I've given this particular situation a lot of thought, and while I would never want to have to live it, if something happened to the Moose Truck, I would have to start all over, and I mean ALL over. I'd be looking for a truck with a great body, and healthy frame, then I would do a frame off resto on it. If you were to completely go over the whole rig, and preventatively replace every wear item, then you would essentially end up with a new truck for the fraction of the price of an old one. I would also upgrade the axles to Superduty ones, so I would have access to brake pads and rotors for many years to come. I'd get a fresh motor. I'd use the exising trans and gears, since those last forever more or less, unless they were really high mileage (say 300K) I'd replace every piece of rubber, every cable, and all the wiring in so much as practicle. If you did this, for lets say 10K, you should be able to take a $2000-$3000 truck, and make it into a $15,000 truck that runs just as well, and is just as reliable, but far cheaper to maintain, then a $50-$60,000 new one. The problem of course, is you'd need a home equity loan, because no bank is going to give you the money to do that with a vehicle. So if your not a home owner, this may not be an option for you.