renjaminfrankln
Full Access Member
Any drawback to running anti-gel dieselkleen? The anti-gel version is on sale for $15 /80oz at advance auto. Probably because no one around here needs it. Still has the lubrication stuff.
A word about dieselkleen
- Thread starter mexicanjoe
- Start date
Farmer Rock
just a fella' without a 10mm socket
If I don't just end up selling the F250 and getting a minivan for 20+ mpg.[/QUOTE
A minivan??? PLEASE, NOOOOOOO. This is supposed to be a family friendly site lol
Rock
Farmer Rock
just a fella' without a 10mm socket
Well, something like that.. I really messed up that quote didn't I.
Rock
Rock
Well, the truck is better in some ways vs a minivan for dispersed camping (higher ground clearance), except for the "house" being separate from a cab. To me that's kind of a big deal. That's why I like the motorhome setup. Getting my 60lb dog up into a camper in the bed is kind of a pain too. Well it's worse getting her out. She's about "middle aged" now (6-7 years) and it's probably not good for her to jump down so far but she would do it anyway. That's not good on her joints. That would be like us jumping down from a roof 10 feet several times a day.
A minivan would give me a motorhome-like setup but with better MPG and less far for her to jump. Yeah an IDI cargo van would too but IDI/PSD cargo and passenger vans are pretty rare. I'd stick with the motorhome before I'd seek out another IDI of some kind, since I have truck and RV to pick from as it is.
So, it boils down to just sucking it up and sticking with the RV most likely since I am quite hesitant about selling the F250, even if I don't want to use it right now.
bilbo
Full Access Member
If practicality was the only concern we would all be driving minivans. Ours can do 95 percent of what our lifestyle demands. But driving the minivan doesn’t bring a smile like trundling around in the F250 or zooming around in the brown bomber (our 83 Ranger).
My buddy got a ticket for drag racing in a mini van, in the court parking lot. Doubt I could pull that off in my truck haha
Practicality is all I care about really. I got the F250 to tow a camper trailer or have a slide-in camper, but I have found I don't particularly like either one. The N/A engine, 3.55 gears, and 3 speed C6 makes it not-so-great for cross-country towing with the speed limits of today. So now I have a truck I have little desire to use, unless I want to use the cramped camper it has on it, and get 10 city/14sh hwy mpg with it's AT tires (not towing). It only lost 1mpg going from nearly bald HT/AS tires to new AT tires, so that's not bad. I figure I'll keep it though, since it's smog-exempt in CA and WA (the two states I might settle back down in) and I tend to want a truck when I have an apartment, since I find myself wanting to haul stuff. I keep it stored in my mom's back yard in Arkansas right now, so it costs me nothing to keep.
Diesel D
Full Access Member
Cubey...in terms of practicality, I'm right with you...I use my diesel when I need it....when not needed, it sits on a velvet pillow in my garage....
bilbo
Full Access Member
When we ran through our 'practicality' exercise, we found we could rent pickups (even HD ones) and come out way ahead of owning. But there's a PITA factor, and for me and I'm willing to give up some cash in exchange for having what I need right when I need it. It also helps that messing around with old stuff is a hobby and I enjoy it, along with hunting, riding bike, and all my other hobbies I spend money on. Hunting for example, it's especially hard to justify spending as much time and money as I do on a few chinese chickens, but it makes me happy so it's worth it to me. Someone who isn't into that probably thinks I'm insane.
Not on an IDI.
Diesel D
Full Access Member
My truck is an '02 F-350 7.3 Turbo...not an IDI....I'm hoping that Stiction Eliminator would be a good form of preventive maintenance....I've got really low miles, and plan on keeping the truck for a long time...
Depending on the state one lives, and if you have space to store it, a trailer is a good option. A minivan can often tow up to 2500lbs. Unless you are needing to haul more than that, then they cost less since usually no insurance is mandated and registration renewal can be cheap or non-existent. (Arkansas has permanent registration for trailers, pay once and it's good for as long as you own it)
If I was looking to buy a truck specifically for occasional "hauling" purposes only, I'd look for a 4cyl Ranger or S10 type of truck, since I wouldn't need the towing or load capacity of my F250HD (which is basically an F350, due to the full floating SRW Sterling 10.25). Yeah the MPG isn't THAT much more, but it's better for city driving and parking. When I visited Tacoma in summer 2017 at the apts where I left from in Dec 2016, my F250 (ext cab, long bed) could barely fit into the parking spots. Granted, I did have a hitch mounted cargo box, but the truck's width was also a factor. And every mpg better means less cost of operation. Oil changes can cost less too, since they take less oil.
I would rather keep the F250 until it dies or gets wrecked though, even with those factors. It's paid for and has a lot of parts and labor already put into it, so I can't get really back what I paid into it if I were to sell it. It needs door hinges and window seals too so it's kind of crappy at the moment due to those things. The steering gearbox has a ton of slack too.
But at the same time, I often wish I had a 20mpg minivan for my travels. Heck, even a 12-16mpg E150 low (normal) top van would be better.
Diesel D
Full Access Member
Thanks, Clb...great idea...have you tried this?
All day long...
my quad cab lives inna mash tent zero issue's.
my towpig inna shed zero issue's.
both +10 yrs.
rats h8 sunlight when hiding.
my quad cab lives inna mash tent zero issue's.
my towpig inna shed zero issue's.
both +10 yrs.
rats h8 sunlight when hiding.
Similar threads
