What would you do?

I had a couple colorado's in the fleet I had to manage and they were really uncomforable and tinny. After I drove the first one I offloaded those things as fast as possible. Also, they don't seem heavy enough to pull a 22' safely.
 
sillawydna":4u70phx3 said:
sillawydna spelled backwards is...
Click to expand...
Good to hear from you Andy. I was hoping you would show up soon. Request an album next. As you can see, I'm still lurking. Oh, fix the truck Johnr! And good luck!
 
1989 chevy, i see you too are a man of fine taste. I'd spend the 1500.
 
If its rusty I'd drop it like a bad habit. If not I would consider fixing it pending the likelihood of being able pay for a new one.
 
I'm very happy with my Highlander and it tows my cd22 great. Just pulled it from Wisconsin to Seattle this past summer and had no problems with the high passes out of Yellowstone np.
 
The new Colorado has the highest power ratings in it's class. Tow rating is for 7000 pounds when properly equipped. Delete This?
D.D.
 
I'm towing my 16 in Fl with an 89 Chevy Celebrity wagon that has 215K. I picked my 16 up in Mississippi with this car as well. I don't go over 60 and take off slow and I'm careful with everything. I changed the transmission fluid when I came back from Mississippi. If moneys no object to Hell with it and get something newer because I ain't seen no Hearses with luggage racks if you know what I mean. Another nice thing about older cars, no one will look to see if there is any thing worth taking out.
 
I'm towing my 16 in Fl with an 89 Chevy Celebrity wagon that has 215K. I picked my 16 up in Mississippi with this car as well. I don't go over 60 and take off slow and I'm careful with everything. I changed the transmission fluid when I came back from Mississippi. If moneys no object to Hell with it and get something newer because I ain't seen no Hearses with luggage racks if you know what I mean. Another nice thing about older cars, no one will look to see if there is any thing worth taking out.
 
Well, if you had a newer boat I'd say sell the truck, sell the boat, put a hitch on the Element and buy a 16 footer. But,even I wouldn't consider selling such a beautiful restored 82 Classic. So, I vote for option 2. Scrap (or sell) the Chevy, sell the Element, and buy a brand new (or very late model, low milage) daily driver that can also tow. By the way, I think those Honda Elements get top dollar.
 
jimicliff":25i9j0h7 said:
I'm towing my 16 in Fl with an 89 Chevy Celebrity wagon ...Another nice thing about older cars, no one will look to see if there is any thing worth taking out.
Click to expand...

That is true! Stealth tow rig that you don't have to worry too much about when it is parked at the ramp. I could see big plusses to that. (Then I guess just give your trailer the "waterworld" treatment to match :D)
 
dotnmarty":39ipbp3w said:
Well, if you had a newer boat I'd say sell the truck, sell the boat, put a hitch on the Element and buy a 16 footer. But,even I wouldn't consider selling such a beautiful restored 82 Classic. So, I vote for option 2. Scrap (or sell) the Chevy, sell the Element, and buy a brand new (or very late model, low milage) daily driver that can also tow. By the way, I think those Honda Elements get top dollar.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the compliment about the restoration, but it's not restored. It's just still nice. If you saw it up close, you'd see that it's not restored!

Still thinking about it, but I'm leaning towards a new-ish vehicle.
 
I would look hard at the mileage on the engine....and if needed,... I would buy a remanufactured or new engine.... on line... check the price of a basic 350 new engine... not bad.. then I would call small shops and find one that would do a R+R (remove and replace)...a December fair price is $400.. (not much work in December) remember you will need to have the radiator rebuilt and a new water pump... but you will find for not a ton of cash you can have a very dependable tow vehicle.... if it were me I would also replace the transmission with a rebuilt one..and new U joints...

Much cheeper than a new truck payment and dependable...On my 2001 Chevrolet I even replaced the seat with a 2008 Tahoe leather 6 way seat.. for about $600 (heated too)
 
Maybe I should explain why I believe in rebuilding.... I tow often and long distance so I end us staying in some real out of the way places.... the thieves walk by my ole truck to hit ones with goodies...I have had a truck stolen not 50' away from mine... I have lost a spare tire and had my camper shell broken in to but that's nothing.. (I live in Southern California)

Joel
SEA3PO
 
The trouble with putting 3 or 4 thousand dollars into a 1500 dollar truck would be you might never get that out of it. I mean the labor all the accessories like the water pump, alternator, radiator plus the motor and transmission rebush. All new hoses, maybe a heater core, might as well do the universal joints while you are at it. It just never ends. It's different if you enjoy doing that stuff but if anything goes wrong it's on you. If it were stolen or totaled after being broad sided by a soccer mom you would be out the dollars. Plus the fuel mileage on the newer trucks might be a little better. A new unit might even include a warranty of some type. We use to replace motors and transmissions in our service trucks. We figured the truck was not going to be worth the extra money we dumped into it. So we just started dumping them when they got to 125K. JMHO
D.D.
 
Thanks for all the good and thoughtful advice. I sold the Honda Element today and bought a 4 door, V6, long bed, Toyota Tacoma with a tow package (used, late model, low mile). It's a beast. I still have the old Chevy (head gasket not fixed), I need to figure out what to do with it.
 
Congrats on the truck. In case you're interested, I recently installed a pair of Firestone Air Helper springs from eTrailer (here) for my Tacoma.

They work great and are easy to install.
 
Best not to wait too long to fix the blown head gasket or you will find a rusted tight motor....it does not take long to rust the cylinders and rings.....antifreeze eats bearing material and will make all your bearings go soft... then for sure you will need a exchange motor..

Joel
 
Back
Top