What makes more sense...driving a long paid for old truck, or making huge payments??

[Retiredguy2]

Anything is fixable, it's just a matter of cost. It really comes down to risk. Are you in a situation in your life where you can accept the risk of breaking down when you go to use your truck? I assume you are retired so time is much more flexible than someone who works. For someone who works 5 days a week and has a family they may only have one day a month to haul their tractor to their friends house 200 miles away to help them out. On that one day they need their truck to work trouble free.

As for newer vehicles being less reliable, I think you need to look at history. I'm sure you can remember a time when cars had points that were always needing adjusting, plugs that need replacing, a distributor cap and wires that would age, and taking a long distance trip was an adventure. Then as electronics improved we got electronic ignition, no more points to adjust. Now we have coil packs connected directly to platinum plugs (now iridium for even better performance). No cap or plug wires to replace and timing a distributor is history.

I can't tell you how many cars I've had in the past where the radio no longer worked correctly. The digital displays and switches would die. In the last 15 years I haven't had any of these issues. I'm betting that a car built today has parts that were redesigned after they learned why parts didn't last on previous generations. Things like sensors, in some cases weren't even possible a few years ago, last longer today and cost less. Sure cars will always break down. Sure they will need recalls (of course a lot of that is that the bar has been raised) but cars built today are more reliable, more efficient, and much safer than cars built even 5 years ago. Which would you like to be in? Your 2000 truck or a 2016 same brand and model truck in an accident? Your truck has an air bag in the steering wheel while the new truck will have a better designed frame, more support in the body and doors, and multiple airbags. For you it might not be an issue due to your driving experience and limited risk but for someone else who drives on roads where the accident rate is much higher a few hundred extra a month could be cheap insurance to help prevent serious injury or even death.

I see your point, that's why I still have my paid off Tundra sitting in my yard. I rarely drive it so it's not worth having a monthly payment. In a few years when we are retired I doubt I would want a $500 a month payment (unless I have a part time job I like doing that would cover the cost) on any of our cars. But I can easily see the other side too.

Just telling you; I as well as my wife are both 100% deaf so calling for roadside assistance is basically not an option. Which may be moot that we choose to drive an '04 Saturn and a Y2K GMC. Between the two of us we put maybe 4000 miles a year on both of our vehicles. The Saturn has always been dead reliable (current 75000 miles) and my feelings are: You make an excellent point in your post about "risk" and I think THAT is what matters to many members here. Thank you for the input. We can easily afford a newer vehicle to replace our Saturn but given the low mileage we drive we don't want to pay for one.

 

[tractorshopper]

Yes, for me it's about mileage. Like another, my kids play sports and travel sports. My 2006 F-150 has 179k miles. My 2001 Durango has 185k miles. My wife's 2013 Fusion already has 114k miles. It was out of warranty before it even was a year old. We tend to take the newest vehicle to be the "reliable" travel ball vehicle and all of them are daily drivers for my wife, daughter, and I. The more miles I'm putting on my truck, the more stuff I'm fixing. The Durango has been trouble free. I'll be buying a new truck soon, but also need to buy my oldest daughter a car to take off to college and my youngest daughter will inherit the Durango. We're looking used for my daughter to take to college, but I don't want anything with more than 60,000 miles for her. Once again, reliability is the main concern for us.

 

[hawkeye08]

We decided at one point that we would always buy used, but my job had me traveling out of town and my wife needed reliable transportation with three kids.. we bought a few new rigs, but the last one was used again. What I am really saying is, it depends on your situation. When I was younger, we had less money and I was more willing to work on something. I am older now, have more money and less willing to work on something (other than routine maintenance).

We don't do car payments, either we can afford to buy it or not. I need to put the engine (454) back in my 73 pickup so we have a "spare" vehicle at some point, especially with one daughter and grand daughter living with us.

 

[Retiredguy2]

Yes, for me it's about mileage. Like another, my kids play sports and travel sports. My 2006 F-150 has 179k miles. My 2001 Durango has 185k miles. My wife's 2013 Fusion already has 114k miles. It was out of warranty before it even was a year old. We tend to take the newest vehicle to be the "reliable" travel ball vehicle and all of them are daily drivers for my wife, daughter, and I. The more miles I'm putting on my truck, the more stuff I'm fixing. The Durango has been trouble free. I'll be buying a new truck soon, but also need to buy my oldest daughter a car to take off to college and my youngest daughter will inherit the Durango. We're looking used for my daughter to take to college, but I don't want anything with more than 60,000 miles for her. Once again, reliability is the main concern for us.

So where does one make the choice between mileage and reliability? Is it age of the vehicle or the number of miles it has been used? Did I mention that my brother had a two year old Ford F-150 that went in for repairs at 70,000 miles? Yet my Y2K GMC with about 46K has never been in the shop but for new tires?

 

[FredH]

I have a 2006 Dodge quad cab 8' bed with Auto and 4 wheel drive . Did only have barely over 72,000 this past Summer . But My son burned up the clutch plates in his 68rfe thus He has put 8,000 on mine since then . I have looked at upgarding to a 1 ton for towing purposes , prefer 1 that is not dual rear wheels .
Local dodge dealer had a couple of new 2016's that they had marked down to $42,000 , just never had a chance to get in to see them on getting a trade in figure on mine .
Was able to make it to the local Ford Dealer one day , they did a trade in Value , then called Me with their offer . I Laughed and told them " I'll Pass " !! They wanted almost $8000 more for their similar 1 ton as the Dodge dealer did , ( $50,000 ) . " But , But it has all these Cool in Cab options " . "
Who gives a Turd about in cab options . I want a Truck to Be my truck . Heck , if I want Sirius radio in the pickup , I will take out the reciever in my semi and put in in the pickup like I do now

I am still debating , But unless it is down in that low $40's range , I have no Desire for a new truck . I Do Not Buy My Semi's new . I buy 3 - 4 year old trucks , with 350,000 to 400,000 miles , run them for 4 years then trade in and go again . No FET tax that way and I can Depreciate it also .


Fred H.

 

[MossRoad]

My ex wife got the GM discount and she had 4 grand in her GM Card rebates coming and we used that as part of the down payment. And my 1979 F-150 did not have AC or a decent radio and did not have the gearing to pull our 6400 pound travel trailer...why do you inquire?

I always wonder why so so many people just HAVE to HAVE something new that depreciates a third once you drive it home. NO THANKS.

 

[not2old]

When I bought my truck new, I paid $24,050.00. I was looking for a two year old model and was willing to pay $18,000.00. Nobody was willing to sell for less than $20,000.00 so I got new, with warranty, choice of colour and options. When I bought my last car, I wasn't in the market to spend over $100,000.00 plus tax at 15% so I bought 16 months old, with all the same options, at Less than 14,000 km.(9000 miles) and paid $51,500. First owner dumped the car due to the oil patch economy and I really appreciated that. The price on new cars appears stupid to me and I'll not likely buy another new unless things change drastically.

 

[Piston]

Ok, sometimes it makes sense to buy new imo. I bought our 2001 F150 used, 4 years old, 15000 miles, 9500$. Bought our 05 AWD Hyundai Santa Fe used, 6 years old, 100K miles, 7500$.

When I needed a small car for gas mileage to and from work I ended up buying new for the first time in my life. The used small cars were very high priced in 2008 and it just didn't make sense to buy used. New price was only 12,500$ plus tx and title. I'll drive it till it dies, it's 8 years old and 176,000 miles.

When I sell a vehicle it goes directly to the scrap yard or demo derby.

My question would be why don't more people buy used tractors like they do road vehicles? My impression from TBN is that 9 out of 10 TBN users buy new when it comes to tractors.

Kevin

Ding ding ding! You pretty much nailed that one! I'm surprised so many buy new as well. I have nothing against it, and may very well buy new someday, but it's comical to watch a thread on buying used vehicles over new when most of us don't hesitate to spend 30+ grand on a toy tractor.

I bought a used '99 f350 diesel back in '04, kept it for years and eventually gave it to my father because his truck called it quits. 12 and a half years later I finally bought another vehicle, a lovely 2003 Chevy Venture minivan with 104k on it for a whopping $300.

I'll probably put 2k miles a year on whatever I drive, so I can't see buying new. However, nothing wrong with buying a brand new $70k dollar truck if that's what you want.

I do find a bit of irony in the fact that the OP posted about how it doesn't make sense to buy a brand new truck, yet is talking about the very truck he originally bought brand new?

 

[bcp]

If no one bought new trucks, where would the used ones come from?



Bruce

 

[hturner12]

When I was looking at tractors price point was not that far apart used vs new.