High Mileage tow vehicle question

[Wildcat63]

I found myself in need of an extra vehicle and found an old grampa truck (93 GMC 1/2t ext cab 4x4) it was cheap and well taken care of by the previous owner who had owned it almost 20 years. It has 212,000 miles and with the 350 v8 It should tow my pop up camper fine. Going to start out short trips and see how it does. I got the truck for hauling junk and an extra vehicle more than camping. But it got me thinking and looking at car ads. I have seen some ads lately for used trucks in the $10,000 to $13,000 range in price with over 200,000 miles on them. My mind is telling me I would be crazy to buy a truck that price with that many miles on it and expect another 5 pr 6 years of service from it without getting nickel and dimed with big and little repairs. One truck was a duramax and I know the engine will go a lot farther but even that truck I would think you would be fixing all sorts of things from window motors to wheel bearings to AC issues etc. Somy question is would a 10 year old truck with 200,000 miles be worth it for everyday use?

[VernDiesel]

Different opinion with caveat. Trucks are better than ever but because of gov interference need, especially diesels an aftermarket tune and a basic scan tool. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned with emissions that’s another topic onto itself as is risk of warranty loss.

With a tune you can turn off engine killing EGR so that you don’t have tiny hard particles causing wear clogging passages sticking to valves and getting between crank and bearings. Also they can set up better safer regen strategies so that in certain duty cycles & with older worn seals etc you don’t end up with fuel dilution wherein your oil can’t properly lubricate critical surfaces. The whole flood an off cycle cylinder with fuel to send it down to be burnt in the exhaust system needs to be re-thought and is. A rush to meet gov requirements and costs to stay competitive may have caused this.

Use the scan tool to get and clear codes when the check engine light comes on so you can take care of minor stuff at your convenience. Instead of it running you to the dealership, putting your truck in limp mode, or worse on the hook for a minor issue. Bosch OB 1000 is like $60 and is stone simple with two buttons some are even cheaper.

My 2014 Ram Econodiesel has 440,000 miles used commercially for towing. It unfortunately lost a head gasket at 371k for which I was able to quickly & cost effectively swap in a new motor with a 24 month unlimited mileage warranty to boot. But as a whole has had been cost effective to keep on the road with very little down time and not nickled me with repairs.

Sure it’s been proactively maintained and has a good duty cycle. It did eventually have an emissions problem which I repaired the old fashion way plus a $50 change to the tune. The scan tool has also been helpful addressing minor issues without shop time downtime or being stuck in limp home mode. Original no repairs transmission, one set of brakes, lost a rear due to water contamination but I just swapped in a new take out unit for $800. I plan to do lower ball joints this falll as preventive. Truck has no electrical gremlins radio seats rattles squeaks etc problems. Still runs straight smooth & quiet with original exhaust. May not be heavy duty but used & maintained in its parameters pretty good truck. I plan to keep rolling it for awhile.

Certainly most people are not going to have this experience but most people don’t take advantage of a tune or a scan tool or proactively maintain.

[Grit_dog]

2 words for rhafgo and 1320.
Cummins and NV4500!
Pretty bulletproof combo. Heck, I bought a NV4500 for a project, ended up not needing it.
Put it for sale and had 3 guys show up the first night at the same time. 1 was waiting in my driveway when I got home. Bidding war ensued and the losers helped the winner put it in the back of his truck!

[burningman]

1320Fastback wrote:
I have 221,000 miles on my '92 Dodge Cummins 5spd but the mileage is likely higher as the odometer was broken when I bought it. Have driven it everywhere with TH in tow, passed many many new trucks on the side of the road with their hoods up and haven't given a thought to buying a newer truck.

For me a Diesel with zero sensors and no computer is where its at 😉

This, exactly.
No late model computerized truck can match the long term reliability of even a gas truck from the pre-computer days. Simplicity and reliability are one and the same.
It costs less to put a whole fresh new engine and transmission into a pre-computer truck than it does to just make the payments on a new $60-$70k truck for one year.

Rust is only an issue if you live (or shop) in “Rust Belt” areas. Those of you who do need to remember the rest of the country isn’t like that. Rust free, or nearly rust-free 30 and 40 year old vehicles are common.

[1320Fastback]

I have 221,000 miles on my '92 Dodge Cummins 5spd but the mileage is likely higher as the odometer was broken when I bought it. Have driven it everywhere with TH in tow, passed many many new trucks on the side of the road with their hoods up and haven't given a thought to buying a newer truck.

For me a Diesel with zero sensors and no computer is where its at 😉

[BenK]

Using better...best in class materials and aggressive service schedule will extend anything’s life span...

That metric is lost to most of those who trade often and never keep their stuff long....extended oil change periods...mud hen filters...Dino is okay, but not the best in spec...lover load’m...etc, etc, etc...

Trying to explain that film strength is very important...that most engine wear is from first start in the morning...after the oil has drained off...why better filters that have batter anti-drain back valves, heck, some don’t even have one...

[rhagfo]

Well our TV was purchased about seven years ago with 234,000 miles on it. It was the best of the trucks we looked at both engine and mileage wise.
Today well just turned 308,000 miles and is still a great strong TV, yes have put some repairs and upgrades into it, the two big ticket ones were a double disk clutch, and a PacBrake other than that just normal maintenance. I think condition and the fact that it was a one owner were the biggest selling points.

[Grit_dog]

First, Toyota’s go for stupid money. One of my field engineers just got $11k trade for a 180kmi older Tacoma. And he didn’t really overpay for the new truck.
Second, anything in the rust belt is automatically about 50% overpriced if it’s a southern vehicle with no rust.
Unless you find the unicorn old truck in MN, you’ll likely overpay for a no rust, not driven in MN winters vehicle. I’m going through that now and I can buy an older vehicle here in seattle where prices are high and drive it back to WI and fly home cheaper than buying a no rust comparable vehicle there.
Unless your destitute there is NO reason to buy a salt brined vehicle up there in today’s world. Find the right one down south or out west and fly out, drive back.

[Wildcat63]

Thanks for all the replies, I like working on vehicles and this truck brings me back to when I did do more work and can see the engine. What I hate is working on a car that I need to get back on the road because I have to go to work in 3 hours and nothing is going right. We used to have an )2 explorer that besides having the transmission go at 100,000 miles we had both front door window mechanisms break two weeks apart both on days when it was -20 Fahrenheit before the windchill and of course the windows were in the down position. At those temperatures the lights in my unheated garage barely work and we had to send it to the shop. My thoughts of buying a 10,000$ truck with 200,000 miles on it would be is it worth it? My old girl led a fairly easy life but I still need to fix the heater fan and maybe look into getting the AC fixed. But I only paid a little over $1500 for it. So I am fine with nickel and dime repairs. I saw a 10 yr old Tacoma advertised with 210,000 miles on it for 12grand. That was what shocked me. I could see in my mind maybe paying 5 grand for one with that many miles unless it had a rebuilt drivetrain.

[Lynnmor]

valhalla360 wrote:
The problem is age will damage and destroy parts even if it's sitting in a garage the whole time.

My 79 Chevy van just called, it is worried about which aging parts need a transplant.

[valhalla360]

Grit dog wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
Food for thought: $60k loan, 5yrs at 4%...monthly payment...


$1100 per month!!!!

I can pay for a heck of a lot of nickle and diming before a new truck makes sense.

There's alot of middle ground between a 25year old $2500 (guessing) pickup and a $60k Laramie Diesel. But your point is valid.
How about a 15 year old 100k mile truck for $10k? Now the comparo is getting closer.

OP, if it runs good, shifts good and doesn't burn oil, you've got the big stuff covered for a while probably.
FWIW, boat forum I'm on, just had the deal of the year. Guy just sold his 1995 K20, 454, ext cab, 9.8 of 10 condition 52kmi, setup for a truck camper. He was asking $10k, got $11.5k!

I'm looking right now around the $10k mark and finding 7-10yr old 120-150k mile trucks.

I'm paying cash but $10k vs $60k is still $916/month extra which will cover a lot of maintenance.

It would have to be something really special to buy a 95 gas truck for $10k. The problem is age will damage and destroy parts even if it's sitting in a garage the whole time.

[alexleblanc]

Mileage is one thing but up here above the rust belt, what kills trucks lifespan is the winter and Rust, if you never drove your pickup in the winter the lifespan is greatly increased but otherwise you’re hard pressed to get 10-15 years of service before everything looks like Swiss cheese.

[sgip2000]

My truck has 212,000 miles on it and the only major issue is the common Ford 460 exhaust leak.

Only real downside is MPG.

[KD4UPL]

My 2005 Chevy dually work truck has 230,000 on it. It has no rust. It is on the original wheel bearings. I've only changed the brake pads once. I drive it at least 4 or 5 days a week hauling tools and supplies for my business. I hope to get at least 300,000 out of it before I think about replacing it.

[parker_rowe]

Grit dog wrote:

There's alot of middle ground between a 25year old $2500 (guessing) pickup and a $60k Laramie Diesel. But your point is valid.
How about a 15 year old 100k mile truck for $10k? Now the comparo is getting closer.

OP, if it runs good, shifts good and doesn't burn oil, you've got the big stuff covered for a while probably.
FWIW, boat forum I'm on, just had the deal of the year. Guy just sold his 1995 K20, 454, ext cab, 9.8 of 10 condition 52kmi, setup for a truck camper. He was asking $10k, got $11.5k!

Thats some good money for a TBI truck! I love GMT400's, owned a few and own one now. Not sure I'd every pay that much for one though. My current truck has 136k and has a lot of life left in it. Got it for $2700 5 years ago, money well spent!