charles todd
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2010
- Messages
- 385
- Location
- Louisiana
- Tractor
- LS P7010C, Farmall 504, Allis Chalmers 180, Komatsu PC38UU-2
I agree with most of the points discussed new vs used.
I have personally had good luck buying nice, upper trim level, stock, un-modified trucks 2-3 years old with 50k-70k miles. There is too much deprecation in the first two years for me to buy new. After two years the price somewhat stabilizes. "Customization" and "bolt-ons" are a red flag to me. When I shop for a used vehicle, I have strict standards. It must be at least a 9 out of 10 or better. It must be 1 owner, adult owned, completly stock, with service records. Otherwise I walk away. They exist but are harder to find. I shopped for a while before I found this one.
Mileage is subjective. Highway miles are not hard on a vehicle. Constant stop and go with prolonged idling is rough on a vehicle. I usually keep a vehicle 10 years and about 200k miles. Mostly highway miles. I put about 135k on my last truck in 11 years.
My previous truck was a 2001 Chevrolet Z71 with all the bells and whistles. Bought it in 2004 with 58k miles. It now has 193k miles. It has been almost 100% trouble free the 11 years I have owned it, I replaced 2 batteries, pads and rotors, rear u-joints, upper and lower ball joints, and the fan clutch. The only reason I bought the 2013 GMC was I wanted to move up to a 3/4 ton and I was ready to sit in another seat for the next 10 years, for about $20k less than new.
I sold the 2001 to a co-worker, he's happy. Truck is sound, in good condition, and can travel coast to coast with out issue. He will probably run it until it lays down. His past two vehicles have had over 330k miles and were functional when he sold them.
CT
I have personally had good luck buying nice, upper trim level, stock, un-modified trucks 2-3 years old with 50k-70k miles. There is too much deprecation in the first two years for me to buy new. After two years the price somewhat stabilizes. "Customization" and "bolt-ons" are a red flag to me. When I shop for a used vehicle, I have strict standards. It must be at least a 9 out of 10 or better. It must be 1 owner, adult owned, completly stock, with service records. Otherwise I walk away. They exist but are harder to find. I shopped for a while before I found this one.
Mileage is subjective. Highway miles are not hard on a vehicle. Constant stop and go with prolonged idling is rough on a vehicle. I usually keep a vehicle 10 years and about 200k miles. Mostly highway miles. I put about 135k on my last truck in 11 years.
My previous truck was a 2001 Chevrolet Z71 with all the bells and whistles. Bought it in 2004 with 58k miles. It now has 193k miles. It has been almost 100% trouble free the 11 years I have owned it, I replaced 2 batteries, pads and rotors, rear u-joints, upper and lower ball joints, and the fan clutch. The only reason I bought the 2013 GMC was I wanted to move up to a 3/4 ton and I was ready to sit in another seat for the next 10 years, for about $20k less than new.
I sold the 2001 to a co-worker, he's happy. Truck is sound, in good condition, and can travel coast to coast with out issue. He will probably run it until it lays down. His past two vehicles have had over 330k miles and were functional when he sold them.
CT
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