84gtguy

she says i should just pick up a much newer used one instead of fixing my old one. it needs a new motor (i've got a spare to rebuild for it) and alot of bodywork now. so it is in need of some stuff. plus it's got 218,000 miles on it now.

my thing is that the engine will be new when i put it in, a used sub will have a used engine. then i do agree on the bodywork, but i can do it all myself and it'll be a helk of alot cheaper than another one (and i get to make it any color i like). the interior is in good shape. mostly, it's my hunting rig so i have it set up perfectly to haul 3 dogs in kennels, 6 people, and all the gear needed to hunt. i have built a kennel set up specifically for it, so if i change rigs, i need to make a new set up.

the current sub has alot of good memories as well. plus, it's paid for. if i get something else that means the possibility of a monthly payment. i have'nt had a vehicle loan for quite a while, i like having the extra money.

now for the important thing: that's alot of audi parts and jeep parts i could buy instead of the new truck. hmmmmmm....desicions, desicions.

chefbob

fix the old, save money on taxes, reg, insurance etc...

boxerfan

With all the work you have done I'd stick with it. You know it intimately now. Know what it needs and what it doesn't. Perhaps more importantly, knowing what has been done shortens the list when things start going wrong.

PxTx

I don't know how old your current truck is, but the newer trucks are worth the investment, I think.

Capt Solo

and then show your wife how nice that Suburban USED to be, and then she will never doubt your decision again!

qezel

it may be much more quirky, but in terms of comfort and off road abilities.. they're both head and shoulders above a suburban

84gtguy

as far as comfort, i have bigger tires and rancho suspension so it's not exactly a smooth ride. but it fit's the whole family and then a couple extras. and for hunting, i don't think it can be beat.

it does everything i want it to and then some. i've hauled cars on trailers(ok, usually jeeps) all over the country. it's actually nicer on long trips than the minivan. i've only gotten it stuck once (and that called for a tow truck with a winch to get me out), and never been left along the road.

it's also still got a motor i can do some repairs on in the middle of nowhere. this is important as if i'm going to break down hunting, i am rarely near a town. if i am near a town it is usually not big enough to have a parts store or source. so on the road repair ability is important. before this one i was against the idea of fuel injection on my hunting rigs so i can do carb mods or repairs without computers or specialty tools. this one has tbi so it's still a little serviceable on road.

i like my truck, but it is getting old. as far as the wife, she wants a new (or newer) suburban, she's on board on that. what she doesn't want is so much of a hunting rig, a must for me.

84gtguy

(other than the cgt) as long as i've been driving this beast. i've put alot of miles on it over the years and it's been a good truck.

she wants me to go with the '00 + but i don't know if i want to. i do really use my hunting rig as a truck and a tool. i really beat them up. they get dead things trown in them, dogs in and out, muddy boots and clothes, run through brush and scratched up, lot's of mud work, and of course snow. believe it or not, i do even get them airborn sometimes. they go through field and ditches, pull everyone else out, pull the trailers, and are used to push vehicles around when they don't run. they also serve as the neighborhood tow truck.

if i get something too new, i think i'd be a little bit ore concerned with it. i don't know if i'd be ok driving a new one through the brush. then there's the fact that i do mod them so they are better for my needs. i drills holes in the interior to mount stuff and hold things down and i don't think i could do that with something that new.

the ride would be nice, until i pull the shocks and put stiffer off road shocks in and do a little lifting to it. i like to have bigger tires to deal with anything i might run into. in fact, if i keep this 1 it's getting 2-3" more lift. will also probably add a winch to the front as well. i also want to add fold down stainless game cleaning stations on the back doors

as far as it being a regular vehicle for us, a newer one would be great. but i don't know if i want to limit it as a hunting vehicle. i like having a truck to use as a truck and i don't know if i can give that up.

my brother-in-law that i hunt with sometimes, bought a new pickup in 03. that thing is pretty beat up now. it makes me sick to think of that happening, especially if you're making payments on it. the sad thing is he doesn't do alot of things with his truck i would do and it won't go where i take mine.

i just don't know.

84gtguy

therefor comfort. the smaller size makes it more nimble, and they are awesome machines. i have a great respect for the rover and the history of them. but, if you break down, a small town is not going to have parts for one, sometimes parts aren't available even for the sub. that's the biggest thing against that and the likes of a landcruiser.

i do need the size of a sub or 4 door pickup. size is a must. i'd even get a longbox if i got a pickup.

84gtguy

that's a good point.