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Four wheels
Jun. 14th, 2004 11:26 pmSo, my truck has holes in it from the rust. This week I noticed new holes in the bed, in the middle where a motorcycle would sit. The hand brake applies itself when I go over bumps. It gets only 2/3 as many miles per gallon as it got when it was new. Many things in it are rattling. When it is cold outside it smokes like crazy every time I start it up.
I am seriously considering replacing it before the snow comes again. Which means I need to make some decisions about what to replace it with. I figure I should make a plan, then get the new car in the fall before it gets cold enough for the truck to start smoking again.
The new four wheeler needs to have cruise control and AC. That's really all I am certain of.
Do I want another truck? If I get another truck, I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet and get a full sized one. So I stopped at the Ford dealer and looked at some window stickers over the weekend. The basic five-speed F150 gets the same mileage my current truck is currently getting. It would get this mileage without smoking, and carry a motorcycle a lot more easily. And the basic option package on the F150 has cruise and AC without having a whole bunch of silly options that I don't care about. Sticker is around $22K but a salescritter came out and told me he can sell it to me for $15684 out the door. Not any more expensive than a small car. Or I could get a used one; there are certainly lots of them out there.
Another option would be to get a small station wagon, and just pull a motorcycle trailer as needed. That way I don't have to drive around in a motorcycle hauler when I'm not hauling a motorcycle. My Mazda truck has served me reliably for 13 years. Maybe I should get another Mazda. There's a Mazda Protege wagon that would be eminently practical. Or some other wagon. I ruled out the Subaru wagons because they get crappy mileage and they're really expensive. The Ford Focus wagons are cheap. Cheap is good; I would rather use my money for things I care more about, like motorcycles or ski trips or books.
I could get a hybrid like the Toyota Prius that Jennifer rented last winter. That was a very interesting car. I liked it. I wonder if it would work for occasional trailer pulling duty?
I suppose I should decide if I want to shop for new or used. It would probably be sensible to shop used if I buy a F150 since the used market is flooded with them. But if I get the small wagon I am tempted to get a new one. People don't buy enough sensible cars new, so the used ones are less available. If I buy a used truck, maybe it would be a good idea to ride the bike to somewhere hot and dry and buy a used one there, load the bike in the back and drive it home. If I do that I should make plans to do it before the snow flies.
Either way, I should start figuring out what I want and how I will pay for it, so when the time comes I can accomplish it quickly.
Of course, it would be cool to still be driving my first new car when I am 40. Only 2.5 years to go. I drive very little. I could try to nurse the truck along for another winter or three. But even if I do decide to attempt that, I should have my contingency plans prepared so if the truck completely melts down I can move quickly to acquire something else.
I am seriously considering replacing it before the snow comes again. Which means I need to make some decisions about what to replace it with. I figure I should make a plan, then get the new car in the fall before it gets cold enough for the truck to start smoking again.
The new four wheeler needs to have cruise control and AC. That's really all I am certain of.
Do I want another truck? If I get another truck, I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet and get a full sized one. So I stopped at the Ford dealer and looked at some window stickers over the weekend. The basic five-speed F150 gets the same mileage my current truck is currently getting. It would get this mileage without smoking, and carry a motorcycle a lot more easily. And the basic option package on the F150 has cruise and AC without having a whole bunch of silly options that I don't care about. Sticker is around $22K but a salescritter came out and told me he can sell it to me for $15684 out the door. Not any more expensive than a small car. Or I could get a used one; there are certainly lots of them out there.
Another option would be to get a small station wagon, and just pull a motorcycle trailer as needed. That way I don't have to drive around in a motorcycle hauler when I'm not hauling a motorcycle. My Mazda truck has served me reliably for 13 years. Maybe I should get another Mazda. There's a Mazda Protege wagon that would be eminently practical. Or some other wagon. I ruled out the Subaru wagons because they get crappy mileage and they're really expensive. The Ford Focus wagons are cheap. Cheap is good; I would rather use my money for things I care more about, like motorcycles or ski trips or books.
I could get a hybrid like the Toyota Prius that Jennifer rented last winter. That was a very interesting car. I liked it. I wonder if it would work for occasional trailer pulling duty?
I suppose I should decide if I want to shop for new or used. It would probably be sensible to shop used if I buy a F150 since the used market is flooded with them. But if I get the small wagon I am tempted to get a new one. People don't buy enough sensible cars new, so the used ones are less available. If I buy a used truck, maybe it would be a good idea to ride the bike to somewhere hot and dry and buy a used one there, load the bike in the back and drive it home. If I do that I should make plans to do it before the snow flies.
Either way, I should start figuring out what I want and how I will pay for it, so when the time comes I can accomplish it quickly.
Of course, it would be cool to still be driving my first new car when I am 40. Only 2.5 years to go. I drive very little. I could try to nurse the truck along for another winter or three. But even if I do decide to attempt that, I should have my contingency plans prepared so if the truck completely melts down I can move quickly to acquire something else.
