Old truck vs new truck

wvu_traveler wrote:
I own a 2013 Keystone Cougar 5th wheel...loaded up we are slightly under 10k I believe. My current truck is a diesel so it tows fine, just getting old and costly. I see a lot of campers now running newer gas 3/4 ton that tow similar weight to me. I'm leaning towards a new to me gas 3/4 ton since it will be a daily driver...however I do drive a lot. 25k miles a year....so I have a lot of things to think about. The only thing is I live in the mountains, so very I do worry about performance while towing. With my current setup, I just get in and go. I don't worry about mountains, passing semis on the interstate, etc. With gas, seems there is more planning, thought, etc. Guess its all in what you are willing to pay for.

Do you need a 3/4 ton truck as a DD? If not, why not look into a car/SUV for a DD and keep/maintain your towing truck? You can probably buy a commuter car for less than a 3/4 ton truck will cost, and the insurance, taxes, fuel cost will all be lower too. Of course of you need a 3/4 ton truck for commuting, they that's a different story.

I drive a 2001 Dodge dually for our tow vehicle, and that's basically all it is used for. If I had to put $500/month in repairs into it, it would still take many years before I would spend what a new truck would cost. OTOH, I haven't done squat to it except maintenance in probably 10 years, and it's still running fine. $35,000 for a new truck is money that could be spent better elsewhere.