Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Now that 2018 is coming to an end, I find myself in a dilemma that is probably common to us all.
As expressed by those great philosophizers, The Clash, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"
I'm still really liking the old Suburban, but it's getting...old. 15 years (come 2019) and currently at 180,000 miles. Transmission rebuilt at 150,000 in 2016 but otherwise no major issues.
Last year I got rid of my "Daily driver" Pathfinder when I realized that it just didn't make sense for me to have two cars, so this is my only 4 wheeled vehicle (still have a couple of motorcycles though...)
The one big change that the wife and I did last year was that instead of me driving my vehicle almost everywhere (and hers rarely), we got her a nicer car (2016 Honda CR-V with almost all the options) and that has become our de facto "Town car." Generally speaking, if we are going somewhere together, or if I'm running errands on the weekend or at night, I take the Honda unless the wife has someplace specific she needs to go. AWD + 25MPG in the city is pretty awesome!
I do drive the big 'Burb to work, but since I work from home 2 days a week, that's only 3 days/week and my commute is 20 miles round trip. So that's 60 miles a week commuting, not nearly enough to justify a 2nd car even at the Suburban's dismal 12 - 13 MPG in town.
Certainly I could afford a newer vehicle, but I have really come to like the Suburban. For one thing, I've put a lot of work into it (Z71 springs in the rear, new shocks all around lift keys up front, new wheels/33" tires, dual battery, Bluetooth stereo) and it's a very comfortable "road trip" car. It does a great job pulling our 3500lb travel trailer - though it struggles over the high passes and the 4 speed automatic is annoying with it's gargantuan gaps between 1/2 and 2/ 3 - and it's a great "exploring" vehicle for us once we get to the campsite to get around.
But...it's not getting any younger. And every time there's an "issue" with it, I start to wonder if it really makes sense to put any more money into it.
So of course I think about replacing the 'Burb with something newer and with lower miles on it.
Until that time, though, I'd like to think I could get at least one more year out of the old girl.
So here's what I'm asking: Reasonably speaking, how much time/miles do I have left? As I said, the truck has 180k on it now. My usage over the last 3 years of ownership has shown that even with the 'Burb being my "daily driver" (not really though), I typically put between 11,000 and 14,000 miles/year on it.
IDEALLY, I'd like to keep it 3 more years, because at the end of 2021, I will turn 60 and start drawing my military retirement. That will easily be enough for a moderate car payment without impacting any other part of our lives.
I'm just wondering if that's realistic or if I'm tempting fate. 3 years at a maximum of 14,000 miles/year is 42,000 miles. That would mean at the end of 2021 the truck would be 17 years old with between 213,000 and 222,000 miles on it.
My biggest concern is not with around-town driving, it's the fact that the 'burb is our trailer tug and exploration vehicle.
As much as I'm convinced the old girl still has a lot of life in her, I'm inclined to err to the side of caution. It's one thing if a vehicle breaks down and I'm by myself - that just makes for a great story to tell around the campfire. But having to take into account all the additional "stuff" I've acquired over the years makes me cautious.
I don't want to be in a situation where we are 500 miles from home on a long trip and have a catastrophic failure because it wouldn't just mean a tow to the local garage: It would mean having to figure out how to get the camper, wife, dog, 2 kayaks and all our crap back home.
And this would almost certainly be on a weekend, probably in a very remote or rural area that doesn't have much "infrastructure."
The saddest thing for me is that as much as I'd like to replace it with something similar - there really IS nothing similar, not anymore. The GMT-800 trucks really do seem to be the last of the true "utilitarian" full sized SUVs.
The current crop of Suburban/Tahoe/Expedition type vehicles have lost almost all their "utility" and become glorified mini vans. Not that there's anything wrong with that - GM and Ford obviously know who their customers are and what they'll pay for - but it's not what I need.
Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that the only reasonable replacement for the 'burb would be a full sized crew-cab short bed truck (though it annoys me that a CCSB truck has a longer wheelbase and paradoxically, LESS interior storage due to the "wall" between cab and bed.)
Anyway, I'm just asking for opinions on what others might do in a similar situation.
As expressed by those great philosophizers, The Clash, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"
I'm still really liking the old Suburban, but it's getting...old. 15 years (come 2019) and currently at 180,000 miles. Transmission rebuilt at 150,000 in 2016 but otherwise no major issues.
Last year I got rid of my "Daily driver" Pathfinder when I realized that it just didn't make sense for me to have two cars, so this is my only 4 wheeled vehicle (still have a couple of motorcycles though...)
The one big change that the wife and I did last year was that instead of me driving my vehicle almost everywhere (and hers rarely), we got her a nicer car (2016 Honda CR-V with almost all the options) and that has become our de facto "Town car." Generally speaking, if we are going somewhere together, or if I'm running errands on the weekend or at night, I take the Honda unless the wife has someplace specific she needs to go. AWD + 25MPG in the city is pretty awesome!
I do drive the big 'Burb to work, but since I work from home 2 days a week, that's only 3 days/week and my commute is 20 miles round trip. So that's 60 miles a week commuting, not nearly enough to justify a 2nd car even at the Suburban's dismal 12 - 13 MPG in town.
Certainly I could afford a newer vehicle, but I have really come to like the Suburban. For one thing, I've put a lot of work into it (Z71 springs in the rear, new shocks all around lift keys up front, new wheels/33" tires, dual battery, Bluetooth stereo) and it's a very comfortable "road trip" car. It does a great job pulling our 3500lb travel trailer - though it struggles over the high passes and the 4 speed automatic is annoying with it's gargantuan gaps between 1/2 and 2/ 3 - and it's a great "exploring" vehicle for us once we get to the campsite to get around.
But...it's not getting any younger. And every time there's an "issue" with it, I start to wonder if it really makes sense to put any more money into it.
So of course I think about replacing the 'Burb with something newer and with lower miles on it.
Until that time, though, I'd like to think I could get at least one more year out of the old girl.
So here's what I'm asking: Reasonably speaking, how much time/miles do I have left? As I said, the truck has 180k on it now. My usage over the last 3 years of ownership has shown that even with the 'Burb being my "daily driver" (not really though), I typically put between 11,000 and 14,000 miles/year on it.
IDEALLY, I'd like to keep it 3 more years, because at the end of 2021, I will turn 60 and start drawing my military retirement. That will easily be enough for a moderate car payment without impacting any other part of our lives.
I'm just wondering if that's realistic or if I'm tempting fate. 3 years at a maximum of 14,000 miles/year is 42,000 miles. That would mean at the end of 2021 the truck would be 17 years old with between 213,000 and 222,000 miles on it.
My biggest concern is not with around-town driving, it's the fact that the 'burb is our trailer tug and exploration vehicle.
As much as I'm convinced the old girl still has a lot of life in her, I'm inclined to err to the side of caution. It's one thing if a vehicle breaks down and I'm by myself - that just makes for a great story to tell around the campfire. But having to take into account all the additional "stuff" I've acquired over the years makes me cautious.
I don't want to be in a situation where we are 500 miles from home on a long trip and have a catastrophic failure because it wouldn't just mean a tow to the local garage: It would mean having to figure out how to get the camper, wife, dog, 2 kayaks and all our crap back home.
And this would almost certainly be on a weekend, probably in a very remote or rural area that doesn't have much "infrastructure."
The saddest thing for me is that as much as I'd like to replace it with something similar - there really IS nothing similar, not anymore. The GMT-800 trucks really do seem to be the last of the true "utilitarian" full sized SUVs.
The current crop of Suburban/Tahoe/Expedition type vehicles have lost almost all their "utility" and become glorified mini vans. Not that there's anything wrong with that - GM and Ford obviously know who their customers are and what they'll pay for - but it's not what I need.
Unfortunately, I've come to the conclusion that the only reasonable replacement for the 'burb would be a full sized crew-cab short bed truck (though it annoys me that a CCSB truck has a longer wheelbase and paradoxically, LESS interior storage due to the "wall" between cab and bed.)
Anyway, I'm just asking for opinions on what others might do in a similar situation.
I was worried that at 200k I might be playing roulette but this truck is in really nice condition (I'm the 2nd private owner, first private owner had it from new until 2015 when I bought it from a dealer.)