After all that work...probably getting rid of the Yukon

[George B]

He doesn't want to sell it. He has a personal pride moment every time someone asks him how many miles it has on it (302,000 now).

I wish you would have given the information from #18 in your original post. Everyone here was responding from a different point of view. Knowing he is a responsible young man just trying to figure the best way forward really helps fill out the story.

That said, if he is moving closer to work why introduce a car payment when the fuel costs will go down when the travel is reduced?

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

It's not a responsibility issue or anything else. He is waiting to get an apartment in the other city because we need him taking care of the farm for a few weeks this summer while we move our daughter in to college. What you thought you read in this post was not it. He could also pay cash for damn near any car he wants but he would rather save that money for a down payment on a house when he is ready. He spends money like every dollar out of his pocket comes with a knife to the gut.

Sounds like he is doing pretty well then and has a good sense to him...


Just break it down to the brass tacks... For the money he would pay for another car, it would take probably 10 to 15 years in fuel saving to pay for that newer vehicle...

Most folks I know who are very well off, drive older vehicles, and have more fun living and toy cars or trucks than wasting money on daily driver car notes or huge deprecation to impress people you don't know.

Whatever makes him happy and he can do it while he has the time in his life to do so, then so be it. That's very respectable he is handling the farm in this instance.

Personally If I were young, Id rock what he has for another year or 2, stockpile the cash for down payment on a house and then think about vehicle change.

Sounds like you raised a good kid and sorry for my response seeming a bit harsh, but that is how I am most of the time, harsh and to the point..

 

[OR VietVet]

My son is driving an hour each way for work every day and is getting tired of filling up every other day. The dilemma is to keep the Yukon and let him buy a new car or let him sell it to help him buy new.

I just replaced all the shocks and springs, new brakes all around, new radiator, new water pump, rear main seal, pinion seal and yoke, changed out all fluids except transmission...dammit.

Yes, while I did not take it the same as others here may have, this sure sounds like you are mad at the son after all the work on the rig and now he is wanting something different/newer. If he can buy a new vehicle when he wants, like you just said, then why the statement about a dilemma whether to keep the Yukon or buy a new car with the HELP of selling the Yukon to help him buy new. The complete story that is eventually shared is a whole new scenario. We see this all the time when someone asks about problems on their rigs and then after 100 questions we finally get the whole story on post 20 or so.

 

[smcnair]

I wish you would have given the information from #18 in your original post. Everyone here was responding from a different point of view. Knowing he is a responsible young man just trying to figure the best way forward really helps fill out the story.

That said, if he is moving closer to work why introduce a car payment when the fuel costs will go down when the travel is reduced?

I think we decided over the weekend to keep it. He also found a company offering a gas card that for the first 90 days (about how long he will live at home) gives 40 cents back for every gallon you purchase.

 

[smcnair]

Yes, while I did not take it the same as others here may have, this sure sounds like you are mad at the son after all the work on the rig and now he is wanting something different/newer. If he can buy a new vehicle when he wants, like you just said, then why the statement about a dilemma whether to keep the Yukon or buy a new car with the HELP of selling the Yukon to help him buy new. The complete story that is eventually shared is a whole new scenario. We see this all the time when someone asks about problems on their rigs and then after 100 questions we finally get the whole story on post 20 or so.

Sorry. The dammit was more because we had finally fixed everything on the truck. Not because I was mad at him.

 

[OR VietVet]

After driving a rig with 300k+ miles on it, the mpg should not have been a surprise.

 

[OR VietVet]

Sorry. The dammit was more because we had finally fixed everything on the truck. Not because I was mad at him.

This statement contributed greatly to the responses that you received.

Typing the words is never as clear as speaking them in person. I hate that.

Plus, so many "kids" act and are so spoiled now days that there are assumptions made as well. I do hate assuming too.

 

[smcnair]

Sounds like he is doing pretty well then and has a good sense to him...


Just break it down to the brass tacks... For the money he would pay for another car, it would take probably 10 to 15 years in fuel saving to pay for that newer vehicle...

Most folks I know who are very well off, drive older vehicles, and have more fun living and toy cars or trucks than wasting money on daily driver car notes or huge deprecation to impress people you don't know.

Whatever makes him happy and he can do it while he has the time in his life to do so, then so be it. That's very respectable he is handling the farm in this instance.

Personally If I were young, Id rock what he has for another year or 2, stockpile the cash for down payment on a house and then think about vehicle change.

Sounds like you raised a good kid and sorry for my response seeming a bit harsh, but that is how I am most of the time, harsh and to the point..

No worries. We fall in line with your thinking. Son's car, 302,000. Wife's car, 165,000. Daughter's car, 130,000. Cars are not a big thing to us. They are nice cars but we drive them until the wheels fall off.

 

[OR VietVet]

"He spends money like every dollar out of his pocket comes with a knife to the gut."

This statement alone says volumes about this kid. I mean this in a very positive way.

 

[smcnair]

After driving a rig with 300k+ miles on it, the mpg should not have been a surprise.

He will literally walk in the door and say "I'm up to 14.7 miles per gallon" and be excited about it.

 

[S33k3r]

I am glad he is keeping it. Maybe now you'll change out the transmission fluid? That said, both my daughters are in high mileage vehicles -- My oldest has a 2003 Lincoln. I have the title on it, but she gets the title when she completes college (1 semester left, but she is working and taking 1-2 classes at night). She anticipates driving it for another year or two beyond that. My other daughter has a 2003 Sierra Denali. She had originally wanted a mini truck, but I misunderstood. As you may have picked up, she is the "baby" of the family, and is the first child to have a vehicle purchased just for them. All the others were hand-me-downs from dad.

 

[blueinkd]

Yes, while I did not take it the same as others here may have, this sure sounds like you are mad at the son after all the work on the rig and now he is wanting something different/newer. If he can buy a new vehicle when he wants, like you just said, then why the statement about a dilemma whether to keep the Yukon or buy a new car with the HELP of selling the Yukon to help him buy new. The complete story that is eventually shared is a whole new scenario. We see this all the time when someone asks about problems on their rigs and then after 100 questions we finally get the whole story on post 20 or so.

I'm confused what the OP is wanting to hear. I mean if he can afford to pay cash for Damm near any car he wants, why are we even having the discussion??

 

[smcnair]

I am glad he is keeping it. Maybe now you'll change out the transmission fluid? That said, both my daughters are in high mileage vehicles -- My oldest has a 2003 Lincoln. I have the title on it, but she gets the title when she completes college (1 semester left, but she is working and taking 1-2 classes at night). She anticipates driving it for another year or two beyond that. My other daughter has a 2003 Sierra Denali. She had originally wanted a mini truck, but I misunderstood. As you may have picked up, she is the "baby" of the family, and is the first child to have a vehicle purchased just for them. All the others were hand-me-downs from dad.

I asked my transmission guy about that and he said to leave it as changing it out could create a problem.

 

[S33k3r]

I asked my transmission guy about that and he said to leave it as changing it out could create a problem.

Sorry, was attempting humor. If you really want to flush/clean out the system, at an external transmission filter. There are write ups on this site. This will increased transmission fluid capacity, slightly. Then you just change the filter every so often -- I think the write ups have interval suggestions -- and top off as necessary.

 

[smcnair]

I'll look into that. Thank you.