On the other hand...I had a 74 buick apollo, 350 under the hood. I bought it in 1983. A florida car now in Oklahoma. 81K on the odometer. I even bought it from one of those used car places you should never buy from.

did a brake job and carb rebuild. Drove it around town for 6 mos. then all the way to arizona, then louisana. Shipped it overseas to Germany and drove it another 3 years and the autoban and btw...there are not speed limits.

So...moral of the story is it could go bad out of the box or not. Do your maintance and if you truck is dependable (which it appears so) then as they say...drive the truck.

BTW...take I81 to just outsid of Wytheville then I77 down to I26 then I95 outside of Savannha..much better ride then trying to fight I95 in stop and go till Richmond, VA.

I am on the way should your barely broke in truck have an issue.

 

i would not worry about a 4k mile oil change. change it now if you wish, but there will be no harm either way. on a truck that does not pull and all highway miles, a 5k OCI would be wholly appropriate and acceptable. especially with 6qts on board

I have the feeling you could trade for a brand new truck and not make any upgrade with regard to reliability.

 

Very kind of you to offer a hand if trouble comes. I still have "Roadside Assistance" coverage, so I'm not concerned on that level. We also have family friends along the route that we usually stop and see.

Speaking of the route recommendations, we typically take I84 West, to I81 South, and go to Route 64 (?) heading Southeast, til it drops us off along the Beltway outside Washington. That's a MUCH prettier and tranquil drive than I95 South. We time our approach to Washington to avoid the peak traffic hours.

-soupy1957

 

Moral of this story should be life is too short to worry about everything.... My dad is the same way, he worries about everything and I mean everything. He is getting close to 60 and is going to wind up putting himself in the ground because he worries so much.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.- Corrie Ten Boom

 

Took my '09 on a 1200 mile trip 3 days after buying it with 75K miles, figured it was the best way to shake it down and see if I had any issues I needed fixed under the short term warranty they gave with it. Also got me familiar with what my mileage was going o be and any quirks the truck has.

 

I wouldn't even change the oil at 3k. The way your describing how you drive in would wait for at least 7500. Oil technology has come a long way and engines have a lot more technology than they used to. Your basically wasting money. Just take the trip and not worry about it

 

Soupy...I hate to say it but you are more like your dad than you realize. I too tend to double and triple check things when towing and always look in the mirrors etc. for issues when going down the road.

Honestly sometimes having some "blind" faith is a good thing. Of course you want to make sure your vehicle has the fluids and is mechanically sound before a trip...however things are going to happen and no planning in the world is going to stop it.

If someone happens you deal with it and move on. My dad is the same way...worries about everything and anything. I would refer to him as "chicken little" because to him the sky was always falling. I can't live that way...and I refuse to live that way. Life wouldn't be any fun if you worried about everything all the time and didn't take any risks.

Anyway sorry to get off topic...take the trip, have fun, and be safe.

 

I find your choice for a Signature to be quite interesting. Corrie's life story is very compelling!

-soupy1957

 

I do have a detailed personality, which makes me a TERRIFIC QC Technician! However, I'm not as neurotic as my dad. Careful, cautious, detailed and picky, yes.

I fully intend to take the trip in the truck,......$&@ to the wall! I don't baby my vehicles, but I do my best to cross all my "T's" and dot all my "I's."

-soupy1957

 

Did you have doubts about making a 3,000 mile trip with the truck when you were debating buying it?

 

At the 64 / 95 interchange, you'll be about an hour or so from me. My door is open if you need a friend.

 

Try dotting the Ts and crossing the I's, makes driving a little more interesting.

 

The only "doubts" I had (truly) about THIS truck: I have bought numerous "new" trucks (as opposed to "used") in the past 10 years. All of which I put a fiberglass Cap on. We have 4 dogs, and the "Cap" was to be able to put the dogs "in the back" when going to the Vet or the Kennel. THIS time I only put a canvas cover (Motorcraft) on the bed. The logic was that the "hair" and "drool" factor were not as big an issue as to warrant adding another 200 lbs of Fiberglass to the back end, reducing mileage potential.

I was "concerned" about "buying used" in general, because you inherit someone else's problems. However, that said, "new" vehicles can give unexpected problems (as talked about before) as well as "used" and it's a gamble either way. I just happen to think that "used" vehicles can potentially yield more.

On the other side of the coin, a truck like this, with 40,000 miles on it, could also indicate that any "troubles" might be eradicated already by the previous owner, and I have LESS to worry about.

A Service Manager of a Dealership nearby, (the first Cousin of my wife) had said that I was far better off with a "Certified" Used vehicle than a non-Certified one, and I trust his opinion. He looked over the vehicle and felt good about the buy, so I went into it with a certainly better sense of confidence than if I had NOT had a second pair of eyes on it.

-Soupy1957

 

Very kind of you. Drop an address in the e-mail to "soupy1957@yahoo.com" and I'll put it in my wallet for "FYI" should I find myself in an unexpected situation.

-Soupy1957

 

I replied to your PM sir. Happy travelling in your great truck.