The old pickup is the only vehicle Vince has in Texas. I was surprised it started with the cold weather and it had been sitting for probably two months but it started yesterday.
Either yesterday afternoon or this morning, Vince went out and cleaned up the inside, waxed the dash and apparently he hit something that turned on lights so when he went to get in the truck to go to Discount Tire to get the tires replaced, the battery was dead. He got it started, went and bought a battery and went to get the tires changed.
I asked Vince how old the tires were and I think he said they were 12 years old but get this — the spare is original to the truck – 23 years old! Poor old neglected pickup! It now has a new battery, 5 new tires and he has an appointment the first week in January to get new brakes.
We get our cars inspected at the oil change place so every year when Vince takes the pickup in to get inspected, he asks them to change the oil and they say “You’ve only been 300 miles since last year when we changed the oil!” Sometimes he gets it changed anyway and sometimes he doesn’t, which means it goes two years without an oil change but probably not 500 to 600 miles . . basically an 8 mile roundtrip to the landfill about 40 times a year and a few trips to Home Depot.
Poor truck – gets no attention for 15 or more years and now everything is getting replaced.
We’ve spent enough on three old vehicles in the past month that we could have bought one new car.
Sara says
Sounds like a reliable old vehicle. My dad owned a small (just him) body shop. He bought and fixed a car that I drove all through college and beyond. After we got married, we bought a newer car together and gave the old one back to my dad. 6 years later we needed a vehicle and my dad offered me the old one back. He had put it in storage for that 6 years. He charged the battery – and miraculously it started and ran. We drove it for another couple of years.
Nelle Coursey says
Yes but with new cars you never know what to expect. The old ones, you know what to expect and are very familiar to you. So sometimes old is good.
Judy Laquidara says
It doesn’t matter . . old is what we’ll probably always have so it doesn’t bother me so long as they’re dependable.
Twyla says
Just so long as it always gets me there and back HOME with no problems.
Susan Nixon says
I thought he was selling that truck? He can’t now that he spent all that money on it. LOL
Judy Laquidara says
That’s what I thought too.