Existentialism and the New Truck Bug

   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #31  
wish it was the same here. pretty rural - my town has 42 people per square mile on average, and they put the liquid to some of the 2-lane roads here. have to go north a good distance before they stop using it.

How far north? I work in Ashland and Presque Isle and they like to spread it up there, also. As much as we complain about it though, people like being able to do 70 the day after a snowstorm.
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #32  
I bought the Taco Wagon for a few reasons. I'm big and it's big and it's comfortable( more or less ). I've always wanted a Power Wagon and now I finally have one. I make no excuses - it's for fun and for transportation.

This was like the last Power Wagon I drove, a 1959 model with a 1200 gallon tank for diesel fuel.

1959-dodge-power-wagon.jpg
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #33  
YUP......my L48 TLB makes me much happier than any flashy sports car ever could.

I’ve never had a desire for a flashy sports car. I do seem to have an addiction to buying tools and equipment. My current daily driver vehicle I paid $3500 for and it fulfills the job fine. My last one was $2500 but it was junk. An extra thousand is a big upgrade lol.
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #34  
That is one GREAT picture - deserteagle71. Part of the Sierra Nevadas - ???

Nope. That's the Toiyabe Range, south of the tiny town of Austin, Nevada. Those peaks are at 11,000+ feet elevation.

People have the impression that Nevada is mostly flat desert when in fact there are something like 308 mountains ranges across the state that rise up past 13,000 ft in elevation. This is the Star Peak Ranch near my place:

P1002984ecptr.jpg
 
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   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #35  
I think I have an addiction or deep personality flaw. I realized that every 6 months or so, I get obsessed with buying a new vehicle or restoring and older one. The old Blazer project, new GMC Canyon, new Ford Ranger, new F150 and now I'm looking at a Ram 1500. I literally go through periods o f time where these trucks dominate my free time.

I justify this addiction by stating that my daily driver (2006 CRV) is wearing out (250K on it now) and its uncomfortable to drive. I would like a smaller truck to drive as it could be handy at work and the new rigs get as good or better mileage than my Honda. But is it a need or an obsession?

Well the uncomfortable part is real. I drive a lot. Have done so for a while. But never have had such back, knee and ankle pain as I do now. I'm literally crammed into this little car. My wife even laughed at me this weekend about it. Maybe my mind is rejecting the car and causing this pain? Or I'm using it as an excuse to obsess?

Anybody else have this absolute obsession about trucks, equipment, etc? I don't feel like I'm a very materialistic person but maybe this is the very definition of it?

And if this is a bit deep for a Tuesday morning, how does the group feel abou thr 5th gen Ram 1500's with etorque?
No issues here
 

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   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #37  
I definitely have this disease. I spend literal hours every day researching and reading about the automotive industry, new vehicles in development, new and used cars for sale near me, and modifications that I want to do to my current fleet. Not to mention deciding what tractor to buy next.

The only way I found to cure some of this habit was to buy new cars for my wife and I, so that I'll have to stick with them for a while, and respect the powertrain warranty by doing minimal engine mods. And as for my truck... I nabbed a rust-free, low mile '03 2500HD 6.0L several years ago, and I could never replace it's capabilities again for anywhere near the $13k I paid, so she's a keeper. Really want to do a cam-swap and electric radiator fans though....

I don't know how so of y'all justify trading out new pickups. The price tags are just so insane.... like buying a small house.
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #38  
I'm also the type to buy and keep. I'd "like" a pickup but don't like the new ones and I don't have much "need". If I see an older interesting truck in good condition it might go home with me.

Not sure what I'll do when my '02 Dakota finally gives it up. Barring anything unforeseen, I'm hoping to get another 4-5 yr. out of it...frame is still solid, no drivetrain issues. I like the fact that it doesn't have all the tech'y stuff in it, touchscreen, etc. but lotsa luck finding one that doesn't here in New England. I'll see how the Ranger and Colorado stand up over time, don't really need a full sized truck.

Minor point but - the entire underside of the Power Wagon is sprayed with bed liner. According to the sticker back by the spare tire - it's Line-X bed liner.

In this part of the world - stay away from the big cities and your truck will not rot out. They only use that spray ice melt solution in the big cities.

I know the state uses brine in the southern part of the state, probably on interstates/major U.S. routes here in the north but not so much on state/local roads. Is your snow generally dry/powdery? That helps, here it could go either way, and the wetter snow packs down into ice quite easily so some sort of de-icing is a necessary evil.

Trouble is with any sort of undercoating is that it's fine until it isn't anymore. Over time it will develop cracks, etc. that will trap salt & moisture underneath and actually make it rust worse than unprotected steel.

Nope. That's the Toiyabe Range, south of the tiny town of Austin, Nevada. Those peaks are at 11,000+ feet elevation.

People have the impression that Nevada is mostly flat desert when in fact there are something like 308 mountains ranges across the state that rise up past 13,000 ft in elevation.

Nice area. I spent some time camping/hiking around there maybe 35 years ago. Easy to get winded at that elevation when you're not used to it!
Not sure I'd want to live there, but it sure was a nice place to visit!
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #39  
I’ve never had a desire for a flashy sports car. I do seem to have an addiction to buying tools and equipment. My current daily driver vehicle I paid $3500 for and it fulfills the job fine. My last one was $2500 but it was junk. An extra thousand is a big upgrade lol.

It's not flash I love about sports cars it's the speed and handling, mostly the handling. I used to ride a motorcycle and loved that feeling carving thru curvy roads. A small open sports car is the next best thing. And it gets 27 mpg while I'm driving it fast.

The Jeep is also fun to drive but in a whole different way; it handles OK but it's the driving with no roof and maybe no doors that makes it fun. But it gets about 15 mpg. All the aerodynamics of a brick.
 
   / Existentialism and the New Truck Bug #40  
The Jeep is also fun to drive but in a whole different way; it handles OK but it's the driving with no roof and maybe no doors that makes it fun. But it gets about 15 mpg. All the aerodynamics of a brick.

if it's anything like the jeeps some of my friends have built for play, the brick probably has a more comfortable ride too.
 
 
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