My truck evolutionary history has taken me from 85 chevy 1/2 ton pos in college through... 92 Toyota 4x4... 97 Ram 1500 4x4... 95 Ford F150... 2000 Ram 1500 4x4... 2001 Ram 2500 4x4 CTD (the 1st diesel)... over the years until my current status of 2003 3500 4x4 CTD gear grinding tow-beast you see in my profile today. Except for the Ford and the Chevy... all have been acquired new and generally tricked out with the higher end OEM offerings of creature comfort etc. I have truly reached my own pinacle of trucks and will never go back to gas again.

Now, don't get me wrong... my current truck is probably as good as it gets in my world. It tows my camper/jeep/goose combo with ease... it's a friggin' blast empty with the minor mods I've done... and I am ulta confident in its realiability. I get lots of compliments and admirers etc. as any CTD owner should.

BUT... ya ever wanna chuck it all... just to buy something old-school with plenty of life left in it to build up and make it unique to you while still having the kick-butt ability of the new stuff?

I'm trying to rid this growing itch to sell it... buy an old 1st gen 4x4 dualie and make it Clint-esk in nature...

Probably 'cause I just balanced my check book again and looked over my debt... but the thought of whipping out the welder and tube bender to customize an old school CTD is starting to jazz me up beyond just wish-ful thinking!

Who else suffers from this heart ripping condition???? I need group therapy!

 

I do, though looking at my check book keeps me in just keeping this one running and then doing that to the one I have.

 

Actually, I'd rather buy a good solid truck frame/engine/driveline and build it up to what I want. Let somebody else pay the "new" costs and I'll absorb a few minor repairs to get a good solid truck that's proven in the field and not subject to infant mortality. It's usually cheaper also.

Edwin

 

Ah! I reckon if this one was paid for... it would be different for sure. It's that hesitation to tweak too much on a $40K rig with $20K+ note still on it.

I keep dreaming of having an old paid for rig... when that impatient late to work moron shaves my front bumper in traffic during the morning commute as they frantically weave through the snarl of DFW congestion... I think to myself... gee, if this was paid for... I could make some custom front steel bumpers and a flatbed to let him gracefully peel off his plastic clad quarter panels with. I'd be out a squirt of Krylon.

Instead... I'm in panic mode... having replaced an OEM bumper with my previous truck due to the occasional fender benders of commuting... my mind is unavoidably filled with the sound of money being sucked out of my wallet and insurance rates climbing to statospheric heights. My truck... a mountain of diesel power and towing prowess... with the soft underbelly of high cost bodyshop work and insurance rates. I find myself defensively tapping the brakes and making the necessary evasive maneuvers to avoid any chance of harming my goat. It's torture I tell ya.

 

I sold my 03 CTD 4WD Quad cab 6 speed and bought a 95 because I enjoy working on them and really feel like the 95 is more solid than the 3rd Gen. I've been happy with my decision so far. I'm looking for a late model Mustang to add to the collection now. Vehicles have been a terrible disease for me all my life. I thought I would grow out of it one day but it ain't looking to promising

 

I respect and congratulate anyone with a desire to get out of debt. It's a tremendous freedom - and you really can't put a price on that.

Will doing this help your debt situation overall; or will you simply loose a ton of money on the deal? If you spend a lot on accessories for the new [old] rig, it will not take long to add up to all you saved.

But you probably could fetch a good second gen truck and save quite a bit, as has been mentioned. Some sacrafices are really worth being made.

 

My truck history:
`90 Mitsu Mity Max 4x4, first "new" vehicle, never should have sold it
`97 Dodge 1500 4x4, nice truck...too much $$$
`86 Dodge W250 4x4 , a brute...for a gasser
`96 W250 CTD, sig truck...nuff said.
See where I`m going here? Ditch the 3rd gen and get the last of the "real" trucks (flame suit on,lol). You cannot beat a 1st gen for style and durability IMO, plus (at least in my area) ALL other trucks outnumber a 1st gen by about 1000 to 1, forget about if it`s a NICE 1st gen...very rare around these parts.

 

My history - 97 2 door sunfire

95 CTD (in sig)

As we can all tell i definetly moved UP the ladder.

 

this old man counts his blessings every day. i hear all the people in debt and it scares me. 3k would put me even with the world. now if i wasnt burned out on working on this stuff my 1/2 ton would be a low elevens truck. i really doubt if it will ever happen. just too lazy.

 

Actually, I'm better off in this truck than I was on the last due to the short turn-around on the 2000 to the 2001... THAT was a bad idea and put me into some real negative equity. I took advantage of some late year specials and good financing to eliminate most of that problem when I got into the current truck. Even so... losing my current payment would put me in a better position to take care of some things finally. Truth be told... I miss the 2001... still like that body style... but needed to turn it for the financial gain and needed a 1 ton to haul my trailer.

But the other side is... I run with some other diesel heads... one of which has a clean 1st gen he got a helluvadeal on... I've helped him mod it on a budget and gotta say... dang it's cool to do on those older trucks and soooooo much simpler IMO.

Plus... having a hobby that involves fabbing up our own junk all the time (rockcrawling)... home-fabbed bumpers, flatbeds, etc. combined with the lower budget mods of the more mechanical CTDs is tempting as heck...

Maybe I'll just wait for a deal on 1st gen to come along first... then give up the 3rd to some happy soul looking for a blingier CTD

 

I drove a 2005 before I bought my 97. $48,000 for the 05 and I got mine for $12,000. I'm so glad I did that because it is now paid for after the sale of my house and I still have a good chunk to put down on my next home. I won't need another truck for a while. I will have no bills except my mortgage payment and utilities. I did see a 1st gen in the deals on wheels for $5500. It would be cool to have just because it is older. I just put a fuel plate in my 97. And all I can say is " I really love this truck" So simple, so cheap for more power. No payment. Low insurance. It's getting older, too, so there aren't as many around here. Everyone else keeps buying new stuff. Mine is getting to be uniquie, which I really like. I will never buy a new truck. If I need something for transportation, I will get antother car. I will always buy an older truck for my towing, hauling, and other truck type stuff.

 

well heck... ran the idea past the wife last night... her response "sounds good to me dear"

Guess I'll be trolling the 12v forum now... gotta get up to speed in case I find something.

This is just another over-addictive hobby

 

I with you on the older gen ctd as well. I like to wrench and and modify things but there are so many things that I like about the 3rd gen that makes me want to keep it everyday. Being able to turn the power up and down with just pushing buttons is great, plus the hydroformed frame is very solid feeling. I would like to find a cherry 1st or 2nd gen but I would end up spending just as much per month on modifying it and getting it to where I would want it to be. But then again the interest money I am losing would is another negative on the 3rd gen.

 

GO BACK
You said you pull a jeep... Well have you seen what is done to jeeps?
Theyr'e cheap to mod, fun to play with and that way you can have the best of both worlds.
Customize the bejeebers outa the little toy and you can still stay (almost) out of hock.

 

my truck history is.....
1985 chevy 1/2 ton
2002 dodge cummins
1993 dodge cummins
1997 dodge cummins
2002 dodge cummins
And im only 20 yrs old. But i must say that of all of those trucks, i miss the 1993 the most. and i am in the process of selling the 2002 for an older 2nd gen or a nice 1st gen.