Gatordoc
Adventurer
I'm not 100% sure this is the right sub-forum for this, but since kids are relevant, and this is family adventure planning, here goes.
I feel my mindset and philosophy on life shifting to a more simplified, minimalist view. We (the wife and I) decided last year to prioritize experiences over things with respect to spending, and it's proven to be a very nice choice, so far, but we aren't quite where I'd like to be, yet.
I have a car loan about to go away, and it has me thinking about a serious revamp of my current fleet of 5 :Wow1: vehicles. Two are motorcycles, one of which will be sold, and we currently have 3 cages. One is the DD, which is about to be paid off and will be purged. The second is the wife's play car/summer DD. The third is my truck, a full size 4 door pickup.
My inclination is to take all of that mess and reduce it down to one older midsize SUV or 4-door pickup and one whatever my wife want's that is winter friendly and fits the budget. Overall goal being lower cost of ownership (the diesel pickup is great, but expensive to maintain), lower insurance premiums, less dollars invested in depreciating assets, and an end result of more discretionary $$$ to spend going out and doing things.
The truck I have now is actually pretty great, and would probably be a dream expedition vehicle for some folks, if a huge domestic diesel pickup works for them. I don't *need* to get rid of it, and in some ways don't really want to because I fear I will have post-sale regret. I like the room and relative comfort afforded by a fullsize and have gotten used to it in the 10 or so years I've had my truck. Its comfy, capable, utilitarian, gets 18+ MPG mixed on 35" tires, etc... We've moved cross country several times, including living in a travel trailer for a year, and all of that makes me wonder if I could go back to a relatively smaller vehicle.
For reference, I've also had a 1st gen 4runner and a 3rd gen regular cab pickup, and loved both. Having recently (last week) ridden in a buddy's '86 4runner, I don't know if I could do that again, especially with almost-adult-size kids. It (edit: my huge truck, not the 86 4runner) barely fits down many of the trails where I am now (Michigan), it's costly to maintain/repair, it's still valuable enough that I feel it's necessary to carry full-coverage insurance (very expensive in MI), and is also worth enough that I could sell it and purchase two, less valuable, arguably more capable vehicles, or one and build it up nicely.
I am purposefully leaving out makes and models because that isn't really the point, and I don't want to start a manhood-measuring contest. Also, if I am being 100% honest with myself, I will almost certainly buy with my heart, not my head, and end up with whatever turns me on, not necessarily what makes the most sense. I have never been happy with the vehicles I bought when I've been thinking rationally.
What I would like is input from folks who have been in a similar position, and made the decision to downsize/downgrade.
Are you happy with you decision?
Regret it?
Any other feedback or points to add?
Intended use is DD, weekend adventuring, and possibly 1-2 week road trip vacations once a year. I am OK with getting a small cargo trailer if storage proves too tight with the fam all packed up. No rock crawling, NF trails, some gnarlier than others, and lots of sand.
I feel my mindset and philosophy on life shifting to a more simplified, minimalist view. We (the wife and I) decided last year to prioritize experiences over things with respect to spending, and it's proven to be a very nice choice, so far, but we aren't quite where I'd like to be, yet.
I have a car loan about to go away, and it has me thinking about a serious revamp of my current fleet of 5 :Wow1: vehicles. Two are motorcycles, one of which will be sold, and we currently have 3 cages. One is the DD, which is about to be paid off and will be purged. The second is the wife's play car/summer DD. The third is my truck, a full size 4 door pickup.
My inclination is to take all of that mess and reduce it down to one older midsize SUV or 4-door pickup and one whatever my wife want's that is winter friendly and fits the budget. Overall goal being lower cost of ownership (the diesel pickup is great, but expensive to maintain), lower insurance premiums, less dollars invested in depreciating assets, and an end result of more discretionary $$$ to spend going out and doing things.
The truck I have now is actually pretty great, and would probably be a dream expedition vehicle for some folks, if a huge domestic diesel pickup works for them. I don't *need* to get rid of it, and in some ways don't really want to because I fear I will have post-sale regret. I like the room and relative comfort afforded by a fullsize and have gotten used to it in the 10 or so years I've had my truck. Its comfy, capable, utilitarian, gets 18+ MPG mixed on 35" tires, etc... We've moved cross country several times, including living in a travel trailer for a year, and all of that makes me wonder if I could go back to a relatively smaller vehicle.
For reference, I've also had a 1st gen 4runner and a 3rd gen regular cab pickup, and loved both. Having recently (last week) ridden in a buddy's '86 4runner, I don't know if I could do that again, especially with almost-adult-size kids. It (edit: my huge truck, not the 86 4runner) barely fits down many of the trails where I am now (Michigan), it's costly to maintain/repair, it's still valuable enough that I feel it's necessary to carry full-coverage insurance (very expensive in MI), and is also worth enough that I could sell it and purchase two, less valuable, arguably more capable vehicles, or one and build it up nicely.
I am purposefully leaving out makes and models because that isn't really the point, and I don't want to start a manhood-measuring contest. Also, if I am being 100% honest with myself, I will almost certainly buy with my heart, not my head, and end up with whatever turns me on, not necessarily what makes the most sense. I have never been happy with the vehicles I bought when I've been thinking rationally.
What I would like is input from folks who have been in a similar position, and made the decision to downsize/downgrade.
Are you happy with you decision?
Regret it?
Any other feedback or points to add?
Intended use is DD, weekend adventuring, and possibly 1-2 week road trip vacations once a year. I am OK with getting a small cargo trailer if storage proves too tight with the fam all packed up. No rock crawling, NF trails, some gnarlier than others, and lots of sand.
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