Need new truck, still owe on my current one... Ideas? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Need new truck, still owe on my current one... Ideas?

rmemedic

rmemedic

Well-known member
Well. I've outgrown my current truck. Bought a new trailer and don't want to bag on my Canyon.

My current truck:
2004 Canyon, 3.5L 5 speed 4.10 gears 4x4 with the off road (Z71) package. Trailer hitch, fully tinted, MBRP exhaust (it's not loud) 4" suspension lift, 3" body lift, summer wheels are 18" eagle alloys on 33" newer GoodYear Duratracs, and have a literally brand new set of winter tires on 16" aluminums. Custom fitted seat covers. Plastic bed liner. ATX speakers. Will have the stock head unit in it as my current one will go to my next truck.
No rust spots on the truck, only form of body damage is a crack in the plastic on the bottom of my front bumper.
ABS light is on, but I know the exact part that needs to be replaced, it would cost a dealer no more than $500 to fix it.
Truck has 182,000 on it, so that's lower than average for the year.
I would list it for 10G on the used market, but would obviously expect to get a bit less for it.

New truck that I'm looking at is a Ram 1500 SXT 4x4 with the 5.7, locking rear end, and a few upgrades I've selected. With the current promotion of $9,750 off plus a bit of a deal for being military, the truck will come in for under 30G.

Now Financially, I owe $3000 on my current truck. I would take $5000 for it from the dealer as it sits, throw 2Grand on to my new truck and use the rest to pay off my Canyon loan.

If I sell my truck privately, then I have to fix the ABS light first, and since I hate fixing electrical issues, the GM dealer will dig me for about a grand on it. Then I have the hassle of finding a buyer for it (smaller community here so it will take a while) and then, I'll have no truck after I sell it and while I wait for the new one to come in.

I'm not worried about MPG with the bigger truck... It will be so similar to my current truck that I won't notice, but it will get better mileage with the trailer behind it, which is when I do my driving anyways.

Just sort of looking at all of my options here and looking for some advice?
 
How much do you think you'll get for the truck privately? ( you said 10 g list but what do you expect to actually get )

Remember to add in the 13 % on the trade in value of your truck. because of the reduction in taxes on the new one
 
I would expect 8 grand for my truck privately with the ABS issue worked out.

Friend just offered me 7 for it as is, but I hate selling stuff to friends in case for what ever reason they think they got screwed over.
 
rmemedic said:
but I hate selling stuff to friends in case for what ever reason they think they got screwed over.
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You have ethics. My sentiments as well but that means your friend may end up dealing with people that don't give a damn.
I didn't want to sell a high miles van to a friend as I knew he couldn't afford a major repair. The van did need about a grand in work to make it right. I sold it to another guy who wanted a beater for work.
My friend ended up buying a $500 POS that cost him a fortune over the next couple of years. The guy that bought my van put the grand into it and drove trouble free for three or four years.
If you want sell to your friend lay the cards on the table and have HIS mechanic check it out. No guarantee but nothing hidden either.
 
What's the trouble with an electrical repair? Usually it's the diagnostics that's a PITA but since you seem to know what the problem is, it should just be a matter of plugging in the new thingamajiggybob.
 
fastar1 said:
What's the trouble with an electrical repair? Usually it's the diagnostics that's a PITA but since you seem to know what the problem is, it should just be a matter of plugging in the new thingamajiggybob.
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The issue is the diagnostics. Despite knowing what the issue is, if I do it myself (like I do for all repairs) and if it doesn't fix the issue then I'm chasing down a problem where I will HAVE to take it to the dealer, and possibly end up having them put that same part in a second time... Just one of those things.

My new trailer will strain the Canyon too much. It's capable of pulling it, but my hauls are usually 3 hours one way going south from Petawawa towards Trenton/Madoc area so it's nothing but twisty hilly road.
 
Buy another used truck instead of putting yourself in debt for another 30k over the next 6 years? :lol: I assume you're financing.

Full size V8 pickup trucks are a dime a dozen.
 
medic....shoot me a PM if you need a GM mechanic..... My buddy is a mechanic at Bennets GM in Cambridge. Lives in Innerkip and works on my GM's on the side for less than half of what dealer charges. He even brings home the dealer's diag. computer at night to work on my stuff if needed.

If it were me, I'd say loose the giant wheels and body lift. Keep the truck you almost own.
Just the tires and lift probably cost you 5mpg.
Unless you are just looking for a reason to excuse a new truck purchase, buying a new one to save fuel over the old one is being penny smart and dollar stupid. Spending 20 grand to save a few mpg......it's gonna take 50 yrs o driving the new truck for the fuel savings to touch the $20 grand extra it costs you to buy into the new truck.....but that's just me. I drive junk.


PS- No full size half ton truck can touch the mpg of Ford's new eco-boost, and it has monster torque too. Towing 10,000 lbs it'll out dragrace any other half ton, and do it with better fuel economy too. I am not even a Ford man, but if I were in the market for a truck it'd be the eco-boost hands down.
 
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It doesn't sound like he's concerned about MPG either way, it's more a question of durability an strain on the smaller truck.
 
If it is towing that worries you I used to tow a 5000lb 20'x8'x8' trailer with my 3.5 l Canyon all over Ontario and down to the states and never had any issues with reliability it was a 2wd extended cab. The dodge will be a pig in comparison on fuel despite what the #s look like on paper. To be fair I did buy a new Canyon with a 5.3 V8 but only because I wanted more power and was due for a new truck not because I needed it to tow. The transmission in the Canyon is the same as the full size and is understressed, but the big tires and lift are costing you power and fuel economy. I also install a tranny cooler as one of the first things if it does not have a big factory one.
 
there's no good answer to this, you owe on one, it needs ABS repairs, it wont do what you need to your satisfaction, your financing the next one.
Route of least resistance, you trade it and get less than you'd like, but you offset the taxable amount on the next truck. You don't have to sell it to a friend. you drop one off and drive away in the next.
 
For towing, I would take the Canyon with 5-speed manual over ANYTHING with a Chrysler-sourced automatic transmission.

Also, the Chrysler 5.7 Hemi is a pig on fuel. I don't think you've appreciated the piggishness that a V8 gas engine pickup towing a trailer is going to be like. Yes, they have displacement-on-demand, but they go back to 8 cylinders as soon as you breathe on the accelerator pedal, and it'll never be in 4-cyl mode when towing.

IMO if you're going to be towing a lot, there's no better pickup than a Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel and manual transmission - a rare beast, but I know someone who has one (kneedragger88!). Buy used. I'm told that the absolute best mechanically are the old 12-valvers, but it might be hard to find one that isn't rusted out nowadays. Failing that, anything 2006 or before. The 2007-onward models have too much emission control crap, and it's not well sorted out. Advantage here is that you'll be buying used, less $, but harder to find what you want.
 
Brian P said:
but harder to find what you want.
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Ha, you mean what YOU want!

I'm no truck guy but I'm getting the impression rmemedic is and he's letting his heart lead him. Follow your heart my friend, it all ends on Dec 21st anyways (sorry, watching Doc Zone couldn't help it!)
 
Brian P said:
For towing, I would take the Canyon with 5-speed manual over ANYTHING with a Chrysler-sourced automatic transmission.

Also, the Chrysler 5.7 Hemi is a pig on fuel. I don't think you've appreciated the piggishness that a V8 gas engine pickup towing a trailer is going to be like. Yes, they have displacement-on-demand, but they go back to 8 cylinders as soon as you breathe on the accelerator pedal, and it'll never be in 4-cyl mode when towing.

IMO if you're going to be towing a lot, there's no better pickup than a Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel and manual transmission - a rare beast, but I know someone who has one (kneedragger88!). Buy used. I'm told that the absolute best mechanically are the old 12-valvers, but it might be hard to find one that isn't rusted out nowadays. Failing that, anything 2006 or before. The 2007-onward models have too much emission control crap, and it's not well sorted out. Advantage here is that you'll be buying used, less $, but harder to find what you want.
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I tow a lot... I would say half of my km are with the trailer on the back.

My uncle has a 98 cummins with the 12 valve and a stick. Thing is awesome, but the body isn't that good, and it's darn near impossible to find one with a good body and the 12 valve. I have no issues with older trucks, I would actually like to find one of these and take the time to do a frame up job. But, finding a used one that isn't junk is hard.

For reference of the fuel mileage I'm getting, I fill it up, so that ranges from 70-90 depending on gas prices. With the trailer, I'm getting about 320km to that tank... Without the trailer, I'm getting about 500. I'm really really close to that 5.7 Hemi territory as it is without the bigger truck and easier towing. That mileage is with a 5x10 that is about 6 feet tall. New trailer is a 7x12 that is close to 8 feet total height.

I would take one of those eco-boost fords, it sounds like a really awesome little motor, but by the time you get the truck set up with the motor and the extras like the towing packages, you're looking at a truck worth over $40g. Just saw a clip with one with a bullydog hooked in and man the thing flew!

I'm test driving one tomorrow and getting them to take a look at the Canyon so they can give me their trade in value on it and we'll talk some numbers I guess... The wheels and tires alone are close to 4 grand new for both sets.

Thanks for the help. I understand why people are so anti new vehicle, hard for me to get around it too.
 
Wow. I had no idea your fuel eco was so bad in that little truck.

For cheap you could buy an older 6.5 turbodiesel Chev.

I have one in a 3500, 1 ton, 15 passenger expressvan. I have towed a fullsize, 1 ton Dodge van on a U Haul trailer home from Buffalo, no issues at all. I tow a 6x10 enclosed trailer half of the time, and mixed driving daily, with about 3000 lbs in trailer, van itself weighs 8500 lbs, I am averaging about 650 kms to 90L of diesel. If I have no trailer and run straight highways (ie: Deals Gap trip, etc) I can see as much as 825 km to 90L.

Stock, the van was rated for 420 ft lbs of trq...I had the ECU and boost circuit upgraded by Heath diesel to their 160 ft lbs and 60+ hp package. Truck is much quicker now, and gets a little better mileage than stock.

I know where there is (in Btfd) a pretty clean, 2500, king cab, long box, 1996 Chev with this drivetrain in it.....I think it's only $4500. You could keep the small truck for fun and drive the big one for towing.
 
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