What to do.. vehicle upgrade

[bfahy13]

On 1/6/2021 at 6:55 PM, Splitear said:

Not laughing at all. When my Outback gives out, I’ll be shopping for one of these. Good mileage, AWD, and enough bed to haul a deer and a climber. 
 

Exactly. I got my ridge line for 1500$ from a friends dad. It had 190k miles on it. I sold it for $1500 with 230k on it. Towed any and everything I needed and hauled it’s fair share of deer. It’s owned by a friend now and has 360k on it. It runs pretty well to this day. A little rust and burns a bit of oil but it’s a Honda. I bet it would go 1000 miles with no oil. 

[Five Seasons]

On 1/6/2021 at 4:59 PM, Bolt action said:

I didn't want to hijack the F-150 thread with this...

I currently have a 2008 Traiblazer (V6, 2WD). This suits me, albeit a little older, most of the time. I just broke 100k this year. I've put roughly $1k into it each year for maintenance items above and beyond wear and tear. Outstanding loan is about $4,500. Prior to this I had a Highlander. I thought that would go 200k miles, but the driveshaft had other ideas and broke at 100k. When that happened, I needed a car quick, and the Trailblazer was it. In a normal year I put on about 15k miles, so leasing probably won't work.

95% of my driving is around town: running errands, taking the kid to practice, etc. Even for hunting I just use a hitch mounted basket. The catch is that I have a camper that weighs about 2,800 pounds. The Trailblazer can pull it ok, but not great. The V6 struggles to get up to speed on the Thruway and on long inclines despite having a tow rating around 5,000. Also I'd prefer 4WD for a variety of reasons. 

So here's my dilemma. An AWD 4 or 6 cyl SUV or even hatchback would suit my driving needs the vast majority of the time. I only really need a truck 4 or 5 times each summer to haul the camper. Do I keep the current car and pick up an older but well maintained truck? Or do I just get a truck even though it's more than I need most of the time? 

Best case scenario would be that I just have 1 vehicle that can do it all. Less than 10 years old, and reasonable miles for the age. I hate having to finance a car where I'm still paying on it as things start to break. In a perfect world there would be an integrated brake controller, back up cam (game changer with a camper), interactive screen.. (would love heated seats and remote start, but that's pushing my luck).. I don't mind putting down 5 or 6 or 7k, but with the negative equity, my payments are still higher than my desired ceiling of $300/mo.

Am I chasing a dream or do these actually exist? What would you guys do?

I think you should consider your $1k in annual maintenance and then include the fact that at 100k everything really starts to go. This and your car is 13 years old now. 

A no frills suv in 4x4, or a crossover or even a small truck can be had for a monthly payment of 300-400 (even cheaper with a lease, but understand that doesn't work for you). Now I understand that will be a new payment, but if you look at it like $4000 a year - $1000 you're spending now it's a little easier to swallow. There is some value in your trailblazer to help ease the pain, but you're also getting a newer, more reliable, safer and better equipped vehicle for the extra money.

As someone who has nursed along older trucks longer than I should, I wish I'd have jumped ship before the major "too expensive to fix it" stuff happened and I think you have that chance now.

Edited January 8, 2021 by Belo

[MPHunter]

On 1/6/2021 at 7:29 PM, Swamp_bucks said:

I'm kinda in the same boat.  I just put 600 into my truck and decided to go get a smaller car to drive for work to save my truck.  I dont want the payment of a truck right now so I'll go buy a 5k car in cash and wait a little longer to buy a newer truck.

I did same. Had a 2006 Ram and in 2017 decided to buy a Honda Accord to use as my everyday driver. The Ram started to turn into a pile of rust in the driveway, battery went dead a couple times. I ended up trading in both on a 2017 Silverado this past spring. 

[Bolt action]

@Belo Agreed. If i take the $1000ish / yr in maintenance (beyond the regular stuff), it adds about 100 / month to the payment i have. so realistically i'm already paying 3-400 / month on a 2WD V6 Trailblazer with 100k on it. I think the goal is pay it off so i don't carry over any negative equity, and keep my eyes open for the right opportunity. I reached out a few days ago on a 2008 Tundra SR5 TRD.. It was listed under $20k with only 40k miles on it. Already sold though. Still older, and lacking some of the comfort and convenience features of newer trucks, but something like that should out last any finance term, has room in the back for the kids, and can haul anything I need it to. 

[suburbanfarmer]

On 1/8/2021 at 12:29 PM, Bolt action said:

@Belo Agreed. If i take the $1000ish / yr in maintenance (beyond the regular stuff), it adds about 100 / month to the payment i have. so realistically i'm already paying 3-400 / month on a 2WD V6 Trailblazer with 100k on it. I think the goal is pay it off so i don't carry over any negative equity, and keep my eyes open for the right opportunity. I reached out a few days ago on a 2008 Tundra SR5 TRD.. It was listed under $20k with only 40k miles on it. Already sold though. Still older, and lacking some of the comfort and convenience features of newer trucks, but something like that should out last any finance term, has room in the back for the kids, and can haul anything I need it to. 

Expand the search radius and you can find rust free ones. Buddy got a clean 2009 with 88k miles for $13k from NC

[wolc123]

8 hours ago, suburbanfarmer said:

Expand the search radius and you can find rust free ones. Buddy got a clean 2009 with 88k miles for $13k from NC

That is similar to what I did.  2 years ago, I found a mint-condition, 2000, Florida, 3/4 ton Silverado with 60k mi for $ 5k.    The catch is, to keep it that way, I do not use it in the winters.  It works great with a camper on back and for towing 12,000 pounds or more.  As long as you keep the road salt away from those, they will last a long time without major repair expense.  It gets 12 mpg, with a heavy camper on back and boat behind, 14 mpg otherwise, with the 6 liter V8.

For year-round everyday driving, I use a new, small, turbo-charged 4 cyl, FWD SUV that gets 32 mpg.  I have yet to see how that does in the snow, but I never had much trouble with the FWD compact car that I had prior (I gave that to our older daughter when she turned 16), so I am guessing it will be ok.   I am expecting gas to be north of $ 5 per gallon by the end of the summer, so fuel milage ought to be high on your priority list when shopping for new vehicles at this time.  I imagine that the camper and truck will mostly stay in the barn, and we will be doing more hotel/tent camping and pull the boat with my wife's 24 mpg mini-van, after that happens.         

Edited January 10, 2021 by wolc123

[Five Seasons]

On 1/8/2021 at 12:29 PM, Bolt action said:

@Belo Agreed. If i take the $1000ish / yr in maintenance (beyond the regular stuff), it adds about 100 / month to the payment i have. so realistically i'm already paying 3-400 / month on a 2WD V6 Trailblazer with 100k on it. I think the goal is pay it off so i don't carry over any negative equity, and keep my eyes open for the right opportunity. I reached out a few days ago on a 2008 Tundra SR5 TRD.. It was listed under $20k with only 40k miles on it. Already sold though. Still older, and lacking some of the comfort and convenience features of newer trucks, but something like that should out last any finance term, has room in the back for the kids, and can haul anything I need it to. 

Oh I didn't realize you still had payments, and yeah that factors in. I know buying new seems a lot more expensive but sometimes it's not. Consider that there are a lot of 0% for 60 and even 72 month financing available, whereas a loan on a used car carries pretty hefty apr with it.

It never hurts to kick the tires and see what's out there before going used. Even certified used can have some good deals and a little extra peace of mind. 

[Bolt action]

Latest update:

I'd been searching casually for awhile for a 4x4 that had a stronger motor than the Trailblazer I was driving. I still had payments on the SUV, and didn't want to have to refinance the house to get a truck. I also wanted it to be semi well equipped so that I wouldn't get bored with it over the next few years.

This afternoon i'm going get the new to me 2011 F150 FX4 Supercab with the 3.5L twin turbo EcoBoost motor from a dealership over in Buffalo. I'm not entirely certain if it's an XLT or a Lariat and honestly I'm not too concerned. It only has 61k on it at a very reasonable price. I've only seen it online so far, but barring any surprises when I see it in person, it's mine. It came with heated leather seats, bluetooth phone setup, backup cam, remote start and large interactive touchscreen SONY display. While at the shop, I had them throw in an integrated brake controller. Bedliner, tonneau cover and floor mats are ordered. I'm probably going to pick up a roof rack for the kayaks when I'm towing the camper, otherwise I'll just throw them in the bed of the truck. I'm still on the fence about a brush guard for it. 

I'll upload a pic or two once i have it. The only deal breaker that I can think of would be if the car seats don't fit in the back seat. I don't think that'll be a problem though.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Bolt action

[Moho81]

With the options you listed I don't think it will be an XLT. I don't think heated leather seats are or ever where an option for the XLT but like you said it really doesn't matter as long as it has the options you want. For what it's worth I had car seats in a 02 Silverado extended cab which is the same as the F150 SuperCab. It was a tight fit but it worked just fine. 

[luberhill]

I have a Chrysler Town and Country van, ya I know ..

I never thought I’d drive one of these but this has been the best vehicle I’ve owned !

Its loaded , leather , heated seats , dvd / tv etc

Bought it with 25k mikes, had 110k now and haven’t put any repairs into it .

It has the stow and go seats and I put full sheets of plywood , Sheetrock etc.

Rides great and gets good mileage .

So last year I missed not having a truck .. I saw a new leftover F150 King Ranch , ruby red, loaded , even massaging seats , parks itself , trailer assist , everything !

Including a 67 k sticker , ouch ..

Well I made them an offer and they took it ..

so now I have a nice truck , sitting in my pole barn , I’ve only put 2200 miles on it ..

Seems like I always go for the van ...

[Moho81]

Well did you pick it up?


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[Bolt action]

Pix

[Moho81]

I’ve always loved that color. Good score!


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[Bolt action]

I should probably also mention that I spring for the warranty.. ford factory bumper to bumper warranty that'll cover me through 110k miles.. good peace of mind for the price.

[mowin]

34 minutes ago, Bolt action said:

I should probably also mention that I spring for the warranty.. ford factory bumper to bumper warranty that'll cover me through 110k miles.. good peace of mind for the price.

Nice looking rig. Congrats. Looking forward to the first critter pic in the bed. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by mowin

[Bolt action]

21 minutes ago, mowin said:

Nice looking rig. Congrats. Looking forward to the first critter pic in the bed. 

Thank you. That makes two of us!