Question about Used TV's with High Mileage.

Dagwood · 02-11-2015, 07:01 PM

I have a question regarding used Tow Vehicles. Currently I own a 2012 Tacoma and it's fine for my needs but of course it would be nice to have a little more power on those longer trips when Pulling my HTT.

I'm not a truck guy by nature but since owning my Tacoma, I wonder why I never had one sooner in life.

My question is about High Mileage Trucks out there because I'm thinking I might like one strickly for Towing. I would not want one for a daily driver.

Obviously Diesels can run forever as some claim and there are some Low cost, Older 2500's out there for less than 10K but the mileage is 2-300k if not more in some cases.

For the gas burners I see 1500's and some 2500's pushing 200K in mileage which I think may be pushing it, but not sure.

If they were cars I would pass without even blinking, but trucks are a different animal.

For you fellow campers out there, when would you start getting nervous when the Odometer starts clicking up in the higher range of Miles. In other words should I just avoid any truck with more than 150K on them or does it just come down to properly maintained vehicles which of course you would never know unless you go over them with a fine tooth comb which I would do anyway.

Thanks in advance

troutslayer · 02-11-2015, 07:14 PM

I would have no problem if it were the original seller, had never done any modifications to the engine and had all of the service records. Wouldn't hurt if the guy (or gal) was say...60 years or so old and always kept the truck garaged. You're golden if they give you the name of the servicing dealer and you go talk to them.

Dagwood · 02-11-2015, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutslayer

I would have no problem if it were the original seller, had never done any modifications to the engine and had all of the service records. Wouldn't hurt if the guy (or gal) was say...60 years or so old and always kept the truck garaged. You're golden if they give you the name of the servicing dealer and you go talk to them.

Good point. I saw one that had the Company Name on it...Those I would avoid at all costs as well. Hard work miles on those trucks I'm sure.

Wrascal · 02-11-2015, 09:07 PM

I was quite leery when I purchased my high mileage/ older model F250 gasoline V10 (2002, 180K miles) but the price was right ($5000). I then put nearly $2000 into a complete servicing. Now I trust it as a TV. Nearly 2 years and 3-4K miles later. I'm currently away from home and camping, depending on it to get us home tomorrow.

Seann45 · 02-12-2015, 09:36 AM

My truck is 11 years old with about 200,000 miles on it.. I would not even consider trading it yet...

Dagwood · 02-12-2015, 10:24 AM

Thanks guys, those are the types of reassuring responses I'm looking for. I'm hoping more folks with the older vehicles chime in.

Wrascal, that's the kind of Purchase Price I'd be happy with. Actually I have a 1985 Mustang I'm thinking about swapping for a Decent "older" Truck. I'm the original owner but in the last 10 years or more, I hardly drive it. I'm talking to the tune of maybe 50 Miles/year, if that. It's got 131Km (81k miles) on it. Not much at all for a 30 year old car.

Tex1961 · 02-12-2015, 10:34 AM

I purchased a used 2002 Yukon with about 180K miles on it.. I did the carfax lookup on it and it had no wrecks, showed good maintenance records, etc.. I figured since it will only be used for towing that I would put less than 1k miles per year on it.. I am very satisfied with the purchase.. Plus whenever one of our regular drivers are down for maintenance, etc. I have a backup vehicle.

You'll see the blurb in my signature line about my neighbor using it. He lets us store our camper in his driveway for free and he works from home and doesn't do 10 miles a week on it.. Helps keep the battery charged and all of the fluids moving..

PoohbearT · 02-12-2015, 10:43 AM

Dagwood, I have over 320 000km on my 2008 Pilot....high mileage doesn't scare me too much

Plowtoy · 02-13-2015, 10:42 AM

What is high mileage? With a good maintenance schedule, there are no reasons average pick ups and suv's shouldn't go 200-300 thousand miles with minimal repairs. I drive an 03 Tahoe with 224K on the clock. I wouldn't heasitate to take it anywhere these days. I bought it a couple years ago with 202k on it from the 2nd owner who put over 100 thousand of those miles on it. As said on a previous post, first thing I did was complete routine maintenance. Serviced both front and rear differantial, transmission (fluid and FILTER, not just a flush), transfercase service and a fuel filter. Thinking about it, I have not serviced the cooling system yet, which i should. Now every year I service the transmission, and fuel filter and keep up with oil changes (which I do use heavier oil for piece of mind). Brakes are inspected every oil change along with rotating the tires. Im sure it helps that I am an ase certified mechanic, but when on the road, you wont find me wrenching on my stuff, unless its a small repair (hose, belt, ect...ect...). If there is a break down, it just goes to a good local shop who comes highly recomended.
I think about it this way. I worked at a new car/truck dealer for 8 years prior to what I am doing now. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't have some kind of warranty work to do. NEW VEHICLES BREAK DOWN TOO! I cant tell you how many transmissions, differantials and even some engines I had to rebuild under factory warranty. Buy something with higher mileage, SAVE A BUNCH OF MONEY on the purchase price vs new, and set aside a few grand for a major repair. Hopefully you never need that money, but at least its there if you do.

**Crabman** · 02-13-2015, 11:16 AM

^^^ Very good points made by Plowtoy. And it covers the reasons I bought an 8 yr old TV with a mere 73K miles on it. I feel it is just getting broke in good, and was less then 1/3 the cost of new.

Dagwood · 02-13-2015, 01:17 PM

Good Points indeed. There are some real good deals to be had for under $8000 around here. It's just a matter of due diligence and knowing what your looking at I guess.

tugboat95 · 02-15-2015, 11:13 AM

I thought the same thing. I recently bought a 99 Suburban with 250k miles on it from a Chevy dealer. A little more assurance coming from a franchise dealer. I drove it 426 miles the next day and then back home two weeks later to "test" it. Found a lagging starter and some spark plug and wire issues. Since then I have put about 600 bucks into it doing routine maintenance issues. Biggest concern when I bought it was the transmission. I had it professionally serviced with a new filter fluid and seals. Tech told me if they all looked that good he would be out of business. I have towed my TT around home twice trying to find issues. Can't fin any. To we and drives like a dream. Outside is a little dinged up but interior is show room clean. It is a gas engine but somebody took care of it. I plan on towing 1000 miles each way in April. I guess it comes down to maintenance. Take care of them and they will last. I will find out for sure in April but I think I took a good gamble for only $2500.

tugboat95 · 02-15-2015, 11:22 AM

When looking for a new vehicle crawl under it. Look for any wet spots on the bottom of the engine and transmission. They clean the tops but rarely the bottom. There will be normal grime but look for anything excessive. If it hit the driveshaft you will see it sprayed on the inside of the frame. It's a real good indication of gasket and seal integrity. Also at both sides of the differential for the same indicators. Not necessarily a deal killer both some gaskets and seals can be expensive to replace so allow in buy negotiations.

Paintinfool3 · 02-15-2015, 11:43 AM

Well as for me mine is older ... I have a 1995 f350 crewcab dually with the 7.3 and manual tranny 178000 on the odometer. Traded a 2005 Yukon for it, and got 4500 dollars back. Since I have owned it the last 4 years I have done turbo boots, cheap enough,u joints and carrier bearing, new clutch and pressure plate, brakes all around,changed exhaust which didn't have to be done but I did it for giggles, new tires and shocks, and a fuel bowl on top of engine. Most of the stuff I did myself because I trust my work over most mechanics, nothing against them lol. I want to keep it maintained as most of the time when I am on the road I am pulling something pretty heavy, but if you buy something brand new you still have to maintain it and unless you are blessed to be able to pay cash for it you have a payment sometimes pretty hefty payment on top of that. my 2 cents

slabat · 02-15-2015, 11:45 AM

I have over 100k on my current tow vehicle and am not concerned about going anywhere with it. I will be doing a trip to the east coast from MN next year towing my trailer. Keep it maintained, don't make it work extremely hard and you can make them last forever. My last one had 250k on it when I sold it, the only reason I did was because we wanted a new camper and it was going to be to big to tow with the truck I had.

jerdog · 02-26-2015, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slabat

I have over 100k on my current tow vehicle and am not concerned about going anywhere with it. I will be doing a trip to the east coast from MN next year towing my trailer. Keep it maintained, don't make it work extremely hard and you can make them last forever. My last one had 250k on it when I sold it, the only reason I did was because we wanted a new camper and it was going to be to big to tow with the truck I had.

I have a 2000 Silverado 1500 with 160,000 miles on it. Bought it used with 33,000 miles on it in '03. Added a Flowmaster exhaust and a K&N Filter system to it a few years back that greatly improved the power and increased fuel mileage somewhat. Have had to replace the fuel pump and power steering pump a while back and now the steering rack is leaking slightly, but other than the usual plastic parts breaking with age, it has been a great TV. Hope to hang on to it for a while because as much as we'd like a newer one, we just can't afford a new one right now.

Lynford · 02-26-2015, 09:59 AM

I also am an owner of a vehicle with over 141000 miles on it, 2008 Dodge Dakota 3,7L that has been very well maintained. Preventative maintenance to some may seem expensive, but in the long run, just the opposite is true. I have owned big rigs as well and always liked and believed that when I left home I wanted to think I was coming back without any major breakdowns. Preventative maintance always allowed that to happen, or maybe I was very lucky.

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