OT: New Truck Frustrations?

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

no problem.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto...252171794.html

this one is $2000!

these old GC WJ's are really capable trucks, and the I6 is a buletproof, reliable, easy to work on engine. i have had a bunch. a little work and this truck is good for 5 years of adventuring, for sure.

That’s not a JEEP,



(Only a CJ, or Wrangler is a Jeep)

[BobbyJones]

Your expectations / desires seem a little all over the place the way I'm reading it.

Anyway, a 5 year old, gas, 1-ton 4wd from either of the big three are reasonably priced @ 20-25k. Unless you go all optioned out.

At 10 years old they're downright inexpensive if you really need a truck.

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I guess i have been asleep under a rock for a couple decades.

the cost of trucks has gotten out of hand in my opinion.

for many years i have driven old Jeeps. pay about 3 grand for a used one, drive it for 5 years, rinse/repeat. lately i have been driving a little Jeep Compass that came to me unexpectedly.

i'm beginning a search for another real truck to use for adventuring and general knocking around. initially, i was thinking a budget of 25 grand would be sufficient to get something nice, but that's looking to be a tall order.

since i dont use my car to commute or anything like that, and we have a few other cars, this truck would see roughly 4-5k miles/year, so not a lot.

i outrightly refuse to pay $50k for a new truck. i'd be afraid to drive it and use it like a truck. get it muddy, throw lumber in it and get it all scratched up. i want a truck as a tool, not a playground or status symbol. i also have zero use or desire for stupid back-up cameras, infotainment systems, etc. i want to put my old Alpine deck in the thing and keep jamming. heated seats, steering wheels, leather, no no no.

anyway, should i just buy another $3k Jeep and forget it?

is it crazy to get something with a V8, 4WD and under 50k miles for 25 grand?

other than craigslist and ebay - where should i be looking?

thoughts welcomed.

[wtex]

Angry and other shoppers,
I'm by no means a truck guru, but this site may help: https://www.f150forum.com/f118/just-...4/#post6798243
The TopToBottom fellow on there is helpful as long as you really read over that thread and know the basics.

1. do NOT use your real email or phone number with any of the car search sites - create a temp gmail and txt/telephone number - you want to be able to monitor it, but you will get contacts from dealerships within 1-2 minutes, and they will never, ever stop. Ever.
2. Ford, Inc., and maybe others give rebates to tire-kickers, the thread above goes into how to work that from the Ford Company. Those rebates are from Ford, so no negative to the dealership - work the best price you can with the dealership, THEN note the company rebates you have - it's an automatic deduction from the price, make sure they apply it.
After using the techniques above, I got about 26% off of MSRP. Not great, but I got tired of all the work that went into it.

[Dead Man]

as a dude in the construction world, truck prices have been annoying for a while yea. i think the fact that they are tools keeps prices weirdly inflated. i always operated on cash - business and personal - so it was always used trucks for me. since my trucks were fleet work trucks, my criteria was: cheap and easy to work on, presentable but not flashy, 2x4.... so it behove me to figure out which old, higher mileage trucks were most reliable.

i have been out of the truck and construction game for a few years now and dont remember exactly which ones i liked the best, but i know i liked mid-90s fords, late 80s and early aught chevies... got 200,000+ miles out of them (usually starting around 100k miles), always grabbed em for less than $10k and usually for less than $5k, they were really cheap and easy to work on and usually didnt require anything but oil and belt changes.

i still have one of em - 97 f250 HD, has 209,200 miles on it (had it since 75k, iirc)... gas big block, 2x4, tune ups are easy, im pretty sure the only repairs ive made are a new water pump about 10k ago. she runs and drives as well as she did at 75k

my favorite of favoritest trucks ive ever had, though, was my 96 f150 4x4.... 300 straight IL 6, 5 speed manual, hand crank windows, manual locks, no radio, just bare ass bones ... good gas mileage for a truck, utterly reliable with normal maintenance, very fun to drive, GREAT iff road with the factory running gear... i dont remember mileage, but i had it as my fun truck for many years and eventually traded it for a 94? BMW 735 (also IL 6!) in good high miles condition plus like $2500 cash.. that truck was awesome, and held its value well. and talk about EASY wrenching... that little straight 6 was surely the easiest truck ive ever worked on.

honorable mention to the late-80s chevy 350s with throttlebody fuel injection - amazingly mechanically simple, very reliable, acreage under the hood to work on stuff, cheap as dirt parts, i had a couple of em, one with over 300,000 miles before a chick slammed into the back of it at like 70mph ... it was like an '89 with a third of a million miles and insurance still paid me like $5k for it, which was more than id paid for it years before

anyway... theres my case for cheap old trucks. screw dropping dozens of thousands of dollars on a "tool," if thats all it needs be for you.

[chrismoustache]

The other day I found myself thinking 'i wish Surly made trucks.'

[54ny77]

I'm waiting for the Rapha Edition Ram T-Rex.

Originally Posted by chrismoustache

The other day I found myself thinking 'i wish Surly made trucks.'

[oliver1850]

Here's a Dodge that's interesting:

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/ctd/...247873685.html

A couple of others that check most of your boxes:

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/ctd/...247873685.html

https://desmoines.craigslist.org/ctd...240153602.html

If you are open to 4 doors and a shorter box, there seem to be a lot more of them available than 2 doors with 8' box.

[TimD]

Originally Posted by yarg

Get an old honda van, take out the middle seats, fold down the rear seats and it can carry anything. We use our 2008 van like a truck.

This. We just sold our 2006 Odyssey (175K miles, great vehicle) and purchased a new Ridgeline, for more than I want to admit. Our first truck. I would have bought a Toyota Sienna without a second thought but High Command issued the dikdat "not another minivan".

Trucks take some adjustment, but so far so good.

Good luck with your search.

Tim

[Llewellyn]

Originally Posted by Pegoready

I feel your pain.

The world of trucks has gotten bonkers. It seems like every person in my parts is a wannabe part time contractor, but also wants their one vehicle to be a kid hauler and weekend toy transport all in one. That leads to a lot of $60k trucks rolling around like it's no thing. A nice truck is a status symbol and a safety blanket.

I do wish a simple truck existed that one could buy new.

I always enjoy Mr. Money Mustache's take on trucks such as this gem:

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015...say-about-you/

Everyone who wants to buy a car should read that article by Mr Money Mustache, but especially anyone who wants to buy a truck.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Here's a Dodge that's interesting:

https://lacrosse.craigslist.org/ctd/...247873685.html

Lacrosse Craigslist but the truck is in southern Iowa?

That “lot” is in my back yard. Lots of interesting stuff and good for hard to find parts but known for extremely high pricing on complete trucks.

[54ny77]

that article is so awesome. and right on the money for those who really use trucks in connection with their work.

Originally Posted by Pegoready

I feel your pain.

The world of trucks has gotten bonkers. It seems like every person in my parts is a wannabe part time contractor, but also wants their one vehicle to be a kid hauler and weekend toy transport all in one. That leads to a lot of $60k trucks rolling around like it's no thing. A nice truck is a status symbol and a safety blanket.

I do wish a simple truck existed that one could buy new.

I always enjoy Mr. Money Mustache's take on trucks such as this gem:

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015...say-about-you/

[oliver1850]

Here's a 2012 Silverado with 25,000 miles for $21,000:

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/d...252913870.html

I'm having trouble ignoring this one for myself:

https://quincy.craigslist.org/cto/d/...253028580.html

[54ny77]

Oh yeah...

(Just don't look at the prices.)

This site has some real hot rod gems.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Pegoready

I feel your pain.

The world of trucks has gotten bonkers. It seems like every person in my parts is a wannabe part time contractor, but also wants their one vehicle to be a kid hauler and weekend toy transport all in one. That leads to a lot of $60k trucks rolling around like it's no thing. A nice truck is a status symbol and a safety blanket.

I do wish a simple truck existed that one could buy new.

I always enjoy Mr. Money Mustache's take on trucks such as this gem:

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015...say-about-you/

Good practical advice in there - but one must also consider safety.. I certainly wouldn't want to be hit at over 10mph in a 1980s Toyo single-cab. Which is another thing to think about if using a mini-van as a hauler - secure your loads just in case.. There's a reason that real work vans have metal dividers.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird

Lacrosse Craigslist but the truck is in southern Iowa?

That “lot” is in my back yard. Lots of interesting stuff and good for hard to find parts but known for extremely high pricing on complete trucks.

Guessing he's trolling around for out of state customers. I was looking at a not running but low mileage 1980 GMC that looks more like $900 than $2900 to me.