Old Trusty

Remember them? That's what I just put on!

Yeah there is something to be said about simplicity, of course there is something to be said about A/C too....

My morning commute to test out the new tires turned out to be stressful as my wipers broke. We are getting pounded in OKC.

Easy fix though, just need to replace the bushing on the wiper arm, again.

Ron

I liked how the older vehicles would shift predictably, and how driving the speed limit improved gas mileage.

I wrote more and it made me feel all negative.

I am looking for a stick shift something that can fill my needs (and I can pay cash for). 2 kids in car seats, 3000# towing, 4wd since the county don't know how to plow AND salt at the same time. (they salt an inch of slush without scraping first...)

Phil

Standard shift.....

That's a tall order these days. I can't explain it, some of it may be due to laziness, but manufacturers are not offering manual trans vehicles anymore. Even bare bones fleet trucks come with automatics.

I have never owned an automatic vehicle and here's why:

Better fuel economy
Less weight
Don't overheat (towing)
You can choose the gear you want for the situation
You can bump start a manual if you have a low battery or bum starter
Requires more attention span
Easier and cheaper to repair (conventional driveline)
Easier on your brakes as your driveline is not always pushing forward and you can downshift to scrub off speed.


I may have missed a few points, but you get the idea. The truck in the picture was a 727 auto when I bought it. That lasted just long enough for me to source a donor truck for me to convert it to a manual!

I hope you find what you are looking for Phil. They are out there.

I miss my B300 Tradesman vans.. I had 2 of them at the same time back in the late 80’s. One ton chassis, 16” wheels, 318 V8’s, 727 Torque-Flite trannys.. so easy to do engine tuning.. especially if it was raining. One was a 1975 cargo van, the other was a 1974 full camper conversion with A/C and a turtle-top.

Phil, I am not sure of the towing capacity.. but I would suggest a Toyota 4-Runner (SR5 if you can find one). There are typically more of them with 5 speed transmissions, than there are of other domestic vehicles.. and they’re very dependable. A V6 model may be up to the task. The Land-Cruiser is ultimate but pricey.. even if it’s well used. It is available with Toyota’s 5.7L i-Force V8 found in the Tundra pick-up, which is a POWERHOUSE. It also may be harder to find a standard trans. in that model.. if it was even available. The 4-Runner will have much better fuel economy though.. which is a huge expense these days.

You guys are sing my song, you might remember me talking about my 'Ole Blue', she's a '98' Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the 360ci. And thanks to my daughter (who I love dearly), has a new front end and new chrome. My wife had a hard time forking out the cash for a new motor in Ole Blue this year, but a new truck to do the same job is $50K. I can't see that for what I do with my truck, and I love this truck. I'd rather fix the truck up than buy a new one.

and of course.. let's not forget the Cummins diesel engine option. There are some VERY dedicated owners in my neck of the woods.

That's hilarious Ron,not only the fact that you still love your old truck but the thread it started.I've got a 95 Tbird,4.6 V-8 thats approaching 300,000 its been passed around in the family for 20 years both rear struts are broken so its a low rider its dented on every corner,rusted,I only change oil once a year its my daily work driver the thing wont die.Those SR5s are bad to the bone.

Yep,

Some vehicles defy the laws of nature. A vehicle can last a long time with a little bit of maintenance.

I still use my truck as much as possible. Here is a picture from last weekend of me hauling 2yds of dirt. Yes, I reverse arched the springs....that's another story!

Ron

Cribbs74 wrote:Yep,

Some vehicles defy the laws of nature. A vehicle can last a long time with a little bit of maintenance.

I still use my truck as much as possible. Here is a picture from last weekend of me hauling 2yds of dirt. Yes, I reverse arched the springs....that's another story!

Ron

The hubcaps are back on!!   I really liked your reasoning on the manual transmission Ron.. especially the point about requiring more attention span. My vehicles have all been automatics and I've never owned a motorcycle.. but I learned to drive a standard early-on. My wife had manual-trans. vehicles when she was younger (a couple of VW Beetles and a Nissan Sentra) but she has a bad hip that prevents her from driving one now. Speaking of VW Beetle's.. there's one for sale at a used car lot down the street. It's a 1974.. and looks absolutely MINT! There's no $$ on the sticker.. and it's kind of an ugly color (bluish-green).. but there's NO rust and the interior is very good (white). What do you suppose it's worth? If I could get out of my 2005 Trailblazer which gets 15 mpg max. downhill with a tailwind.. The VW would be so much cheaper to operate. My wife drives a 2012 Chevy "Captiva" which I could use on weekends when I need to move my music equipment..   

Depends on if it's a Super Beetle or a Standard Beetle. If it's the former then stay away!

Edit: a 74 is a super beetle. I am not up on my VW knowledge.