Posted on 08/26/2012 6:00:09 PM PDT by Chickensoup
OK FR Men! My Son Wants to Buy a GMC One Ton Diesel C3500 with 140K on it and New Brakes.
It is big. It is heavy. It goes vrooom vrooom. He wants it to upgrade with some friend's help. Near as I can figure out from the Net this thing must get about 10 miles to the gallon. It does not have the double wheels in the back. If that is the case it is 9.00 every time he drives to town. 2+K to insure and at least 4k annually to feed.
Price 3K. Edmunds says it is worth 2400. He has other transportaion, his school commuter car is Taurus that I chose after FreeperSummit on used cars.
The kid says he wants to mow lawns, we have other means and the reality is that he wants a toy. Vroom Vroom. He has worked all summer to save towards something special. I just didnt expect this would be it. He has no regular job, and is in school at a voc where many other kids have dads who own excavating companies or rigging companies and the kids drive a company truck.
What is a mom to do?
If it has the allison auto in it. Forget it. If it is a stick..go for it.
It is not the sale price of the truck it’s ....how hard/expensive to fix? parts? etc. I would say NO way jose/joe. Look for a pick up truck that is manageable and put a voom voom muffler on it.
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thank you
ok, ok. makes sense that a truck would because it’s set up to have the power to haul a lot. so when it is hauling nothing, it can go like mad. anyone remember the movie where this guy in a car was getting chased by a lone truck cab that went like a bat out of hell?
Is he buying from dealer or private party? Edmunds is just a pricing tool, auction (mmr value) or Kbb wholesale more accurate true value indicators.
Also, make sure he obtains a vehicle history report..either Carfax or Autocheck & mechanical inspection a must.
Gas, maintenance going to be a killer but you live & learn!
Freeper lady here :)
haven’t seen a 6 cylinder f-250 since the 80s when the 300 inline was still in use.
I think the smallest you can get in a f-250 is a 5.4. Great motor but both version have spark plug issues.
As the man says, it IS his money...but is there a relative or a fellow (or lady) at work or in church whom you and your son can turn to for a once-over and reliable evaluation?
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He is lining up a mechanic to look at it.
My mechanic just rolled his eyes when I talked to him about it.
My mechanic was wonderful enough to tell me not to buy the cherry red Wrangler I really really wanted last year. I think the term he uses was, Run, don’t walk, away from this Jeep.
Well if he isn’t doing anything really weird (as in sexwise) with trucks ... maybe he ought to be allowed to learn if it’s his own dough at risk. Still, could it be the way he’s trying to get in touch with a manhood that he feels he lacks? (Don’t know what father issues he might have had.) Does he have (sane) uncles that he can talk about this with? Grandfathers?
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He has the guys at the fire department. They will help him look. So will the guys at church.
If you, mom — are the bearer of costs, (including INSURANCE!) and risks of ownership, maintenance.... etc...
I bear no costs execpt the costs of the Taurus when he is travelign to school...60 miles a day.
The guy turned out okay. Actually better than okay. And no, his dad never bought him a car. When he needed one he worked and bought his own.
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I am not buying it, it is his money.
“What is a mom to do?:
Buy four concrete blocks for wheel chocks as this truck will end up setting in the driveway for a very long time. If the boy has any money left over he might want to buy a tarp of some kind to cover the truck so it won’t be such an eyesore beside the house.
Let him make his own decisions and learn from any mistakes that he makes along the way.
Maybe some other information would be useful like what kind of education and vocation does he foresee. Does he want to be a truck mechanic? Maybe instead of this, he could buy a basket case and personally restore it, learning as he goes. And he could be proud of the result.
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He is in heavy equipment CDL classes with brick/tiling skills too.
Maybe some other information would be useful like what kind of education and vocation does he foresee. Does he want to be a truck mechanic? Maybe instead of this, he could buy a basket case and personally restore it, learning as he goes. And he could be proud of the result.
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He is in heavy equipment CDL classes with brick/tiling skills too.
Thanks
Yeah, I think he would respect the firemen, who are no wimps, and he might revise his aspirations depending on what they suggest. There’s a lot out there in truckdom to see, especially with the internet now. You don’t need one ton capacity to carry a pair of lawn mowers, and the excess unneeded capacity equates to a gas waste in its normal use.
I assure you I parent my children well. He has heard all this. He is in love. And I am trying to keep it as safe as I can.
That truck is about as safe as you can get in a 4 wheeler world ;)
Push him away from the diesel. One diesel mechanic has chimed in and every one I have talked with says the same. Don’t buy um if you don’t need um.
I had a diesel 1 ton van. Got 15 MPG empty with it. After 7 or 8 1500+ dollar repairs I trade it off.
I now have a 3/4 ton Chev with a 4.8L gas engine. It’ll pull anything that old powerstroke did (not as quickly on the heavy loads) the engine and trans will be turning 300,000 miles in the next few weeks.
Push (or shale I say DEMAND) he buy something with a gas engine. Thick black smoke looks cool but it’s gotta go somewhere... Once it has a major failure it’ll become a lawn decoration anyway.
I plan on sending this to him.
Dual?
This truck he’s looking at... is he thinking of filling it up with masonry some day, and a lesser model won’t do the trick?
Is he buying from dealer or private party? Edmunds is just a pricing tool, auction (mmr value) or Kbb wholesale more accurate true value indicators.
Also, make sure he obtains a vehicle history report..either Carfax or Autocheck & mechanical inspection a must.
Gas, maintenance going to be a killer but you live & learn!
Freeper lady here :)
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Thank you! I knew that there are lots of wonderful knowlegable people here, some with innies too.
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