Long Drive with High Mileage Truck

[Pucky Freak]

I drive a 2004 Ranger with 220k miles now on it's second engine. I trust driving it anywhere and any distance. I do my own maintenance, upkeep, and repairs for the most part and also have my mechanic lay eyes on it about every six months just in case I miss something. It has zero issues and I fix things as soon as they crop up. Anyways, IMO the odometer reading is not nearly as important as how well a truck has been maintained. A 125k mile truck might sound safer, but if upkeep has been poor it can be a hazard for any long trip. I know people whose vehicles have 300k or 400k miles and are very reliable b/c components are switched out when they need to be.

 

[WapitiBob]

Karma bit me in the ass. Sitting in a campground 2 hours from anywhere, 1000 miles from home, and it appears the fuel pump went out on the old girl. Evidently they only last 400,000 miles.
If I didn't have service it would have been ugly.

$1200 later, it was loose battery cables.

421,000 on the odometer and headed back to WY for a Sept 1 opener.

 

[oleefish2]

So much luck involved when it comes to newer and older vehicles. It reads like almost all of us do the right thing when taking care of our rides and some have saved our hind ends in place we should not have been and some died in the driveway. The problem is that the electronics in so many of our rides can fail at anytime they feel like it without us doing anything wild or crazy. Check engine lights should be strung on a Christmas tree because they sure like to come on and brighten our cabs. My cousins 2014 GMC
Duramax with only 35k had a sensor go bad and put his truck in limp mode and it took 3 weeks for the dealer to get one???

 

[Greyman]

I've got a 2006 Tacoma with >320,000 hard miles. It's my daily driver, wood hauler, boat puller, and off-road hunting/fishing/camping vehicle. Other than regular maintenance and wear items, I've never had to put a wrench on it. I just recently drove it to the Oregon coast and back to the Texas Gulf coast. I won't hesitate to take it on a cross country hunting trip this fall.
I think the most impressive part is that the truck has survived being driven by 3 teenage boys and my wife.

 

[hank4elk]

330k on currant 98 Tacoma,& I do have backup. If I can get home...lol
My 1st Toyota had 565k on it when I sold it & it is still going I hear. 2 trips from CC CA to MT & back after it hit 350k, a dozen to NM.

Had 500k+ on a 65 F250 4x4 when I got it. Odomiter never did work, it was a Navy surplus truck. Drove that thing all over & worked with it for 10 yrs.
I wish I had it still. Paid $750 for it.

 

[ashersdad]

My 2000 F250 made it to and from Alaska this Summer. 334,000 miles and counting. I did put new batteries and tires on before the trip. She pulled my buddies boat up and I drove it home full of fish. No problems. Wife keeps telling me to get a new truck but I can’t bite the bullet when my oldie is still running good.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Nice pickup. Obviously you maintain it well.

 

[sbhooper]

View attachment 113784

My 2000 F250 made it to and from Alaska this Summer. 334,000 miles and counting. I did put new batteries and tires on before the trip. She pulled my buddies boat up and I drove it home full of fish. No problems. Wife keeps telling me to get a new truck but I can’t bite the bullet when my oldie is still running good.

I have a 2010 Tundra, that is like that. It runs like new, has dents and dings all over it, and I just cannot talk myself into getting rid of it. It runs as good as the day that I bought it. It only has 131,000 on it, though. I just cruised out to Boise to visit the kid and back and never had a hitch.

 

[rideold]

I have a 2010 Tundra, that is like that. It runs like new, has dents and dings all over it, and I just cannot talk myself into getting rid of it. It runs as good as the day that I bought it. It only has 131,000 on it, though. I just cruised out to Boise to visit the kid and back and never had a hitch.

That's about the year and mileage I've been looking at to replace my Sequoia with in a couple of years.....In my eyes that's a new truck

 

[Losing_Sanity]

There is a difference between highway grocery getting rig and actual towing and off road using the vehicle miles. My 96 GMC was as strong at about 340K as the day I bought it brand new. Never burned oil and ran great! I wouln't hesitate any long trip. Until a $12 oil cooler line blew and trashed the motor. Lines were replaced a year before and I did scheduled maintenance on it. I took it everywhere and used it like a truck. Pulled doubles most of its life and went everywhere off road. But I don't miss it. I put a new (Re-Man) motor in it and it is still doing the job. Not anywhere as strong as it was before and don't have the power the original motor had, but still my go to pickup.

 

[Chad Gus]

My brother had an 04 duramax with 490k on it the last time he took it to colorado. He pulled a 5th wheel trailer loaded down with ATV's and as much gear add they could cramp on it. Just a couple blown trailer tires were his only issues in his half dozen trips with that truck. That truck made it to 510 or 515k before it finally quit moving.

 

[Bullshot]

a couple yrs ago I drove my 91 ford exploder from Missouri to Wyoming. I usually just rent but wanted to make a quick run back out. Stressful! Every time I stopped for gas the radiator was puking so id fill it up too. I had a new one in the back lol. Coming back I limped past my daughters house in Colorado and was gonna change it but said the heck with it and do it at home. The ol exploder is still my beater at home. in conclusion...probably wont drive that again. Think I got a few more white hairs in the beard.

Had a couple exploder trips out west too! Fuel pump blowout, radiator hose blowout and maybe a couple other little things but always got around fine. Dodged a bullet on one trip by inspecting the rear spring shackles just prior to leaving.... a very cheap replacement avoided a serious road issue. I mean who checks the spring shackles?? I thank my Dad for saving me on that one!

 

[Whiptail]

We drove a truck with 255K on it to Wyoming and back. We drove it through some pretty bad roads and it did great until we just pulled back into our town when the tranny died. We were lucky.

 

[NYyotekiller]

I remember back in the mid 90’s when my stepfather drove his 1985 Dodge Ram Charger out to Montana from New York to hunt mule deer. Thing had just shy of 300k and if anybody remembers that generation of Mopar engines you had to check the gas and fill the oil. He brought the title with him in case the motor or tranny let go and he had to sell it out there.

It never did brake down on the trip and after he drove it back he used it as a plow truck for about ten years until the frame and body rusted away on it.

 

[MT.PERCHMAN]

I just took my old 2006 Chevy 4 door Duramax back east to see family . It was a 4945.9 mile round trip ..It rolled over 280,000 on the way back home ! I carry enough tools to fix almost anything .

MT.PERCHMAN

 

[lr123]

I'm planning to make the trip to WY with 190k miles on my suburban. I will carry some tools to hopefully fix anything small and if a larger repair is needed I will call a tow truck and get it towed to the nearest shop.

 

[Smith_Hunt]

235K Tacoma. Regular maintenance and yet to have any issues.

 

[.270]

I have an 03 F250 with only 120k on it but I do all the regular maintenance on it and keep it in the best condition mechanically that I can. I only use it for hunting trips and dump hauls. I have two trips to AZ and one to CO planned for it this fall. I dont worry about driving it on those 2k plus round trips but I keep all the basic tools and simple parts on it just in case.

 

[tzone]

Carry the pink slip just in case!

That thought has actually crossed my mind before.

 

[SFC B]

Ol Doug performed admirably again on this last trip. Loaded with gear, on the way to and from CPOs house on the highway I got over 19 mpg Uses a little oil but it IS 27 years old. Best part is driving it off road to places and in ways guys with new trucks won't or can't. Folks are always asking why I don't get a new truck. Biggest reason is that it would only take 3-4 payments to reach what my total cost for Doug was. I think I have put about 3500 miles on him so far but have to guess as the odo doesn't work.....just more character