testtest

Buying a new car/truck?

Winchester67

Winchester67

Custom
Biden's gas mileage requirements took a lot of capable V6 sedans off the market. My wife had a Prius when I met her, and it was a great car but the big battery has an "end date" and when we hit it a replacement battery was $4000 plus. I am retired, so gas mileage is not really a concern because I have always been willing to pay to play so to speak. And I don't have a 40 mile daily commute or anything. So I am thinking while Mr. T is in office perhaps it is time for me to buy what may well be my last car/truck with 60 years old in the rear view mirror. A Ford Heavy Duty four wheel drive is still available with an old fashioned regular V8. A Heavy Duty Truck driven like a car will easily last 20 years. So would a regular F150 I suppose for that matter. Would the Heavy Duty be worth the extra coin? My heirs would think so I suspect, when they inherit a V8 truck with all the right options with low miles the likes of which have not been available for years by then. I also suspect by the time a Ford Truck treated like a car wears out, if not before, I will probably want something smaller. I will retain the Cobra until I can no longer drive a stick shift, aka the day I die. So "fun" is a factor but not the factor.

Sedans? V8's seem to be gone, V6's on the way out. A six would be the minimum. If a red-faced straining turbo motor is called for, well, I don't have to worry about buying before Mr. T is out of office anyway. A Honda Ridgeline is a crappy truck if you honestly need a truck, but I like them as a car and frankly my hard work truck days are over. But they ride nice for a truck, are reasonably quiet and I can still haul stuff as needed. Perhaps the SUV version it sprang from, the Passport. The Mazda inline six perked up my ears, even though it has a turbo. I love an inline six. The old Ford seven main bearing six was a real workhorse. BMW's and Mercs have really gone downhill in terms of long term quality. Not like the old days at all. They are great cars for the first owner by design. But as the miles roll on, I am not going to accept those repair bills.

Sound off-what do you think a fella looking for a long term V6 or V8 should get?
 
How about a 6.4 Hemi with 6sp. Less than 6,000 miles on an always garaged 13 year old car? Every conceivable option.
Peripheral neuropathy is beginning to affect my pedal feel.
 

Attachments

  • JPEG image 7Sm.jpg
    JPEG image 7Sm.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 16
I should have said "I am looking for an automatic". Not right now...but my bad knee is making itself known now and I am thinking in the future I may have to have an automatic.

That Hemi is a honorable successor to the 426 made justifiably famous in the 60's-70's. It is a monster!
 
Don't know much about diesels outside of a couple of Mercedes diesels, one turbo one without, back in the 80's-90's. They were long milage machines, both in terms of range and longevity. However, for a long term plan that may be the really smart play. Diesel haulers will be around longer than even gas machines, but I don't honestly see gas going away in my lifetime. Never trust a politician however. Any diesel engines to avoid?
 
Had to look up DEF. See previous entry about never trust a politician. When the 2005 new body style Mustangs came out I knew a girl that had one; V6 with an automatic. Would leave my 67 Mustang with a 289 and three at the knee in the dust. I appreciate V6 technology. An honest 300 HP on the street is a pretty good number really. Ones drivers license can be under real strain in a modern V8 Mustang for sure. A friend wants to me to sell the collector cars and buy a new V8 Mustang convertible and be done with it. From a practical standpoint he is probably right. But I can't let go of the 65 Cobra just yet.
 
I'd like to get a new Mustang but I'd get the turbo-4 (315 hp/350 lbs torque) in it since the lower weight up front helps with the handling, and the much better mileage. The only thing I don't like is they went with an all electric dash, plus more computers.

The aftermarket can improve the hp numbers.

www.hotrod.com

Dude, Where Are My Cylinders?! Can a Turbo 2.3-Liter EcoBoost Four-Banger 2024 Mustang Still Be a Fun Hot Rod?

V-8 lovers take a 2024 2.3-liter four-cylinder turbo EcoBoost Ford Mustang on the Hot Rod Power Tour West to see if modern tech can replace more cylinders!
www.hotrod.com www.hotrod.com

Where I live we have a lot of long-distance high-speed driving, and the V8 won't give me anything different performance-wise than the Eco-Boost turbo-4, but with higher fuel consumption.
 
I am a little leery of turbo's and the complexity they bring. Admittedly, Buick T-Type in the 90's and the aforementioned Mercedes are all the practical "ownership" experience I have had...I didn't own them, but my two best friends did so I was around them a lot and drove them a lot. I know times have changed a lot since then. But I still want a loafing V8 or V6 for the longevity. I got better mileage from a V6 SUV than a friend with the 4 cylinder version because my engine was never under stress. The four was working harder...turbos work harder still.
 
I stand corrected! I forgot about the Desoto Firedome (great name) and the Imperial Firepower (even better name)! My old man used to drive an Imperial. Because he said "You can't outrun the State Patrol without a 440 Chrysler". He was kidding of course, but it made an impression on me.
 
Winchester67 said:
I am a little leery of turbo's and the complexity they bring. Admittedly, Buick T-Type in the 90's and the aforementioned Mercedes are all the practical "ownership" experience I have had...I didn't own them, but my two best friends did so I was around them a lot and drove them a lot. I know times have changed a lot since then. But I still want a loafing V8 or V6 for the longevity. I got better mileage from a V6 SUV than a friend with the 4 cylinder version because my engine was never under stress. The four was working harder...turbos work harder still.
Click to expand...
With all engines it depends on how you drive and maintain it.

Fords' 2.3 Eco-Boost came right out of their racing business so it's a proven system. They say you can get 250-300K out of the Eco-boost if you're not abusing it and/or aftermarket tuning it past 350-400 hp.

If you're hammering the engine all the time with the turbo kicking in and out that's extra wear & tear.

In my Western Region it would be long-distance 65-75 mph driving for hours on end, on cruise control 95% of the time.

If I got a Mustang I'd get the rear seats taken out to save weight & put a seat delete kit in since it's just me & one other. In a Mustang they're really useless unless you're a contortionist. With the extra room in the back for gear that would work for me.

I just went to the Ford site & built the Mustang I want for 45K. Works for me.

My .02

BTW - If I wanted a new big truck I'd get a 95-97 Ford F-350 crew-cab long-bed Super Duty diesel and get it rebuilt. No DEF and one computer.

My dream truck, but would need to win the lottery first. ;)
 
Last edited:
Winchester67 said:
Biden's gas mileage requirements took a lot of capable V6 sedans off the market. My wife had a Prius when I met her, and it was a great car but the big battery has an "end date" and when we hit it a replacement battery was $4000 plus. I am retired, so gas mileage is not really a concern because I have always been willing to pay to play so to speak. And I don't have a 40 mile daily commute or anything. So I am thinking while Mr. T is in office perhaps it is time for me to buy what may well be my last car/truck with 60 years old in the rear view mirror. A Ford Heavy Duty four wheel drive is still available with an old fashioned regular V8. A Heavy Duty Truck driven like a car will easily last 20 years. So would a regular F150 I suppose for that matter. Would the Heavy Duty be worth the extra coin? My heirs would think so I suspect, when they inherit a V8 truck with all the right options with low miles the likes of which have not been available for years by then. I also suspect by the time a Ford Truck treated like a car wears out, if not before, I will probably want something smaller. I will retain the Cobra until I can no longer drive a stick shift, aka the day I die. So "fun" is a factor but not the factor.

Sedans? V8's seem to be gone, V6's on the way out. A six would be the minimum. If a red-faced straining turbo motor is called for, well, I don't have to worry about buying before Mr. T is out of office anyway. A Honda Ridgeline is a crappy truck if you honestly need a truck, but I like them as a car and frankly my hard work truck days are over. But they ride nice for a truck, are reasonably quiet and I can still haul stuff as needed. Perhaps the SUV version it sprang from, the Passport. The Mazda inline six perked up my ears, even though it has a turbo. I love an inline six. The old Ford seven main bearing six was a real workhorse. BMW's and Mercs have really gone downhill in terms of long term quality. Not like the old days at all. They are great cars for the first owner by design. But as the miles roll on, I am not going to accept those repair bills.

Sound off-what do you think a fella looking for a long term V6 or V8 should get?
Click to expand...
well i think Audi has a V-8 engine, BMW, and Mercedes....and Lexus...nearly all these car companies build here in the states.

then the Cadillac Escalade, and other trucks.

thing is as mentioned by Taylyn, ALL those dang blasted computers.......when one goes, expect at the very minimum a $2,000 repair bill.

which is why when i have ever bought a new car, or truck for myself, or a new car for the wife, i always opted to get the factory extended warranty, for many years of "protection"

to me, well worth the (nowadays) extra $2,000 to $3,000 extra cost.

but that's me, "protecting" my investment.

now, we here have been HUGE Toyota fans for many years, and as such, at our ages, we get the 4 cylinders, non-turbo.

with turbos, you really need to pay attention to PM services, such as oil, oil filter changes, engine air filter(s) as well.

yes, todays automotive turbos are better than bygone years, and YES an automotive turbo "comes on as needed", so "cool down time" is not an issue like on the 18 wheelers that i drove, where the turbo is "always needed", and cool down time is super important.

but, if you go turbo...??

i'd still highly recommend that factory extended warranty, cuz that engine is gonna get destroyed when that turbo "goes out to lunch"
 
I'm a dinosaur. I think my brain is allergic to unibody.

To me, a turbo is just an added extra unnecessary expensive part to fail. My 3/4 truck and all the cars are all V8s, and it seems my next car will have to be another pickup truck.

If I want a new big comfortable car now. F150s make a pretty nice car, and the EPA has made it the new big car everybody wants
 
Last edited:
My wife and I purchased a 2025 Mazda CX-70 a few months ago. We love it. It has a very peppy 3.3 Turbo In-Line Six, and all-wheel drive. The handling of it reminds me of a sports car, not an SUV. Both the wife and I have had Mazda's in the past, so we know they last. As far as trucks go, I am probably on my last truck. I'm 60 years old and my truck is a 2020 Ram 2500 4x4 with the Cummins diesel. I've done a few mods to it, but the best and most important one was the emissions delete. I live in BY GOD TEXAS, so I don't have any fear of silly emissions laws. The emissions delete will likely allow me to keep this truck as my last one, since it should now run well past the time and age when I will still need a truck like that. But this all works for me, I'm sure it would not work out well for others.
 
OldGrunt said:
My wife and I purchased a 2025 Mazda CX-70 a few months ago. We love it. It has a very peppy 3.3 Turbo In-Line Six, and all-wheel drive. The handling of it reminds me of a sports car, not an SUV. Both the wife and I have had Mazda's in the past, so we know they last. As far as trucks go, I am probably on my last truck. I'm 60 years old and my truck is a 2020 Ram 2500 4x4 with the Cummins diesel. I've done a few mods to it, but the best and most important one was the emissions delete. I live in BY GOD TEXAS, so I don't have any fear of silly emissions laws. The emissions delete will likely allow me to keep this truck as my last one, since it should now run well past the time and age when I will still need a truck like that. But this all works for me, I'm sure it would not work out well for others.
Click to expand...
Just so you are aware that some municipalities in Texas are bringing back emissions testing.
 
Winchester67 said:
Biden's gas mileage requirements took a lot of capable V6 sedans off the market. My wife had a Prius when I met her, and it was a great car but the big battery has an "end date" and when we hit it a replacement battery was $4000 plus. I am retired, so gas mileage is not really a concern because I have always been willing to pay to play so to speak. And I don't have a 40 mile daily commute or anything. So I am thinking while Mr. T is in office perhaps it is time for me to buy what may well be my last car/truck with 60 years old in the rear view mirror. A Ford Heavy Duty four wheel drive is still available with an old fashioned regular V8. A Heavy Duty Truck driven like a car will easily last 20 years. So would a regular F150 I suppose for that matter. Would the Heavy Duty be worth the extra coin? My heirs would think so I suspect, when they inherit a V8 truck with all the right options with low miles the likes of which have not been available for years by then. I also suspect by the time a Ford Truck treated like a car wears out, if not before, I will probably want something smaller. I will retain the Cobra until I can no longer drive a stick shift, aka the day I die. So "fun" is a factor but not the factor.

Sedans? V8's seem to be gone, V6's on the way out. A six would be the minimum. If a red-faced straining turbo motor is called for, well, I don't have to worry about buying before Mr. T is out of office anyway. A Honda Ridgeline is a crappy truck if you honestly need a truck, but I like them as a car and frankly my hard work truck days are over. But they ride nice for a truck, are reasonably quiet and I can still haul stuff as needed. Perhaps the SUV version it sprang from, the Passport. The Mazda inline six perked up my ears, even though it has a turbo. I love an inline six. The old Ford seven main bearing six was a real workhorse. BMW's and Mercs have really gone downhill in terms of long term quality. Not like the old days at all. They are great cars for the first owner by design. But as the miles roll on, I am not going to accept those repair bills.

Sound off-what do you think a fella looking for a long term V6 or V8 should get?
Click to expand...
Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
Go find a used low mile 2023 with the V6. Roomy, has lots of gusto and is a kick *** ride…
Last of the V6 tacomas

Love mine..
IMG_0766.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top