We "bit the bullet" yesterday...Purchased a new truck!

[SpyderNut]

Well, the day finally arrived for us to trade in my old trusty 1999 Ford F-250 Lariat on a new 2012 GMC Sierra Z71 pickup. It was kind of a bittersweet moment, really, because I guess I’d always envisioned myself driving the Ford until the wheels fell off or something. (However, the Ford was beginning to show its age. The radiator had developed a leak, the body had a few rust spots, the engine had developed this strange rattling noise, the transmission was beginning to slip—well, you get the idea). I had less than 145,000 original miles on the F-250, which wasn’t too bad for a ’99. Because GM had a special incentive offer on new pickup trucks through the end of April, my wife and I decided to “take the plunge” and get something newer and more reliable. My daily commute to and from work is about 60 miles per day. With the price of gas hovering around $3.85 per gallon, we also wanted to get something more economical. We made the trade yesterday at our local GMC dealership. After driving the new truck home last night, I was completely convinced that we made the right decision. I think I’m going to really like this truck!

P.S. In light of getting the new truck, I’ll unfortunately have to refrain from purchasing any new Spydies for a while… :o

Here is the F-250 we traded in:

<a href="http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012034.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012034.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012033.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012033.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

And here is the new GMC Sierra:

<a href="http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012051.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012051.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012050.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h38 ... 012050.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Sequimite]

Nice truck.

I'm still happy with my '91 Dodge D250 and hope to get many more years out of it.

[Clip]

Nice Sierra, love the color.

I'd be disappointed only getting 145k out of a '99. Especially since I'd assume that the 60mi/day are mostly highway miles. If it's stop/go traffic though, all my bets are off.

[SpyderNut]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. :)

You're right about the disappointing mileage, Clip. I had hoped I could run the beast until at least 200k or more, but my closed friend (who works solely on Fords) advised that I'd better trade it in while I could because the tranny was beginning to slip and would need an overhaul in the near future. :eek: He said that the tranny repair could run anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, depending on what needed to be done. Also, the radiator would need to be replaced, and that would run about $400 more (not including the cost of labor). And then there was this rattling noise in the engine (I believe the valve lifters?) that would need some attention soon. All of this kind of helped make the decision for me.

[C.L.L 97]

Cool truck!

[rg02]

Congrats on the new truck! My 2006 Ford F150 supercrew is about to turn 100k. Hope I get more then another 45k out of it :D

[rosconey]

my 96 ferd 150 van went 160grand then all at once it started falling apart-

[Clip]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. :)

You're right about the disappointing mileage, Clip. I had hoped I could run the beast until at least 200k or more, but my closed friend (who works solely on Fords) advised that I'd better trade it in while I could because the tranny was beginning to slip and would need an overhaul in the near future. :eek: He said that the tranny repair could run anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, depending on what needed to be done. Also, the radiator would need to be replaced, and that would run about $400 more (not including the cost of labor). And then there was this rattling noise in the engine (I believe the valve lifters?) that would need some attention soon. All of this kind of helped make the decision for me.

Agreed, the peace of mind/reliability is very persuasive. We had a 92 Caravan that began to lose the trans at 154k and finished the job at 156.

[SpyderNut]

Cool truck!

Thanks. :) My wife helped choose the color. (I pretty much liked all the other colors--except for the "White Diamond Tricoat Edition" color--mostly because that added another $1000 or so to the bottom line :rolleyes :) .

Congrats on the new truck! My 2006 Ford F150 supercrew is about to turn 100k. Hope I get more then another 45k out of it :D

Thanks, Rg02. I looked long and hard at the new F150's before we pulled the trigger on the GMC. I really loved my F250 (which is kinda' surprising because I've always been a big GM fan :eek :) . In the end, we chose the GMC mainly because GM offered a few more purchasing incentives and we really liked the overall ride on the Sierra over the F150. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another F150 or F250 in the future. :cool:

Agreed, the peace of mind/reliability is very persuasive. We had a 92 Caravan that began to lose the trans at 154k and finished the job at 156.

Peace of mind was certainly a major factor. I'd say the other major factor was fear of getting "nickeled and dimed" to death by mechanical issues that were looming in the near future. (We'd already dumped about $2,200 in it about two years ago to get new rotors, brakes, rear shocks, etc., etc. Two months following this, I had to have the danged thing towed into the local shop because the starter/solenoid went ka-put. About $250 later, it was on the road again. :rolleyes :) . I guess this could happen to a new vehicle too, but at least I can now use the OnStar thingie and get some help.

[rodloos]

Congrats on the new Truck! How much better gas mileage does it get than your F250 did? I like driving a full-size pickup in terms of sitting up higher and being able to see over traffic in front of me, but it would be nice to get better gas mileage :) . I don't really have to haul very much load, just taking my kayaks to the lake and camping etc. I could *afford* a new truck, but wouldn't *enjoy* having to make payments again, hoping to make mine (2002 Tundra) last quite awhile longer.

[Ferris Wheels]

Congrats on the new truck!

[c.joe]

Very nice! Congrats! I need a truck like that.

[SpyderNut]

@ Ferris Wheels and c.joe: Thanks for the kind words, guys! :) I wish I could get better pics of the truck, but it's been raining cats and dogs around here for the last few days.

Congrats on the new Truck! How much better gas mileage does it get than your F250 did? I like driving a full-size pickup in terms of sitting up higher and being able to see over traffic in front of me, but it would be nice to get better gas mileage :) . I don't really have to haul very much load, just taking my kayaks to the lake and camping etc. I could *afford* a new truck, but wouldn't *enjoy* having to make payments again, hoping to make mine (2002 Tundra) last quite awhile longer.

Thanks, rodloos! The mileage should be noticeably better than my F-250. (I probably averaged about 13 to 16 mpg on the highway with the F-250). The estimated mileage for the GMC is supposed to be about 17 to 21 mpg (with the 5.3 liter V8 engine). The GMC has what is called an "Active Fuel Management" system which basically means that four of the eight cylinders are automatically deactivated when the extra power isn’t “needed” during normal driving. The truck will also accept E85 octane gasoline as part of its Flex Fuel system. I’m amazed at how quiet the engine is—even during highway driving. I guess I’m just accustomed to hearing the growl of the old Ford’s Triton engine when I got it up past 70 mph.

[tonydahose]

nice truck, i like the color too. enjoy your new ride :)

[MachSchnell]

The white one sure looks to be a F150.

My neighbor recently got that same color and model GMC pickup, and dang it is one sweet rig!

[dialex]

That's a cool truck, congratulations and enjoy it.

[BAL]

That's a great truck SpyderNut, congrats. I am one of those "Chevy guys", so naturally
I would like it, but it is a sweet ride. You will love the four doors. It is so much easier
getting people in and out and to just be able to get to the back seats to put groceries
and what-not in. I have an 04 Chevy Silverado with over a 100k and it's only just begun
for me. Love the color on yours.

[Simple Man]

The white one sure looks to be a F150.

My neighbor recently got that same color and model GMC pickup, and dang it is one sweet rig!

Yeah, they did that for a year or two before the new body 3/4 came out. Check the hubs, 5 bolt vs 7.

They sure have come a long way since they brought out the 5.3, my '00 gets 15 mpg on a good day on the highway, 12ish in town.

[rosconey]

nice color- sweet ride-congrats

[SpyderNut]

nice truck, i like the color too. enjoy your new ride :)

Thank you, Tony! I can't wait to try it out during deer season this fall. :)

That's a cool truck, congratulations and enjoy it.

Thanks, Dialex. I feel really blessed! :) This is my first new vehicle. (My first vehicle out of high school was an '83 Chevy Scottsdale, my second a '00 Chevy S-10, and then most recently the '99 F-250).

Yeah, they did that for a year or two before the new body 3/4 came out. Check the hubs, 5 bolt vs 7.
They sure have come a long way since they brought out the 5.3, my '00 gets 15 mpg on a good day on the highway, 12ish in town.

That's right! According to Ford, this particular model of F-250 was actually kind of an odd bird. It was referred to as a "light 3/4 ton." Although you're right, MachSchnell, it nearly looks identical to the F-150.

nice color- sweet ride-congrats

It's kind of funny, but I actually thought about getting it in black at first. Then my wife pointed out this color on a similar truck and I said, "What color is that?" I looked at the vehicle information page and it said, "Stealth Gray." Mmmmmm. I liked the sound of that! Sounds kinda' James Bond or something.