Well lets start off my little essay by going back in time to before I was born. The year is 1985 and my grandparents were on a hunt for the best truck they could affoard. My grandfather had been a truck driver for 10 years up to that point, and he decided he was going to buy a truck with a diesel engine in it. So they went to the local Chevy dealer first, because they had long been Chevy people. They went in and asked if they could have a test drive, and of course the eager car salesman was only to happy to let them drive a brand spanking new 1985, Chevy, 3/4 ton, 4x4, 6.2 liter IDI, 4-spd. They went around the lot, and my grandparents were not all that impressed, but didnt absoulutly hate it so they kept it as an option.
The following weekend they went to the local Ford dealer and as before asked for a test drive. The car salesmans took them outside onto the lot and pointed them towards a new 1985 Ford F-250, regular cab, 4x4, 6.9 liter IDI, T-19, beige in color. They took it around the lot and they loved it, they especially loved the power the 6.9 IDI had in it compared to the chevy's 6.2 IDI.
On the way back to their house my grandparents talked about how much they liked the truck. Over the next week they debated to each other why and why not they should buy the truck. Finally the next Saturday they went to the that Ford dealer adament on buying the truck they had test driven the week before. After what seemed like hours of negotiating the cost of the truck, they settled on the price, and drove home that truck.
Fast Forward to 1996, that 1985 Ford is still running strong. About once a week my grandfather and I would climb into the cab of it and drive down to the local truck stop to eat pancakes and talk to the other truckers there
. We did that for many years until school finally got in the way. In 1999 My grandparents moved from living only 100 yards away, to over 250 miles away. My parents and I helped them move of coarse, and I got to ride in the cab listening to nothing but my grandfather and the roar of that IDI trip after trip, driving there stuff from the old to their new house. Then in 2003 they decided to move from Medford Or, to Dalles Or, and guess who was there to sit in that truck trip after trip helping them move. They got all moved in, but they still required my servaces helping them organize their shops of clutter and what not. One weekend my grandfather and I went into Salem with the intentions of buying a sheetmetal bender. So we were heading into Salem Or when my grandfather said "Justin, you know that I have two trucks" I of course replied "yeah, what about it". He replied "Well I only need one". I being cocky replied "well grandpa, I'll take one off of your hands". He laughed and said "alright Justin, heres the deal, when you turn 15 I will give you this truck if and only if you have good grades and aren't wearing baggy pants or have any peircings". I of coarse took him up on it. On my 15 birthday we went over there and he signed her over to me
. This was one of the happiest days of my life.
So some of you might be wondering were OB's comes in. Well in all of the excitement of getting my new truck I got on the web and started looking for forums that I could talk about and ask questions about my truck. At first I was a member of one of the "other" sights. I was on there all the time but it just didnt seem like there were all that many posts on or about my truck. I got fed up when somebody over there showed me the way to OB's. At first I felt dirty coming over here
, cause I had been a die hard member of this particular "other" sight for a long time. I grew to love OB's very fast. Theirs multiple reasons why.
First off the moderators rock on this sight, I mean I had posts deleted by moderators on the "other" sight, and it down right pissed me off.
Second is knowledge I can come on here and ask a question and these guys will know what I'm going threw, how to fix it/make it better, stories about their own personal encounters with what I'm talking about...ect.
Thirdly, nice people. Nobody on OB
eek: oh yeah stairway to heaven just came on the radio
. Theres a lady who's sure... sorry I'm getting distracted) will insult my intelligence and what not. Everybody is nice and curtious to each other. And nobody is going to get into a heated argument with a fellow OB member.
All in all OB is the greatest forum period. I can spend all day on here and I will come out knowing something new. I can always come on here and post a question, and it will always get answered. And of coarse you guys can spend my money like now tommorow
.
Good luck to all that have entered this contest.