Older tow vehicles

I seem to be stuck on '99s. Last 3 TVs were 99 K2500 7.4 Burb, 99 F250 PSD, and now a 99 K3500 7.4 dually. I am not trying to impress anybody, and I can't justify anymore than that for something that mostly sits.

This post and all replies was exactly what I needed to hear as well. I'm considering a 2005 GM 2500HD with 144k miles as a new TV. I'm concerned about the mileage but it doesn't appear that I really should be, rather I should be focused on how the vehicle has been maintained and taken care of...

Thanks for this post.

I have some more years before it is anywhere near a classic but I am starting to call the F150 the "old man".

camping man wrote:
I like old, the older the better. My 05 Dodge sits my yard all week, so I can drive my older 97 Grandprix daily . And on the weekend, I ride my even older 84 Goldwing around town. Every thing is payed for, so it's free sailing.

I had an 84 Wing. DW wanted a cruiser so I sold the wing to get a Kawasaki Cruiser...DW says if we ever own another bike it will be a WING.

Hmmm. Time to head over to Craigslist. Lol

I like old, the older the better. My 05 Dodge sits my yard all week, so I can drive my older 97 Grandprix daily . And on the weekend, I ride my even older 84 Goldwing around town. Every thing is payed for, so it's free sailing.

Not sure where a 2000 figures into the "older" equation...but if it's not there already our 2000 Ford F350 will someday, because it's not going anywhere. It's paid off, it's in great shape, it has the 7.3L PSD which will run forever, and only has 120,000 miles on it.

TECMike... that was an enjoyable read! One doesn't often encounter the artful use of a simile and metaphor in a forum post, but your story writing was delightful. Must be the way Texan's can tell a tale.

BigToe nailed it for me. Wife and I tow with a 2002 7.3 Powerstroke CrewCab. You can hear us coming a hundred yards away. We even disrupt the sounds of young guys with loud music who pull up behind us shaking the pavement!

With about 180K on him, our loyal older truck has never failed to start or get us there pulling our travel trailer.

I keep him in tip top mechanical shape. Only big mechanical improvement has been a Brian's Truck Shop heavy duty transmission built by Brian at his shop in Arkansas to ensure our truck's longevity. Plus I put a Ford Severe Duty air intake put on system him to further increase the engine's longevity. Admittedly, Bilstein shocks and Michelin tires helps his ride.

Now if we pulled together our pennies, we could afford to buy a new Ford SuperDuty that has twice the power and torque, much nicer cabin amenities and is quiet enough to slip upon a thief.

We know there are parts of our truck, which we have named "Bubba", which are wearing out that we do not know about. But, gracious, there are parts of me and my bride of nearly fifty years which are wearing out that we do not know about also.

So we have resolved just to keep ole Bubba, drive him and enjoy him and our little trailer on shorter trips as we age. We try to be considerate campers and not crank Bubba up until after 8:00 a.m. Perhaps we will put on a second pot of coffee in the mornings and wait until it warms up a little. Besides, Bubba runs better when it is a little warmer during the day.

Our Bubba is a good, loyal, friend!

It's disconcerting to think of my tow vehicle as "old" today, especially when I purchased it "new." To mind, it is still just as "new" to me. I think Ben articulated this well with his 1996, which is still "new" to him.

It is hard not to take note of the new transmissions nowadays with more gears to deliver power with better fuel economy. With 4 speeds now considered "old", 5 speeds on the wane, 6 speeds now in common, 8 speeds being introduced into production, and 10 speeds on the drawing board, I can think back to when it used to be all truck automatics were 3 speeds... the Ford C6, the GM Hydramatic 400, the Dodge Powerglide. In fact, I still remember 2 speed car automatics.

So with very functional improvements like that, it's tempting to go new. If I were to replace my "old" (but still new to me) truck, I'd have two more gears in the automatic, cleaner emissions, quieter noise levels, an infinitely better turning radius, integrated trailer brake control, rear window defogger, power extending tow mirrors, a lot more horsepower and torque, more fuel carrying capacity, stronger frame, built in navigation, heated and cooled seats, the list goes on and on.

But so does the price. And so does the umbilical cord to more expensive and sophisticated dealership only repairs.

One advantage that the internet brings with older vehicles is an ever growing and freely distributed knowledge base on how to fix them. Pictures and videos from similarly situated users help demystify the diagnosis and solutions to repair problems with older vehicles in a way that is not yet available with newer vehicles that increasingly rely on software that is proprietary to the manufacturer and only available at authorized dealers.

I hadn't quite realized how useful the home brewed distribution of knowledge is about older vehicles until a friend purchased an 10 year old Excursion, and knowing very little about car repair, was able to successfully rebuild and repair everything on the vehicle from online videos, pictures, and message boards. He saved thousands of dollars of dealership labor charges, which no longer like to quote their hourly rate, preferring instead to charge "by the job". I've computed the local dealer shop time rate to be just under $200.00 per hour, based on labor time codes for established procedures.

It all adds up. Then there is the insurance on the new tow vehicle, which will require full comprehensive if financed, and is probably advisable for a brand new vehicle even if not financed. Then there is the sales tax and annual registration based on vehicle value determined by the purchase price, depending on state where domiciled. It all adds up.

Depreciation is another depressing fact of life that comes with all the tempting new improvements to transmissions, power, and convenience. Being able to only fetch 1/5 the price initially paid 5 years later, even with less than 60,000 miles on the clock, is a sobering reality that is often forgotten by me when I'm drooling over the incremental engineering improvements of today's models.

So thankfully, threads like this remind me to keep what I've got for as long as possible. As newer and newer tow vehicles pass me by like mysteriously quiet and powerful UROs (unidentified rolling objects), it remains encouraging to find so many others on this thread who are disciplined and savvy enough to "live within their means" and make do with the devil they've got.

bmanning wrote:

Airstreamer67 wrote:
My 96 F250 diesel was bought in the Spring of 96 for travel trailer and ranch towing purposes. After coast-to-coast towing duty, it's still going strong. I like the looks better than new ones.

X2

All subjective of course but I think that 90s body style is the best looking pickup Ford has ever produced.

My 08 is homely by comparison :-)

X3. I have a 1996 F250 PSD, white with a blue trim, and people will come up to me while I'm refueling and ask about year, mpg, garaged (it's not, but it looks like it is)how many miles on it, etc.