Monday, October 26, 2009

On The Road Again...!


Well, as many of you may or may not know...I've been looking for another truck or van since I sold my Chevy S-10 and the camper to my nephew!

I've spent countless hours on Craigslist and on the couple of other sites that usually have what I want.

Saturday, I finally found one from an individual right here in the neighborhood! So I called him and made arrangements to go look at it.

What he had was a 1989 Dodge Ram that had some small problems, and the pictures looked fine. At $750, it wasn't priced too bad, so I went over and looked it over. The only thing was...he couldn't find the title. Now, I know it's not that big a deal to get another title...but I didn't want to go through all that! That little voice in my head said "Wait, wait" so I told him if and when he found it to give me a call!

Later, on another site, I found a 1993 Dodge truck and went across town to look at it. Once again, the picture looked better than the truck. Listening again to the little voice, I told them I passed...and then started looking at some others on the lot!

That's when I saw this 1992 Ford F150, with two gas tanks, heavy rear suspension...hell, the radio, the heater and A/C even work! I don't remember ever owning a Ford (except the 2 mustangs I had) so I thought about it, asked some appropriate questions, took a test drive...didn't hear from the little voice, so I talked a deal with the guy!

Ended up spending a little more than I started out to spend, but I think it's a wiser choice in the long run. Guess the "Little Voice" agrees, 'cause I haven't heard from it today! Here are a couple of pics...







Well, I'm satisfied, the Little Voice seems satisfied, I have transportation again, and life is good! If my dad were still here, he would probably kick my butt for not getting a Chevy! However, he was a pretty understanding type...so maybe he would cut me a little slack! He was pretty good about doing just that when I was younger, ya know?

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and sit outside for a bit...the Little Voice in my head says that's a good idea!

30 comments:

Felinae said...

Wow!
Uncle Hermit, lookin' really good... Oh, the truck looks good too ;D

It really is nice, I like the red interior. It suits you :) Have ya named her yet?

I'm glad your little voice is keeping a tight lip. Don't ya just wish you could duct tape it's mouth shut sometimes?

Good luck with your new "baby" and I think the voice is right, coffee sounds really good right about now. :)

Have a great day my friend.

Hugs~Felinae~

HermitJim said...

Hey felinae...
On behalf of the truck and myself, I thank you!

I kinda like the red interior as well, plus it is in pretty good shape for it's age!

Windows all work, doors all shut, and the headliner is still on the roof where it belongs...

I won't know how to act! Now if I could only afford the gas!

Thanks for the visit today, friend!

DianeLynn said...

COOL truck! Now can you lend that little voice to me???
Enjoy your Monday eh?

Anonymous said...

Nice buy Hermit. I too listen to that little voice. When we ignore it, it comes back to bite us on the ass lol!

Anonymous said...

real nice! I have had 3 ford trucks in my life.

Tell me its got a 300 six motor! please if so you got a great truck. my favorite motor Ford ever made will last you a lifetime.

I had 3 trucks in Alaska. The chevy 6 cyl went through 2 motors in 4 years. the Ford 6 cyl ran perfect for 4 yrs and I drove it down to the lower 48 and sold it for more than I paid for it. the other truck was a toyota and someone stole it and drove it off a cliff trying to run over the cops that were chasing it.

I have put 160,000 miles on this Ford f 250 I am driving all over the country with little problem. battery and brakes is all it needs from time to time. but it doesnt have the 300 six in it and I wish it did. great gas mileage and plenty of power. mine has power but bad mileage.get the oil changed every 3000 miles on it and dont worry bout a thing.

TEAM HALL said...

Awwww, look how darn cute you are!! And, I'm diggin' your truck, Jim!
How about we get some coffee and take 'er for a spin, eh?
Have a grand day.

Gary Near Death Valley said...

Have a 1994 Ford Ranger that I bought when I moved to the desert from a gent that drove it back and forth from Las Vegas to Pahrump during his work. It had 96 thous on the dial, and he had all the oil changes etc (changed it every 3 grand miles like I do) and it ran great. Now have 140 thous on it, and still runs great,,,,and having a pick up that old, with a few dings in it, helps me to hide well,,,,my savings etc I have put away. Could buy a new one with cash, but the older ones are better me thinks,,,,kinda like us Hermit,,,the older the better,,,and like strong coffee gets better with age,,,OK time for coffee

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the truck. And so glad to see a pic of you so I have a face to the hermit!

Enjoy the coffee.

Anonymous said...

Morning Jim;
I'm like your dad...Chevie man. However in 1971 I bought a ford half ton with the 300 6. Kept it 13 years, and put 156,000 miles on her. Changed the oil every 3000 miles. Gave it to my son -in-law and if he had not wrecked her it would still be on the road. Good find...she will serve you well.
2002 Silverado I own now needs to break that record.

See Ya

Anonymous said...

Good job - I like the bench seat myself. Color blends in with the rest of a fleet of federal vehicles (yellow blinking light and some decals on sides would complete the
disguise). Dual gas tanks is good, but be really careful and remember if that spare tank is full. My boss got burned one time and because of that, replaced the tank with a monster 40 gallon job. Now he knew for sure he had gas.

My brother has had really good luck with Fords, a full size Bronco and now 04 4x4 P.U. I think you will enjoy it.

Baby Sis said...

Good job, Bubba, and I think, since you were listening to the the little (Dad?) voice, this time Daddy will say 'Good job, Son". And yes, the red does suit you, and white will get dirty (don't they all) but will stay cooler in the desert. At least that's my thinking - I'll (try to)never have a black vehicle!

Hugs - Baby Sis

squire said...

Put a $50 campershell on her and you will have a "home away from home" when you go to Mo. to check on you land. Even though I have owned a S-10 for well over 10 years, I am a Ford man at heart.

Mayberry said...

Lookin' good Hermit! That was one of the last "good" years for Ford trucks, still have the old engines versus those new "modular" pieces of crap. Yup, the little voice won't steer ya wrong. Though you shoulda got a Chevy, heh heh heh... ; )

JoJo said...

Good Morning My Special One, Nice truck and the interior is in great shape.
Very windy this morning, hope it dies down or I will not be able to get back on the road, the MH is rocking like crazy just sitting here. I really don't care to stay at this Bates RV Park another nite.LOL

2 Tramps said...

A very nice truck, H.J. and a Ford can be very good. We have a 1997 Crew Cab F 350 Diesel version and have never had it break down in the 12 years we have had it.

Wishing you many happy trouble free miles with your new ride!

Ken said...

...now i can say it,"from one Ford man to another",good job...the F-series/Broncos are the best damn trucks on the planet(pre '97,last years for the real Fords was '96)that was also the last model of the Bronco...

...more details,motor/tranny/trailer pkg ???

HermitJim said...

Hey Diane...
Sorry, gotta keep that Little Voice close...'cause it's the only thing that keeps me from getting into trouble sometimes, ya know?

Thanks so much for the visit today, girl!


Hey Molly...
The Little Voice does indeed have some teeth...and isn't above laughing at us when we don't listen!

I sure appreciate you coming by today!


Hey OGT...
Good to see you ths morning! I think that, all in all, this will be a good truck for me and what I want to do! I'll certainly be able to haul a lot of preps in it!

Should be able to carry a fair amount of building supplies as well!

Glad to have someone that has driven one for a while pass on the info!

Thanks a lot for stopping by today!


Hey Cath...
Sure thing, my friend! Grab a cup and hop on in...we'll drive on down to the coast and watch the waves!

I don't know about the cute part, but I sure do appreciate the nice comments!

They, along with the visit, are greatly appreciated this morning...!


Hey Gary...
I drove my Chevy S-10 for 8 years and bought it from my neighbor. He bought it new and drove it for 11 years! Now if I can get that kind of service from this one, I'll be happy!

Now I just need to spend some time getting acquainted with her, ya know? She'll tell me all her secrets and that's a good thing!

Hey, I'm so glad you could come by today!


Hey Kris...
Thanks for the kind comments today...and I'm glad to know that now you'll be able to recognize me in the tour around town!

I'll be the gray haired, pot bellied old man with a smile on his face and driving a big ol' Ford truck full of canned goods!

Thank you for coming by, my friend!


Hey Tony...
Good to hear from you today! For the money, I think this is a good choice for me!

Let's hope for a long and peaceful relationship!

I appreciate your dropping in today!


Hey Anon 7:13...
I appreciate the information this morning!

Funny you should mention the fleet thing, because this truck was in a fleet before it went up for sale! Must have been a supervisors truck, because the interior is just too clean to have belonged to a worker!

After all, the workers are the ones that do the work and get the dirtiest, right?

I sure am glad you could come by today!


Hey Sis...
I think you're spot on about this truck staying cooler, for sure!

I really don't think Dad would mind this one...

A big hug for coming by today, Sis!


Hey Squire...
I had a camper shell on my S-10...and found it to be very handy indeed!

Heck, I might even splurge and go with a cab over...I could just live on the road then!

I sure do appreciate the visit today!


Hey Mayberry...
Glad to see you today! Sure feels good to have another BOV available, ya know? I was feeling a bit naked without having one!

Can't hurt to have two tanks as well, I'm thinking! Allows me to get far away from the big city before needing to stop again!

Thanks, buddy, for coming by today...even if I did get a Ford!


Hey JoJo...
The Bates RV park? Man, I had to grin about that one and the PeeWee Hermann comment in your email!

Who knows, you could maybe turn it into a movie script! I do hope you can get on the road again real soon!

Be careful, sweetie! If you start to hear scary music...RUN!!


Hey Tramp...
Thanks for the information this morning! Hope you're right about this turning out to be a good truck! At my age, I really don't need any more drama!

Glade you came by today! You stay warm up there, OK?

HermitJim said...

Hey Ken...
That's some good info to have, brother! I know that this one sure does ride good on the highway!

I appreciate the news about the truck series! Always good to get first hand information, ya know?

Glad you could come over for a visit today, buddy!

The cottage by the Cranelake said...

That looks really great!! Good thing to listen to that little voice! I´ve always wanted something like that, but our gas prices are a bit higher than Yours. Over here a US gallon with gas costs around 6,73 US dollars :-) :-) So I have a little Mazda 323 where I put in me and three 90 pounds dogs too :-) :-)
Have a great day now!
Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Christer...
Bet that kinda fills up your Mazda 323 pretty well, doesn't it? I can see you and the dogs driving down the road...and them trying to have their head out the window...makes me smile!

Wow...I thought gas here was pretty high at $2.45 a gallon! Guess you are better off with the Mazda after all!

Thanks for coming by today, my friend!

Marie said...

Looks like you got a great vehicle--nothing like reliable transportation, and hey, if you have a radio that works, it's all gravy... :) Congratulations--hope it serves you well for a very long time!

MsBelinda said...

Very nice picture of you and your truck. I believe this is the first time I see a picture of you, it is nice to put a face to your nick.

I did not know you had sold your camper and truck to your nephew. I loved that pop up camper, it was small and in great shape. I thought you were going to take it to your new place and live in it while you built your cabin.

The truck looks to be in great shape and I love the red interior.

HermitJim said...

Hey Marie...
I hear ya on the radio, for sure! I'll take all the gravy that I can get now days!

Having reliable transportation in this day and age is indeed important. I now feel much better knowing that I have reliable transportation that I can use in a time of emergency if I have to!

Thanks for coming by today...!



Hey MsBelinda...
Yeah, it's always a bit of a shock to see someone for the first time, I know!

On the selling of the previous truck, I was ready for something a bit larger...and I think this one will do what I want it to!

Thanks for the kind words...and for the visit today!

Unknown said...

WTG on the truck! I think that the "little voice" is one we should all listen to. It is wiser than we give it credit for.

HermitJim said...

Hey SciFiChick...
too bad more of us don't listen to the voice coming from our head more often!@ I have ignored mine more times than I like to admit...and it cost me most of the time.

You're right about the Little Voice being smarter than we give it creit for!

Hey, thanks for coming by todaqy, my friend!

vlad said...

You could go tomorrow to NAPA and buy a set of V-Bar chains.
Or you might enjoy it more if you wait until you are stuck, walk five miles to a phone and pay someone to pull you out.
I have BTDT. Now have two set v-bar chains in truck toolbox.
Is the Hi-Lift jack the best or what?

HermitJim said...

Hey Vlad...
Already made plans to get the chins, especially before I get going to the country! I remember reading your post about them before...

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Kyddryn said...

Looks good, Mister Hermit, sir...glad you've got wheels and the ability to be footloose and fancy free again...or to get out of Dodge if needs must.

Shade and Sweetwater,
K (who would rather walk barefoot through a henhouse carrying a Chevy hubcap than own the finest Ford ever built)(no, not really, but it makes me laugh every time I say it)

HermitJim said...

Hey K...
Thanks, Ms K...I appreciate it! That saying is one I haven't heard before,and I have to admit that it cracks me up!

Thanks for the visit and the laugh...

Stephanie in AR said...

Looks like you got a nice truck. Do you have relatives in Illinois cause could pass as the brother of some good friends of ours (including the beard).

So when are you taking her to MO? The leaves are looking pretty good right now.