the end of our TC days?
My wife and I are trying to make a really tough decision to sell our truck and camper. We have had so much trouble with our truck over 120,000 miles that it's very difficult to spend the 60 or 70K it ...
Forum Discussion
Freedom 49 wrote:
We have lost faith in the vehicle getting us from A to B; in winter we put a canopy on it and travel long distances in the mountains and out of cell phone range. It could be a serious problem late in the afternoon on a cold day in January if the truck didn't get us home. We're fortunate enough to have a Toyota Tacoma as our other winter vehicle so we'll start using it.
We live in a booming economy here in Alberta and there is no market for used vehicles with 120,000 miles on them. Dealers are not interested in trading and leaving the doors unlocked with the keys in it has only resulted in lost change from the coin tray. :)
Just for the ducks of it, I entered your vehicle in Kelly Blue Book, using YOUR year and mileage, the Chevy brand, and 2WD Crew Cab with minimal options (no leather, or any interior upgrades) and the result was a private sale value of $18,779 US in "Very Good" condition.
Back many years ago, I'd find where what I had to sell had greater value than where I lived, and I'd drive my vehicle there on vacation, sell it, and buy something else. I "made" many thousands of dollars tax free (a better price elsewhere isn't taxable), and enjoyed free vacations.
If you take your truck to where it DOES have value, and buy something more reliable (some have made suggestions here as to what that might be) and put your camper on IT and drive home!
Texas is Truck Capital of the World (everyone drives a big truck here), and there are always a bazillion on Craig's List or Online. I was just up in WA State, and found parking lots there aren't built for big dually crew cans w/ 8ft boxes like they are here! But then WA State is closer to you, and there ARE plenty of trucks in WA as well, and truck campers are MUCH more popular than here in Texas (where big TTs and 5th wheels dominate).
Unfortunately, you say in spite many thousands of dollars in constant repairs, you are afraid to drive yours out of cell-phone range, though frankly if that's true it might say more about the incompetent mechanics at your dealership than such a low-mileage truck (here in TX 120k is considered low mileage, though there are plenty available w/ fewer miles, too).
Perhaps in Alberta, a 2006 is a rusted out hulk and is really worthless, but somehow I think it's more of a local-wealth problem. Oil in Canada has evidently made most people quite wealthy-you just need to take that truck where ordinary folks live and sell it maybe? Here in my TX town you can buy a brand new 2000sqft home for $105k on a landscaped lot!
