Will move 15 miles closer to work.... parking the truck. Buying a beater!

[JasonCzerak]

My new daily commute is now going to be about 6 miles, all city, no highway. About 15 minutes drive time. I bet no faster then 40mph.



Now, when it gets cold, there is NO WAY my truck will warm up to operating temps. Even with the block heater on 24/7.



I'm going to buy a beater! Park the truck..... :{



Looking for a truck cover. It's going to be parked in the driveway for a week at a time at minimum. I would rather not have stuff accumulate on it if I don't have to.



I need a cover that is also winter friendly. If there's 6" of snow, I'll start up the truck, take a 20 mile detour playing in the snow on the way to work.

 

[DieselFiend]

I'm buying a beater too but it's because of gas prices. Truck will be in the garage during the week.

 

[JasonCzerak]

I'm buying a beater too but it's because of gas prices. Truck will be in the garage during the week.

If I had a short box, I would have to just make one modification to the garage door opener's connection to the door to make 3 or 4 inches of clearance. and I could fit in this garage. otherwise I'm 2 feet short!.



That and always fold in the drivers mirror.

 

[MLimpert]

I did the same last fall. I got tired of driving the truck to work just to let it sit outside and get dirty all day. Now it usually only comes out for days off and playtime.



I picked up my daily driver Jeep for pretty cheap. Its in great shape for a 96 and seems to run well. When started looking for a beater, I found the older SUVs have plummeted in price since gas started going up. Anything that got great mileage cost a lot more and didn't have 4wd.

 

[bmoeller]

I did the same last fall. I got tired of driving the truck to work just to let it sit outside and get dirty all day. Now it usually only comes out for days off and playtime.

Your truck is spoiled. Mine won't fit in the garage. Only time it gets to sit inside, is when I'm running OTR in the big truck. Then it's in the machine shed at work.



Birds still crap on it, and the flies have fun crapping on it too. No different than outside, but at least the sun isn't hitting it.

 

[DWeiler]

I'v been doing it from day one with my 01 Dodge(18750 miles to date),i drive a 91 Acura Integra(great little run about,wifes first new car she bought when she was 21,car came with the marriage))get about 40mpg on the highway. With the price of fuel up here my Cummins sits most of the time during the week but when it does come out on weekends it much more fun to drive. Probable keep doing this for a while,with the price of new rigs,i really want to keep my Cummins for 20+ years.

 

[Cummins Thunder]

I have been wanting a beater/backup vehicle for a while. I am thinking either a Suzuki Samurai, or a 98 1500 Ram V6 auto swb reg cab, owned by someone I know.



I would much rather have a nice Samurai, but I think the Dodge would be a much better deal.

 

[rjohnson916]

I don’t mean to get on some of you, but some of you are being knuckleheads. Who buys a $40K truck and then can’t afford the fuel for it? You got to be kidding me, why even keep the thing around if you can’t enjoy it? My 2005 CTD has 38K miles on it, fuel was high last summer $3. 50 + gallon out here in California, but geez I love my truck, and don’t really think twice about the cost of the fuel for it. If it ever strikes me it’s time to park it because it’s going to get dirty in a lot, or I can’t afford the fuel for it. It’s gone, simple as that! $3. 50 for fuel is just an entertainment expense, you would spend it anyway one way or the other.



-Ryan

 

[betterthanstock]

My new daily commute is now going to be about 6 miles, all city, no highway. About 15 minutes drive time. I bet no faster then 40mph.

You're the perfect candidate for an electric car. Unfortunately they don't make 'em anymore, so you need to find a used one, or a conversion. It would cost you less to keep batteries charged, than to fuel up, and no oil leaks ever.

 

[MMeier]

Must be a full moon out again!

 

[cksh8me]

Try California Car Covers http://www.calcarcover.com/



They make or have nice covers I don't know about the snow though.



Good luck

 

[klenger]

No flamming intended, but it seems like the members who complain the most about the cost of fueling their CTDs are the ones who never needed one in the first place. For those of us who bought the truck to do a job, fuel is just another operating expense for the tool.



If I don't tow the 5er, I can drive a whole month (commuting 25 miles / day) on one tank of fuel for $100. I couldn't save enough money on fuel with a beater car to even pay for the insurance for an additional vehicle, much less make any payments and maintenance for it.

 

[JasonCzerak]

My point here about parking the truck was for the main reason that the poor motor will never warm up on any of my commutes once the temps dip below 50 degrees.



Not because fuel is expensive.



Atleast a few people here got the point of my thread. Not all hope is lost in this site.



And yeah, betterthanstock that would be neat. . But I would be adding a few more batteries in series to crank up the voltage a bit over stock tho :-laf



Also, I was looking for ideas for short term storage and keeping things clean.



I did not intend to start a fuel war.

 

[05mxdiesel]

I know what your saying Jason, as I am in PA. I know your winter's are a lot colder than mine. I bought the mopar winter cold front and it definatly helped a lot during the cold months. You can close all the flaps and get no airflow to the radiator. I work 9 miles from my house which is all highway and when the temp is below 40 degrees I am lucky to get the motor warm by the time I get to work. With the cold front I up to temp half way there. I wish I could justify a beater car, but the truck is a tank in the snow and my insurance is more than enough with two vehicles, a motorcycle, and a house.

 

[JasonCzerak]

I know what your saying Jason, as I am in PA. I know your winter's are a lot colder than mine. I bought the mopar winter cold front and it definatly helped a lot during the cold months. You can close all the flaps and get no airflow to the radiator. I work 9 miles from my house which is all highway and when the temp is below 40 degrees I am lucky to get the motor warm by the time I get to work. With the cold front I up to temp half way there. I wish I could justify a beater car, but the truck is a tank in the snow and my insurance is more than enough with two vehicles, a motorcycle, and a house.

I figure $500 for a "real beater" and basic minimal insurance on the beater. Something from caigslist .



I did see a 5 speed turbo awd talon tho for $900 that was sold. That would of been cool. you can gain a bit over 1 seconds on 1/4 with $50 hardware store parts on that thing.

 

[DieselFiend]

I just can't resist the temptation to respond to this. When I bought my first CTD, diesel was at least 40 cents a gallon cheaper than regular unleaded gasoline and I was doing well. Who could have ever predicted that we'd be bent over the table. I'm paying 50 cents more a gallon than regular unleaded now. So really, when you think about it. Since I bought my CTD, diesel has gone up over $1 a gallon. As a daily driver, it's not economical anymore. It's still pays to tow with it and use the bed space when I need it. So there... To each his own.

I don’t mean to get on some of you, but some of you are being knuckleheads. Who buys a $40K truck and then can’t afford the fuel for it? You got to be kidding me, why even keep the thing around if you can’t enjoy it? My 2005 CTD has 38K miles on it, fuel was high last summer $3. 50 + gallon out here in California, but geez I love my truck, and don’t really think twice about the cost of the fuel for it. If it ever strikes me it’s time to park it because it’s going to get dirty in a lot, or I can’t afford the fuel for it. It’s gone, simple as that! $3. 50 for fuel is just an entertainment expense, you would spend it anyway one way or the other.



-Ryan

 

[DieselFiend]

Simply not true. Figure it out. My average monthly fuel cost is about $500 now. Thats at 16 MPG with my 05 600. (EPA Screwed us) You get a car that gets 30 MPG and you've cut your fuel cost in half, just in daily driving. Plus, not to mention, you'll be paying a third less for regular unleaded most of the time. I don't know about you, but my insurance doesn't cost $250 a month. Not even with several vehicles.

No flamming intended, but it seems like the members who complain the most about the cost of fueling their CTDs are the ones who never needed one in the first place. For those of us who bought the truck to do a job, fuel is just another operating expense for the tool.



If I don't tow the 5er, I can drive a whole month (commuting 25 miles / day) on one tank of fuel for $100. I couldn't save enough money on fuel with a beater car to even pay for the insurance for an additional vehicle, much less make any payments and maintenance for it.

 

[JL penner]

I'm being forced to pick up a beater car (trucks broke) but I've been looking into it for quite awhile now. The cost difference between commuting 90miles a day with the truck vs. a car hasn't really been enough to warrant buy a beater, so I've just been driving the truck. Well, now that my truck is broke, I'm standing back and staring at it. The seat has been torn, there's crap all over it. The toolbox is all messy. There's junk in the back of the bed. I'm tired of my truck looking like crap. I want it to be nice for when I need it (having fun, or hauling).



So that's why I want a beater.



I'm with you on storing it though. . I don't have a clue what I'm going to do yet. I really don't want it to sit in the sun, and I've had bad experiences with car covers messing up my paint.



I'll come up with something though.



take it easy

 

[klenger]

Simply not true. Figure it out. My average monthly fuel cost is about $500 now. Thats at 16 MPG with my 05 600. (EPA Screwed us) You get a car that gets 30 MPG and you've cut your fuel cost in half, just in daily driving. Plus, not to mention, you'll be paying a third less for regular unleaded most of the time. I don't know about you, but my insurance doesn't cost $250 a month. Not even with several vehicles.

I couldn't save enough money on fuel with a beater car to even pay for the insurance for an additional vehicle, much less make any payments and maintenance for it.

Note that I said that "I couldn't save enough... ". I did not state that you cannot. Let's do the math. I'm getting 20 MPG commuting with my CTD. I get a car that gets 30 MPG, so I save $33 / month from my exisitng $100 / month fuel costs. Total fuel savings over 6 months is $198. I don't think I can insure a car for $198 for 6 months. If I could, I would still need to pay for the car, maintenance, and registration.

 

[DZink24]

Go get yourself an economical second vehicle. I got my 98 Neon in April 04, when gas was a whopping $1. 75. I could see the writing on the wall. I knew where oil was going. At the time, my 98 Ram 360 gasser would get me about 12-13 mpg on a good day. I looked around, and basically "stole" an upper 30 mpg car w/62000 miles for about 2500 bones. Yeah, I got my stones broke by buddies, (and still do) but that car has saved me untold amounts of money, and miles on my truck.



Lets face facts, my CTD is an entertainment vehicle, no different than shopping, or gambling. And I still smile ear to ear every time I fire it up and hear the pipe echo off of buildings downtown. Makes it worth every penny.



Just nice to know that I also have a nice car with 81K on it that can get me 440 miles on a tank (36-39mpg). Since I run both my vehicles very low on go juice, I can go about 1000 miles between fill ups, I've gone over 5 weeks between fill ups with the car, and I fuel up the CTD about once every 3 weeks.