Government Coup

[iris lilies]

Since you showed me yours, I'll show you mine. I've had smaller pickups since I think 1983. This was the best. Fairly nimble in the city and easy to park, got me to many camping, fishing, hiking and hunting spots in all sorts of weather and rough roads. Hauled firewood, mulch, furniture, building supplies, and was popular when friends moved. Bench seat with 4 cyl. manual transmission. Basically problem free for 12 years. They don't make em like that any more unfortunately. Sort of a simple living pickup? I'd like to downsize from my current Tacoma to a smaller pickup.

Attachment 6286

I said this earlier when we were talking about small trucks but I’ll repeat it: we are now officially babying DH’s 2009 Ford Ranger because he can’t go out and get another one like it. He now uses our other car whenever possible for short hops, and even longer hops when he clears it with me that I won’t need that car.

it’s really too bad.

[Rogar]

Yes, I remember earlier discussions about your husband and maybe Bea thinking they would like a smaller pickup, which is one reason why I put up the Telo pickup photo. I'm looking at the little Ford Maverick as my Tacoma replacement. Seems that the auto industry recognized a market for the smaller compact pickups and there are a few new things in the works with rumors of Toyota and other places coming out with new smaller models. Reports I've seen say that the big pickups are not selling well these days, although the F-150 will probably always be a favorite?

[early morning]

WarningL just a ramble. If I have a real point, I don't know exactly what it is... other than truck size is sometimes just a happenstance, not social commentary! When we went looking a few years ago for a "normal" sized used pickup in our (quite low) price range, we were really discouraged by the offerings and prices. We ended up with a giant F350 extended bed/cab that is waaayyy too much for our needs but so affordable as to make that moot. It's also pretty ugly with a few dents, and we are pretty "meh" about transport vehicle looks, so... Around here we see a lot of big pickups. Not many small ones. Haven't seen a cyber truck here other than passing through. DH likes his big truck, whilst I would appreciate one that will fit into a single parking space and navigate coffee drive-thrus! The Telo is cute, but out of our budget, and I'm frankly not convinced that an electric vehicle would serve us well. We can stockpile some gas against an emergency, but we can't stockpile electric. I know it's possible with solar/wind and batteries, but again, not us, not now. IL, I'm wondering why would a 2009 truck needs babied? Our Ford is a 1998, has over 300K miles (brought it from a carny) and runs just fine. No snark there, and I know the 350 is built to do serious crap. But I would (quite possibly erroneously) think that Ford trucks used for their intended purpose should have similar life-spans. But I'm not a car/truck person, in general, so what do I know?

[nswef]

Our GMC Sonoma lasted 23 years...a 2020 model and we donated it to company that refurbishes them and sells low to working people in need. Replaced it with a Honda ridgeline- much bigger than I thought but the Ranger felt cheap. The sonoma was Posh for us, but had a stick shift. We use the Ridgeline as our main car and baby the 2007 Ford Focus Station wagon. it has 190,00 miles and our mechanic thinks it has another hundred thou. in it, but dumb stuff is breaking- door handles etc.

[catherine]

Well, as I've mentioned before, DH has a 2004 Avalanche that we bought in 2019. He would never buy a new pick-up because then you're freaking out every time you load it up with brush and tools.

There is serious cognitive dissonance, however, that occurs when people meet DH and then see his truck. DH is very, very dapper, especially by Vermont standards--pea coats and boat shoes, and starched cotton shirts. Conversely, his truck can't even get inspected in Vermont because of the rust. The windows work sometimes. The 4-wheel drive works when it feels like it. The passenger window never works. The right rear door never works. Jed Clampett would turn down the chance to buy that truck.

DH knows he has a reputation for having an ego and he plays to that. One time he was talking with a friend of his from church, and he said playfully, "It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am." And his friend replied, "No, it isn't. I've seen your truck."

[early morning]

Jed Clampett would turn down the chance to buy that truck.

Ya, we've had a couple of those. Our first truck (in the late 70s) was an early 60s dodge crew cab in bright orange - the bits that weren't rust, at least -, with flapping fenders and a stick shift that had no second gear. First was fine, third was fine, you had to get the RPMs up in first and pop it into third, and it was good to go. We used that to set up at antique shows for several years, until the gas tank could no longer be repaired and the holes in the floorboards threatened to eat one of the children, and we sold it on. catherine, your DH sounds pretty cool.

[iris lilies]

Ya, we've had a couple of those. Our first truck (in the late 70s) was an early 60s dodge crew cab in bright orange - the bits that weren't rust, at least -, with flapping fenders and a stick shift that had no second gear. First was fine, third was fine, you had to get the RPMs up in first and pop it into third, and it was good to go. We used that to set up at antique shows for several years, until the gas tank could no longer be repaired and the holes in the floorboards threatened to eat one of the children, and we sold it on. catherine, your DH sounds pretty cool.

The first thing we ever bought for our Victorian house project Victoria house renovation project was a used garage door. That was ridiculous, we didn’t know any better but it was really cheap. We bought that in 1989 and we didn’t get a garage until 2005. By then the garage door was long gone

But the second thing we bought was an old rusty yellow Toyota truck, and that was a useful purchase.

I guess we are babying this Ford truck because we don’t know how long it’ll go. We don’t have a good track record with vehicles over 100,000 miles and it’s at 100,000 miles. It is already been in one car crash, and it was “totaled “by the insurance company but we had the frame straightened and have been driving it for several years.

[pinkytoe]

When we were only 23, we bought a 1903 Sears catalog house in downtown San Antonio with the naive hopes of restoring it. During that time, DH bought a used bright yellow Toyota truck with black accents that we called the Bumblebee. Memories of vehicles past...he wants a truck so much now but not one of the behemoth ones. A little one...there is such a market but not much choice.

[catherine]

I guess we are babying this Ford truck because we don’t know how long it’ll go. We don’t have a good track record with vehicles over 100,000 miles and it’s at 100,000 miles.

I think "Nelly Belle" (DH's nickname for the Avalanche) has 240,000k. I swear the Prius is going to be the last car I ever own. It has 155,000. I only drive about 5-6k miles a year, so that can easily get me 10 more years, and by then the kids will be demanding I give up my keys. We'll see how that goes. As you mentioned, I don't really have much control over accidents, at least the ones that I'm not to blame for. So a little good luck is taken for granted here. But I really don't want to buy another car for myself. I'm pretty sure a replacement for Nelly Belle is in DH's future, however.

[iris lilies]

Catherine, that is so funny about your dapper husband and his beat up truck. In a way that cements his mystique, That dichotomy.