What Size Truck?

Tony B wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
......
But the odds aren't in your favor that the engine will last long.
.... you know next to nothing about vehicle maintenance/repair or vehicles different capabilities and inequities.
A 225,000mile truck, unless you get lucky or know what you're looking at, is a money pit waiting to happen sitting in your driveway.

And what makes you think That I am not smart enough to get professional services?
I do it with my other vehicles and boats. I even have my mechanic inspect every used vehicle I buy. I taught nyself to sail and I Sailed the Carribbean and crossed the Gulf of Mexico twice, once I did it solo. I even taught myself to fly an ultra light airplane that I built myself. Guess what? I'm still alive and well.In life, you don't have to know what to do, just have to know when someone else should take over.
I don't have to know what specifically is wrong with my car to know that something just ain't right. Keeping a vehicle alive is not rocket science.

Maybe you took this as a dig, it was not. I was speaking towards the economics of owning an old vehicle with high miles and having to pay retail to fix everything that may go wrong.
You're right, it's not rocket science, in fact it it may not require any skill at all with a thick wallet. Point was thick wallet vs skills will come into play much quicker or more often when buying something older and well used.
I bought an old zero turn mower last year. Similar situation. Not going to spend $7-12k for a mower, at least not now. It's a good mower, but I've put several hundred $ into it and some time and have a little more to do. I'm gambling on the engine and pumps and rolled those dice when I bought it. Difference is, the $3-400 in parts and my time would be probably $1500 if I was jsit calling a shop and having them come pick it up and fix it when something broke. Add a couple, more years of that and now I shou do have just bought a $7k mower because I'll have 7k into an old mower which is still an old mower.