Buying A New Truck But Without All The Hi-Tech Junk

fmdog44

fmdog44

Well-known Member
Location
Houston, Texas
Since I don't need any of the high tech junk I am almost forced to buy a work truck then add what I want. In 2013 I wanted a high performance Ford Mustang but none of the area dealers could find one without all the extras living in Houston. Finally, one dealer found one in Mississippi. Sad how we are forced to buy what we don't need without a battle.
 

fmdog44 said:
Since I don't need any of the high tech junk I am almost forced to buy a work truck then add what I want. In 2013 I wanted a high performance Ford Mustang but none of the area dealers could find one without all the extras living in Houston. Finally, one dealer found one in Mississippi. Sad how we are forced to buy what we don't need without a battle.
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I agree, and so does a friend living in California...he & I both are looking for [perhaps] new rides. He a 2003 Dodge Dakota & me a 2002 F-150..each acquiring rust. neither of us want a techno-gizmo-vehicle ....so the search begins.
 
New cars and trucks are loaded with all these "high tech" features....wifi, bluetooth, OnStar, etc.,etc. It's almost as driving is supposed to be a form of "entertainment", rather than getting to/from somewhere. All that crap does is contribute to Distracted Driving. Then, everything is controlled by the on board computer/BCM, to the point where the average person is no longer able to diagnose/fix anything but the most basic problems. All this does is force a person to go to the dealer for nearly everything...and boost their profits. IMO, about the Only technological advance, in recent years, that makes a vehicle better is fuel injection...rather than a carburetor.
 

The radio in my car has not worked for about 5 months and I am in no hurry to fix it.
There are some "gizmos" that I do like such as automatic headlights when it gets dark or I turn on the wipers. Cruise is good on the rare occasions that I travel on the interstate.
 
Interesting take, y'all, on the modern conveniences. Neo-Luddites on Wheels? I am nuts about my new truck, with its bells and whistles. GPS makes things so easy when I'm calling on clients, all over my area. XFM keeps me entertained during drives through the middle of nowhere. Hands-free cellular calls keep me in touch with those I choose to converse with.

The on-screen monitoring of my truck's functions helps avoid unpleasant surprises. The back-up camera warns me about things behind me, and the front camera gives me info on those things I can't see out the windscreen.

I only wish I had side and lane change warnings, but they didn't have those options on my truck. Why sweat repairs? I buy a new vehicle every two years, so I never worry, too much, about maintenance, and if my truck is in the shop, I get a free loaner truck. Easy as pie! Junk? Oh, I must strongly disagree! Bring on more and more new conveniences and safety features!
 
The main reason that I prefer a simple dependable vehicle is strictly the price.

In 2012 I purchased a basic Chevrolet Colorado work truck to buzz around town and be able to haul my flea market finds.

The next year or so Chevrolet redesigned the Colorado into what I consider a luxury vehicle with a price befitting that luxury.

I'm not sure what I will buy next, all I really need is something like a street legal John Deere Gator!

TX_Turf_Gator_studio_524612_large_3016e14959c396d16240564eea2badf5911fabe6.jpg
 
fmdog44 said:
Since I don't need any of the high tech junk I am almost forced to buy a work truck then add what I want. In 2013 I wanted a high performance Ford Mustang but none of the area dealers could find one without all the extras living in Houston. Finally, one dealer found one in Mississippi. Sad how we are forced to buy what we don't need without a battle.
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Good for you fmdog, I know what you mean and feel the same way. Our truck has been with us for a long time and very reliable over the years, had many good times traveling down dirt roads and over mountain passes to escapes in the backwoods with it. It's a 1992 Dodge Ram we bought new, 4WD, W250 Cummins Diesel with 75,000 miles on it.

We're thinking of buying a new one in a couple of years, we use a slide in pop-up camper on it and a new one will have better suspension and it would be our first automatic truck. But, when we set out to buy a new one, it will still be a Dodge diesel 4wd, but as basic as possible, without all the hi-tech extras that we have no interest in.
 
Instead of buying a new vehicle for thirty, forty or fifty thousand would it make sense to spend half that on a major overhaul of an existing vehicle.

I drive less and less each year, I also don't really pay much attention to the value of the vehicle.

My main concern is dependability.
 
treeguy64 said:
Interesting take, y'all, on the modern conveniences. Neo-Luddites on Wheels? I am nuts about my new truck, with its bells and whistles. GPS makes things so easy when I'm calling on clients, all over my area. XFM keeps me entertained during drives through the middle of nowhere. Hands-free cellular calls keep me in touch with those I choose to converse with. The on-screen monitoring of my truck's functions helps avoid unpleasant surprises. The back-up camera warns me about things behind me, and the front camera gives me info on those things I can't see out the windscreen. I only wish I had side and lane change warnings, but they didn't have those options on my truck. Why sweat repairs? I buy a new vehicle every two years, so I never worry, too much, about maintenance, and if my truck is in the shop, I get a free loaner truck. Easy as pie! Junk? Oh, I must strongly disagree! Bring on more and more new conveniences and safety features!
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Gizmos are ok if you like or need them but my point was why pay for what you don't want? Most vehicles made in the last ten years re good for 300,000+ miles if properly maintained. Buying every two years to me is paying the taxes and the dealer additions for no reason because a two year old vehicle if properly maintained is like new. A friend of mine has been doing that since way back, but to each his own. :)
 
SeaBreeze said:
Good for you fmdog, I know what you mean and feel the same way. Our truck has been with us for a long time and very reliable over the years, had many good times traveling down dirt roads and over mountain passes to escapes in the backwoods with it. It's a 1992 Dodge Ram we bought new, 4WD, W250 Cummins Diesel with 75,000 miles on it.

We're thinking of buying a new one in a couple of years, we use a slide in pop-up camper on it and a new one will have better suspension and it would be our first automatic truck. But, when we set out to buy a new one, it will still be a Dodge diesel 4wd, but as basic as possible, without all the hi-tech extras that we have no interest in.
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I am reading nothing but good things about Ram trucks. I was leaning toward Ford but they steal a lot of them in Texas nd now days Ram, Ford, Chevy are pretty much as good as each other. Titan offers a 10 year warranty.
 
Our old truck before that was a Dodge Power Wagon, another reliable vehicle we really enjoyed and had for many years.
 
Aunt Bea said:
Instead of buying a new vehicle for thirty, forty or fifty thousand would it make sense to spend half that on a major overhaul of an existing vehicle.

I drive less and less each year, I also don't really pay much attention to the value of the vehicle.

My main concern is dependability.
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I'm having to think about a new truck soon. Not looking forward to it at all. I did have sort of a major overhaul about 4 years ago, mostly suspension and radiator. It has extended the life. Needs brakes and tires and has started using oil. It is now 22 years old. I don't think another overhaul would be a good idea, because I'll probably still have to get at least one more new one, after that. :rolleyes:
 
NancyNGA said:
I'm having to think about a new truck soon. Not looking forward to it at all. I did have sort of a major overhaul about 4 years ago, mostly suspension and radiator. It has extended the life. Needs brakes and tires and has started using oil. It is now 22 years old. I don't think another overhaul would be a good idea, because I'll probably still have to get at least one more new one, after that. :rolleyes:
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FYI Ford is bringing back the Ranger in 2019.
 
I actually agree with what Treeguy says about how handy all of the new features are !
My daughter just bough a brand new special-order Mini-Cooper, and it has all of those hi-tech options on it. She was working in Orlando for a week and invited me to drive down with her and spend the week, so I got to see how the little Mini-Cooper could do all of those fancy things, and it was awesome what all it can do.
As far as actually buying a vehicle that does all of that, I don’t think that I drive enough anymore to make it worth the cost, even if I could afford one; but for someone who drives very much, I think that it is great.
Here is a picture of her new Mini.

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fmdog44 said:
I am reading nothing but good things about Ram trucks. I was leaning toward Ford but they steal a lot of them in Texas nd now days Ram, Ford, Chevy are pretty much as good as each other. Titan offers a 10 year warranty.
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I have a 2013 Ram 1500. Bought it new, nicest truck I have ever owned. Made several trips up and down the East coast, hauling the camper, nary a hiccup.
March 2013 44,odd thousand miles. Service Electronic Throttle light came on. two weeks later they gave it back to me. New TPIM, Camshaft position sensor,PCM and Body Control Module. My share was 600 bucks. approximately 300 miles later, same thing. They replaced an internal transmission sensor, and believe it or not the drive by wire gas pedal. Guy called me Friday, no luck. Now they are going for a whole new wiring harness.

Reading the interweb, I see that this is far from an isolated incidence, but FCA does not seem to have a cure or a clue. If this does not work I am going to pursue a buyback under a provision of the Moss- Magnusson act.



Odd thing is, I still prefer a Ram before the other two.
 
"Technology", in these newer vehicles is Great...Until it Breaks. Then, the repair bills can go off the charts. A couple of years ago, I had a problem with the Impala...whenever I kicked it into passing gear, I got a message on the dashboard saying that "the Traction Control is failing", and the shift points became very harsh...until I shut the car off, and restarted it, at which point things returned to normal. I took it to the dealer, and they hooked up their "code reader", and fiddled with the car for over two hours before they finally found that the "Mass Airflow Sensor" had built up some dirt. They replaced it for a charge of over $400. This is such a common problem that the auto parts stores are now selling a cleaning kit for these sensors for $5, and recommend that this sensor be cleaned every time the air filter is replaced....it's an easy 5 minute job....and if a new sensor is needed, it costs about $15.

I was thinking about buying a Ford Escape....until I spent some time looking under the hood. Ford puts the battery way up at the back of the engine...right up under the cowling under the drivers side windshield wiper. Normally, changing the battery on most vehicles is an easy 5 minute job. On the Escape, several parts must be removed, before the battery is accessible, and then it almost takes someone with superhuman strength to wrestle the battery out and back in....probably costs an extra $200 labor just to replace a battery.

I've talked to several people who have had some of this "gee whiz" stuff break, and they all lament the extreme costs involved in getting it repaired. About the only way to avoid these charges is to replace the vehicle before the warranty runs out...and tolerate the huge costs of vehicle deprecation.

I've worked on cars since I was a teenager, and always done my own repairs and maintenance, but its getting to the point where anything other than changing the oil and filters is a major hassle. If you want some real fun, try replacing the rear spark plugs on one of these transverse mounted front wheel drive V6 engines.
 
I can't remember ever having an issue with the electronics on any vehicle, going back to my 1990 Audi Coupe Quattro. Never. I do remember the hood latch breaking on my MB suv. Now THAT was a major pain. The folks at the shop cussed me for days. Moral of the story? Don't by a vehicle with a hood latch. Sooner or later it will break. :)
 
I'm still driving my 1987 Mazda B2200. A year ago I did a major overhaul and it runs like a top. It needs a coat of paint tho. It should last another 10 years as we don't routinely drive it. I use my 2014 Smart car for running around to classes and on errands. I find a lot of the modern technology downright annoying. The Smart has some but not a whole lot like some of the newer ones.
 
fmdog44 said:
FYI Ford is bringing back the Ranger in 2019.
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That is good news, fmdog44! My '86 Ranger was my favorite vehicle ever. This is my '97 F-150 nose to nose with a newer F-150 today in a parking lot. The new one has a crew cab, and mine is just an extended cab, but as far as looks, they ruined the front end, I think. :p

newf150.jpg
 
Lethe200 said:
Not at all. I'm surprised nobody suggested to you ordering from the factory. We did this, got exactly what we wanted in a little over 5 weeks.
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Elaborate because one cannot order item by item any more instead, from what I have experienced you are forced to upgrade to one of three or four upgrades like leather seats if you want a certain item.
 
Hey, fmdog44, they got rid of the ugly front end, like is on the F-150! That's the one I want! I may go shopping now. :)
 

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