Massive Red Vehicle Unleashes Comment Storm
September 24th, 2009Bible Clingers Love Trucks
I just got up and found 18 comments waiting for me. It looks like I finally discovered what my readers care about. Pickup trucks.
Somebody mentioned Rotella T oil as the local oil of choice for marine diesels. This is true. There are several gallon jugs of it over at my dad’s boat right now. I think it’s 40-weight. I don’t know whether it’s right for a small truck diesel. The boat’s diesels are truck diesels, I suppose. I’m not sure. I have heard that the original V71-series Detroits were used on World War II landing craft, but for all I know, they were on trucks before that. They rarely go above 2000 RPM, if that means anything.
I think I’m going to get rid of the Thunderbird. It’s been fun, but it seems a little silly as a second car. It would be great to have a cheap small car for errands, but the T-bird is not ideal for this. It gets something like 18 mpg (guess), and it has a trunk the size of a kitchen drawer, and on sunny days, it’s like an oven until the AC kicks in. I think it would be better to get a secondhand Japanese car I don’t care about. A beater. Put money in the guts and forget about the looks.
Here’s what I keep thinking about. How am I going to get a thirty-foot-long truck through the drive-thru at McDonald’s? I have to have a Mickey D’s breakfast once in a while. Is it irresponsible to want a small car just for McDonald’s? Of course not. That much is clear.
I will lose babe appeal if I sell the Ford, but I never had much of that to begin with, so it’s a small sacrifice.
Today I have to get my front brakes fixed. I’m tempted to do it myself, but little jobs like this tend to be pretty cheap, and okay, I’M LAZY. I’ll just admit it. I don’t want to haul the floor jack out and get grease all over me. Are you happy? I should also have the alignment checked.
I was very impressed with Plaza Auto, the place that did my inspection. They get raves from reviewers. But Firestone is way closer, and they do lifetime alignments, so you only have to pay once, and believe it or not, they have told me the truth in the past.
I found used nerf bars for $115 on Craigslist. I would ordinarily haggle, but that’s like $400 off the new price, and it’s about 40% of the cost of most used bars. I don’t have to be a royal pain all the time. Sometimes it’s okay to just pay and leave. I am looking forward to putting them on. When I get out of the truck, I feel like I’m base-jumping. I don’t know why it’s so high. I don’t think it was lifted. I guess the suspension on this model starts out pretty high.
I have to decide what to do about tires. I think I can get another 5,000 out of the existing tires, and if I replace the front tires, I should be able to go maybe 20,000. I don’t know what kind of spare this truck has. I assume it’s just like the other tires. I think it’s safe to bet it’s not a compact.
I should get a toolbox and put some basic breakdown supplies in it. Flares. Vise grips. Cheap screwdrivers. Fuses. Socket set. I don’t want a truck box. They take up two feet of bed.
I might upgrade the stereo a little. I definitely have to get the Cuban stations off the presets.
I chose Geico for the insurance because Progressive was a little more expensive, and because I didn’t want to keep funding Progressive’s bizarre political causes. The name “Progressive” ought to get you a clue what they’re about.
I’ll be honest. They’ve been fantastic. But so is Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and I avoid that, too. A commenter says Warren Buffett owns Geico, but I don’t think he’s as far to the left as the Progressive folks.
The suggestions are very helpful.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:20 AM
On tires: cheap tires cause expensive body work.
I do, however, replace my front tires rather than rotate. Drives the wife crazy, but my theory is that the average cost over time is the exact same and that the less the mechanics touch my car the less they can mess up.
Don’t forget a first aid kit.
I put a cheap pair of LEATHER gloves in my tool box. Very dang handy when the SHTF and you have to start grabbing stuff but want to keep the flesh on your fingers.
-C
September 24th, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Rotella T is great oil – it’s also good for motorcycles, as motorcycle transmissions have a lot in common with DIesel engine camshaft gear trains. You’ll probably want to run the 15W40 multigrade rather than the SAE 40 you are using in the marine Detroits. Rotella T is also available in a synthetic.
I use 15W40 Rotella T in my motorcycle – among the reasons is that I know that any place that has a Wal-Mart or a truckstop is going to have oil if I need it.
My employer uses the same engine as is in your Dodge – our trucks are equipped with a Racor filter/water separator unit. The micron ratiing of the Racor unit is finer than the OEM filter. We also have fuel heaters for winter operation but that probably isn’t a concern for you.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I don’t suspect that you’ll get quite as many comments for teh umpteenth truck post as for the first several while contemplating the purchase.
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I wonder if my Mini would fit in the bed of that thing?
September 24th, 2009 at 10:41 AM
I covet your truck. Is that a sin I’ll burn for?
Speaking of beaters, I just bought a used Ford/Mazda Eacape to use for work. So far its a great little vehicle, enough room for junk and good economy.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:35 AM
Congratulations on the new truck.
September 24th, 2009 at 1:00 PM
“There’s somethin’ wimmen like about a pick-up man.”
It’s true! Well, sensible, non-gold-diggin’ women anyway. In my opinion, that is.
(I know… I’m a dork. And I’m ok with that.)
September 24th, 2009 at 1:34 PM
[…] Graham is trying to buy a truck, and is out with Diogenes’s lamp looking for an honest used-car dealer. Take plenty of oil, […]
September 24th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Steve,
I just bought a 2009 Ram 2500 4×4 with the Cummins Diesel. It came without running boards and the Dodge dealer wanted $950 to put on nerf bars. I found a site, http://www.runningboardwarehouse.com, in Florida that carries hundreds of different nerf bars etc. and I bought new ones that look great for $250. Shipping (Fedex Ground) was free and no sales tax. Also, they were a snap to put on.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:39 PM
The old Detroit/GM Diesels like your Dad’s V8-71s always called for straight-weight oil, grade depending on temperature. If you check the owner’s manual for your Dodge, you’ll find that it calls for 15W-40 for most operating condtions.
FWIW: I run 15W-40 in my 2-53 Detroit on my John Deere backhoe. My personal experience says that multi-vis oil is far better than single-weight.
September 24th, 2009 at 9:24 PM
For the kit, do not forget flashlights. Plural; one for the glove box or console, one bigger one in the kit. Preferably newer LED lights; no bulb to break and long battery life.
I’m tempted to say “And a firearm you can stash in there and leave except for practice”, but that may not be a good idea in your area.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:48 PM
Congrats Steve, on a great buy. That truck will do you good for well over a couple hundred thousand miles.
On the insurance, let me give you and all your readers a tip for which I’ll be owed many thanks.
Check into Florida Farm Bureau Inurance. I’ve got Texas Farm Bureau, which is the same overall company.
Less expensive than either Geico or Progressive by no small margin, and I’ve also got homeownere’s, flood and windstorm through ’em.
Why? FARM BUREAU. That’s the heart and soul of their normal insureds. Not kids driving rice rockets, not uber-chic urban sophisticatistas in million-dollar hurricane target glass houses.
Their risk pool is leathery old ranchers driving with bales of hay at 45 mph on county roads, living in more or less isolated haciendas out on low-crime counties….etc., etc. You get the picture.
They’ll sign you up, gladly. And they paid off quickly and hassle free from Iike damage to my home and possessions.
Why not do business with other solid citizens, rather than lizards, hippie-ish cavemen, and far left subsversives?
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX