Saturday, July 29, 2017

No Sale

Yesterday at a local Grease Monkey was asked several times, "Are you willing to sell it now?"
Several of the young men who work there like my 1986 Mitsubishi Mighty Max and would like to buy it. Doubt any of them have enough money. No, I'm not interested in selling.

I no longer do my own oil changes. The $20-25 I could save against the discomfort of contorting this senior citizen body isn't worth it. Shocking, I know, to those who know my cheapskate ways.

Kind of nice to have the whole staff at Grease Monkey giving the old truck the royal treatment. They seem to enjoy themselves while doing it.

Of the import trucks of that era, I think the Toyota and the Mazda/Ford Courier are slightly better trucks. What puts a smile on my face is the Mighty Max/Dodge D-50 can be had for half the money while being 90% of the value of the more popular trucks. I've owned three that I kept for my own use.

1984 4x4 2.3 Turbo Diesel.


Lots of miles and lots of adventures. That truck would go anywhere. One time pulled a one ton loaded van a half a block in a snow choked alley. The engine finally started blowing oil and I sold it to a diesel mechanic. He is still driving it.

1986 4x2 2.6 Automatic.


Bought this to be used by a driver who is an idiot with a clutch, my ex-wife. Long story but she was living with my youngest son providing child care. Later, my sister used it for a long period. She needed to haul stuff for her job. The truck was severely damaged by a tornado. 

A bit of trivia. Often you will see these 80's era trucks with rusted beds while the cab is still intact. The reason was the trucks came into the USA as cab/chassis to avoid import taxes. The beds were made in Korea and were installed at the port of entry. The quality of the Korean steel and paint jobs was inferior.

Would I sell it. Sure, if offered an obscene amount of money. I may be a retired car salesman, but am still one at heart.

Addendum. One I wish I hadn't sold. 199? E-350 with a non turbo 7.3 diesel. The buyer still uses it for his business.

9 comments:

drjim said...

90% of the value for half the price qualifies as a winner!

I talked to our realtor today after we got back from the dog park. We had four people come by, and he said one of was asking if the Supra came with the house!

He said he laughed and told them he didn't think so at which point the young guy asked him if it was for sale by itself.

I have ZERO plans to sell it. Even if I hit the lottery, I'd still keep it as it's a car I always wanted.

It would, of course, get to share the garage with a 1967 Corvette coupe.....

LL said...

Do you think that changes in EPA regulations will bring back the small turbo diesels? One thing that would get me into the small truck market would be a version of Toyota Hi Lux - or a Mitsubishi - with a diesel engine. Their run-about value and the long life they enjoy is legendary.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

You can buy a Chev Colorado with a turbo diesel now. The upcoming re-introduction of the Ford Ranger will be offered with a diesel. Ram 1500 is offered in a diesel.

Diesel as known around most of the world is a lubricant while gasoline is a solvent. Thanks to the EPA, we now have ultra low sulfur diesel that no longer lubricates. To meet emissions requirements, the engines are loaded with as much electronic crap as a gasoline engine. Further, you now need a separate tank of cow piss (excuse me, blue def). This negates the simplicity of a basic diesel. As to their long life, the jury is out.

In the Rockies, having turbocharging allows near sea level performance regardless of altitude.

One reason the price of diesel fuel s high is the current low sulfur meets Europe's standards. We now export diesel.

My truck ran so well on bio-diesel I went out of my way to purchase it.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Hit the lottery? No Corvettes for me but a Morgan Aero 8 could find a home. The first purchase would be a warehouse to hold a Flixble bus conversions and other toys.

Good luck on selling the house while keeping your sanity (and marriage) intact.

drjim said...

Oh, yeah...a YUUUUGE storage building / workshop would come first, THEN the automotive toys.

Peter Egan, one of my favorite automotive writers, has a thing for Morgans.

Or is that Morgies/Moggies?

I had a '67 Vette coupe once. It was a damn good car. 327/350, 4-spd, 3.55 Posi. It had plenty of acceleration, and the 3.55 diff made it a great highway cruiser.

Never owned or worked on any "oil burners", but had friends who did. Only one I had any experience with was that God awful GM diesel they made from an Olds V8. First time I heard one fire up was after hours at my buddy's Pontiac dealership. The place was tomb quiet, and when he lit it off I jumped back about 10 feet.

Damn thing sounded like it was going to come apart right in front of me. Diesels are noisy, but this thing was NOISY!

I suspect the house will sell when we least expect it. We'll just resign ourselves to staying here until spring, and then BAM!....somebody will buy the place and it'll be a mad scramble to get packed and out of here.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

Added a picture of an E-350 I owned for awhile. Sorry I ever sold it. What a work horse and fairly comfortable to drive.

LL said...

I may well end up checking that out. I'd love to retrofit my Toyota FJ with a diesel engine but it's more work and expense than it's worth. Maybe Ford's new Bronco will come out with a diesel?

Well Seasoned Fool said...

If the Bronco is offered in a diesel it will probably be a 3.0 from Land Rover.

Consider your stored Power Wagon fitted with a 12 valve Cummings.
https://usengineproduction.com/cummins-isb-5-9l-remanufactured-long-block.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqvvLBRDIARIsAMYuvBGX7ztz4mXomcLVDZIqgVbEeFovdNU9PxOF0np3IRSMOkbuHQdiJ5waAh3JEALw_wcB

Old NFO said...

Interesting, and yes if diesel fuel prices get back down, I know where there is one I might be able to get for a decent price.