You already know this, but….

[ultrarunner]

Several I know did same and pocketed cash... one on a lease Jeep and other BMW.

Both said the car cost nothing to have when all said and done.

My brother took another approach when new cars were being dumped almost two years ago with many cancelled rental fleet orders...

He said to replace like for like at least 50% more today...

 

[jyoutz]

Long ago the Forrest Service had Power Wagons. Two door - six cylinder. Used for lighting strike fires - rapid deployment - fire suppression. Thats where I learned to love those old vehicles. 400 gallon water tank and 36" hydraulically controlled single disk out back. Off we would go - cross country - disking and hosing small start ups. Summers between my JR - SR year in high school.

A lighting bolt would hit a steel T-post barbed wire fence. Could start a fire with a half mile front.

I was young - I was fearless - the days were long - the adrenaline flowed like a mighty river. Four of us young fellows on each power wagon. Driver - navigator - fire suppression - hydraulic disk operator.

That was how I started my Forest Service career during summers while attending forestry school at college. Fun times. I also spent a lot of days marking timber.

 

[jyoutz]

Maybe part of the plan to get everyone into an EV?

You ever heard of supply and demand?

 

[jyoutz]

My Silverado crew cab is 10 years old, and it's been totally reliable. I'm about to upgrade its head unit, and that takes some significant shenanigans under the dash. Still, it's a user-maintained truck.

While I'm a little concerned with the price of new trucks, I'm more concerned with their long term maintainability. If I bought a new truck, I could change the oil and maybe even replace the battery myself. But everything else is so electronically integrated that any change or glitch in it would mean a trip to the dealer, and -- after the warranty is gone -- a simply ridiculous bill.

I think I need a truck like the old Power Wagons, where I can hose off the mud, then open the door and hose off the floor. Not much in the way of creature comforts, but zero trips to the dealer. It'd be even better if it were Diesel powered.

You can still buy 1995 Dodge trucks.

 

[jyoutz]

What is an inspection or smog check?

Seriously, I know what they are, but in my state we used to have so called "safety inspections" which were little more than a scam. The citizens rose up and got that baloney tossed to the curb. Lived in a state once that required emissions testing. Moved away soon after and have never looked back....

Back in the 1970s snag tests and required repairs for those old polluting cars made sense. Few of those cars are still on the road, and now the testing programs are just a scam.

 

[ultrarunner]

At one time had over 20 active registrations and between smog tests on newer cars and ever increasing tag fees U opted to pay the non-op fee.

Yes… in California you must pay a fee not to drive your vehicle.

Pushing $150 minimum tag renewal no matter how low the value.

Wouldn’t want to be on the hook for tax, license and insurance on a new pickup…

 

[Baby Grand]

In the late 70's I drove an International for a local lumber yard similar to the screen grab shown. It was a flatbed with removable racks. It had a bare-bones interior - I think it may have had an AM radio. V8 powered was a 4 on the floor manual - a nice, tight manual. My dispatcher used it as his "company car". I remember taking the racks off and loading a pallet of asphalt roof shingles on it with a forklift, laid a half sheet of scrap plywood over the top and secured it with two 3" ratchet straps. Delivery was to a job-site up in the hills, at the end of a cow path. It handled the load well, despite being a
little tippy on the "driveway". Can you even get a vehicle like that today?

 

[Hay Dude]

In the late 70's I drove an International for a local lumber yard similar to the screen grab shown. It was a flatbed with removable racks. It had a bare-bones interior - I think it may have had an AM radio. V8 powered was a 4 on the floor manual - a nice, tight manual. My dispatcher used it as his "company car". I remember taking the racks off and loading a pallet of asphalt roof shingles on it with a forklift, laid a half sheet of scrap plywood over the top and secured it with two 3" ratchet straps. Delivery was to a job-site up in the hills, at the end of a cow path. It handled the load well, despite being a
little tippy on the "driveway". Can you even get a vehicle like that today?
View attachment 734628

Sure, but you’ll pay for it if you want it to be in like new condition.
Heres a ‘69 Ford Ranger 4x4 360 V-8 4 speed. All original.
$65,000

 

[sree251]

I'm only driving about 2K per year on it though.

2K per year? What do you use it for? You probably have to hook it to a battery tender after you have used it.

 

[ovrszd]

2K per year? What do you use it for? You probably have to hook it to a battery tender after you have used it.

I have a 2005 Jeep with 27K miles on it. Average 1,600 miles per year. No tender. On it's second battery.