The other day... My spouse, (who by the way has always hated my LOUD diesel trucks) says to me, " Honey we getting to that end of life stage, we may not have many years left. We have the finances, why don't you just go buy you a new truck and enjoy a new one the rest of your days "

I'm thinking silently to myself.... She just asked me to sell MY BABY ! O M G ! But I look over at her and say, " Sweetie, a new truck like this is like $75 to $100,000, I'd much rather spend that money traveling the world with you "

Question is.... what would you do..... buy a new truck or score big points with the spouse !??!!

 

No brainer, go places, do stuff, have a blast!

 

Keep the classic.

 

No one is on their death bed and says some crap like "I wish I had a nicer truck these past few years." Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone and if traveling is what you two want to do, then do it.

You will be missed at a north GA GTG if you are traveling, but no one will blame you. We will throw a cheers up for you though.

Although, if you are going to drive around the country, you may want to consider another set of wheels. Either way, enjoy the ride!

1st world problems are great problems to have my friend.

 

Score big points with the spouse.

You'll be glad you did when it comes time for her to make an equally momentous decision.

"Should I change his diaper (for the third time that morning), or should I let him just sit there and stew in it... for all the time I had to sit at doing nothing because he was glued to the forums learning everything he could about his brand new truck."

 

You are bad Y2K, LOL!

 

But He is not wrong... watched it happen with my Grandpa and cancer... Grandma never hesitated to take care of him to the end.

 

It's AMAZING how much power the newer trucks have and they do it with the silence of a mouse. Rode in a new Cummins a couple of years a go and torque was unreal and I simply could not hear the engine.

 

when my wife said the same thing in 2019 I called a friend who is a realtor, 2 weeks later our 3rd house was sold and my F450 ultimate King Ranch was enroute to Arizona. 2022 I sold our forest river 5th wheel and bought a 2022 Grand Design Solitude.
no regrets on any of those decisions.
may 20th we are going to northern Nevada to spend a week with one of our adopted daughters, the my next 2 weeks off we are going to south Dakota to spend a week with another adopted daughter.
in short do what works for you and makes you both happy.

 

My wallet would scream when driving a new one..

 

So would mine. Living within our means sometimes means we get to drive used vehicles, not new. But I keep them in shape so I can jump in any one of my vehicles as needed and drive cross country at a moment's notice.

 

If it is too loud for her, put a muffler on it. Wife's Happy, you Happy..... and money to spare... a new truck may be nice.... but it is you, two, together, that makes Life worth Living. "Seize the Day" and not the truck.... imo

 

I went kicking and screaming when my truck got totaled.

My wife told me I could buy a brand new truck (never owned a new vehicle before) if I would "retire" from my HD diesel addiction. I reluctantly agreed and have never looked back.

Sure I miss my Money Pit, but it was exactly that...a money pit. Even if the engine was running strong (finally) how long was the rest of the truck going to last? I put probably $30K into the truck in the 3 years running up to the accident (with $5K worth of parts still waiting to be installed).

I miss the relative simplicity of the 7.3L compared to today's electronics-heavy designs but I don't miss always working on it (I did all the mechanical work in the 11+ years I had it).

As your wife said, we're getting older. When I bought the truck I was young(er) and more agile. Now I'm on a healthy diet of pain management (medication, knee injection, back injections) and getting under a vehicle is a planned evolution instead of an afterthought.

I would feel the same way in your situation as my 7.3L was my baby too (I've never loved a vehicle more than that one). Being on the "other side" now, if it was me in your shoes, I'd take the opportunity to move on and into something newer and more comfortable...and it doesn't have to be another HD truck unless you need/want one.

I went from my 7.3L, to a brand new RAM 1500, and now my new-to-me 2017 VW Passat. I still miss the 7.3L (I'm still hanging around this forum 4+ years after I turned over the keys to the body shop) but my current vehicle is a close second to my 7.3L for all-time favorite vehicle I've owned.

Just my .02

 

If there's one vehicle that I had to choose just because of how well it feels on the road, it's one that is from Germany. So many other just feel like a barge on wheels in comparison.

 

Only good in my 530d BMW was the M57 straight six diesel.