Car Talk

We're not Click and Clack, that's for sure, but we spent most of Monday messing with motors and machines.
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A funny thing happened after we wrote the first sentence above.  We suddenly remembered we made an appointment yesterday to take the big truck down to Oswald's first thing this morning.  We we leaped up from this laptop and sped into action, even rallying Miss Susun to come and pick me up at the service center.  You see, Annie, as the big truck is known, is going to need hundreds of dollars worth of work to keep her ship shape and safe for the trip south.  We did all we could yesterday with our limited skills--now it's up to REAL mechanics to take it from here.

We bought Annie at a Forest Service auction on June 24, 2001, in Cedar City, Utah.  So, we've enjoyed Annie's faithful performance now for over ten years.  Whenever we have to put money into the Good Ol' Gir, we don't bat an eye or flinch.  She's a reliable friend and loyal traveling partner.  Whatever she needs, we gladly provide. 

On a side note, it's interesting that used vehicle values have rallied up so high in the past few years, that we could possibly sell Annie ten years later for what we paid for her long ago.  Strange but probably true.  Meanwhile, if you haven't looked a the cost of new trucks, you ought to do so.  We've seen them as high as $60,000 recently.  (Not a typo.)  Even a stripped down, small truck will cost about $20,000.  To get a new truck that would do what Annie does would probably cost us between $25,000-$30,000.  No kidding.  What's strange is that USED trucks are astronomically high priced as well.  We've seen ten year old trucks priced at $10,000 or more.  It's amazing.  So, no matter what Oswald's says Annie's repairs will cost, we smile and happily pay.

We have a few minor tasks remaining in the vehicle maintenance category but all the major stuff is (or soon will be) out of the way.  We are way ahead of schedule in vehicle preparation for our early November departure.  Actually, we are way ahead of schedule in all aspects of our trip prep.  That's a refreshing change from years past.  We're so far ahead, for that matter, that we're turning our attention to preparation for the October 7th City of Rocks trips.

Well, not much else to report.  Have a great day & Many Cheers, jp