1st World Vehicle Problems

[denverpilot]

Or, "How to manage a used car lot on your summer vacation"...

Okay just for fun, I'm going to post the current DenverPilotHaus vehicle situation, which is certainly not a bad one, and I'll get jeers and picked on, I'm sure. But it's a fun mental exercise.

But just curious what the PoA hive mind would do.

Y'all know my dad passed away in February. He was a car guy, in the sense that he liked having a few of them around as long as they were cheap, well cared for, and paid off.

The "fleet" as it were as of his passing was:

- 2004 GMC Yukon (my daily driver, 130,000 miles)
- 2004.5 VW Jetta Wagon TDI (Karen's daily driver)
- 2000 Subaru Outback Wagon (86,000 miles!)
- 1987 Ford F-350 4X4 Van with TV Station 40' pneumatic mast
- 1997 Chevy Suburban 2500 LT (120,000 miles)
- 1991 Mazda Miata Limited Edition in British Racing Green (not selling. Don't ask. Haha.)
- 4x3 homemade cargo trailer

Changes to the fleet so far...

- Drop kicked the VW to the curb, finally. I've posted before about its problems and that it was on its third transmission at 152,000 miles. Bye!

- Replaced VW with 2008 Lincoln LT (40K miles. Good deal. Now Karen's daily drive. Dog likes it. Needs a tonneau cover before winter.)

- Added 8x18 cargo trailer with 10K axle to use as a car hauler for the Miata, to move houses, and to use as a temporary storage shed until we build a barn... If we do. May get turned into a mobile ham shack/communications trailer in a couple of years. It's busy right now.

- Donated the TV truck to a radio group that's doing a full restoration on it as an emergency radio deployment vehicle to compliment their large communications ops trailer. (Technically we still own it for now, we're diddling with insurance and licensing stuff. But they're making a massive investment in it in time and rebuilding it from the ground up. www.rmham.org for the radio geeks interested, see the photo area.)

So the big question for me is... Whether to dump the Yukon and Suburban for a newer pickup truck. The Subaru is probably staying, but doesn't have to. The Miata is non-negotiable right now, it's too much fun, but we haven't had time to play with it yet.

Goal is to someday soon buy a travel trailer and head out for some road tripping... Job situation doesn't fit that too well for me right now, but Karen could do it. We are discussing that...

Would need a tow vehicle. Not sure I trust the old Suburban on the long road trip. Yukon, probably but it's not an ideal tow vehicle and certainly can't pull a 5th wheel.

I strangely enjoy the Outback. Normally I drive trucks, but the Outback and its AWD is pretty impressive on the washboarded dirt roads. Stays plastered to them nicely. It's making for a nice commuter beat-it-up car for the 30 mile new commute into the rat race. Kinda fun, actually. 25 MPG isn't stellar but it is what it is.

All are paid off except technically Karen's truck. We stuck a loan on it just for cash flow... Could have written a check for it. (Got way more than that stupid VW was really worth for that POS, too.)

I cringe at the new price tag of a diesel pickup. Good lord. I'm not dead set against buying one, but holy crap. Used and hunting for a while for one seems like a better idea.

.....

Tony will say to keep them, run them as long as Old Blue, and buy a glider with the money saved. Haha.

Jesse will say to go find a nice Exp to put around in.

Someone else will say to buy the 182 a GPS. (For various reasons, that's still on hold... Don't worry about it.)

Others... Questions?

Wanna discuss Chevy vs Dodge vs Ford?

1/2 ton vs higher?

I'm game. I love talkin' trucks.

.....

Obviously we are in no particular hurry to make any changes. Just mulling it over. Karen's truck was critical for the dirt roads and winter later this year, and dropping that VW like a hot potato... But that part is done. She's happy as a clam in tomato sauce with her "new to her", "girlie bling" F-150. Hahahahaha. That's all that silly Lincoln is... F-150 with extra chrome and Nerf Bars. That thing is all a co-worker's fault. She was going back and forth from mid-sized SUVs to Subarus to trucks, and he said, "Show her a Lincoln LT." All his fault.

I won't tow with her truck, since it has those retarded 20" bling wheels on it (GRIN) and the tires have a whopping 3" of sidewall.

Insurance for the entire "fleet" is cheaper annually than just our two vehicles in the city... New truck and new trailer included... With higher liability limits and better coverage, even. Probably a combination of moving to a rural area and we are now in the "over 40" insurance risk group. Heh.

This thread lines up nicely with the "drive it until the wheels fall off" thread and others we've had recently, and most of y'all are automotive buffs of one sort or another...

Best fiscal option... Throw a trailer brake controller on the Suburban and go over it carefully to make it road-ready. That model year does have sucky brakes and I'm not enthused about towing something heavy on a bumper style hitch (it has a Class III already) with it. But it's definitely the cheapest methodology.

If someone said, sell them all and buy a new Chevy diesel, I might consider it. I might also consider selling them all and just pocketing the cash, too.

Really don't care at this point. Just playing with ideas... Don't need to tow tomorrow either...

 

[Sac Arrow]

Dump them both and buy a Smart Car.

(No don't, those get horrid mileage for their size. Just get the biggest Dodge 3500 dually you can find, and outfit it with vertical stacks and a riser kit.)

 

[tonycondon]

does the outback have a hitch on it? V6 i assume based on the mileage? auto or manual?

 

[Ted]

I found me 95 Suburban 2500 was a great tow vehicle. Long wheelbase is important for stability when towing. If you want a 5th wheel, but a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup of your favorite brand. If you want a straight travel trailer, look for a used Excursion - that was an awesome tow vehicle.

 

[AggieMike88]

Want diesel? Look for a well cared for F250/350 with the 7.3L

Lots of decent bargains out there, it has a better history than the 6.0L or 6.4L's. That I don't get calls for that engine as much as the newer ones should tell you something.

Also there are affordable aftermarket goodies that can help boost power and gas mileage.

 

[Ghery]

Well, the TV truck "disposal" was exactly what I had in mind for it. Good to see that a local ham club will get the benefit of that mast. I'm sure they'll put it to good use.

 

[denverpilot]

does the outback have a hitch on it? V6 i assume based on the mileage? auto or manual?

No hitch, four-banger. The early ones were not that great on mileage. Especially at this altitude. Auto.

 

[denverpilot]

I found me 95 Suburban 2500 was a great tow vehicle. Long wheelbase is important for stability when towing. If you want a 5th wheel, but a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup of your favorite brand. If you want a straight travel trailer, look for a used Excursion - that was an awesome tow vehicle.

I think the 97 would tow great, I'm just not a fan of its brakes. Even without a trailer on behind it freaks me out at times. It'll lock 'em up if you had to, but you really do have to stand on them. Of course, if someone is dumb enough to get in front of it with the Bambi catcher, sometimes the best option is just to hit 'em. Won't hurt the truck at all... Their little econobox might not ever drive again, but... Anyway...

Your note and another give me an idea... They made the Excusion in a diesel with the 7.2 I believe for a short while... Hmmm...

As far as the Ford 7.2 vs the 6.0 and 6.4... I know the 6.0 is junk. Too many problems. The 6.4 gets mixed reviews from real owners, and if someone kept up on the service bulletins on the things, they're generally surviving...

Have a buddy with a 7.2 in his work truck. His contractors all ask him if he will sell it to them. Their newer 6.0 and 6.4 diesels are eating them alive. Fred should have left well enough alone on that... Dropping the 7.2 was a huge mistake.

 

[denverpilot]

Well, the TV truck "disposal" was exactly what I had in mind for it. Good to see that a local ham club will get the benefit of that mast. I'm sure they'll put it to good use.

Dad even had a spare mast from another TV truck... They're rebuilding the mast with seals from the spare. Also had a spare compressor, so they have that stored in their Connex now also. And a third smaller mast.

I may help them build a small trailer for the third little mast. A little outrigger trailer with a small pneumatic mast would be useful at times... Just to clear buildings and crap.

 

[Threefingeredjack]

I have a few friends who drive Subarus and from what I have seen they are nearly bullet-proof. I'd hang on to it.

For a tow vehicle you are dead right about a diesel powerplant IMHO. I don't think there is a huge difference between brands, but my family has gravitated toward Dodge. My brother just bought a new ( ) crew cab with a 8ft bed for his camper. It has the Cummins powerplant and he says when he loads it up and hooks up his 20ft Alumaweld boat behind he has all the power he needs. I agree with you that the fairly low mile used market is a target rich environment right now.

 

[JoseCuervo]

I just bought a 2006 F350 with the 6.0l diesel with 82k miles for work crews. Put 4k miles on it, so far so good. (Knock on wood). It pulled a 27' travel trailer without any problems.

Doubt I ever go back to gas motors for tow vehicles.

It seems like some of the issues with 6.0l were overblown, and some were caused by people chipping them.

I am hoping after 86k miles on this motor the infant mortality is long behind.

 

[docmirror]

Sell all but the Miata and maybe the Outback.

Buy a new Prius C for commute 95% of the time, use Outback for the other 5%.

Buy a 93-00 Ford F-350 4x4 crew long bed with 7.3 Diesel. If you can find one with the Banks PowerPack get that. If not, see if you can still get it from Banks.

Best. Tow. Vehicle. Ever.

<edit: found it. Has Banks. http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3858533415.html >

 

[Ted]

I think the 97 would tow great, I'm just not a fan of its brakes. Even without a trailer on behind it freaks me out at times. It'll lock 'em up if you had to, but you really do have to stand on them. Of course, if someone is dumb enough to get in front of it with the Bambi catcher, sometimes the best option is just to hit 'em. Won't hurt the truck at all... Their little econobox might not ever drive again, but... Anyway...

Your note and another give me an idea... They made the Excusion in a diesel with the 7.2 I believe for a short while... Hmmm...

As far as the Ford 7.2 vs the 6.0 and 6.4... I know the 6.0 is junk. Too many problems. The 6.4 gets mixed reviews from real owners, and if someone kept up on the service bulletins on the things, they're generally surviving...

Have a buddy with a 7.2 in his work truck. His contractors all ask him if he will sell it to them. Their newer 6.0 and 6.4 diesels are eating them alive. Fred should have left well enough alone on that... Dropping the 7.2 was a huge mistake.

The 7.2 would be great except you can't find parts for it... since it was never built.

The 7.3, on the other hand, was a great engine with lots of parts available.

You're right on the brakes on the Suburban - they absolutely suck. GM did a lot in the ~2000 era when they made the next generation Suburban.

Diesel Excursions are great, but they are expensive. Don't discount the V10 - they can be had much cheaper and the V10 is a great engine. You'd probably like the turbo diesel because of your altitude more than anything, though.

 

[O-200]

Dad even had a spare mast from another TV truck... They're rebuilding the mast with seals from the spare. Also had a spare compressor, so they have that stored in their Connex now also. And a third smaller mast.

I may help them build a small trailer for the third little mast. A little outrigger trailer with a small pneumatic mast would be useful at times... Just to clear buildings and crap.

The Rocky Mountain guys will do it right, I've had the privledge of operating from their trailers a few times. Fun stuff!!

So your dad was a car guy, a 1911 fan and a ham!
How is it we never met?!

George

 

[PilotAlan]

I think the 97 would tow great, I'm just not a fan of its brakes.

There's plenty of brake upgrades out there for late 90's Suburbans. Slotted rotors, etc. Under $500 for all parts. Easy install.

Or get an Excursion.....

 

[AggieMike88]

. Don't discount the V10 - they can be had much cheaper and the V10 is a great engine.

Recently took delivery of a F250 with the V10 that could be classed as a rebuilder (needs a few front end items).

 

[denverpilot]

The Rocky Mountain guys will do it right, I've had the privledge of operating from their trailers a few times. Fun stuff!!

So your dad was a car guy, a 1911 fan and a ham!
How is it we never met?!

Yeah, RM guys are good guys.

I was a charter member of Doug's Mountain Top Associates of Colorado group (essentially a private repeater organization with all open repeaters) back in the days when he said, "I'll never build a ham club."

Never say never!

My official Barney the Purple Dinosaur shirt is hanging in the closet...

(iPhone camera flash doesn't do those purple monstrosities justice...)

I also wouldn't have six GE MASTR II stations sitting in the Suburban, and boxes of spare parts if I hadn't learned about those radios from Doug. Most solid repeater platform for UHF that exists, especially the 75W PA version. Solid to drag from one house to another, too... Ugh.

John is an Energizer Bunny. Part bunny, part monkey. You should see him climb a tower. Heh.

As far as dad goes, you probably did meet him. Been to Ham Radio Outlet in the last three or four years or so? He part-timed there for a while and then ended up full-timing in "retirement" for a while. Then he retired... again.

There were days he loved it, and days...

He told me stories about the kinds of phone questions they'd get. I'm sworn to secrecy about how dumb some Hams are.

One local ham and I had a good laugh on-air a few nights ago...

He said, "I can see your dad having a secret radio room in an RV like the guy in Meet the Fokkers..."

"Yeah, and he had a 'Circle of Trust', too... and you were either in... or out."



Well anyway... let's see...

.....

7.2, 7.3... BAH! What's a tenth of a litre between friends?

Doc, you said some word that means underpowered ridiculous car in Japanese, right? I don't allow that word to be spoken in my house.

Seriously though... Prius with "low rolling resistance" tires and snow... Yeah. That lasts about five minutes around here before everyone rips those tires off and loses 5 MPG.

Plus they're god awful noisemakers at HF. Can't run around listening to the Maritime Mobile Service Net on 14.300, with a giant electric motor a couple of feet from the antenna.

Someone mentioned the Smart car. ROFLMAO. Seen a couple out here on the dirt roads carefully making their way across the washboards.

It's actually great entertainment watching the clown cars if you don't have anywhere to be...

That 2003 truck there, would be fine for me, but remember the Missus says she isn't driving a stick shift. Plus her sensibilities might be shocked a bit going from her bling truck to a beater for a road trip. (Not that she'd mind that much... She's okay with 70's Cessna interiors, after all... Heh heh. Mmm. Goldenrod. Pretty! )

Oh well. Lots of time to be patient and hunt a low mileage truck. We got lucky on hers, mostly. 40K miles in 5 years isn't super low, but it's below average. It helped that the truck started life in Hawaii.

Yeah, Hawaii. Someone shipped it back to the States. Arrived in Hilo, August of 2008. Her truck has sea legs.

 

[guardrail]

I just bought a 2006 F350 with the 6.0l diesel with 82k miles for work crews. Put 4k miles on it, so far so good. (Knock on wood). It pulled a 27' travel trailer without any problems.

Doubt I ever go back to gas motors for tow vehicles.

It seems like some of the issues with 6.0l were overblown, and some were caused by people chipping them.

I am hoping after 86k miles on this motor the infant mortality is long behind.

My brother in law has the same truck, I really like it but like my Duramax better. The downside is even stock the oil coolers will slowly plug, causing the EGR cooler to fail (it's downstream on coolant flow). I'd suggest removing the EGR system now, then you won't have any issues since that's the weak point of the entire truck. There are kits on ebay for a hundred bucks or so, we installed his in two half days. He's rolling past 280k miles now, no real issues to speak of so far.

 

[guardrail]

My suggestion is to sell the Yukon, the Suburban and the small trailer if you still have it and buy an 01-02 Duramax. Make sure the injectors have been replaced in the last ~150k miles; check the transfercase to see if has the known leak. Otherwise it should be a tank, you can find deals on them close to $10k. The power they have plus the Allison transmission are huge sell points to me.

 

[docmirror]

Doc, you said some word that means underpowered ridiculous car in Japanese, right? I don't allow that word to be spoken in my house.

Seriously though... Prius with "low rolling resistance" tires and snow... Yeah. That lasts about five minutes around here before everyone rips those tires off and loses 5 MPG.

Plus they're god awful noisemakers at HF. Can't run around listening to the Maritime Mobile Service Net on 14.300, with a giant electric motor a couple of feet from the antenna.

I have two Prius C. Neither came with LRR tires, they left factory with all-season Goodyear with outstanding wet traction. One spent last winter in MN and did fine in moderate snow. But it seems you ignored my advice on keeping the Subie for those really nasty days. Change off LRR tires to M&S rated will cost between 1-2 MPG (3% of 48MPG) based on CA energy commission that studied this stuff.

As for your radio issues, well high energy electronics, and radios is one of my specialties. If you want to debate your transient antenna noise issues related to the traction motor in the car we can, but I don't think you'll like the results.

Now, I can understand your petulant bias not allowing a certain car mfg to be utter in your august presence, but don't try to wrap science around it.

 

[NineThreeKilo]

Out of that whole bunch I'd keep the Subaru, best vehicle out of the bunch, flat four (2.5) keep up on the maintenance and only use OEM parts (especially thermostats) and it will out off road many trucks, get 28mpg and you can sleep in the back.

If people understood cars and knew subies thats all someone would drive!

 

[JoseCuervo]

My brother in law has the same truck, I really like it but like my Duramax better. The downside is even stock the oil coolers will slowly plug, causing the EGR cooler to fail (it's downstream on coolant flow). I'd suggest removing the EGR system now, then you won't have any issues since that's the weak point of the entire truck. There are kits on ebay for a hundred bucks or so, we installed his in two half days. He's rolling past 280k miles now, no real issues to speak of so far.

If you do the EGR Delete, does the Check Engine light come on?

Is a kit like this what you guys had?
Ebay EGR Delete Kit

 

[guardrail]

If you do the EGR Delete, does the Check Engine light come on?

Is a kit like this what you guys had?
Ebay EGR Delete Kit

They say it's hit or miss, his never set a code and I know another person that did the same on his truck and never set a code either. That looks pretty similar to his, although he went ahead and replaced his oil cooler with the new design and bought the lot as a package deal. He got his kit from Vengence Diesel I believe, it came with a cool coozie too!

 

[JoseCuervo]

They say it's hit or miss, his never set a code and I know another person that did the same on his truck and never set a code either. That looks pretty similar to his, although he went ahead and replaced his oil cooler with the new design and bought the lot as a package deal. He got his kit from Vengence Diesel I believe, it came with a cool coozie too!

Thanks. Just ordered an Oil Cooler kit and a "Blue Spring" fuel regulator kit.

Sounds like those two items are the easiest and solve some of the issues.

The EGR Delete kit is the next item (as soon as I confirm it hasn't been done previously). The EGR Delete looks like a good 8 hour task, so I will have to see when that fits in our schedule.

 

[guardrail]

Thanks. Just ordered an Oil Cooler kit and a "Blue Spring" fuel regulator kit.

Sounds like those two items are the easiest and solve some of the issues.

The EGR Delete kit is the next item (as soon as I confirm it hasn't been done previously). The EGR Delete looks like a good 8 hour task, so I will have to see when that fits in our schedule.

It does take a while, I suggest some throw away outdoor cushions to set on the radiator support, you'll be laying there a while! I also suggest spraying down the downpipe and turbo pedastal bolts a day or two before with PB Blaster, that helped tremendously.

The FICM also had issues in that series truck. There are a set of 8 capacitors that bumps up the injector feed circuit from 12V to about 50V. The circuit boards were all cold soldered and will eventually lose connection through vibration and heat cycles. We spend some time re-soldering his one time when it had trouble starting, never a problem since. Cheap and easy to fix, there are test leads under an access panel on the FICM that you can check the voltage on if you ever have starting issues.

 

[Ghery]

Subaru must have figured out how to build that engine so the head gaskets don't blow every 50,000 miles. Our 1974 DL had that problem and I heard it was common in that era. I test drove a Subaru Forester last month before buying a Ford Escape. Some things about Subaru hadn't changed since 1974 (not the engine) and once was enough. On the other hand, my brother has one in Nevada and it has being working well for him.

Now if that Escape will turn out to be as reliable as a 1988 1/2 Escort we used to have. That thing was bullet proof.

 

[denverpilot]

Appreciate all the thoughts, all.

After some thought, I think I'll leave the "fleet" alone for a while longer. It really won't matter until we decide on whether or not we're getting a travel trailer.

And job situation doesn't lead toward that, when I honestly assessed it. So that probably has to change first.

Not even 100% convinced I'll need a diesel... But still leaning toward Duramax/Allison.

Doc, the Prius was a non-starter even before I admitted not liking them. 48 MPG vs 25 MPG is a pittance in fuel over a few year's time vs the acquisition cost. The recommendation made no economic sense.

And you're right, the science does show HF interference isn't supposed to happen, but the real world is full of folks who've fought it.

So call it "avoidance of reported problems I have no desire to waste time on", rather than science.

 

[docmirror]

Well, I bought two Prius C models last month. I'm getting ~52MPG with serious AC use and modest driving. If you only go 200 miles a month, the gas diff isn't that important, I though you were doing a fairly serious commute? Oh well, I'm happy with them so far.

 

[denverpilot]

Well, I bought two Prius C models last month. I'm getting ~52MPG with serious AC use and modest driving. If you only go 200 miles a month, the gas diff isn't that important, I though you were doing a fairly serious commute? Oh well, I'm happy with them so far.

What did they cost?

It's a 30 mile one-way commute M-F every other week. 8 miles of dirt road the short way, 2 miles the slightly longer way.

The math doesn't support purchasing over just running the Subaru.

 

[docmirror]

$21k out the door. 8 year, 100k miles warranty on powertrain. We plan on keeping them for 8 years to amortize the new cost. Obviously, new cars depreciate a lot. My son is using one for biz and gets a nice depr schedule.

 

[NineThreeKilo]

Subaru must have figured out how to build that engine so the head gaskets don't blow every 50,000 miles. Our 1974 DL had that problem and I heard it was common in that era. I test drove a Subaru Forester last month before buying a Ford Escape. Some things about Subaru hadn't changed since 1974 (not the engine) and once was enough. On the other hand, my brother has one in Nevada and it has being working well for him.

Now if that Escape will turn out to be as reliable as a 1988 1/2 Escort we used to have. That thing was bullet proof.

Just improper maintenance.

I had a 4x4 Loyale for a while and never had a problem, even swapped a EJ2.2 and xt6 clutch in, VERY fun car that no one saw coming. Subies have a few quarks like only runnin a OEM thermostat else you'll warp heads.

My mother has a forester, (2.5) took it to some knuckle dragger local that "worked" on it, she just went in for a tune up and regular checkup. The moron put some autozone or napa thermostat in it, week or so later the heads had to be machined!!

I talked to this guy, he said it's just a subaru thing, said his wifes subie does it to lol. I had him get the phone with the Subaru rally shop that dropped the EJ into my loyale, he educated the man. Long story short the shop ate the costs to fix my moms car.

A Subaru is twice the car compared to a focus or escape line of fords, hence the difference in resale and fit and finish. Ofcourse the fords are cheaper and ford motor credit has a reputation for financing anyone with a pulse, even if they are SOO upside down in their tinny cars that's they couldnt resell it if they wanted to.

 

[tonycondon]

i replaced the starter on Leah's Subaru (97 Impreza Outback Sport, 2.2L) last night. We've also replaced the valve cover gaskets after i started to detect a slight oil smell and the Mass Airflow Sensor. Other than that...she replaced the clutch once in college, plus oil changes and tires. We've been really happy with the Subaru.

 

[DavidWhite]

(No don't, those get horrid mileage for their size. Just get the biggest Dodge 3500 dually you can find, and outfit it with vertical stacks and a riser kit.)

Don't do that either - everyone will think you have a little pecker.

 

[denverpilot]

$21k out the door. 8 year, 100k miles warranty on powertrain. We plan on keeping them for 8 years to amortize the new cost. Obviously, new cars depreciate a lot. My son is using one for biz and gets a nice depr schedule.

Business depreciation definitely helps. A number of friends own trucks for their businesses. Another friend has agricultural uses for his trucks, and that's even better.

 

[Ghery]

Just improper maintenance.

How do you say that? That 1974 had its good points. The original brake linings (4 wheel drums in those days) lasted over 100,000 miles. But, the engine took out head gaskets every 50,000 miles. It was ready for the third rebuild when I sold it (to a former Subaru mechanic - no sympathy). Needed a new clutch each time. Maybe I should have quit downshifting to slow it and used the brakes more?

BTW, Subaru's reliability engineers knew their stuff. When I bought it there was a 12 month / 12,000 mile warranty. At 12,38x miles the rectifier in the alternater failed. Any help on warranty? Nope. Paid for it myself. The next time that rectifier failed (and it did one more time) I replaced it myself. Much less expensive when you don't pay for the labor.

I will say that the oil change every 3000 miles was easy. And I got to the point where I could give it a tune-up (plugs, points, condenser, adjust the valves) and an oil change in 15-20 minutes. Everything was out in the open. Not that way on anything today.

What was that about lousy maintenance again?

 

[denverpilot]

So just updating. Haven't changed a thing. Looked at a lot of trucks online. Really annoyed at new(ish) diesel truck prices. Heh.

(It did come to mind that one can buy a really decent airplane for the price Ford wants for a new pickup truck, though. Wow.)

Karen's truck is pretty darn nice. There is almost no comparison between the '04 Yukon and the '08 Ford... (Ahem, Lincoln Fake-Bling)... trucks. The Ford has the ride and controllability down cold, on washboarded dirt. It really makes the GMC seem totally outclassed. Really outclassed.

I suspect since there haven't been major changes to the GM line in a long time, a newer GM product would still not ride like the Ford. It's glued to the road. The GMC rattles and bounces.

Took me a few trips in it to get used to the higher gear ratio in the power steering. I was cutting corners pretty good, the first couple times out. Heh.

Have to turn the wheel noticeably further in the Yukon to take the same line in a corner as the Ford. Karen doesn't notice at all since she rarely used the Yukon.

I've been a Ford avoider for years, since surviving a 1996 and a 1992 both of which had problems.

But they've changed. For the better. Much better.

(I'm enamored with the second wipe the windshield wipers do after spraying the windshield. I always end up doing that anyway and I'm chuckling that some Ford engineer somewhere decided to just put it in the programming.)

I think I'm in love with the King Ranch style packaging on the Fords, but good freaking lord... Not going to pay what they want for one.

So I'm putting around in the Subaru mostly and once in a while the Yukon. The Suburban has a giant desk in it that we haven't cleared a space for yet. It's fun living on prairie grass. Just parked it at the walkout basement door in the grass and there it will sit until we can unload it.

Worked 5 out of 7 nights overnight last week, including both Sat and Sun so no time to even do normal life stuff last week, just surviving the sleep torture test.

Not really caring much about vehicle stuff at the moment. As long as the Subaru can lug me and my overstuffed backpack with three laptops in it around, that's about all that was needed this week.

 

[guardrail]

So just updating. Haven't changed a thing. Looked at a lot of trucks online. Really annoyed at new(ish) diesel truck prices. Heh.

(It did come to mind that one can buy a really decent airplane for the price Ford wants for a new pickup truck, though. Wow.)

Karen's truck is pretty darn nice. There is almost no comparison between the '04 Yukon and the '08 Ford... (Ahem, Lincoln Fake-Bling)... trucks. The Ford has the ride and controllability down cold, on washboarded dirt. It really makes the GMC seem totally outclassed. Really outclassed.

I suspect since there haven't been major changes to the GM line in a long time, a newer GM product would still not ride like the Ford. It's glued to the road. The GMC rattles and bounces.

Took me a few trips in it to get used to the higher gear ratio in the power steering. I was cutting corners pretty good, the first couple times out. Heh.

Have to turn the wheel noticeably further in the Yukon to take the same line in a corner as the Ford. Karen doesn't notice at all since she rarely used the Yukon.

I've been a Ford avoider for years, since surviving a 1996 and a 1992 both of which had problems.

But they've changed. For the better. Much better.

You need to go drive an 07+ GM truck and compare apples to apples. I was impressed with the new GM trucks over the older, just couldn't justify the price. Both builders went to rack and pinion I believe and the ammenities list is about dead on similar. I think if you compared an 08 GMC Sierra Denali to your 08 Lincoln, you'd probably say they were pretty similar.

 

[JGoodish]

Subaru must have figured out how to build that engine so the head gaskets don't blow every 50,000 miles. Our 1974 DL had that problem and I heard it was common in that era. I test drove a Subaru Forester last month before buying a Ford Escape. Some things about Subaru hadn't changed since 1974 (not the engine) and once was enough. On the other hand, my brother has one in Nevada and it has being working well for him.

Now if that Escape will turn out to be as reliable as a 1988 1/2 Escort we used to have. That thing was bullet proof.

My wife's 2002 Subaru Outback with the 2.5L engine had leaking head gaskets by 60k miles. Subaru would do NOTHING to own up to the problem or help us cover the repair, at one point stating that because I did my own engine oil changes, I could have caused the problem. Subaru also issued a service bulletin instructing dealers to "fix" the problem with a bottle of cooling system sealant, because (according to a local dealer) Subaru was tired of the expense of fixing the problem the right way in the field. Head gasket replacement and head repair is still a common problem with these engines.

I addition to the engine problem, the car pulled to the right almost since it was brand new. Multiple dealers did multiple alignments, with only minor improvements. They escalated to Subaru, but guess what? Subaru didn't want anything to do with that problem, either.

One thing that I will say is that the Subaru AWD system performed flawlessly over the 8 years that we owned the car. Almost as good as the Quattro system on my old Audi, which was itself a maintenance nightmare.

Ford, on the other hand, has dramatically improved vehicle quality in recent years. Though we don't own one, I'd have little problem buying one based on reported reliability of later models.


JKG

 

[Ghery]

Interesting to see that the head gasket problems haven't gone away. Being a sleeved cylinder with the sleeve sitting on a crush washer, you have to tear the engine down and replace the crush washer anytime the head is pulled. At least, that's what you had to do with the 1.4 liter version of that engine made in 1974.

Ford has greatly improved. The old jokes about Found On the Road Dead are just that, old. I took a chance with a 1988 1/2 Escort years ago and it turned out to be about the most reliable car I ever owned. Finally gave it to our son who later traded it in on a used 1999 Mustang, which he is still driving. I've given them another opportunity to show me that they still have the secret sauce by buying a 2013 Escape (4WD) in May. Too early to tell (good thing), but so far it is working well. I hope it is adequate this winter when we get some snow. The 1999 Jeep Wrangler is still around, but by then I hope to have sold it or given it to our son.

 

[SCCutler]

Livery operators routinely run Lincoln Town Cars 600,000 miles and replace only brake linings and shocks.