some service left they are due or past due for EVERYTHING.

Just a personal note about using your truck in the woods off road. Newer vehicles don't have the solid axles on the front any longer. They have CV joints so when you get through with your trip check the joints (preferably on a lift) to make sure the rubber boots haven't been ripped.

[shadycon]

Gun Smoke; Reliable until computer or cheaply made electronic parts fail. If repair is needed you don't replace that particular part, you replace the complete component. EX; My '05 Gm K3500 speedometer died at 80k, common cheap part, around $500 to replace complete cluster. Steering components need replacing. This is not an abused trk. Mostly hiway miles. Used for occasional trailer pulling and hauling firewood and work. I miss my old late '70 Ford's and Chevy's. Driving thru the swamps in Fla. during hunting season.

[Gun Smoke]

Gun Smoke; Reliable until computer or cheaply made electronic parts fail. If repair is needed you don't replace that particular part, you replace the complete component. EX; My '05 Gm K3500 speedometer died at 80k, common cheap part, around $500 to replace complete cluster. Steering components need replacing. This is not an abused trk. Mostly hiway miles. Used for occasional trailer pulling and hauling firewood and work. I miss my old late '70 Ford's and Chevy's. Driving thru the swamps in Fla. during hunting season.

Agree and I am old school myself but I don't miss working on cars so much. Your speedometer failure, though expensive, did not leave you stranded. My son has a '03 Silverado with the same common fault as yours. This wasn't a great design but was somewhat isolated (a GM boo boo). Ebay sells the complete set of step motors and lights to repair the entire cluster for about $25. Some people sell rebuilt clusters for $125.

I put a lot of miles on vehicles and seldom have any of the problems that the older cars/trucks had. When there is a computer problem it is usually just a sensor and can be driven till the fix can be made. Not all "check engine" lights/warnings relate to the computer either.

It seems to me that better quality control is being used today with tighter clearances, clearcoat paints and as said before, rust proofing. Engines last longer, transmissions last longer, engines don't overheat so frequently, even u-joints seem to last longer.

It use to be that yeah 100K was a milestone. Your vehicle was near the verge of failure and great expense needed soon. Not to mention the rust. How many cars/trucks do you see today with 100K miles that are ready for the junk yard? Many look new. Some run as new. As long as the body and frame are free of rust a vehicle can last forever provided parts are available and affordable.

The downside is they are much more complex. As kids we had WW2 surplus Willis Jeeps to play with. They were simple and easy to work on--there wasn't much to them. We seldom replaced weak batteries even--we would just pull each other off with another jeep or tractor. We learned a lot of simple mechanics this way. As far as using something this simple today to hunt with think about your trip going and coming back. It's nice to turn on that CC, AC, Sirius radio, CD/MP3 player, navigation, heated/cooled seats and mirrors, window defroster and etc, etc....

It's nice to be able to trouble shoot and work on the simpler stuff with carbs and points. The problem is: you had to.

[shadycon]

Thanks for the heads on the speedo fix. Last time I looked I couldn't find the parts.
check engine lights; I throw away the bulbs.
Most parts don't even have grease fitting anymore. My old 1/2 tons had bigger ball joint than my 1 ton.
Some states rust is not a big problem but in snow country you better keep up with rust proofing if you are going to keep it. I found out when I moved from Fla. 20 yrs ago. In short; proper maintenance. Oh' to be back in the 60's/70's.

[Gun Smoke]

Thanks for the heads on the speedo fix. Last time I looked I couldn't find the parts.
check engine lights; I throw away the bulbs.
Most parts don't even have grease fitting anymore. My old 1/2 tons had bigger ball joint than my 1 ton.
Some states rust is not a big problem but in snow country you better keep up with rust proofing if you are going to keep it. I found out when I moved from Fla. 20 yrs ago. In short; proper maintenance. Oh' to be back in the 60's/70's.

My son's truck is off limits to me even though I bought and paid for it. He "lets" me repair some things. The instrument panel gauges is not one of them so far.

He simply uses a GPS for his speedometer. Probably what the factory should be using.

If other gauges stop working such as the gas gauge and oil pressure gauge he will have to make repairs.

[shadycon]

Gun Smoke; I did some checking, Looks like a simple fix for me. The stepper, they call it, is $7.90 free shipping from China. What isn't from China. You tube video is easy to follow, Now to wait for Del. All gauges use the same stepper. I had similar problem with my '96 Isuzu trooper, local wanted over $100 for sensor, Rock auto $8.00 delivered, from china. PS; I ran it using a Garman for 4 yrs. Getting time to dust off the Tommy gun!

[Gun Smoke]

Gun Smoke; I did some checking, Looks like a simple fix for me. The stepper, they call it, is $7.90 free shipping from China. What isn't from China. You tube video is easy to follow, Now to wait for Del. All gauges use the same stepper. I had similar problem with my '96 Isuzu trooper, local wanted over $100 for sensor, Rock auto $8.00 delivered, from china. PS; I ran it using a Garman for 4 yrs. Getting time to dust off the Tommy gun!

Your truck, your time with the solder gun replacing the motor but if it were me I would just replace them all. The extra parts don't cost much more as a kit and you won't have to take out the instrument panel again.

After replacement you may have to reposition the needle a time or two for your speedometer to agree with your Garman's indicated speed.

Glad you found what you needed.

Give the repair a chance before taking out the Tommy gun on it.

[shadycon]

I have to do something to all the beer cans I've collected all winter.