I either have to get new tires or a new truck. The truck is only 23 years old, bought in 1996. . {sigh} The odometer quit August, 2015, with 150K miles. Probably less than 10K a year since then. I had sort of made up my mind when/if the AC compressor (or anything else expensive) goes out, that's the end. Didn't think about tires. So now it looks like I go tire shopping, because that's the easiest thing to do. The tires I have would be $600, and they've been good ones. I wish someone would force me to go do this.
How can you get it inspected, with those tires? ....if you have state Inspections in GA!? I second new tires! It will drive like a new truck!
Thank you both. I needed that! .They did away with inspections here long ago, except in the large cities. If I can make this truck last 2+ more years I can get a customized antique plate. . I want one!
I never considered an antique plate. We bought a 1995 ford Contour in 2000, and it has just turned over 104K. It is white and the body is good, and is still chugging along. Some rust underneath. I recently got 4 Repro hubcaps at hubcaps.com for $100, and applied a "New Finish" product to the body, and "cleared up" the headlights. Maybe, at 25 years, I can have it painted orange, with a #01 on the doors. This is a stock picture from online:
@Nancy Hart, if you really want that antique license plate maybe you should drive it less for the next two years. Two years goes pretty fast for us seniors.
Used this stuff. A complicated set of steps and pads and bottles, but the results were good. I almost got a headache reading the instructions! You see it on TV. Maybe there's a simpler version. I also used "New Finish", also a turtle wax product, that brightened up the body. Usually wash with Zip-wax.
@Von Jones ...Oh, and don't forget the Pine tree car fresheners! I have a lot of fun hanging them in the car! ....and they are on topic!
I like your Palm scent tree. I kept the two green lids from the yard waste containers and have toyed with the idea of cutting "Leaves" from them, to make a single tree. I would use colored paper on the other two trees, so they would be different. The leaves on the Palm Scent tree are simple and repetitious enough that I could make a pattern and cut them all the same. The leaves in the upper picture are simpler.
Yep, get those new tires! I always hated having to spend money for maintenance on a vehicle. When I traded in my 2004 Hyundia Santa Fe last year it had close to 200,000 miles on it. And I knew I was getting ready to have to spend some big bucks on repairs. Loved that car and I made sure to keep the maintenance up on it. It served me well. I was putting a lot of miles on it driving back and forth to work. But since I have retired, I have not put 5,000 miles on my Rav-4 in a year. Still has that "new car smell" when you open the doors! LOL
This truck had some relatively major suspension work done, one pair of brakes, and a new radiator, a few years ago. It probably also needs the other pair of brakes. Can't remember which. I had a water pump go out while driving to work many years ago. Kept going with steam spewing out under the hood. Co-workers right behind me said I should have stopped ASAP. That scared me. Cell phones sure take a lot of the worry out of breakdowns on the highway now. Will call about tires tomorrow. Putting it in writing here.
Make sure the new tires are in alignment to make certain your new tires last, maybe to the end of the truck's life. They may inspect your brakes when the tires are installed (they should). Rear brakes are important if you tow or carry heavy loads, but most of the routine braking work is done by the front brakes. If you only have minor rotor warping on the front brakes, it will cause your bakes to pulse when you stop, but the brakes generally still work fine. Other brake issues should be addressed ASAP if they are being checked by a reputable person. Brakes are sometimes a big rip-off item, though.