Re: Today's pickups - no rust and better??

Posted by Ludwig on June 23, 2005 at 06:56:55 from (65.196.0.66):

In Reply to: Today's pickups - no rust and better?? posted by jdemaris on June 22, 2005 at 11:47:41:

Well I've got an '83 Mercedes Benz 240D that I bought for $1500. I've beaten the snot out of that car and it takes it and keeps on ticking. Sure its got issues but for a commuter its great, and frankly if you put it beside your Jetta it makes the Jetta look like a crapbox... You got be beat on mileage though I only get about 30mpg.

Anyway my Great Uncle Reg bought a Chevy 1/2 ton new in '76. By '86 it had rusted "all the way to the windshield" as we say in Maine. He had the cab welded back up and found NOS doors and a bed. By '91 the bed was falling apart, one door fell off and the cab rusted around the plates they'd welded in... He junked it and bought a used '88 GMC 1/2 ton which I still have. The cab corners rusted out on that and were replaced along with one fender on the bed. Theres a fair bit of rust now but considering its age I think its done real well.
When it was junked the 350 in the '76 was fair at best. One big reason he didn't replace the body is because he figured the engine needed a rebuild. It had just under 100,000 miles. If I get up to the farm a couple more times this year the '88 will roll 100,000. Starts and runs fine, burns a little more oil than I'd like but I suspect thats because it sits alot now.
The '76 rode like a work truck, the radio sounded like you were inside a tin can if you could hear it over the wind noise. The '88 is quiet and comfortable and gets about twice the gas mileage if you can stay out of the go pedal (I've pulled 16mpg with it driving real easy, Dad held the record on the '76 at 8mpg). Both trucks were about equally good in the woods. I might give the nod to the '76 but we had to gas it up EVERY SINGLE DAY during hunting season...

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