New dependable truck vs. cheap high mileage?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
neuroride

neuroride

Member
Verified Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
156
Reaction score
11
Hey, need a truck to run back and forth to the hospital for midwest winters. I am not 1099, so can't write it off. I have a ton of debt and am going back and forth between buying a cheap cash high mileage one that might not be as reliable vs. buying a new/newer truck with lower miles that would hopefully be more reliable. We do OB, so some nights I am coming from home quickly to come help out the in house CRNA. I would hate to have the 180,000 truck break down on me on the way to a stat c-section.
Anybody have any experience or have been bitten by a piece of crap car?
I know the financially smart decision would be pay cash but I don't know if the worrying about the vehicle breaking down would be worth it.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Buy a reliable one. You don't want to be the guy who doesn't show up.
 
F150. Did you see BP's new ride? Get a 2011 Ecoboost XLT 4x4 Screw. Thats what I have. Probably could get one for 25k pretty easy.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Why only options at the ends of the spectrum? There is a lot of stuff available between new and 180k.
 
Exactly.
Get a 2 year old base model with no bells and whistles, ~20k mi, put some good rubber on and save big time.
Problems can happen to anyone, but there's no excuse for having an unreliable vehicle when you do what we do for a living.
It's interesting that you work at a place with unsupervised CRNAs at night. But that's a different avoidable risk.
 
I'm about to do the same thing but I'm prob gonna get a low mileage diesel 2500 series. You can put 200k miles on those things and keep going. I've found them 2009 or so with 45k miles between 20-30k
 
usnavdoc said:
I'm about to do the same thing but I'm prob gonna get a low mileage diesel 2500 series. You can put 200k miles on those things and keep going. I've found them 2009 or so with 45k miles between 20-30k
Click to expand...

You are correct. 250,000 miles is quite common on those engines.
 
Yeah since moving to Tx, My weekly mileage has drastically dropped. I'm going through a tank a month in my jeep now instead of a tank every 5 days with the ATL traffic. So a diesel truck with low miles will last me a good long time
 
Thanks for comments. I do think the in-between mileage is probably the best route for me now.

We have CRNAs in house mainly for codes/IVs. We come in for all cases and epidurals during the night.

We get alot of snow and it is very hilly here so you need a high clearance vehicle and 4WD; plus I would like the truck for hunting as well
 
Members don't see this ad :)
neuroride said:
Thanks for comments. I do think the in-between mileage is probably the best route for me now.

We have CRNAs in house mainly for codes/IVs. We come in for all cases and epidurals during the night.

We get alot of snow and it is very hilly here so you need a high clearance vehicle and 4WD; plus I would like the truck for hunting as well
Click to expand...

I know the accepted wisdom is that buying new is always a waste of money, but I think if you keep the vehicle for a long time the lost money is negligible and you get the benefit of a new car (and if you finance it, lower interest rates).

We just sold a car we bought new in 2003. It had 176K miles on it and was starting to show signs that it was about to get more expensive to maintain. Bought a new one we'll probably keep 10 years. I bought my current car new in 2002, still runs great. New isn't always the wrong answer.
 
True or buy used smartly. Got my JP in 2000 21k miles on it. Now has 175k. Still taking me to work and back as well as out for country adventures
 
neuroride said:
Thanks for comments. I do think the in-between mileage is probably the best route for me now.

We have CRNAs in house mainly for codes/IVs. We come in for all cases and epidurals during the night.

We get alot of snow and it is very hilly here so you need a high clearance vehicle and 4WD; plus I would like the truck for hunting as well
Click to expand...

We've had a Toyota Tacoma for years and love it. 4WD is available, and it can be as basic or loaded as you want it.

Having a CRNA in house for codes and IV's is pointless, even if subsidized.
 
I think as an attending you can afford a new truck. It is part of your livelihood. You don't want your high mileage car breaking down on the way to the C-section. Could be a major liability issue with the "cRNA" in your hospital. I wouldn't recommend being a penny cheap and a pound foolish with the salaries we make as Anesthesiologists.
 
I would recommend a 3-4 year old reliable car. There are plenty out there to be had. If you are a new attending, you are going to want a newer car in a few years after you pay down some debt, so I doubt you will want to keep this one for 10 years as described by pgg. A car does not have to be new to be reliable enough to count on to get tho the hospital for an emergency. If you pick a lemon, you will probably know about it pretty quick. Hopefully before you have made the purchase.
Perhaps you could have it looked over by a mechanic you trust before you make the purchase. Where I live, that is fairly commonplace.
 
So I'll start off by saying I'm a little biased. I've owned many toyota's over the years. My last one I put some 200K miles on it before I sold it. So I was in the position as the OP. I would say buy a used one. Couple years back I went with a USED 4th gen 4runner and have been very pleased. Bought it with a V8 which sounds awesome when you floor it and have a K&N filter charger in it.

These vehicles are very capable and come stock with skid plates.

A couple of weekends back one of my surgeon buddies and I went on a little excursion. Tons of fun. It will plow through just about anything stock... if you mod it.. then the sky is the limit.

IMG_4101.jpg

IMG_4108.jpg

IMG_4102.jpg
 
Whatever you do, if you finance it, go through PenFed. 1.49% APR on loans up to 60 months, new or used. If you don't have a military background or family, join Voices for America's Troops for $15.00 to be eligible for PenFed membership. At that rate you may be better off with a smaller down payment on the truck and pay the extra toward higher interest rate loans. That is what I did when...

I went big

301684_300301256647269_891963372_n.jpg


F350



If the snow gets real deep, just toss the tracks on this thing and it will get me there reliably.

216799_489537991056927_1599734850_n.jpg



My kids love it too.

205902_487927567884636_357147736_n.jpg


387450_496742050336521_1723163349_n.jpg



If you want to save some dough, I can't recommend the Toyota Tacoma highly enough. Lived for a lot of years in Alaska and there was no storm I couldn't make it through.

Just don't be the guy who can't make it in to work!

- pod
 
It is leveled with a ICON Stage Four 2.5 inch System.



I have airbags in the back to keep it level under load. I need to get the new wheels and tires on.

I looked really hard at the Chev/ Dodge/ Ford diesels and ultimately decided on the Ford.

Chev was probably what I would buy if it was a true work truck. Excellent transmission. Pretty well proven engine. No frills interior even on the GMC model. Dodge had a slight edge over Ford in the interior. It has a reasonable transmission. It probably has the best engine of the three, but it is hampered for general use by the lack of a DEF exhaust system. Their system is no problem if you are towing all the time on the highway, but if you use it as a daily driver as well, the DPF issues will drive you crazy. Ford had a brand new but very potent engine/ transmission which still makes me feel a bit uneasy. Nothing has gone wrong, but there isn't yet a large contingent of 150,000 plus mile rigs out there to give us an idea of long-term durability. The interior is top notch and only slightly less opulent than the Dodge if you are looking at the top end models. However, I got the distinct impression that it would hold up significantly better than the Dodge. Everything seemed better put together and able to hold up to abuse. I have an interior that rivals an Audi in a 400HP/800 Ft Lb torque towing beast.

Keep an eye on Diesel Power Products Facebook Page. They are doing a buildup of the 6.7 L F350 and their buildups are usually pretty sweet.

- pod
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Hackensack New Jersey
Replies
45
Views
4K
aneftp
A
S
nasal cpap vs high flow for endoscopy?
Replies
25
Views
3K
Bertelman
Bertelman
nimbus
New care line
Replies
22
Views
2K
nimbus
nimbus
Caninehalitosis
Dignity Health High Reliability Organization Program
Replies
1
Views
612
Dr. Rude
Dr. Rude
C
ACB new approach?
Replies
4
Views
1K
ans2021
A
Top