How old is too old?

cdar wrote:


How old is too old and the same for mileage? This is a third vehicle that's only going to see weekend and towing duties. I'm fairly comfortable with a good older tv but then how do you know? Im not as much a gear head anymore so I don't know what trouble spots to look for for a particular brand. My next tv needs to be trustworthy enough to haul the family up and down the east coast (Maine - SC).

I don't think that there is anything inherently "too old". Here in the Puget Sound area of the NW, they don't use salt frequently in the winter, so body and frame rust/rot isn't a problem. Mileage can be more subjective, because it really is a******shoot on what maintenance was done. I've been lucky with visual inspections; ie if it looks beat on, it more than likely was. If it looks well taken care of, it probably was.

I've got the best tow vehicle for me. The 7.3 is well known to be reliable, with a couple of exceptions; turbo up-pipes and CPS (cam position sensor) being most common problems. The 5-speed holds up well once the dual-mass flywheel is replaced. Crew-cab long bed means the kids have room to bring as much stuff as they want. Best thing is that it's been paid for since 2000. I'm sure there are Dodge and Chevy guys out there who feel the same about their TV's.

Whatever brand or direction you choose to go, for a used vehicle, I'd definitely plan on budgeting some extra $$ for brakes, ball joints & steering bushings, flush all the fluids, replacing all the belts and driven accessories on the engine; power-steering pump, alternator. Don't forget that you might need a new hitch or trailer wiring/brake controller as well. Good luck with your search, for me that was half the fun!

Still towing with my 2002 GMC Sierra 5.3 liter Z71 half ton with 4.10 rear end still going strong at 186,000 miles and I pull roughly a 6500lb trailer. had the motor twisting just last weekend on a steep grade at 4200 RPM with no issue I think maintanence is the key to longjevity.

I would not look at it so much as age as the tow capacity of the truck when new and the type of use it has had over its miles of driving. Chevy for example switched to all wheel disc brakes in 1999 and a pre-1999 truck or SUV would be a lot less desireable regardless of the mileage. Some engines are a lot more reliable and same applies to transmissions. I would pass on a TV with a 4-speed transmission and want a newer vehicle with a 5 or 6 speed transmission.

Lots of used trucks, in particular DRW ones with a regular cab, that have been full time work trucks. These get abused a lot more by their drivers and maintenance is less likely to happen on a regular basis. With as much as 100% hard use these trucks are not a good choice for a TV regardless of what shows on the odometer.

Hose, belts, alternators, AC compressors, ball joints, rotors, shocks, radiators, springs, etc. can all be replaced and in some cases upgraded to keep a vehicle as good or better than new. What an older truck or SUV may lack is air bags for the driver and passengers or ABS. The airbags are important to me and I would not buy a vehicle that did not have them.

Assume exact same model, year, options, GVWR, diff ratio, etc, etc

Then it depends on:

• Driving style
• Maintenance schedule and how religious they followed it
• Materials used
• What they towed in reference to the TV 'true' ratings
• Terrain

On that maintenance, I mean stuff like flushing the automatic ATF (for
my Sub, that is 16 quarts) every other year. Power steering fluid
every other year. Flushing the whole brake system every front brake
pad change. Greasing all zerks at etc engine oil change, which I change
on a 3K-5K schedule and use Mobil 1 synthetic and PureOne filter. Flush
the diff fluid when I do the tranny fluid (dino for the tranny and
synthetic for the diff). Flush the radiator every other year with
American Green...all 15 quarts of it

I even take a spray can of primer/finish paint whenever underneath
to spot anything that looks off.

Read folks advising to over load with the 'sure you can', 'have been
doing so for decades/thousands of miles with no issues', etc

Those I would not touch if I knew they overloaded...as the OP aludes
to with his comment of ".... I'm thinking the sturdier 3/4 t would
be a better older TV..."

Some advise to use XYZ oil and filter because they change their oil
every 20,000 miles. I'd not touch that one

Some advise you can tow heavy running 75 MPH. I'd not touch that one

There are some two year old TV's that I'd not touch because they were
driven over loaded and very fast. They are 'old' to me. Then compare
that to the exact same TV that was towing a hybrid. Which one has
had the design margins consumed? Which one still has lots of design
margin?

and a big ETC...

I'm coming up on 355,000 miles on my van. I still don't hesitate to take it on long trips. Other than a heater hose I've had to splice 3 times in two months (I finally ordered a replacement today.... using universal hose wouldn't really work in this case), I have no other concerns with reliability. I put on about 30,000 miles/yr. I plan on keeping it until at least 500,000 and I'm pretty sure it can make it that far without any major repairs.

Well there is no pat right answer to that question. If it were me and I was looking for a dedicated tow vehicle for pulling what you describe I would be looking for Ford 7.3L or Dodge(Cummins) 5.9L diesel engine in a 3/4 ton 4 door short bed truck with an automatic. These have proven to very reliable and relatively easy to make bullet proof if you have any issues needing major repairs

For reference I am running a '06 Dodge Cummins dually pulling 18k# horse trailer. Have about 140k miles on it with most of it towing. Keep trying to break the transmission so I can drop in an Allison and bullet proof the engine (need a good excuse). I plan to put at least 250k miles on it and if I can't break it soon may have to go to 500k after the repairs (have a cold one bet with a buddy)

Depending on how many years you go back you might have a 3 speed or 4 speed transmission and a carburator which would give you lower MPG.

It depends on condition, mileage and previous maintenance.... not so much how old the vehicle is..IMO.

We towed a large folding trailer with am 18 year old Chev Impala. Our trip was across the Canadian prairies, BC to Vancouver Island and back...through Washington state, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.

The Impala was a '76, 350 V8, RWD, THM 350 transmission.

No problems .

But the car had been in the family since new, low mileage, extremely well maintained.

Have a good mechanic check whatever you get....first.