Time for new wheels...

[meierlde]

The days of vehicles with fully manual transmissions are numbered as the more modern 6 and 9 speed transmissions beat them on mileage. (a far cry from the old 3 and 4 speeds). Many however have a mode where it will shift only when you manipulate the lever but with no clutch involved. Sometimes such transmissions will say shift denied if you try to downshift to far and potentially over speed the engine. So as long as you stay within the engine rpm limits you can drive like a manual. (One other issue is the auto start stop and combining it with a transmission with a clutch)

[Jack_Pine]

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Originally Posted by krotoole Whatever you buy, I would seriously look into certified preowned. A few years ago I got an 18 months old Acura TL with 7k miles on it for 25% below msrp. About 2 months ago we got DW a 15 month old Lincoln MKT with 9500 miles on it for 30% off MSRP. In both cases I plowed a bit of the savings back into extended bumper-to-bumper warranties. One was for 7 years, the other for 8 years. Let someone else take that early depreciation in the teeth.

Agree with this. Our last two have been a Cadillac SRX and before that a CTS. Both were "program cars" and were like new when we got them with around 6k miles.

[pb4uski]

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Originally Posted by Texas Proud The problem with a truck is that you cannot carry 8 people at the same time (well, legally). We have a plastic cover in the back of our SUV that can be taken out and hosed down... but we have not really needed a pickup for... oh, 25 years....

True, but I rarely had a need to transport 8 people... heck, even most minivans and third seat SUVs only carry 7 people comfortably ... so if you need to transport 8 then you are going to need two vehicles anyway.

My crew cab truck can carry the same number of people as most cars or SUVs (excluding third seat SUVs and mini-vans) but much more stuff in the back.

If we and DD and her boyfriend want to go biking, we just put the four bikes in the bed, hop in the cab and off we go to the bike path. Try that with a minivan or third seat SUV.

Our other vehicle is a SUV with a plastic liner in the back, which is handy for a lot of things (but not a load of mulch or topsoil), but not as versatile as the crew cab in our experience.

[zinger1457]

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Originally Posted by Senator I am going to buy a 2017 F350, diesel, lariat. Aluminum body. An F350 is not a lot more money than a F150, and is MUCH more truck. And I can write it off, so it's even better. The Toyota's are OK, if you just need a going to the grocery store truck.

Unless you're towing a big 5th wheel what can you do with a F350 that you can't do with a Toyota truck except spend a lot more money for the truck, fuel, and repairs?

[MRG]

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Originally Posted by zinger1457 Unless you're towing a big 5th wheel what can you do with a F350 that you can't do with a Toyota truck except spend a lot more money for the truck, fuel, and repairs?

Drive 80 MPH across Kansas in 40-50 MPH cross winds and stay in your own lane.

Sorry couldn't resist, just drove that yesterday in my 1500 Silverado and it was not fun. I assume the F-350 would be quite a bit heavier and hold the road better.

[Hermit]

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Originally Posted by zinger1457 Unless you're towing a big 5th wheel what can you do with a F350 that you can't do with a Toyota truck except spend a lot more money for the truck, fuel, and repairs?

I wish I had an F350 diesel. I need to tow a tractor up into the mountains and am not sure my old F250 with a 351 ci engine and automatic will make it.

[W2R]

As a completely independent woman living alone for the past 18 years, I have never once needed an F-350, or even a pickup truck. I have paid one or two establishments for delivery of items, like my living room set, but that really isn't going to break the bank.

I don't rely on F for this sort of thing either; in fact, several times he has relied on me to help him with my Venza, because it has a bigger cargo capacity than the 2003 Murano that he has owned since 2004.

He wants to get another pickup truck as his next vehicle. Men seem to need trucks, although I haven't quite figured out the reasoning behind that, yet.

[bld999]

Well, lots of us men are still trying to puzzle out why many women we have known must own enough pairs of shoes to fit out an entire chorus line several times over. Yes, there is a difference!

[pb4uski]

I can relate. A woman friend who once worked for me showed me that she had one of those 4' lateral files at work chock full of shoes and asked me to clean it out before her husband saw it if anything ever happened to her.

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by bld999 Well, lots of us men are still trying to puzzle out why many women we have known must own enough pairs of shoes to fit out an entire chorus line several times over. Yes, there is a difference!

And I'm so glad there is. Vive la difference!

[golfnut]

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Originally Posted by Texas Proud You can get a sport sedan that has plenty of zip... I had a 2004 Acura TL with 6 speed.... very quick acceleration and has summer sport tires so it handled really well... top speed was 155 mph... It was quicker and faster than my 87 Firebird Formula with a 5.7 liter engine... I think it topped out at 140 ish.... I think the Acura was also quicker in the 1/4 mile.... And it was a luxury car when I was not thrashing it around, which BTW is close to 99% of the time (that is not thrashing)....

I have the exact same car. Bought it new and still going strong (only 89.000 miles on it).

[RE2Boys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by meierlde The days of vehicles with fully manual transmissions are numbered as the more modern 6 and 9 speed transmissions beat them on mileage. (a far cry from the old 3 and 4 speeds). Many however have a mode where it will shift only when you manipulate the lever but with no clutch involved. Sometimes such transmissions will say shift denied if you try to downshift to far and potentially over speed the engine. So as long as you stay within the engine rpm limits you can drive like a manual. (One other issue is the auto start stop and combining it with a transmission with a clutch)

Fully agree, but the OP talked about zoom zoom, and to me the manual keeps you intimately involved in the mechanicals and the act of driving. I'd never own a manual in an heavily urban area, the shifting to get to the grocery would take the fun out of driving. But it is my idea of a true driving machine. Doesn't need to be fast, but decently fun. It's part of my dream retirement truck, no interest in the luxury land yachts that populate most truck owner's driveways. Only about a third of the folks I know with a truck actually use it as a truck, most it is just a big expensive showpiece for hauling the kids and a load of mulch once in awhile. For that, I just borrow my cousin's trailer and tow with the minivan.
Gotta a lot of respect for a friend who's in construction, he waited two months to get a true work truck (vinyl seats, vinyl floor, etc), saved him a bundle.

[MRG]

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Originally Posted by RE2Boys Gotta a lot of respect for a friend who's in construction, he waited two months to get a true work truck (vinyl seats, vinyl floor, etc), saved him a bundle.

Hard to find stripped like that. My first 4x4, a 68 Ford had nothing on it, no radio even. Great for getting clean open up the doors and blast the mud right out.

[pb4uski]

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Originally Posted by Texas Proud ....We have a plastic cover in the back of our SUV that can be taken out and hosed down... ....

DW just left for a Girl Scout meeting and told me she was taking the truck. I asked her... why the truck? She said that she planned to stop at a farmer friend's place on the way home and get some cow manure for her garden. Try that with your SUV, plastic cover or not.

[RE2Boys]

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Originally Posted by pb4uski DW just left for a Girl Scout meeting and told me she was taking the truck. I asked her... why the truck? She said that she planned to stop at a farmer friend's place on the way home and get some cow manure for her garden. Try that with your SUV, plastic cover or not.

That's a job for a utility trailer, not a luxo truck!!!

You know they had to call them Sport Utility Vehicles because they really make lousy utility vehicles. Can't carry as much cargo or passengers as a minivan and can't tow or haul crap (pun intended) as a pickup. So they made up a new name and sold it to the public at a premium.

Last week tree trimmers were working on my trees to clear power lines, asked them to save any wood that would suitable for splitting, our Boy Scout troop splits & sells the wood. Anyway, first thought, to get it out of my yard, was to get my cousin's trailer but realizing they were no longer than four feet, my son and I through an oversize tarp in the back of the minivan and loaded about a thousand pounds of wood and hauled it over to the Scout's woodpile.

[Hermit]

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Originally Posted by RE2Boys That's a job for a utility trailer, not a luxo truck!!! You know they had to call them Sport Utility Vehicles because they really make lousy utility vehicles. Can't carry as much cargo or passengers as a minivan and can't tow or haul crap (pun intended) as a pickup. So they made up a new name and sold it to the public at a premium. Last week tree trimmers were working on my trees to clear power lines, asked them to save any wood that would suitable for splitting, our Boy Scout troop splits & sells the wood. Anyway, first thought, to get it out of my yard, was to get my cousin's trailer but realizing they were no longer than four feet, my son and I through an oversize tarp in the back of the minivan and loaded about a thousand pounds of wood and hauled it over to the Scout's woodpile.

Did you check to make sure the wheels were still straight afterwards?

[pb4uski]

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Originally Posted by Hermit Did you check to make sure the wheels were still straight afterwards?

What does it matter? It's not his trailer... its his cousin's trailer.

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by pb4uski What does it matter? It's not his trailer... its his cousin's trailer.

You might want to re-read how they hauled that wood...

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...an oversize tarp in the back of the minivan and loaded about a thousand pounds of wood...

[Walt34]

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Originally Posted by W2R He wants to get another pickup truck as his next vehicle. Men seem to need trucks, although I haven't quite figured out the reasoning behind that, yet.

Oh, it's very simple:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I51JXpcLwk

[pb4uski]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo You might want to re-read how they hauled that wood...

I stand corrected. But it isn't as bad as I thought:

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The Dodge Grand Caravan SXT and SE — as well as its new 2009 Cargo Van trim level — have a payload capacity of 1,500 pounds, according to Chrysler. Payload capacity is the amount of weight a vehicle can carry and includes cargo and passengers.