Would you drive a 13 year old Truck across the country?

[Isuzusweet]

Here I am driving around in a 36 year old (1982) chassis 1983 Airstream 310 motorhome, dragging a 26 year old 1992 Geo Metro convertible; going to Michigan next month, and PEI this summer.........my toad is twice as old as your TV.

Have a great time driving your bulletproof truck; if something should happen, I pray it is small, and easily fixed.

Cheers
Sidekick Tony

[rideair]

Last summer took a 2002 Excursion 7.3 with 400K on the OD just after replacing the transmission to Canada and Florida.

Yeah, I'd take your Excursion.

But if you're afraid, depending on the number of miles and rust, I might be able to find it a new home for it

[SeaLevel]

Was it bulletproofed by Bulletproof Diesel of Mesa, Arizona?

If so, it should have a lot of life left in it.

[moosetags]

To answer your question, yes and no. We have two tow vehicles. One is a 2005 Suburban 2500 with 170,000 miles on it. The other is a 2018 Silverado 2500 with 6,000 miles on it.

We take long Airstream trips, usually lasting 60 to 90 days. The Suburban has been on many of these trips. What we have noticed, as she ages, is that many of the accessory items begin to go bad. We have never had any problems with the engine or transmission. On our last trip with the Suburban, the alternator failed. On another recent trip, the air conditioner failed. On yet another trip, the rear window hinge in the lift gate broke. On another trip the speedometer went out We will still keep her for shorter winter trips, but have gone to the new Silverado for for the long trips.

Brian

[nvestysly]

Only you can decide... but I'd vote for keeping your existing ride unless there are clearly reasons why it should be swapped for a newer tow vehicle.

We have a 2005 Suburban and a 1996 Suburban. We perform regular maintenance on both and wouldn't hesitate to drive either across the country - maybe even Alaska!

[Countryboy59]

My ‘96 Suburban Diesel works harder than most camping trucks any day.

I say run it.

[WhereStream]

Originally Posted by moosetags

The Suburban has been on many of these trips. What we have noticed, as she ages, is that many of the accessory items begin to go bad. We have never had any problems with the engine or transmission

Same here, with my 2004 Suburban. Mechanically strong, but little stuff in the cab has me worried. AC controls making a new noise, that kind of thing.

I don't think the Chevrolet engineers spent much time on the interiors of this era Suburban.

Still a great road traveler, though, and good on the tow.

[rjmaype]

If you are truly concerned, my 2001 F350 PSD DRW Crew cab with 8 ft bed sits next to the Airstream, always in wait. If your Excursion fails you near me, I will swap you TVs and catch up with you once the Excursion is repaired.

[Hittenstiehl]

Would we yes, do we yes.

We keep it service and well-maintained and 280,000 miles on it just tooling right along.

[dasams]

When I saw your topic, I thought I'd weigh in with a 'yes' since we tow with a 2006 SUV. But then everyone else has already done so. So Rock on

[Stefrobrts]

As long as you've got towing insurance, go for it. Troubles on the road aren't that big a deal. Troubles could happen anytime, even with a brand new vehicle. I figure, if you plan to drive it around town for the next few thousand miles and don't worry about it, why not drive it across the country?

[Ted S.]

Wow. I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming positive encouragement in keeping my Excursion in the line up. That is fantastic.

It seems like the fear is that the engine will die or the tranny will blow on a long climb, but the reality is as some of you have noted, it’s the peripherals that go...a brake caliper freezes, a radiator hose blows, and alternator goes out...all things to be expected from an older vehicle. I guess I have one year to go through all these systems and upgrade and replace.

Funny how our vehicles become like family and it’s hard to let them go.

[PaulnGina]

Originally Posted by Ted S.

Wow. I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming positive encouragement in keeping my Excursion in the line up. That is fantastic.

It seems like the fear is that the engine will die or the tranny will blow on a long climb, but the reality is as some of you have noted, it’s the peripherals that go...a brake caliper freezes, a radiator hose blows, and alternator goes out...all things to be expected from an older vehicle. I guess I have one year to go through all these systems and upgrade and replace.

Funny how our vehicles become like family and it’s hard to let them go.

I'm sure you will, but make sure you do some basic preventive maintenance before you set out. If the radiator hoses are not very new, get new ones and refill the system with new coolant (does yours use the pink stuff like my 1995 PowerStroke? I get mine from Tractor Supply: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...-coolant-1-gal)

An engine and transmission oil/filter change, if not recent.

Keep us posted!

(On your way across the country, come through NW Arkansas and if you decide by then to get a new vehicle, feel free to leave your 6.0L in my driveway.... )

[Joannadannna]

Originally Posted by Ted S.

Funny how our vehicles become like family and it’s hard to let them go.

I’ve been fortunate to have owned some pretty great vehicles in my short toothed years. It wasn’t until I purchased my 3/4 ton Ram that I fell in love and named my truck. Bessie is her tag and admittedly when I’m driving down the long haul I sometimes lay my hand to her Ram emblem and call her ‘precious’.

[heitkergm]

Originally Posted by Joannadannna

I’ve been fortunate to have owned some pretty great vehicles in my short toothed years. It wasn’t until I purchased my 3/4 ton Ram that I fell in love and named my truck. Bessie is her tag and admittedly when I’m driving down the long haul I sometimes lay my hand to her Ram emblem and call her ‘precious’.

Just make sure it completely up to date with maintenance. ALL fluids (coolant, diff oil, tranny fluid, engine oil, power steering fluid, etc). Make sure suspension is in good condition; get the tires aligned. Check the battery. And don't forget the brakes.

After doing all that, I took a 9 year old truck, with 11 year old Bambi, cross country, 7800 miles, without incident.

[gsmithii]

How good - thorough and timely - is your maintenance? How often have “things” gone awry? That last bit to acknowledge that machines do seem to have minds of their own. Then do a complete check and happily roll down the road. Trucks last a long time.

[CLARKGAREN]

I have a 2001 GMC Yukon with a 502 cc engine. It has over300,000 miles
on it and runs like the day it was born. No interest in a new rig because
I cannot get a new rig with this much power. Just a small engine
and an overworked transmission.

I have a 1979 Airstream 24 foot Motorhome which is almost 40
years old. I put a new electronic transmission in the rig, so
now it turns 2400 rpm at 75 mph instead of 4000 rpm. Rig
also runs great and is much more fun to travel in than new rigs

[crispyboy]

Preventative maintenance is the key to any vehicle. As others have suggested replace things before they are due with QUALITY PARTS - while it can get expensive it is still much cheaper than a newer vehicle. Research your vehicle to find out what are the typical issues and when these tend to surface.
- hoses
- water pump
- fuel pump
- u-joints (remember to balance drive shafts)
- shocks
- steering linkage
- ball joints
- fluids (replace with synthetic)
- unit wheel bearings (some can actually be greased through the ABS sensor)
- battery cables
- check all the grounds for corrosion
- exhaust system
- check hitch for corrosion
- etc...............

[JCWDCW]

I have a 2003 Dakota... about 150000 miles. I put at least a cross country trip on it this winter back and forth from Canada. However I decided not to go to Oregon this year for the international as I felt I might burn her out in the mountains to get there. At some point you need to consider what it means to push an older vehicle. Mine is in nearly perfect shape but if I lose it I probably can't afford to replace it so "Discretion is sometimes the better part of Valor"
JCW

[sbowman]

Yes, keep it. If it is not broken why replace. However if you have more money than what you know what to do with, keep it and buy another.