Changing goals and speed

[AClark]

Lord, when it rains, it pours. DH never made it to El Paso, my truck overheated and instantly shut off. Had to get a semi wrecker to tow it off the freeway outside of Van Horn, with the trailer.
Engine is blown. Best I can tell is the head gasket blew and it threw a rod through the cylinder, that's my guess. It didn't window the block, but something is majorly blown internally. The de-gas bottle was empty (and antifreeze blown everywhere) when they refilled the de-gas bottle, it all dumped into the block as fast as you could pour it in. So, my truck is done. I sold it to the shop it got towed to for $500. I couldn't afford to haul it back up here, and a new motor installed was quoted around $5000...truck was 17 years old, and the transmission was on it's way out anyway. The body was in beat shape, so basically the rear end was salvageable, some parts off the motor like the HPOP, and the actual motor and transmission are trashed. Transmission could have been rebuilt, it was just starting to shift hard, and I was planning for that expense. Never thought the motor would have gone though, water pump, sure, something else, yeah, but to actually blow the motor at 197500 miles...bummer. The interior was pristine, and DH took my nice new stereo out of it and my tools.
Had to get a trucking company to pick up my trailer and haul it back up here, cost me $600, it should be here tonight sometime. DH and my boys are on their way back, had a friend drive down to get them, since I can't drive.
So, all that, and I have to pay another month on that storage and figure out how to empty it. I know what's in it, and it's worth more than what I've paid for the unit. I don't know what to do about a new truck, I can't really afford to start over with payments.

@greybeard that's exactly what we were saying when we were hooking up the horse trailer for him to go get the stuff. Though, Dave is obnoxious.

So, basically nothing got done except my savings account hemorrhaged and I need to get a new truck. The friend that went to get DH and the kids said his FIL has a 2002 Chevy 3500 he is looking to sell, but I did some reading on those and I'm not impressed. It's going to be a fun time getting a new truck with no down payment and no trade in.

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Geeze! If it weren't for bad luck - you'd have no luck at all! That really sucks and I'm sorry you're having to deal with all that in addition to everything ELSE you're dealing with. Hope things get better and that you find a great replacement truck!

 

[CntryBoy777]

That really sucks, AC.....and I do know the feeling....but, from a steep hill to a tall mountain are conquered 1 step at a time. Ya never know what the future holds....nor the opportunities that it may present. It is easy to just lay down and get steam-rolled, but it takes determination and fortitude to push thru a bad situation. It is a good "Teaching Moment" for the young ones there to learn what to do in the "Face of Adversity". It may take a bit, but I have faith in ya coming out of this in good fashion.....tho, it may take ya a little bit to do so.

 

[Latestarter]

So sorry AC... sometimes life just plain sucks. Still better than the alternative I guess... Then again, maybe not depending on your personal/religious beliefs...

 

[Bruce]

If that Chevy truck is in good shape but isn't ideal for you, what if the FIL might be willing to sell it with no down payment or trade in? Maybe it is closer to "acceptable" than you think barring other better options? You could use it as a trade in at a later date for a truck that is what you want/need.

Really sucks that it cost more to get the trailer hauled home than you got for the truck

 

[Baymule]

It didn't rain on you, it hurricaned, tornadoed and flooded. I am sorry about your truck. I hate that it happened.

 

[AClark]

It sucks, I have some good news. Called my bank, got approved for up to $26,000 with no down payment and no trade in - they're sending me a blank check. Sometimes arguing gets your way, they told me 10% interest, and I told them I wasn't interested at all and my credit is too good for that and I deserved better. We negotiated it down to 6. I have no plans on using all of that, maybe half, to keep my payments reasonable. But it gave me a lot of wiggle room and didn't restrict me to getting a junker.

Looked at the Chevy, it's nice, been well maintained and has low mileage, but the friends FIL isn't "in any hurry" to sell it. I made a very fair offer on it so he has something to think about, more than he could get on a trade in, and cash. So, I'm still looking, and it only seats 5 and I need it to seat 6. I haven't found anything else I like at all.
I never considered how hard it would be to replace that truck. Everything I've seen either has in excess of 200,000 miles, has been lifted (which doesn't work well for towing it'll make my trailer ride weird, plus we have a lifted truck and they eat suspension parts up, are more expensive to maintain, and it just isn't worth it), or they want way more than it's even worth. A truck with 220,000 miles that is 15 years old is not worth $20,000. More like $12-13k if that. Most are beat to death or the interior is trashed.
I already decided I didn't want another Ford. I want something a few model years newer, and I am not interested in the 6.0 or 6.4 motors whatsoever. I also decided that while I loved my Ford, I hated how it rode, it was so stiff it was borderline uncomfortable. I made the remark this morning that it rode like a HMWWV, and DH disagreed, he said they ride better.

Maybe I'm too picky, I won't even look at anything that is silver. I've had 3 silver Ford's in a row and I think they are just bad luck for me. I traded in a silver mustang for the silver F350, the mustang didn't even have 100k miles and I had replaced all the steering already, the rack and pinion went out at around 70k miles. The power steering pump was going when I traded it in. I bought that car brand new, but my ex drove it and he can't be bothered to check fluids or air up tires, so the last 50k miles on it weren't nice miles.
There was a Dodge 3500 I was going to look at but it was white (yuck) and a base model. I'd have had to put a tow package and everything on it. I don't feel like downgrading off a SuperDuty XLT to a base model I have to put a ton of crap into so I can use it.
Eh, I have 60 days to find something on this loan before I have to start over on it. I figure I'll wait until I find something I really like, regardless of the fact I don't even have a vehicle right now. I have my 1984 Dodge, but I can only really go to the gas station and the hay farm with it, I have running lights but no blinkers and no brake lights and can't figure out why. It's not a fuse, it's not the bulbs. I think maybe I"ll go put the stereo in it (someone ripped the original tape deck out of it years ago, lol but I have a nice kenwood to stick in it) and maybe try to figure out what's up with the lights so if I need to go anywhere, I can drive it. It's a bit sketchy, it needs new belts and hoses, but for really short trips it should survive. I have to pop the hood to start and shut it off too, the windshield is cracked from a hailstorm, but the motor in it is good, 125k original miles, and has a brand new transmission in it. Also, the speedometer doesn't work, the cable wouldn't screw in when we changed out the transmission. IT's a piece of work for sure, but it has plates and insurance!

I'm only out $100 between what I got for the truck and what I paid to get my trailer back - it's worth it though. My trailer was delivered yesterday morning so it's safe and sound at home. The last thing I needed was to lose my big trailer along with the truck, I think at that point my sanity might have gone with it.

 

[Bruce]

Have DH tell everyone at work that he's looking for a truck with the specs you need and have all those people tell everyone they know. Your truck is out there, you just need to find it.

 

[Baymule]

dodge does have that Cummins engine........

 

[AClark]

Bank screwed up my loan and never actually finished it. I called and raised some hell, they dropped me to 5%. I have the check in hand now.

Still haven't found anything, at all. DH wants me to look at a 2002 2500 (Dodge) with the Cummins...but I told him he can go look at it. First, it's 2WD, second it's an extended cab. Seriously, he's driving a 09 Dodge 1500 crew cab 4x4 on a 6 inch lift with 20 inch XD rims and 35 inch tires, but I'm downgrading to an extended cab? Because lets face it, who really has all the kids in the car all the time, hint, it isn't him. I'm not getting out to go look at that when I know it doesn't meet my needs. He can't buy anything without me since the loan is in my name so basically, it's not happening. That's what happened with the truck, he had already negotiated to sell it without even asking me. I told him that's funny because I had the title for it here in Oklahoma and it required my signature for him to do anything.

The whole thing sucks. I'm beyond pissed off at my husband for this whole thing. Sure, my truck probably would have blown up (or would it, I mean I don't drive like a jerk and check my gauges) up here, but I wouldn't be so totally screwed if it had happened here. The fact that my truck was even down there because of his ex boils my blood.

Wonder if a dealership will take a trade in on the husband? 1970 model, well used but in good shape.