Also, I really like the sound and rev-happiness of the 4.8 in the Silverado/Sierra, if you could find one of those with a manual it could be a fun DD.
Also, I really like the sound and rev-happiness of the 4.8 in the Silverado/Sierra, if you could find one of those with a manual it could be a fun DD.
In reply to golfduke:
You didn't say whether you wanted an open or enclosed trailer.
I'd seriously consider enclosed. Especially with snow, etc. More secure, can carry tools, and be a mobile workshop. If it was me, I'd spend about $5K on the best enclosed trailer I could buy, then whatever crap truck I could find for $3K. A gas burner will go easier on your budget.
Then, put your effort into setting up the trailer REALLY well.
When you are tired of the truck, dump it. You will probably get back your $3K, and can go ahead and upgrade.
Lots of good info, aside from the cayenne, haha. A very wise man once told me, 'if you can't afford it new, you won't be able to afford it used'. I would be scared for that reason- my budget would net me something of questionable history, and I don't want to play that game with porche repair parts.
If I could find a 7.3 itd without rust and rot, it'd already be in my driveway, but new England trucks are bad from that era. Theresearch almost nothing clean up here... fly and drive is looking more likely.
Also, the trailer will depend on the truck, or vice versa. Basically, I'm looking for best value that fits criteria first, then figure out the balance afterward. In an ideal world, enclosed is perfect, but I don't want to spend more than 5k on it. I'd love an open aluminum trailer too, but those seem to fetch more than some 18' enclosed units, so who knows.
Basically, if anyone knows of any smoking deals on trucks and or trailers locally to you, shoot them out here! Haha.
Enclosed carries bonus point's because I can store a vehicle in there during the winter, freeing up valuable garage space...
Hey now! My cayenne has been freakishly reliable. You do have to follow docwyte's #1 german car buying rule tho.
Then you stand a decent chance of not getting buried with neglected maintenance costs.
All that being said, I'm sure the run costs are more than a Ford 7.3...
As a fellow German car hoarder, I agree. If you can find me a cayenne anywhere in the US with a documented service history for 7k, I'll fly out to buy it tomorrow, haha.
In reply to golfduke:
If you are prepared for a fly-n-drive for the truck, do so for the trailer too.
Brand new trailers are available in the Southeast for WAAY less then the crappy used ones go for in New England.
If you want to buy in GA, I can hook you up (I am a dealer with a GA manufacturer). Watch ATL CL for a truck, and pick them both up together (although the best deals on Southern trucks seem to come out of TX).
$5K will buy you a brand new enclosed unit. Pretty sure I could do a 24' for that.
What would a 20' enclosed go for by chance? Only option I'd want would be a side entry door. Bare bones otherwise... feel free to pm me of you want. I have lots of friends in Atlanta and visit often.
Honda pilot?
And I would spend the money on the tow rig before the trailer. I'd rather get home with a less-than-perfect trailer vs sitting on side of road with a pimped out trailer.
I would probably go with a Suburban just because they're very readily available at good prices here and I've owned one before. One of my co-workers used a 4Runner like the one you were looking at - it seems to have made a competent tow vehicle and great DD, although it seems to be more of an emphasis on the DD use than the towing.
I'd look at the Seqoia's before 4runners.
What's the big nissan or infinity SUV? You liked your titan a lot.
Well right now, I'm looking at about half and half. I've looked at a few Sequoias and they are interesting to me considering a lot of them had OE toyota frame replacements under recall recently, which extends their lives by quite a bit. Put a decent, used aluminum open trailer behind it, and I think I have a winning combo that will be WELL under my $8k cap... and that just means more racing!
92dxman wrote: How about a Dodge Durango?
While I'm not really brand-loyal, I did have a (Very) negative experience with a Dodge recently. I'm not ruling them out, but when I can find Sequoias, suburbans, and expeditions cheaper, with less miles, and seemingly in better condition, I'd say it's not at the top of my radar.
Also, re: aluminum trailers and budget busting- I can find a couple open deck aluminum trailers for around $5k locally. That should put me somewhere in the ballpark.
In reply to golfduke:
Ok, but you said 1/2 and 1/2. That would make $5K over budget.
You never really said what you would use the trailer for. You mentioned snow mobiles, but that's it.
The reason I suggested an enclosed trailer is because it eliminates constantly repacking. If you are racing, it is a much more pleasant experience if you can jump in an go and the trailer is already packed. Also prevents all your tools and equipment from being covered with ice and road salt crap.
If you are going to put 1 item on the trailer and go (like a race car, or a snow mobile), the open trailer is fine. But if you've got gear, parts, tools, etc that go with it, enclosed wins every time.
But you will also need more truck to tow the enclosed.
My personal choice? Enclosed, with an older, beefier, easier to maintain truck. But I am not sure that's what you need.
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