If you only were going to be allowed one truck.....

CadillacLuke24 · July 7, 2019

The severe schedule is a good place to start. Once you get some samples off that, you can adjust off that.

I picked 5k oil changes because it seemed long enough to capitalize on synthetic oil, but not so long that damage would occur. Now that Clyde has a few Blackstone reports to go off of, that is a great interval. Wear metals are below average and the oil has some life left in it. Cheap insurance.

Having seen the benefit of a good brake bleed (especially with a MityVac), the improved brake performance alone is worth it.

Differential fluid, Transfer case fluid, and transmission fluid are all great opportunities to inspect your gear. I started at 35k intervals because it seemed like a good idea. After two of those I briefly went to a 45k fluid change interval to see how that would work out. The fluids did look slightly more used, (though that's not always a good indicator), but there was no sign of anything wrong. The trans fluid was a bit darker. Not burnt, it still had the reddish pink smell and that characteristic Dexron HP stink to it, but I figure I'll go back to the 35k interval. It's kinda nice when the used fluid doesn't look very old, gives me the warm and fuzzies.

CadillacLuke24 · July 7, 2019

Tire rotation at 5,000 miles is an extremely good idea. I have Michelin Defenders on Clyde, and they are rated at 70k miles. I'm going to get at least that out of them, and if I keep my tire pressures in check better, the next set will go even farther. I have a bad habit of running them a tad high at times (I work nights at the hospital, so I often do cold checks and sets after I get off at 6:30 a.m. That can make for some high pressures on the highway). I get that handled and I won't wear the centers as fast.

That and again, a great opportunity to spot issues if you do it yourself. Found a screw in the right rear at the time, never would have seen that otherwise. It's also a great chance to check brake pad wear, strut condition, bushing weathering, etc.

Basically start with GM recommendations and modify that to what you like. Yes, I have spent some coin at the local GM dealer, my price king dealer in OK, and a few others on eBay. But I plan on keeping Clyde forever, so it is worth it.

And it is very nice to have a vehicle that is reliable as the sunrise. I can and will go anywhere at the drop of a hat due to my aggressive maintenance schedule.

KARNUT · July 7, 2019

I’m going to steer this thread back around and add a side car. For those of us older dudes. What vehicle would the wife pick. My wife has known me since vehicle one, many vehicles ago. She’s driven some classics in our 45 years. Her pick is her 2011 Genesis. She keeps telling me it’s her last one, I don’t doubt it.

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Cpl_Punishment · July 9, 2019

I had a few more thoughts about question 4 in Marty's original post (about which vehicle I would choose) that I figured I'd share with you guys.

What you're going to use the truck for has to play into the decision. If you're towing a 25,000 lb gooseneck every day, you probably need a one-ton, rather than a half-ton. If you need to haul around 8 people and their gear, you probably need a Suburban, rather than a pickup.

If I didn't need (want) a truck, I would say my dad's 2003 Pontiac Vibe would be a good choice:

New enough to have fairly decent safety features - crumple zones, ABS and airbags being the ones I care about most
Old enough to have fewer computers than modern vehicles - at least it hasn't needed any software updates like the T1s
Proven, dependable Toyota engine
5-speed manual transmission
47 miles per Imperial gallon highway
Manual window, locks and seats
The only "fancy" features it has that could be prone to breaking are power mirrors and A/C. No cruise control, no heated seats...
Galvanised steel body with plastic panels around the bottom - my dad figures it will never rust
Very practical due to the two-piece rear hatch, plastic interior and fold-flat seats. My dad has hauled everything he's needed for his house and to build a new shed at our lake lot in that car except for plywood (he did need to borrow my grandfather's K1500 for that, just as he had to borrow my other grandfather's V-10 F-250 to tow his travel trailer to the lake when he bought it). I've actually had to borrow it a couple times to get stuff for my house as both cars we own right now are decidedly impractical.

If it had heated seats and if I didn't want to buy a pickup soon, I would have bought it when he put it up for sale a couple months ago.

Cpl_Punishment · July 9, 2019

On 2019-07-07 at 6:44 AM, KARNUT said:

I’m going to steer this thread back around and add a side car. For those of us older dudes. What vehicle would the wife pick. My wife has known me since vehicle one, many vehicles ago. She’s driven some classics in our 45 years. Her pick is her 2011 Genesis. She keeps telling me it’s her last one, I don’t doubt it.

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My wife apparently refuses to drive anything other than a Corolla sedan but I'm going to try to get her into some kind of wagon/hatchback when we eventually go to replace it so we can have something with a bit more practicality and thus not need to take the truck out every time we have something to take with us.

Grumpy Bear · December 11, 2019

For those that doubt that a single car for a life time is possible:

https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-04-03/rachel-veitch-93-sell-her-1964-mercury-after-576000-miles-road-video

I got a forum full of guys telling me that they can't do what a 93 year old woman has already done.

Turn in your man cards!

:crackup:

KARNUT · December 11, 2019

She probably drives her garage kept car on sunny days and keeps the RPMs under 2K. I could do that with my wife’s Intagra type r if I lived long enough. Or her 11 Genesis even my 92 truck. My vehicles I have to drive whatever the weather at anytime maybe not so much.

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Grumpy Bear · December 11, 2019

4 hours ago, KARNUT said:

She probably drives her garage kept car on sunny days and keeps the RPMs under 2K. I could do that with my wife’s Intagra type r if I lived long enough. Or her 11 Genesis even my 92 truck. My vehicles I have to drive whatever the weather at anytime maybe not so much.

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https://www.growingbolder.com/romancing-the-road-259598/

You wish. She has driven 12,000 a year for 48 years. It's no Sunday driver.

576,000 / 48 = ?????? Sunday driver indeed.

You, of all people, WOW!

Time to turn in you man card Stan.

:crackup:

KARNUT · December 11, 2019

https://www.growingbolder.com/romancing-the-road-259598/

You wish. She has driven 12,000 a year for 48 years. It's no Sunday driver.
576,000 / 48 = ?????? Sunday driver indeed.
You, of all people, WOW!
Time to turn in you man card Stan.

I was baiting you. I wonder how a vehicle from that vintage could look so good that long. The drive line miles doesn’t surprise me.

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Grumpy Bear · December 12, 2019

17 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I was baiting you. I wonder how a vehicle from that vintage could look so good that long. The drive line miles doesn’t surprise me.

I would never say, "I have you figured out"....but I would say....""How's the fish' n?"

To answer your question....

Vigilance!

Ever see that commercial where the guy does one pushup and eats one floret of broccoli and pronounces himself 'healthy"?

This is a gal that never tired of fixing what needed fixing, when it needed it and regardless the effort or cost. She didn't look at her "La Chariot" like an accountant looks at a balance sheet. She looked at it like a trusted friend.

Regardless

If you consider that you spend 3 times the purchase price of your truck to get it to it's fifth year and that the average guy buys every three to five years then deciding on major repairs that seem to cost more than the 'Truck is worth" just gets silly not to do. She looked at its real "WORTH" not it's book "VALUE" to the bank, the junk man, her neighbor and obviously her ridiculers.

Almost any major repair after five years will cost more than it's value...but rarely can it exceed it's worth.

Seriously, If she had bought new every five years for fifty years just the Sticker prices combine would exceed by multiples any amount she ever spent in repairs to keep her chariot looking like it does.

L86 All Terrain · December 12, 2019

2007 Kenworth T800B tri-drive with 16 front end and 69 rears, 600hp C16 Cat engine, with a 18 speed Eaton fuller with a 30 ton Tulsa winch. If you cant get your trucking done with that then it cant be done.

Or an old Hayes from Vancouver Island.

Edited December 12, 2019 by L86 All Terrain

Grumpy Bear · December 14, 2019

It's not about picking a favorite truck it's about making your favorite last a lifetime.....Again.

j-ten-ner · December 14, 2019

On 12/12/2019 at 8:45 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

I would never say, "I have you figured out"....but I would say....""How's the fish' n?"

To answer your question....

Vigilance!

Ever see that commercial where the guy does one pushup and eats one floret of broccoli and pronounces himself 'healthy"?

This is a gal that never tired of fixing what needed fixing, when it needed it and regardless the effort or cost. She didn't look at her "La Chariot" like an accountant looks at a balance sheet. She looked at it like a trusted friend.

Regardless

If you consider that you spend 3 times the purchase price of your truck to get it to it's fifth year and that the average guy buys every three to five years then deciding on major repairs that seem to cost more than the 'Truck is worth" just gets silly not to do. She looked at its real "WORTH" not it's book "VALUE" to the bank, the junk man, her neighbor and obviously her ridiculers.

Almost any major repair after five years will cost more than it's value...but rarely can it exceed it's worth.

Seriously, If she had bought new every five years for fifty years just the Sticker prices combine would exceed by multiples any amount she ever spent in repairs to keep her chariot looking like it does.

I absolutely agree.

In the past, I sold cars for no other reason than that I wanted another (newer, bigger) model.

Of course there are exceptions, like selling my J10 when I was moving from Germany to Canada .

I have a 2008 Chrysler 300 and I was thinking of selling it. But my son loves to drive the car when he comes to visit. So, I declared the Chrysler as my new project. It's paid for, in great shape and IMO already a classic.

Speaking of a "classic", the funny thing is that if you keep your car running, maintained and good looking for a long time, it'll reverse the loss of value.

Also, you know the car. You can hear or feel everything out of "normal".

The fix is most likely minor when you take care of it right away and don't see it as

"Let the new owner deal with it. I'm not stupid and spend all the money. I just buy a new one"

Well, it is kinda stupid not to fix it and to buy a new car.

so long

j-ten-ner