 |
09/01/07, 07:04 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,395
|
|
|
Road trip...take the safe car or the fun truck
I have a week off from my cooking-at-the-ranch job. I am going 1100 miles to CA to see my mom.
I was all set to take my car....no risk of breakdown, goes fast, just scoot on over there, but...
I kinda want to take my old truck. There's a gazillion cool rockhounding spots between here and there, most of which are off of non-passenger-car roads. The old truck only goes about 60 max, has no seatbelts, leaks gas when it's full, leaks clutch fluid, oil and I guess just about everything else that can leak. It has not left me stranded yet, but I've only driven it about 500 total miles, with 100 of those being all at once.
Would I be foolhardy to take my truck? Oh yeah, I'm 43, a woman and will be traveling alone (well, except for my pup, who is hardly a guard dog).
Jena
__________________
...to be a rock and not to roll...
|
09/01/07, 07:22 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Whiskey Flats(Ft. Worth) , Tx
Posts: 8,712
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Jena
I have a week off from my cooking-at-the-ranch job. I am going 1100 miles to CA to see my mom.
I was all set to take my car....no risk of breakdown, goes fast, just scoot on over there, but...
I kinda want to take my old truck. There's a gazillion cool rockhounding spots between here and there, most of which are off of non-passenger-car roads. The old truck only goes about 60 max, has no seatbelts, leaks gas when it's full, leaks clutch fluid, oil and I guess just about everything else that can leak. It has not left me stranded yet, but I've only driven it about 500 total miles, with 100 of those being all at once.
Would I be foolhardy to take my truck? Oh yeah, I'm 43, a woman and will be traveling alone (well, except for my pup, who is hardly a guard dog).
Jena
|
.............Take the car !!! If , your truck breaks down , you're going to be OUT both time and money . The main purpose of your trip is the time spent with your mom , and rock collecting is less important . Get as many "truck" problems fixed as you can afford Too , after you get back to your job . Besides , your mechanic will charge a whole lot less than some garage along the highway you donot know nor do they care about your finances or your welfare . Do all your 4 wheeling close too home cause you've got friends you can call on to Pull you out of the ditch . , fordy
|
09/01/07, 07:33 PM
|
|
Bees and Tree specialty
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Lexington KY
Posts: 1,274
|
|
|
Take the truck if you have a satilate phone and about 3000.00 bucks to pay the towing bill and repairs or to just leave it and buy another truck.
|
09/01/07, 10:25 PM
|
|
Suburban Homesteader
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Posts: 2,559
|
|
|
In our case, it's the opposite; take the reliable SUV or the fun car. Our cars are in th 35-45 year age range and are loads of fun to drive.
However, if I had to drive that kind of distance and had a work-related time frame to work in, I'd definitely go for the reliability. Aside from the cost to repair the truck should it break down on the way, there is also the time factor. It may take a few days to repair, in which case your visit with your mom turns into a family-free vacation in a town you weren't planning on spending any time in.
|
09/02/07, 09:36 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 325
|
|
|
I suggest the fun truck. I have been driving my fun truck thru 4 states for 16 years. Its a 1939 Ford pickup. Sometimes I drive my 1931 Ford, my 35 Ford or the 57 chevy or 59 Ford or one of my other antique cars or motorcycles
Dont worry about car trouble--the world is full of nice folks who will help you. My alternator went dead 310 miles from home in my 31 Ford. While wondering what to do, a young married couple pulled up and asked if I needed a jumpstart. They said they had just left Walmart where someone else had jumpstarted their truck!
The nicest people often drive older cars.
Its part of the adventure of life---and making new friends---and learning what gratitude really is---and being willing to help someone else.
|
09/02/07, 09:49 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Zone 7
Posts: 10,540
|
|
A few words from the owner of an antique auto, '37 Ford coupe. Never go further than you want to pay for the rollback to get back home. 
__________________
Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!
|
09/02/07, 10:08 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: France
Posts: 4,117
|
|
|
Nice to have a choice.
|
09/02/07, 10:16 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 325
|
|
Jena, You KNOW you want to take the fun truck.
Pay no attention to agmantoo. Hes probably one of those 'streetrodders'
My kid seems to be amazed that whenever I have a malfunction in one of my cars, I fix it and keep going.
In 40 years of driving antiques I have NEVER called a rollback towtruck to get me home.
|
09/02/07, 10:32 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Carthage, Texas
Posts: 12,261
|
|
|
I drove to Alaska back and forth for ten years in a truck that wouldn't scoot over 65...
I say take the fun truck. Carry all the extra fluids you know you'll be needing, as well as extra food, water, and sleepin bags. Have a cell phone or cb, just in case!
You only live once... make it an adventure...
For me, the journey is the destination...
and who knows, you might find some valuable rocks (or the next diamond mine!)
__________________
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:01 PM.
|
|
