Nothing like looking through old pictures to remember bad decisions in past car sales, is there? That photo dates back to 2005…the silver Ram is a 2001 5.9-powered Quad Cab that took the place of the worst vehicle in my history, a 1999 Blazer that broke down more often than a teenage girl that got dumped before prom. It was a good truck, performed well enough, but didn’t have the excitement that I wanted. The other truck is a 1984 Dodge Ram D150, a 318/four-speed shortbed I found in a front yard in Illinois with a “FOR SALE” sign in the windshield. $1,700 took it home, and after a set of tires, new shocks all the way around and a basic sound system was installed, it was a sweetheart of a truck. I had intended to give the D150 to my dad, but he wasn’t having any of that, soI drove it across the country that summer after my first deployment to Iraq before heading back to Texas, where my Diplomat was going to come out of paint. I wound up selling it to a buddy for a decent price and last I heard, it lives somewhere in the Oklahoma City area.
It’s not those two trucks themselves that are the subject of today’s Question of the Day, but what they represent. Here’s what really triggered this idea: yesterday I drove a 1993 GMC Sierra SL…one of the most base packages you could’ve found. The guy who is partnered with me on the limo deal scored this beast for a $100. No shit. Running, driving, 4.3L V6 backed by an NV4500 with the lowest first gear I’ve seen in a production vehicle, working air conditioning, the whole deal. It’s not pretty, it’s got rotted cab corners, and the interior’s Whorehouse Red plastics haven’t held up color-wise to the wrath of the sun, but it runs like a champ and I’m honestly jealous of the score. This is a truck that is an easy fix, easy to modify if that itch needs to be scratched, or is good enough left alone. I don’t know what I’d change, really.
But would I take a brand-new truck over this thing? I’m not kidding when I say I wouldn’t. I’d leave the V6 alone and only do visuals before I would take a new truck on, and that’s not because of the cost of a new truck, either. There is something about the way this Sierra felt, and drove, that no new truck I’ve driven in the last few years has come close to duplicating. There is something in the slight vibrations from the V6 and the shake of the shifter that make me think that I’m in something more capable. There’s a confidence in shifting the NV4500 without the clutch that you pretty much can’t get anymore. But maybe I’m wrong.
But that’s where you come in, readers. I want you to think about this for a second: brand choice is yours, but take the “old” truck of your dreams and compare it to the best of the modern-day. Dollar for dollar, pound for pound, which one would you choose? We know the modern trucks are capable of amazing feats of actual work, but we also know how expensive they can be fresh off of the lot. We know the charms of the older trucks, but we also know the weaknesses…power levels, parts availability, and the ever-present rust. Tell us your choice below!
Those 4.3 GM 800’s were really good! For me, as a life-long cheapskate, I can not fathom buying any vehicle new, unless it’s something that has extremely slow depreciation. Even though I make real money now, I still have this overriding mindset that I’m not worthy of “new”. I know how much I fret over quality paint jobs on my classics, can’t imagine fussing over a 100% fresh truck. And how are ya gonna really work it if ya can’t load gravel or lumber or old engines into it for fear of damage? My current truck is 13 years old, and if it gets consistently unreliable, I’ll track down a 2-3 year old to replace it.
I would take a new F250 4×4 standard cab with the options I want about 48,000$. A lot of money, but it would be the last truck I would ever buy
I work construction and the truck I own and have daily driven for the last 10 yrs is a 1993 W250 Dodge Cummins, I think my choice is obvious.
If I could just have one magically show up in my garage at no cost? I’d take a new truck, with less wear and tear, more fuel economy, and more luxuries. But dollar for dollar, a new $60,000 truck isn’t 30 times the truck a $2,000 beater is.
In 1983 I bought my first truck. A 1973 Chevy C10 from one of my dad’s employees, 800 bucks, missing the ac compressor and it had a rear spring kit for a once installed camper. His business was a scrap metal recycle yard. I took a compressor off of an engine that came in scrap and it worked perfectly (for 10 years). One day a local Grainger store called and said they had some electric motors to scrap and would we pick them up. It was a long bed and could hold 10 55 gallon barrels. I filled all those barrels to the top, and then put some of the larger motors on top of that. I had put 100 lbs of air pressure in the tires to handle the extra weight. When loaded, the truck looked like a lowrider (dropped about 4 inches all around). I pulled on the truck scale and WOW !, I grossed at just over 14000 lbs. I can’t believe I didn’t bend the frame…..What a work horse and a truck I will always miss.
Hands down, I would take the older truck. I simply don’t need or want all the fluff the new trucks have.
Buy a $50,000+ new truck, drive it off the lot and the value plummets – then continues plummeting as the years wear on.
Buy a nicely restored ’72 C10 for $20k and watch the value climb while everyone compliments your awesome ride.
Easy choice.
New. I use my truck as a DD and family car and tow vehicle. I have a couple of others classics I use for shows and cruising.
I love my classics, but I definitely want the reliability and creature comforts of the newer vehicles in my daily driver.
I drive a 2002 silverado with 264K miles. It needs a new a/c compressor but that’s it. Owned it for 6 yrs now and pit 110K miles on the beast. Never done a tuneup and still have not replaced the front brakes yet!
Because I don’t need a truck for my income or employment, price has very much made my decision on owning an old truck. $50,000 new truck comes with $500/mo payment for 6 years. I can think of a billion things I can do with that money. I drive a 67 GMC C1500, see Project Hay Hauler here on BS, I paid $2000 for a running driving truck that wasn’t butchered. I now have $7000 in the truck including new engine, trans, interior, and wheels and tires.
I have to ask what your basic new 1/2 ton long bed does that this 1/2 ton long doesn’t do? Really? AC? Built in GPS? Cruise control? Haul 1/2 ton of crap? What does a new truck do that it is worth 6 times the cost for the most entry level new pickup?
I will not pay 50k for anything that does not have a deed or address.If you need a “truck” not a big open air trunk car. An older truck is always the way to go . I would spend 20k on a 93 or so dodge cab and a half with a stick and of course a Cummins. Had a 98 like that .Used it 6 days a week as a truck .Put 250k miles on be for I let her go .Very good truck. Any of the big 3 makers trucks from 90 and older were good work horses.
Follow up to this article: the red 1993 Sierra overheated last night. Still don’t care and couldn’t pass up the deal.
My 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins 5 speed has been a really good truck. 2002 is the last year before catalytic converters and all those other emissions requirements started to appear. I’ve owned it for the last 15 years and plan to still have it when I die. In other words I ain’t interested in a new one.
glenn you be in CA? my 03 ram hd has no cat for the diesel/five speed. runs great. pulls 11K lb fifth wheel. in the rockies. runs 16mpg on the eastern CO flats.with the fifth wheel. bought new. don’t see anything i would pay for today that is new. way too much electronics to fail.