Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Is this the end of the Pathfinder? :eek:
 
argatoga said:
Is this the end of the Pathfinder? :eek:
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Yes, unfortunately. As awesome a little vehicle as it is, my needs have changed and it is time for it to move on. I'll be completing any outstanding repairs on it over the course of the next month or so and then it will go up for sale.

If my needs change back, I'd get another one in a heartbeat. I am quite pleased with the little box, but it can't tow/haul enough for what I am likely going to be doing in a few months and I only have the one available parking spot. It has to go to a new home and I will miss it; it's been a blast to drive and quite surprising in its abilities - the media called it 'the driver's SUV' and they were right.

Edit: I was so pleased with the thing that I considered buying a Titan as its replacement - but alas the Titan does not come in a diesel variant.
 
Spectre said:
What I'm looking at are 99-02 F-250s and F-350s with the 7.3L PowerStroke/International diesel engine. Don't want a DRW/dually configuration, but I'm thinking extended or crew cab in 4x4. Haven't decided on bed length yet; am also undecided on whether I should go with the automatic or manual (manual trucks have a higher state of tune, but the gearbox is like stirring coal).
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In a Ginormous diesel truck? Automatic is a must.As for bed length, based on the fact that you're moving from the Pathfinder and also that you seem to have a bit of a problem with parking spots, i think a 6.8-foot bed is the most sensible option. The other option is a 8-foot one ie. you can park a Mini in there.
 
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Nah. Spectre you might as well go all the way.

f650_angle_big.jpg
 
For the extended or crew cab I wouldn't go past the mid length bed. We've had trucks as long as I remember growing up and the longer cabs with long beds are ridiculous to deal with in parking lots in urban areas like you'll frequently be in. The size of truck you're looking at will be a hassle in busy traffic and in parking lots with narrow lanes and short spaces. The long bed is a nicer thing to have don't get me wrong, but from a practicality standpoint- DFW doesn't lend itself to those huge trucks. My mothers' F150 Super Crew with the 6.5' bed is pushing it, maybe the next larger size bed would be OK, but honestly when any of us drive that around down there we have to be a lot more careful because all the roads and lanes (both streets and lanes in lots and around buildings) aren't built for a truck that size and running up on curbs happens all the time in it. My dad has a 250 Super Crew with a long bed and we've only taken it down there twice, we don't anymore because it's just too big.

As far as the generation you're looking at, my dads' 250 is a 2001 and my moms' previous 150 was a 2001 as well. 250 is a manual with the V10 gasser and manual locking 4x4, not a problem with it since we bought it new in 2000 from a dealer in San Saba. He's driven it through mud halfway up the doors and it went through no problem. My moms' old truck was the V8 gas and an auto, only ever had 2 problems, one when squirrels chewed through the main engine wiring harness and the second was a really noisy window regulator on the drivers door. I know a lot of people with the same generation diesel models around here and aside from when they screw them up by chipping them and dialing up the boost without knowing what they're doing they have no problems either. So if you want one, find one in good condition and go for it.
 
Well, just got back from the Ford dealer a little while ago. The extended cab is right out, not enough cab room and no good way to have a comfortable 'road motel' in one if there's anything in the back. Plus forget about putting real adult people in the back for more than a short lunch trip, it's just not going to happen. I brought CrazyJeeper along for size testing and he didn't even want to try to get into the back of the extended cab Super Duty.


So.... crew cab it is.
 
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Nabster said:
For the extended or crew cab I wouldn't go past the mid length bed. We've had trucks as long as I remember growing up and the longer cabs with long beds are ridiculous to deal with in parking lots in urban areas like you'll frequently be in.
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Wuss. If it's less than 30ft long, it's short enough for anywhere.
 
Spectre said:
Well, just got back from the Ford dealer a little while ago. The extended cab is right out, not enough cab room and no good way to have a comfortable 'road motel' in one if there's anything in the back. Plus forget about putting real adult people in the back for more than a short lunch trip, it's just not going to happen. I brought CrazyJeeper along for size testing and he didn't even want to try to get into the back of the extended cab Super Duty.


So.... crew cab it is.
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I'm 5'11" and I can attest that being in the back of an F-250 extended cab is not comfortable. Although, it's markedly better than a Toyota Tacoma :p
 
EyeMWing said:
Wuss. If it's less than 30ft long, it's short enough for anywhere.
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Going where we wanted wasn't ever a problem. Going where we wanted without going over curbs and islands and taking out signs placed stupidly in parking lots is a different story.
 
Nabster said:
Going where we wanted wasn't ever a problem. Going where we wanted without going over curbs and islands and taking out signs placed stupidly in parking lots is a different story.
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Curbs, signs and trees are mere obstacles. Ignore them, they shall only get in your way.
 
EyeMWing said:
Curbs, signs and trees are mere obstacles. Ignore them, they shall only get in your way.
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Obstacles? A truck like that has no obstacles. Except larger trucks...
 
I rode in a W210 E-Class today for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised. The W210 is not a car I had held in very high regard, but that opinion changed being in the back seat in one with black leather, black uphoulstered pillars and light grey headlining. The combination of colours worked so well, and the seats were some of the best back seats I've ever been in, much bigger and more comfortable than the usual sort. It was almost like sitting in a posh nightclub or something. It gave the impression I was sitting in a much more expensive car than a 10+ year old E-class.
 
Spectre, I heart you even more now you'll be driving a diesel truck
I read on this forum somewhere that you can get ridiculous power out of the Ford Duratorque engines (I remember figures of 600 hp+) with even more ridiculous torque numbers

plan on doing some "modding" to this thing? :mrgreen: if so we demand pics
 
Why do you need/want a 4x4 Spectre?
 
NooDle said:
Spectre, I heart you even more now you'll be driving a diesel truck
I read on this forum somewhere that you can get ridiculous power out of the Ford Duratorque engines (I remember figures of 600 hp+) with even more ridiculous torque numbers

plan on doing some "modding" to this thing? :mrgreen: if so we demand pics
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Yes, you can get some stupid high power numbers out of one of these things. There are bolt on kits that add half again the horsepower and torque to the 7.3, for example.

Yes, I am planning on modding it.

GRtak said:
Why do you need/want a 4x4 Spectre?
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Many reasons; here's just one. One of my largest clients has a concrete plant, whose IT systems I service. There is a surprisingly large amount of IT gear in a concrete plant these days; unfortunately what there is not a lot of is paved road. Every time it rains, the "back 40" of the place turns into a mud pit - and that's usually when something dies. So I can go out there in a 4x2 truck and get stuck pretty bad, bring a 4x4 of my own and go get the job done, or drive there in a car then wait for someone to come back to the site office in one of the overworked company 4x4 trucks and borrow it. Usually said truck ends up being the oldest available in the fleet, breaks down a lot and the interior smells strange/disgusting - not to mention the air conditioning is usually dead, something very annoying in Texas summers.

Bringing my own truck for this purpose alone is worth it. I have many other reasons to have a 4x4 truck, which I have mentioned before (including the fact that my favorite shooting range is on a part of my friend's ranch that you can't get to with a 2WD) and won't go into right now. Plus I won't be paying a fuel penalty, seeing as how my fuel is going to be free or mostly free.

Finally, a go-anywhere-do-anything machine is pretty damn useless without some form of 4WD, IMHO.

hbriz said:
I rode in a W210 E-Class today for the first time, and I was pleasantly surprised. The W210 is not a car I had held in very high regard, but that opinion changed being in the back seat in one with black leather, black uphoulstered pillars and light grey headlining. The combination of colours worked so well, and the seats were some of the best back seats I've ever been in, much bigger and more comfortable than the usual sort. It was almost like sitting in a posh nightclub or something. It gave the impression I was sitting in a much more expensive car than a 10+ year old E-class.
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It's just a damn shame that they won't stay bolted together.
 
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Have you considered a Ram 2500 Megacab or are pretty much sold on Ford?
 
gaasc said:
Have you considered a Ram 2500 Megacab or are pretty much sold on Ford?
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I had considered it and would have bought one... if I didn't have to buy parts or get support from Government Motors.

Quite bluntly, I do not trust a government owned entity to stand behind their products (or do anything else), and the Dodge product (in all aspects but the engine) is generally inferior in terms of longevity to the Ford. The running joke around here is that the Cummins engine is a joy, but the rest of the truck just falls apart around it.

Still, if Chrysler wasn't owned by the government, I might be looking at buying one of those anyway. Unfortunately, they are part of Government Motors now, so they're off my buying list.

The GM counterpart isn't worth buying - and that was true even before they were Government Motors.
 
http://img691.imageshack.**/img691/826/1967troutmanbarnes91126.jpg

1967 Porsche 911 Troutman
 
Labcoatguy said:
Like a SIII XJ6? :p
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Eh, to some degree. The Dodge falls apart a lot faster, the S3 can take decades to decay that far. :D

Edit: Also, one vehicle in the fleet that does/did that is quite enough, thankyouverymuch. :D
 
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