Thinking about an old new vehicle. Thoughts please.

[lncoop]

Many of you have had quite a few laughs at my expense (happy to help!) with regard to vehicles. I had a paid for 2005 Expedition that was supposed to be in the garage for a few more years but I decided to replace it due to some major reliability issues endemic to that vintage Expy. Enter Expy number two; a 2010 Limited with 56k miles. I like it. It's very nice. Rides great, tows great, etc. Admiral and vice admiral love it. So what's the prob? I hate making the payments and I can't justify the expense. It needs tires and the mic on the hands free phone rarely works (touch screen functionality is fine; just can't use the phone function). So, I'm seriously considering fixing the hands free, paying cash for an older big SUV then selling the Expedition for what I owe (pretty sure I can get that for it).

I see ten to twenty year old Burbs, Yukons, Excursions (would only consider a gasser) and Sequoias on the road everywhere every day. Given what I've seen it looks like I can get something that more than meets my needs for $5k or less. So, what do y'all think about that idea? Make sense? Why or why not? Which vehicle in that model range do you like and why? Pros and cons? Max mileage I should consider? What in particular should I look out for? How much do you think I should keep around for repairs?

Help me sort this out.

 

[Bayou Dave]

I don't know much about Fords. Been a GM guy all my life. I always buy used vehicles. My present 1995 Tahoe 4x4 had 195,000 on it when I bought it a few years ago. Now has 244,000 and is my daily driver. My last truck was a 1986 GMC Jimmy and drove that until she had 299,000 miles on it. At that point I figured I was really pushing my luck and got the Tahoe. Bottom line is that there a lot of used trucks with tons of mileage on them that are still good vehicles. Just depends on the $ and the condition.

 

[Scott Danforth]

My next vehicle will probably be a mid 90's Blazer/Jimmy, however have an itch for a '72 K5 with a diesel conversion. Will soon be building another late 40's truck.

I like the late 80's early 90's suburbans, however the family got over 500,000 miles between 2 of them

I

 

[64osby]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...and-towing/8477662-my-inexpensive-tow-vehicle

That is our new old purchase. It now has 15k trouble free, repair free miles that have put on in the last 14 months. I dislike payments, right now my cost per mile is below 15 cents, before gas and oil.

 

[gm280]

Ha, I literally drive a '95 Ford Ranger and a '98 Chevy Blazer. Need I say more. New vehicle prices are a total shock to me. I can't bring myself to buy such things knowing what I have is total working without issues and all I would be gaining buying new is a monthly payment if I don't buy it out right! And I can't bring myself with parting with such amounts for simple transpiration. I know, I'm old. But I have to say, bright shiny things are not an attention getting for me like they use to be. I guess I've grown up and can see the fa?ade in such things now.

 

[thumpar]

I have a 2000 Yukon. It is the newer body style. The engine is the 5.3l with 248,000 miles on it. It runs great and tows the 4500lb loaded boat just fine. I used to tow with a 2003 Suburban with the same 5.3l engine. It had 385,000 miles on it when I lost custody. It is still on the road.

 

[garbageguy]

Agree with going the new/old route and no payments. And the newer it is, the more stuff to go bad (recent technology overload debate).

You guys in the south are so lucky, no road salt. I really like my 03 GM with 200k+ miles. It runs great, it's just the rust and corrosion that's killing it underneath. It's so unfortunate that road salt was ever used, and now everyone is used to driving on pavement all the time - now there's no turning back.

 

[JoshOnt]

Agree with going the new/old route and no payments. And the newer it is, the more stuff to go bad (recent technology overload debate).

You guys in the south are so lucky, no road salt. I really like my 03 GM with 200k+ miles. It runs great, it's just the rust and corrosion that's killing it underneath. It's so unfortunate that road salt was ever used, and now everyone is used to driving on pavement all the time - now there's no turning back.

Not sure if you have it there but here in Canada there are places that spray a coating on the bottom once a year to protect the bottom of your car. Only costs a few $$ well worth the money

 

[southkogs]

I'm typically a Ford or Dodge guy: I've currently got a 2004 Dodge 2500 crew cab that's a fantastic truck - great to drive - but kinda' a fuel hog. We've also got a 2007 Ford E150, and I'll suggest a full size van to a SUV any day - I've come to really like having a van around, and this one has been relatively trouble free for almost 170k miles.

That said - I've not been impressed with Ford's Expedition. I loved the old Broncos, and I really like the Explorers (we've got a 2000 that just won't stop going with 240k miles on it). But the Expedition hasn't been an impressive vehicle to me.

If I were to purchase an SUV right now: my first stop would be a 5 or 10 year old Ford Explorer. If it had to be a full size SUV, then I'd likely go a 10 year old Suburban or Yukon.

 

[H20Rat]

Agree with going the new/old route and no payments. And the newer it is, the more stuff to go bad (recent technology overload debate).

My current vehicles range from the oldest being a 1984 to the newest being a 2015. They form an almost perfect line of reliability vs age, with the oldest one being a time/money/reliability problem child. What I personally see is that older vehicles were far from being simple, they tried to do the best they could with the limitations of the current technology. Take for instance the vacuum system on my '84 Ford 460. There is probably 200+ feet of vacuum tubing and 20+ vacuum solenoids. Each of those are prone to failure or sticking, and all the vacuum tubing has a fairly short lifespan. All of it interconnected, and one failure may show up in an entirely different system, all because of the vacuum leak it might induce. (ie, my cruise control, and only the cruise, quit working. Turns out there was a a pinhole leak in a rubber plug over a spare port on a vacuum manifold under the carb. That was a fun one to find!)


A modern engine with good EFI controls really just runs, I can't remember the last time I had to deal with any major electronic issues on a newer vehicle. If it fails, I plug a laptop into the OBD port and it tells me what is wrong.

 

[lncoop]

So far it sounds like everyone's in favor and the Burb/Yukon is the leader. They're certainly the most widely available and by extension the cheapest. Another thing that bugs me about driving a fancy truck is where I take it and what I subject it to. The vice admiral and I ain't scared to go on an adventure. So what should I look out for and what kind of cash should I keep on hand for repairs?

 

[SilverSS07]

All I own are older vehicles lol. I have a 98 Dodge Ram that I love with 175,000 miles on it. Dodge's of that era weren't known for the best transmissions but mine is doing just fine. I also have a 97 Expedition. The 2v Ford's (97-03 I think) were known for blowing the spark plugs out of the heads. V10 included. Mine is doing fine so far but only has 115,000 miles on it. Sounds like you know about the cam phaser issues of the newer ones. As far as the Chevy's the 5.3's and 6.0's are good engines. If the trucks have a 4L60e in them that would probably be the first thing to go.

 

[redneck joe]

, however have an itch for a '72 K5 with a diesel conversion.


I

you are my hero

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

I'll throw my ?2 in

Keep in mind this is all local to me but I really like (lust for) the '07-'14 but everyone is still very proud of them as they tend to run the 10k-17k range and mileages seem to be all over the place.

The prices drop drastically with '00-'06 going for 3-7k and carrying 150k-200k.

Mid/late '90s (mine is a 96 Tahoe) can be had for 1500 - 2k but most are in the 225k-250k mileage range. This is the range that the transmissions, rearend, and transfer case seem to start going to pot. (in that order) The next contender is the front suspension mainly ball joints.

Mine is a 96 Tahoe (that I love!) that I bought w/ 247k on it (now at 256k) and the PO had just replaced the trans so I can't speak to the that cost but I can say that I was quoted $650 to do the ball joints. That quote made it worth the while for me to drive the 90 miles to to my mechanic friends house to have him help me change them for $100 to him and ~ $120 in parts.

 

[JimS123]

My towcar is a 1980 Pontiac Bonneville, with 87,000 original miles. It was purchased new, specifically as a dedicated tow car. Never seen winter (or salt) and probably got rained on no more than a half dozen times. My motivation was that it was evident that "real" cars would not be made in a few years. Never been a truck kinda guy - I'm not a farmer, nor do I go to construction sites......LOL.

With its full perimeter frame, 3 speed turbo hydramatic transmission, big V8 and a factory towing package, when pulling my 3200 pound boat I can't even feel its back there. I have a nice trunk for all the unsightly junk, and running a Powerwinch cable to the battery is easy - the wires are all hidden under the carpet.

To each his own I guess. Based on the service so far, I guess it'll last me till I'm too old to trail a boat.

 

[thumpar]

I have had cars and vans. I will stick with my Yukon suv. Sitting up high gives a better view of the the road. It is also nice to be able to fit 8 in one vehicle for boat day.

 

[gm280]

All I own are older vehicles lol. I have a 98 Dodge Ram that I love with 175,000 miles on it. Dodge's of that era weren't known for the best transmissions but mine is doing just fine. I also have a 97 Expedition. The 2v Ford's (97-03 I think) were known for blowing the spark plugs out of the heads. V10 included. Mine is doing fine so far but only has 115,000 miles on it. Sounds like you know about the cam phaser issues of the newer ones. As far as the Chevy's the 5.3's and 6.0's are good engines. If the trucks have a 4L60e in them that would probably be the first thing to go.

Silver, the only real problem with any 4L60E is the Sun Shell gear. It strips the gear teeth out. So when, not if, that happens, simply replace it with a part called "The Beast" and forget about the transmission there after. I have replaced a few Sun shell gears for our own and many other folks' 4L60E transmissions and every time the problems is/was that Sun Shell gear stripped. A sub-standard design by GM. But the after market Sun Shell fixes it nicely. Otherwise the 4L60E is a very good transmission. JMHO!

 

[thumpar]

I had the 4L60E in 2 of the Safari vans I had. One had about 190k miles on it when I sold it and the other had 149k miles on it when a young girl hit me and totaled it out.

 

[bruceb58]

Silver, the only real problem with any 4L60E is the Sun Shell gear. It strips the gear teeth out. So when, not if, that happens, simply replace it with a part called "The Beast" and forget about the transmission there after. I have replaced a few Sun shell gears for our own and many other folks' 4L60E transmissions and every time the problems is/was that Sun Shell gear stripped. A sub-standard design by GM. But the after market Sun Shell fixes it nicely. Otherwise the 4L60E is a very good transmission. JMHO!

I heard that 4L60's before 2003 had this issue. Also heard the Sonnax one was the way to go as more hi performance trannys use that one.

Saying that, with all the work it takes to replace a sun shell, might as well rebuild the whole transmission.

 

[lncoop]

So far no one has tried to dissuade me. It sounds like the main concern on these is the tranny which appears to be an $1800-$2k job if it goes. I understand ball joints, fuel pumps, oil pumps and things like that that are wear items and I know anything can happen. Any truck I'd consider would go to a mechanic I like and trust for a once over. Y'all think $3k would be enough to keep handy for repairs? I average 10k-15k a year so if I could find one with 150k on the clock 200k would be another three years away. The more I think about this the stupider I feel for paying so much for a fancy truck.