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Is throwing MOD money at an older AV a bad idea?

2002blackedout2500

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Joined
Nov 11, 2013
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What do you think...is it a bad idea?

The reason why I started thinking about this is I saw a response to a recent thread that said:  Not  being an azz, but how much money do you want to throw at a 12 year old truck Huh Maybe time to move on to a newer one if possible, or just drive her  till it stops, all daily drivers have to die sometime

Personally I think it is not a bad idea. The reason I don't mind investing in my 02 2500 is #1 I own it which means I don't have to worry about mods interfering with warranties and such...plus having no car payments feels kinda good ;), and #2, if I eventually sell it I could potentially make a profit.

When I bought my 1990 YJ for $3000.00 I invested about $2000 on used tires, repairing my steering system, pocket flares, custom roll cage, and wheel adapters. The most visible mod I did myself that cost me $0 was high-rising my hood and fenders 4" and cutting the fender wells 4" higher than usual. Along with the 4" shackle lift, this mod allowed for at least 37" or even 40" tires with lots of clearance...and this is without a spring over lift! Because of these mods and that small investment I got $10,000 when I sold it!

I'm not looking to sell my AV anytime soon but if I do make some profit from it the idea of investing in it isn't that bad right?

Who else out there is not interested in buying a newer vehicle but invests (or thinking of investing) in their current "older" rides and feel good about?  ???
 
Me, well kinda. After redoing my '04 with paint, body lift, wheels etc, I didn't want to drive it in the winter anymore. So I bought a third one off a forum member (the wife has her own) to use for a daily driver  (y) Now my '04 only comes out of hibernation after the salt is off the roads. :B:
 
I put mods on mine because 1 I like the older style and can afford it 2 it brings it up to recent tech somewhat so that you still like it and 3 if you don't make it your own you look like another suit zombie rolling around everyday  :laugh:
 
wyotonka said:
I put mods on mine because 1 I like the older style and can afford it 2 it brings it up to recent tech somewhat so that you still like it and 3 if you don't make it your own you look like another suit zombie rolling around everyday  :laugh:

ahahaha! "...another suit zombie rolling around everyday"  :laugh:
 
I plan on being buried in my 2500 as long as I can keep the rust at bay.
 
MS03 2500 said:
I plan on being buried in my 2500 as long as I can keep the rust at bay.

So, you plan to ride that vehicle into the Twilight Zone?  :eek:

Do please provide Way Points so the rest of us can follow!  :love:
 
Cat Dancer said:
So, you plan to ride that vehicle into the Twilight Zone?  :eek:

Do please provide Way Points so the rest of us can follow!  :love:

You bet buddy I have another 08 WD EXT Fast and Fun, but nothing is going to replace the 2500
 
Spend it while you still can.

You can't take it with you.

(y)
 
It depends. If you bought it new and know what type of care it's had, then it's not necessarily a bad idea. The flip side is, as you've noted in a previous thread response, that you still have a 12 year old truck that likely has a ton of miles on it. Sooner or later a vehicle will start nickel and diming you to death, and that's the point where you should get rid of it. From my experience, body hardware and electrical/electronic items are what start going on a regular basis once a vehicle reaches a certain number of miles and/or number of years on the road.

I've recently been toying around with doing some major mods on my Av but have not fully decided one way or the other what I really want to do. I still love it but at some point I will get the itch to trade for something different. The question becomes - Does it make sense to spend a bunch of money only to possibly decide to get rid of the Av a couple of years down the road? For new (to me, not necessarily brand new) vehicles a Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited comes to mind, as well as the new GMC Canyon. I have to see the Canyon in person but it looks interesting from the pictures I've seen. I'd love a Rubicon but it's really a toy and the gas mileage sucks; it would be very difficult for me to do without a truck bed; I've owned some type of pickup since 1993.
 
MyBigToy said:
It depends.

^^ This  (y)

It's the big game of "to each his own."  For many the long-term life of the Avy is worth investing money in; for others it simply isn't.  There are SO MANY factors that go into modifying a vehicle: income, longevity of the vehicle, interest in the vehicle, satisfaction, what one wants from the vehicle, what one does (or plans to do with) the vehicle, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc., I could go on forever.

For me it isn't worth it to mod my Avalanche as extremely as other have because I do drive it daily (50ish miles each way) and because it's not the vehicle I want it to be as a platform.  For that reason, I'm saving my would-be mod money to buy a Jeep or a sports car.  It doesn't take anything away from my Avalanche, it's just money I'd rather spend elsewhere - and I like the truck as is.  Any of the mods I would want to do (power, lift, etc.) would ultimately affect driveability and gas mileage, and for the amount I drive those downsides are hard to justify.  It also doesn't help that the truck is going on 10 years old and has seen better days...

Now if money wasn't a factor, that's a whole different story  >:D
 
For me, mine is an 09. So it is recent as far as AVs go. I am 17, so naturally I want to do all kinds of stuff to it. So far I have ruined 2 relationships because of the love of my truck. Several times I was in the middle of washing my truck or doing something when shed call and want me to go get her or do something. And I quote, sorry babe Im working on the truck. Cant right now. And then she figured out I loved the truck more than I liked her. Oh well guess whats still around lol.

Anyways I spend all my money on my truck right now because I dont have a lot of bills. So I try to do everything I want done to it now while I dont so that way this is all I need to spend my money on. Plus girls are too expensive right now anyways. And being 17 I just want to have fun too lol.

I think theres nothing wrong with modding any truck whether you get the money back later or not because its your truck, you can do whatever you want. I could paint the whole think pink in plastidip if I wanted to, I wouldnt but I would be smart about it and just peel it later. Anyways its all up to you. No once can tell you what to do. Its your money, your decision, your truck, and your life.
 
As long as you take care of it and keep the evil cancer of rust at bay, I see no reason to even think of getting rid of it.  As documented in some other threads, these things can run forever.  It's also cheaper to keep up on regular maintenance and the occasional big repair than to strap yourself with a hefty car payment.  On top of that, the electronics and computers in the new cars today are just getting out of control  We had my wife's 2009 Ford Flex in for service about a month ago, just before the 100,000 mile warranty expired and it set us back $1,600.  The warranty covered about the same amount.  A lot of the expense was "flashing the PCM" - in other words, fixing a software glitch that wasn't covered under the warranty.  

On the flip side, I have a 2001 325i with 180,000 miles on it.  Yes, the repairs are a bit costly because, well - it's a BMW.  But the thing has been solid for the last 13 years and it's still a blast to drive.  I don't have many options on it (sport package, sunroof, CD player and ski bag.  Heck, it even has manual seats so one less piece of electronics to go bad  (y))  I got in a spat with some black ice on a clover leaf in December  :E: and had to work with the adjuster to keep them from totaling it.  I know the pros and cons of the car, I know how I've maintained it and best yet I don't have a car payment.  And most of all, I still really enjoy it.   :love:  

I'm not even going to go into our 2001 Suzuki XL7.  That thing is also 14 years old, has 170,000 miles and represents the best value proposition of any vehicle we have ever owned.  Yes we still own it and yes it has become my daughter's daily driver.  It was my daily driver this past winter after I wrecked the 3.

I'm still on my hunt for an Avy, and I'm actually looking in the 2002 - 2004 range.  So, obviously I think it's perfectly fine to continue tossing money at an older vehicle, so long as it maintains a good sense reliability.  Bottom line - Do you still enjoy it?  Is it still fun?  Is it still fairly reliable?  If the answer to those is "Yes", it doesn't matter one bit what somebody who must have the latest and greatest thinks.   :D
 
I say go for it... its your vehicle, do with it as you choose. I have soaked a wad of cash into my 2 other dream rides and I enjoy them to this day ( 1978 Trans Am, 1980 Corvette). when I bought my T/A it was not in the best of conditions and I found out after running the numbers on it that it was a numbers matching car and instead of moding it out like I had originally planned I returned her to her "stock" glory and glad I did. As for the Vette it was a base model but I had it modified to L82 specs just to keep the insurance bandits from finding out.

 Do what makes you happy, as long as its legal.. lol.
 
Amazing feedback guys!

09chevyavy: "...sorry babe Im working on the truck"?!? If I ever told my wife that I'd be shot!  :laugh: I love my truck but no matter what my family comes first. This is why I don't feel guilty spending on my 12 year old truck...I pay my bills and make sure my family is taken cared of first then I spend on my truck...if it was the other way around I'd have some serious problems.  :eek:
 
09chevyavy said:
she was a girlfriend haha, I thought she understood lol  GUESS NOT!!! Im 17 Im not married yet hahaha

haha you're right. When I was 17 I had a used 72 Monte Carlo that I use to tinker with...lost lot of gf's the same way :)
 
girlfriend yea I could see getting away with saying that a time or 2 but a wife... better get the extra blankets out for the couch  :laugh:
 
wyotonka said:
girlfriend yea I could see getting away with saying that a time or 2 but a wife... better get the extra blankets out for the couch  :laugh:

Hey its okay, my ole girl here can fold out into a mighty fine sleeping partner lol just like everyone elses on here hahaha
 
x2 Keep the truck.

Bought a 2000 Jetta in July last year. It had 190K miles (over 200K now) and needed about $1,000 in "updates" including the timing belt, window regulators, shift knob, door handles and a few other odds-and-ends.  Looks and drives like "new" now.

Being 14 years old, the car does not have any of the "latest" features. However, I've heard many horror stories about the newer model diesel engines and pump failures, lifter issues, electronics issues and whatnot.

I plan to keep my '06 until it either falls apart or gets destroyed in the zombie apocolypse. 

Note- I haven't had a car payment since 2009.  >:D

 
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