You posted this when I was writing my reply.
Apology accepted rigid.

:lol:

Next Time I'll try to take Steve's advice... just get so hammered that I cant see to type anything stupid.

I actually understand where you are coming from, but I disagree completely. A car is not a truck, and there comes a point where it isn't cost effective to continue replacing or repairing things on the truck. The older a truck is, the more there are large scale items wearing out. One of the big things that gets overlooked is downtime. Many of those large scale items require long periods of downtime, and can very quickly eat into the bottom line.

Sure, there's no predetermined time that you get rid of a truck, but it's pretty clear that there is a time when it just makes more sense to replace a truck rather than constantly repairing it. Keeping up maintenance will help prolong that, but then when the time comes to replace, the truck isn't worth nearly as much as you have invested in it. A truck is never the sum of its parts. Yes, new parts help to increase the value of a truck, but not nearly as much as you would think. I know a guy who just bought a 1996 379 Pete. The truck itself had about 1.5 million miles on it, but the engine had been overhauled about 200,000 miles ago. It had a 120 inch big bunk sleeper on it, and the entire truck looks brand new. He picked it up for a whopping $54,000, which is less than what the sleeper itself cost new (and had only been put on the truck 2 years ago).

Plus, if you have a truck with millions of miles on it, and a build date that is in a different century, the insurance value of the truck is nil. One major accident, and you suddenly are left with a pile of junk that the insurance company only throws a few thousand dollars toward you for at best.


And for rigidsporty, apology not accepted, until you debate what I posted (assuming it was you who disagreed with the concept, and not the alcohol). :wink:

That's right - a truck makes you $$ no matter how old it is.

Wrong. You can always rebuild a truck for less than the price of a similar new truck. And your rebuilt truck will be new without the crappy EPA engines!
Unless you have to pay a mechanic to turn your wrenches. But then you ain't much of a trucker in my book. Just a steering wheel holder.


Down time is beer drinking, garage stereo cranking, napping under the truck, greasy knuckle, wrench turning time. Some of the best quality time one can spend with their truck. If you can't afford to take a few weeks off you're bankrupt and just don't know it yet. I just came off my 4th of July vacation this week. Enjoy them lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Life's too short not too.

Good drivers don't break their trucks. Repairs should never be frequent. If so, you're in the wrong line of work.

Truck book value is irrelevant. Why would one sell their old truck if it is in great shape and they have half a brain? Keep it and make more money with it and stay with the plan: Don't break the truck and keep it maintained.
Also great drivers don't have accidents.
(Me: trucking since'84 - wrecks: 0) So insurance value is irrelevant. If truck gets totaled, take the crumpled wreck and rebuild it. Why sell a good old truck just because you are worried about getting in wreck? With that logic why truck at all? There's a million things to worry about.

And for the cartoon crowd, here ya go: 8) :shock: :? :P :x :sad: :wink: :evil: :twisted: :x

While you are busy keeping an old POS together, consulting Miss Cleo on what parts are going to fail without notice, I'm busy turning a profit. I'll be sure to wave as I pass your broken down bucket of bolts on the side of the road.

Life is too short to spend vacation time trying to keep an old truck together on my downtime. But hey - if spending 2 months of your summer rebuilding a scrap heap floats your boat, more power to you.

So how's that '84 model truck holding up?

Your decision.

I'd like to put a stop to Soggy's falsities right now.

My truck hasn't broke down since in the last 10 or 11 years. Don't assume we all have experiences like you with your truck.

The only time I touched it those 2 months were to vacuum the carpet, squeegee the windows inside and out, dust off dash, add a 120V AC line, and made a professional looking cover for my gen.

Nothing needed fixing or replacing. Oh yeh, I greased it even though it had been only 3,000 miles since I had done it before. I only checked my maintenance record after I greased it and said "Doh!" I just wasted my time.

My truck is a '96 I bought brand new. All original except the front bumper thanks to a four wheeler who challenged me on the wrong day and a suicidal deer the second time.

And I still regularly get comments about how good looking she is.

When your Pete is is paid off you might start to get a clue. No payment - slow down.

BTW how many paint jobs has that thing had in only what, 4 years? 5 years?

You're hard on a truck ain't ya?

My truck broke down? Why didn't anyone tell me?

Probably still looks like :dung:

And you wasted my time telling me about it.

Hypocrite.

Nope. I changed the color once due to a leasing requirement, and the second time because I felt like it, not because it needed it. And it's 3 years. :roll:

Hell of a truck you got there buddy..one hell of a truck...It looks good on blocks does it?



It looks good on blocks, because that is the only way it doesn't breakdown in 11 years.