How many tow miles can one used truck handle?
I am new to the forums so this may have been answered many times over, my apologies. My husband and I are looking at used (~ yr 2005+, under 150k miles) Chevy Silverado 2500 w/Duramax engine/Alliso...
Forum Discussion
There's the story of the axe that's stil like your grandfathers, although it got a new blade 4 times and a new handle 3 times...
With a new truck, you have predictable cost of ownership. It's going to be almost free the first three years, where there's basically oil changes and warranty. From there, maintenance cost gradually goes up, with a bit of luck you're still limited to normal wear and tear like tires, brakes etc.
Eventually, everything will be prone to failure, electronics, bearings, shafts and rods, shocks and mounts. Plastic and rubber will age, things will break from use.
I think on average, the total cost to own will be cheaper for a used unit. However, the variance will be much larger. It doesn't help you if the engine statistically lasts 200k miles but yours didn't. Just because you just fixed one thing doesn't mean the truck will be good for a while.
Depending on how you value feature content, you may or may not value a newer truck for that reason.
I think the balance is more a personal decision. Some lease, because the cost to own is known down almost to the penny. Some keep their vehicles 5 to 6 years and that's the sweet spot to them.
Ironically, the less money you have, the better deal a new-ish car or truck is, because it protects you from getting unlucky.
With a new truck, you have predictable cost of ownership. It's going to be almost free the first three years, where there's basically oil changes and warranty. From there, maintenance cost gradually goes up, with a bit of luck you're still limited to normal wear and tear like tires, brakes etc.
Eventually, everything will be prone to failure, electronics, bearings, shafts and rods, shocks and mounts. Plastic and rubber will age, things will break from use.
I think on average, the total cost to own will be cheaper for a used unit. However, the variance will be much larger. It doesn't help you if the engine statistically lasts 200k miles but yours didn't. Just because you just fixed one thing doesn't mean the truck will be good for a while.
Depending on how you value feature content, you may or may not value a newer truck for that reason.
I think the balance is more a personal decision. Some lease, because the cost to own is known down almost to the penny. Some keep their vehicles 5 to 6 years and that's the sweet spot to them.
Ironically, the less money you have, the better deal a new-ish car or truck is, because it protects you from getting unlucky.
