I loves me a big truck

I love my Z56 Tahoe but as we've been looking for trailers to take the Wartburg project to its events I've worried that I may hit the limits of towing capacity (we've looked at some big enclosed jobs with small shop space, not that we can afford them). Now the Tahoe is only around as my tow vehicle so fuel econ isnt a priority and I decided if I was going to have something specialized for towing then why not go whole hog. So I've casually had my eyes out and today I think I worked a trade, my tahoe for this

93 1 ton dually with a 454 V8.....it should pull my house if needed. Slightly rougher than the Tahoe but in good mechanical shape and just about everything I want in a truck short of being a diesel.

Littleturquoiseb (Jeff) still needed my Tahoe for a few more days so we agreed to take a few days to think on it on both sides but I think everyone is onboard for the trade.

In reply to JThw8: nice swap for a tow vehicle.

Good deal, got my eyes open for a Powerstroke myself.

aussiesmg wrote: Good deal, got my eyes open for a Powerstroke myself.

My ideal would have been a Ford diesel for sure but price wise they are out of the trade range on the Tahoe and I dont need to spend cash right now. If I gotta go gas (not a huge inconvenience) then I have a much longer history with GM products. Im not anti ford by any means but Ive owned so many GM trucks I just know them pretty well by now.

my daily work rig is the same thing except extended cab.

it's a 90 with 454 and 4 speed manual. i bought it at 73k and it has 100k now. it'll pull the world and get 9mpg doing it. or it gets 9mpg empty.

you'll like it, but you might want to get a locker for the rear if it doesnt have one. they are surprisingly bad in the snow or mud even though you have twice as much contact patch on each side. once i lose traction i am boned. i keep meaning to get a powertrax or ARB locker to put in the rear diff.

patgizz wrote: my daily work rig is the same thing except extended cab. it's a 90 with 454 and 4 speed manual. i bought it at 73k and it has 100k now. it'll pull the world and get 9mpg doing it. or it gets 9mpg empty. you'll like it, but you might want to get a locker for the rear if it doesnt have one. they are surprisingly bad in the snow or mud even though you have twice as much contact patch on each side. once i lose traction i am boned. i keep meaning to get a powertrax or ARB locker to put in the rear diff.

As weird as it may sound I drive my Smart in the snow...the truck just sits

You'll need a harbor pilot just to park that thing.

Check your neighborhood building codes. I don't now if they allow secondary houses in the street parking.....

irish44j wrote: Check your neighborhood building codes. I don't now if they allow secondary houses in the street parking.....

LOL. Luckily it fits in my driveway. Along with 15 or so others. I have no idea why the build of my house felt the need to have a small autocross pad installed for a driveway but it works well for me :)

JThw8 wrote:

SWEET MOTHER OF ...(hat pops up, flips 180 degrees, lands back on head) ALL THAT IS RIGHTEOUS!!

That is some home garage you have there.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: SWEET MOTHER OF ...(hat pops up, flips 180 degrees, lands back on head) ALL THAT IS RIGHTEOUS!! That is some home garage you have there.

This is how my wife convinced me to live in a housing development. Something I desperately tried to avoid.

Original owners/builders of the house weren't even car people, they just had 2 driving age teens and they wanted everyone to be able to part indoors. They even had the garage's heated although a reason escapes me since they just parked in them at night. The parking pad, I can only assume, is because one or more of them weren't very skilled at backing out of the garage.

Leaves plenty of space for us to park DDs (the garages are full of projects) and still park a trailer when needed.

I like the trade. I've come to love my crew cab long bed beast. Same layout as that one, minus the DRW. The 496 / Allison makes me grin.

I LOVE your parking pad / garage.

HOLY CRAP!!!

Can i come live with you? Seriously.

Seconded . . . I'll even pay rent!!

Garage Porn right there.

Man, with a garage that size, I could start pumping out all sorts of freaky swaps in record time. With that much pavement outside, I could also accumulate good future candidates when I see the right deals pop up, which saves tons of money in the long run. SO JEALOUS.

Oh yeah, on topic...I REALLY like the storage/seating space that the Suburban provided. Obviously, the Tahoe isn't quite as spacious, but that locked/covered space in the back provides a lot of peace of mind and makes it easier to carpool with the race team on long adventures when you need more seats.

Bryce

Nashco wrote: Man, with a garage that size, I could start pumping out all sorts of freaky swaps in record time. With that much pavement outside, I could also accumulate good future candidates when I see the right deals pop up, which saves tons of money in the long run. SO JEALOUS.

See the earlier part about living in a development though. I clutter up the outside pavement pretty bad already, and no HOA thankfully but I keep awaiting a letter from the township. I do however have an acre out back surrounded by 8ft privacy fence so the really ugly stuff can hide back there.

I should note its 2 separate garages, the space between with the people door is actually "house" with the laundry and a bathroom and hall leading to the rest of the house.

So as much as it looks like alot of space its never enough. Right now the front 2 bays are 1) My 50 Studebaker and 2) lawn equipment (I need to get a shed)

The back 2 1/2 are where the magic happens but as most of you are well aware when you start blowing things apart like we do you need both bays to house one car. Plus the equipement and all.

So in short it drives my wife insane that we have 4 garages and our daily drivers sit ouside.

Nashco wrote: Oh yeah, on topic...I REALLY like the storage/seating space that the Suburban provided. Obviously, the Tahoe isn't quite as spacious, but that locked/covered space in the back provides a lot of peace of mind and makes it easier to carpool with the race team on long adventures when you need more seats. Bryce

I've done 3 suburbans before the Tahoe and overall I agree. But our primary team is just 4 people and a quad cab provides plenty of seating for them. As a homeowner I like the open bed alot better, makes it much easier to make runs to the dump, garden center, etc. A good locking tool box will provide most any security I need. And when we do Lemons/GRM we also have the Waaaambulance support vehicle to hold tools/supplies.

I'd live in Hell itself, if my place came with a garage like that.

I'm guessing you have a enough room there for your own go kart track.

I would just live in the garage, really.... I wouldn't need a house.

I've been trying to convince my girlfriend that when we're ready for a house down the road that we're going to build one of those nifty "loft over garage" type houses.

6 car garage with a small 2 bedroom flat above, with a huge living room. That's all i need.

93celicaGT2 wrote: 6 car garage with a small 2 bedroom flat above, with a huge living room. That's all i need.

All I need too, unfortunately the ladies in our lives tend to have other ideas. My wife already knows if she dies/leaves me I'm just buying a 10,000 sq foot warehouse and framing out a small sleeping area and bathroom in one corner.

JThw8 wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: Good deal, got my eyes open for a Powerstroke myself.

My ideal would have been a Ford diesel ....

The Chevy rides nicer.

See other post reguarding the Subaru ... We should be able to deliver the Hoe this weekend. I will make arranngments tomorrow and give you a call.

BTW how does the NJ DMV/Sales Tax freaks handle a swap of vehicles? Will you pay tax based on the value of the Tahoe ... or no Tax because no cash exchanged hands?

In reply to JThw8:

I have one too, albiet a little older! Hope your's does better on gas. The BEST I've gotten with mine is 8mpg. I typically get around 6. What rearend ratio does yours have? I assume it has an overdrive trans also, which mine does not.

While the concept of a big stonkin' gas truck rattles something primal in all of us, I have to say, 3 years and 22,000 miles later, I really, really love my Cummins 3/4 ton Dodge. I just hauled home a '64 Cadillac with it, and didn't even realize the trailer had a flat tire until I turned a corner and spotted it in the side view mirror. The truck has torque. No, torque isn't an adequate enough term for it. The fact that I can hitch up a 5000 pound car on a 1500 pound trailer, have a flat tire, and dump the clutch in 1rst gear without giving ANY throttle, and still pull off from a dead stop, up a hill, with nary a complaint...how do you describe that?

Oh, yeah- and I get 21 mpg unloaded...worst observed while towing? 17.

I used to have a Suburban. I loved it. And it loved fuel. The 350 was lucky to return 14 mpg on a long trip at a dead even 55mph unloaded. I don't think I'll ever buy another gas truck to use for long distance or serious hauling ever.

Edit: The aforementioned Dodge has a total of 251,000 on the odometer...I've only owned it since 229,000. The Suburban had ~180,000 on it when I got rid of it, and the engine seemed about ready to implode.

JThw8 wrote: So in short it drives my wife insane that we have 4 garages and our daily drivers sit ouside.

Quoted for truth. I have 2.5 here at my house and my dad has 4 bays at his and somehow between the two of us all the daily drivers need to have the windows scraped and warm up for 10 minutes this time of year.

Crazy.