My Mid Life Crisis Pickup

Had all the problems I could stand with my Powerstroke, so a couple weeks ago I went back to gas. I bought this Ford Raptor. It runs like a scalded cat, 6.2L 411 h.p., and the Fox racing suspension is awesome. Fuel mileage, less exciting but it's a blast to drive.

Elected to go with the same subdued company graphics that is on the hood from the factory.

My wife and I are preppers as a hobby, so naturally I had to add a Tuffy safe under the back seat for my AR-15 zombie killer. :-)

My oldest vehicle is a 93 International flatbed. It has the 7.3, naturally aspirated. It was the last year before the Power Stroke. International lacked the marketing dept to come up with a nifty name like Power Stroke, so they differentiated the two engines by changing the name of the displacement, going from liters (7.3) to cubic inches (444).

The engine has been very reliable over the 20 years I've owned it if you're running it at least twice a week. If it's below 20 degrees it needs to be started and warmed up every day. Otherwise starting can be a bear. It also requires that you follow the recommended starting ritual exactly.

I don't like the "automatic glow plug cycle". I much prefer the old style where you pushed a button or held the ignition in position until the plug on your dash glowed like a cigarette lighter. Every diesel I've owned with that system started easier than those with the automatic system.

RG- Do you pay yourself for travel time?

My old 1990 chev 2500 just passed 363,000. If it ever died I would have a Mid Life Crisis. Might have to get a new seat as the metal springs are showing through the foam on the drivers side.

Also, I try to do business with those who do business with us. We're installing a new foam roof on a Valvoline Express Car Care place and so I'll be getting my oil changed there now.

Old School Said: 100 K a year is about 2 K a week. @ 60 mph average, that works out to about 33 hours a week driving. Holy smokes, I would just work closer to home. That no life at all if you have to work on top of that!

RE: the oil changes, by using Conklin oils, you could bump that up to about 20,000 miles and just change the filter every 5,000 miles. If you dont believe it, you could just send the oil in for testing. why throw out good oil? One of the over the road truckers uses Conklin oils and lubs in his truck, and he has over 1,250,000 miles on one oil change. They change filters every 30,000 miles and send in a sample to be tested. They used to do it every 15K but the lab told them they were wasting their money! It gets better fuel mileage too! They have to add 2 quarts of oil to make up the difference of the new filter every time they change the filter.

Average 60 mph, in Texas? Pffttt. lol Speed limit is 75 virtually the whole way, and I drive 78-79. Course rush hour traffic once in Dallas can drop the average a bunch.

It is true, I drive too much. I have many 16-18 hour days. It's all I know. That said, sailing down Interstate-20 with satellite radio isn't a bad day.

As for oil change intervals, we get blinding dust storms around here and I change my oil and filters after driving in each one, regardless of miles.

If that's true, that's definitely worth doing. Amazing.

100 K a year is about 2 K a week. @ 60 mph average, that works out to about 33 hours a week driving. Holy smokes, I would just work closer to home. That no life at all if you have to work on top of that!

RE: the oil changes, by using Conklin oils, you could bump that up to about 20,000 miles and just change the filter every 5,000 miles. If you don't believe it, you could just send the oil in for testing. why throw out good oil? One of the over the road truckers uses Conklin oils and lubs in his truck, and he has over 1,250,000 miles on one oil change. They change filters every 30,000 miles and send in a sample to be tested. They used to do it every 15K but the lab told them they were wasting their money! It gets better fuel mileage too! They have to add 2 quarts of oil to make up the difference of the new filter every time they change the filter.

OS, our trade area is from Lubbock to Dallas, 350 miles apart. I make the round trip every other week, sometimes every week. This week it will be twice I've made the trip. Add in trips to Austin and all around sprawling West Texas.

There have been times the oil change guys gave me a hard time because "You were just here last week." :-)

My God, 100K a year? What the heck do you do?

Absolutely you are entitled. Don't get me wrong, half of me is just trying to resist my own temptation.

And Egg is right, it is hard to keep your foot out of the Raptor. The suspension is great and zips around corners like it's on rails. Fun to drive - after driving 3.5 million miles driven in 34 years, I feel like I'm entitled to have a little fun. :-)

Mike, my Powerstroke was a 2012, bought new 18 months ago. I put 146,000 miles on it and had nothing but trouble with it. Lots of DEF sensor errors that would just shut the truck down on the highway.

Before that I had a 2006 P'stroke that I put 363,000 miles on. Using it's fuel usage indicator I figure I went thru 23,000 gallons of diesel in that truck, around 3 semi tanker loads. That truck went thru about 10 injectors but no major issues.

Clover, Conklin makes a lot of different products. they started with the lubricants back in 1928, and that is about all they had for 40 years. They make a lot of different things now from roof coatings to paint and animal health and cleaning products. I have used most of them and I can tell you that they are all top shelf. If there is a cheap way to make something or a more expensive way that is a better product, they choose the better more expensive way. In the end it is a better value! Their paint is unbelievable! My wife loves it, and it wears like iron and doesn't chalk or peel or blister. You will get better performance, longer engine and mechanical wear and better fuel mileage with their lubes and additives. I would say you will save 3 to 4 dollars for every dollar you spend on them. If I was selling $5.00 bills for a buck, how many would you be interested in?

Especially on metal roofs, their coatings are superior. They were the original. With that said, don't discount them if you haven't used any of them. Hey, if you guys like to spend 20 to 25% more for your fuel, have at it. Just saying!

I got my old man crisis pickup a little less than a year ago. It's a Ram with a 6 banger. But it's a pretty impressive drivetrain. RG has just a little more than 100 horses more than me, but I'm at least 1300 pounds lighter, so I'd still be nippin at his heels. But I've also got a ZF 8speed trannie just like them spensive German cars have. Now that the engine is broke in, I'm getting 24 mpg around town, better than my four banger Frontier.

I actually bought it to take advantage of accelerated depreciation. But right now is tax time for us folks that routinely take all automatic extensions. And I elected to not take the full accelerated depreciation after all. (I'll likely need it in the future.)

I'm not a prepper, but I do worry about road ragers, so this is what I usually have on the seat.

It's a lead dresser tool. While somebody was digging his AK47 out of the case, I'd be asking "Would you like that hole-in-your-head to be round or square? It's all in the wrist placement."

Did not know they made the Raptor in an urban model. (ie: crew cab with a "bag of dog food" bed) ;)

I've known a couple of ol' duffers that bought Raptor's in an effort to relive their glory days, and not a one has expressed the slightest regret.

But what year was the P'stroke?

My '03 (last of the 7.3L) needed the front ball joints replaced, and rusted out in a few spots at 10 years old, but never a lick of mechanical trouble. My '13, 6.7L has just under 30K and works like a hooker on nickle-day.

I know the 6L had it's share of problems.

Nice ride Tim. I love black cars but ever since I moved to a place with a 150 yard gravel & dirt driveway, I have abandoned them for something that doesn't show dirt as much.

OS, I thought you must have been joking. I thought "look at this Conklin fan boy" - But w/ all due respect, it would have made me think more of Conklin.

The wifes 95 Ford wagon bit the dust a couple of months ago and she is getting tired of driving whichever truck my crew doesn't use. Thinking about pickin up a diesel VW TDI but they are mostly out of my price range. If so, I might hit have to talk to you about that more.

More than likely we are going to get a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander.