Might be trading my Bump!?

[thrush544]

Well, although I really like my 69, I might be trading it for a 97 F-250 HD 4x4 with a 351 automatic. Althouth there are 203,000 miles on the 97 the body is really good and straight. My current work truch, a 2001 F-150 4x4 7700Gvw is rusting apart before my very eyes. Literly pieces of the bed are falling off. It has 174,000 miles on it but most of them were in the rust belt of NW PA and SW NY. I started a heating, plumbing & a/c business last may and need a good work truck so this may be the best way to do it without going into major debt.
We did the Dave Ramsey Finacial Peace University and had paid off all our debt except our mortgage. Man o man that really was a life saver when I lost my job in October of 2010. So I'm not to willing to jump in and go deep in debt again. I would rather use an older decent truck for the business, then if things go well I'll save up and buy a better truck with cash! I'm done paying half again as much for a truck to the bank.

God Bless,
Ed

[Mancar1]

Well, I hear ya. I know you would rather keep the 69 and get a better work truck. On the other hand what you say sounds like you are using common sense, a lot of folks don't, and end up further in the hole, or in your case back in the hole. Your plan makes sense to me. When my wife got really sick I sold our 06 Ford Truck, that I loved, to allow me to buy a vehicle she could get in and out of with out so much pain. Ya do what ya need to do. :thup
Good for you and the wife for doing the Dave Ramsey thing. I like the guy, he makes sense.

[nadams]

The owner of the HVAC company that I work for has never financed a rig in the 39 years he has been in business, when times were lean he did not have to still make payments on vans that were sitting in the parking lot. Trading the bump is not fun but you always can buy another 69 or even better a 68 in the future. Good luck on the new company!

[nadams]

Amen to that Woods. Very good advice to a new business owner. The guy who owns the company I work for finally fully retired after 39 years but his grandson kept the tradition of used vehicles and everyone gets to work today. As one of th salesmen I hear comments from the customers about other companies bad mouthing our fleet of 90's vans. One elderly lady told the guy from the other company I don't see 5 or more of your vehicles passing my house every day. I gave her a discount on her new heat pump and a gift certificate to a local restaurant she liked. If our lower overhead allows us to have lower prices while paying our guys a nice union wage I do not see anything wrong with driving a van built in 96 even if it is a Dodge.

[woods]

I drive a dodge every day.

[70 ranger]

I wish the schools tought the kids lessons like you are all talking about! I think way to many people feel that they deserve the best right now and will pay for it later. I was raised by my grandfather. One of the things he always told me was that "if you don't have it in your back pocket... you don't deserve it!" My first truck was a bump in around 1990. Not because it was the coolest truck around but because it was all I had in my back pocket. I have bought and sold trucks to keep up with my families needs over the years and sometimes that meant parting with some that I didn't want to. I found my old 70 bump three years ago and bought it back. My story all worked out, and I know yours will too. It just takes time. It takes a lot more heart and sole to do the right thing than it does to sign on the dotted line for a loan! Although I don't want to see you lose your truck I think it is important to do the right thing. Good luck with it all!

[basketcase0302]

That's good news Ed. I was going to be the procrastinator here and say you'd probably be getting more issues with the "newer" truck.
There's a lot of decent beds that can be had for decent prices around here.
Want me to keep an eye out for one?