Donstar

Your truck came with some rake so that your headlights will not point to the moon when you are carrying a load. My truck looked level when I was towing a travel trailer. Your truck has a posted load capacity and I doubt you will experience a California lean with a properly loaded truck. As mentioned before, stay within specs and use a properly setup WDH.

You will have ample pulling power. I've pulled similar weights with my V6. However, I am sure you can find a trailer that is 5' or so shorter that will be a much more comfortable tow. When we are first time buyers our reference points are our home or apartment. We tend to want features and comforts that replicate our main accommodations. Living in a trailer is different and your needs change accordingly. Towing around extra space to unroll his and her yoga mats while watching prime on a 65" Samsung by the light of an electric fireplace will make for more stressful driving and single digit mpg's. Rent or borrow for a couple of weekends prior to purchase. Chances are you'll love the experience and learn that your needs are more basic than you may think. Start with beds and a bathroom and the rest is gravy!

A camera behind your trailer is one of those features that you'll embrace and never go back to mirrors only! I purchased a wireless camera/monitor combination from Amazon and can have up to four cameras in view. It is not nearly as nice as OEM but does the job!

My Labor Day weekend is typically brought to a close with a really nice bbq steak. I laughed as I ate my traditional meal this past Monday. The taste and portion size of my once revered meal have drastically changed over the years. The same may apply to Bourbon!

I agree! I shopped around when I needed a saddle bag lid refinished for my Harley. I am fussy and cheap! With a little networking, I was able to find a small out of the way shop (low overhead) that beat every other quote by at least 60%. I am not suggesting a business that is avoiding tax obligations but there are skilled automotive painters who do not employ a large staff or lease an expensive main road paint shop. BTW The painter I found was a name given to me by an estimator/owner at a large collision repair facility who had empathy for my problem. Painters know painters!

I remember being in a school yard fight over a Ford vs Chevy dispute. I was pro Ford yet, in the 50+ subsequent years I've owned several GM's as well as Fords. Pick a truck that meets your tastes, needs and price.

There are some perks to taking the comforts of home with you on the road! However, we found the price was too high for the benefits. Cleaning up after renters is a past experience that we will never repeat, so rental income for us would not be a consideration. ?

As already suggested, 110 K miles is a very used truck. I would not pay anywhere near this amount of money on a vehicle with this much wear and tear unless it was unique and/or vintage. I've owned my '15 since Oct. 2015 and drive it daily. My odometer just passed 46k miles. I know this is relatively low mileage but low mileage trucks are out there for close to the same price as a higher mileage truck. Be patient and broaden your search. Or... make an offer that would make yourself proud and be truly worth bragging about! I don't think low to mid teens is unrealistic for this high mileage retired work truck!

A Sunday/holiday Monday spare time activity for me pre and during Covid19has been truck "shopping" at closed dealerships. There is nothing I would seriously consider left in town! I assume people are buying pickups to pull their new travel trailers! The RV market (at least around here) has experienced their best ever sales. I predict there will be a glut of gently used RV's on the market soon! I wrestle with thoughts of full time RVing on occasion but Covid19 (and my wife) prevent me from bringing such thoughts to fruition! If I could get Mrs. Donstar on board, full RV parks and travel out of province adds other barriers. Instead, I will continue to watch Matt's RV reviews on YouTube and enjoy the experience of RV shopping from my recliner and not getting into any financial arguments with my wife!

I like the look of clean or new tires but shiny tires don't look normal. Shiny tires remind me of the old shady used car lot scenes found on classic TV.

Labor Day was the day before school/work started for me for most of my life. If I wasn't about to sit in a new class, I was about to stand in front of a new class or staff. I held many part time jobs during my school days but this holiday signaled anxious days ahead for over 50 years. (This will be my 10th year of retirement but the feeling is still there!) I wish everyone with children attending school, and those of you working in a school, a safe and productive school year. Public schools will function effectively while maintaining Covid19 safe practices when we all support these initiatives.

I believe stevejones was saying the same thing that came to my mind and that is to get your battery checked. Nothing you said would discourage me from first suspecting a poor battery. Welcome to this forum. You will find a lot of good advice here especially if you keep your posts short and to the point.

Git' er dun! My little laundry sink replacement turned out to be a two day job! I took advantage of the fact that I'm in no hurry and made it look like the plumbing and installation were original to the house. I even filled and painted marks left by the previous sink even though they would be hidden by the new cabinet! (I know...) The new sink required the drain line to be moved. I got cocky and eye-balled as I glued the fittings for the new drain. The trouble is, once abs is all glued together, a misaligned elbow throws the rest of your connections off! Out came the saw and I got to do it again! This time after dry fitting all of the pieces to the sink, I marked all of joints of the critical fittings with liquid white-out. It worked like a charm and the gluing was accurate. Now to remove the white-out!

If you plan to tow at the top end of your limits on either a std. or short bed then maybe a 2500/3500 is worth considering. The only towing advantage you may have towing with a short bed is your overall length is reduced. This could matter if you frequently rely on ferry transportation but otherwise, my vote is for standard bed.

I put a matching canopy on my truck and call it a poor man's Suburban. ?

Welcome to this forum and good luck with this purchase. It sounds like you are buying this truck from a dealer even though you make a point of saying that you never buy from a dealer. I appreciate that you may get better deals privately but, like in this case, dealers will often offer some type of warranty. Peace of mind has a value! My last truck with the 5.3 had to have the engine taken apart by my dealer at around 50k miles. It gave me a subsequent 100k miles trouble free miles. Enjoy your new truck!

I'm 10 years retired and often wonder how I every managed to add "work" to my day. ? You are free to set your own pace but there is always a lot to do and/or enjoy! If I appear to have nothing planned, her list appears! Retirement is a very real event and your comment sparks something that my wife and I often talk about. You don't think it will ever happen but it does. I have a picture of my grandparents that captures my memory of that dear old retired couple. I was looking at it last week and it dawned on me that my wife and I are now older than that dear old couple are in the picture! Planning for retirement was on our minds during our working years but a little too distant to take the prospect as seriously as it deserves. Covid19 "spare time" has maybe served as a mini-practicum for retirement for some members. Hopefully everyone's actual retirement will come as a result of choice and financial stability. Mine came unexpectedly but was close enough to my plans that we are comfortable.

The worries about school are pretty universal. I'm not sure about the buying what their selling part of your comment. There is enough information available to cause me to do what I can to protect myself and others. Mine is not a political choice. Taking personal responsibility to keep my germs/bodily fluids away from others does not require the approval of another person but I question why anyone would choose not to take the precautions to protect others.

We went to Home Depot yesterday to see if their pre-fab shed kits may save some time and money while still meeting our needs. The answer was no but we did find a new laundry sink cabinet combo! I woke up this morning excited about a shed building project but remembered I have some plumbing to do today. Wait a minute! My wife seldom joins me on my trips to HD but was eager to look at sheds yesterday, yet, we came home with a new sink for the laundry room! She hasn't lost her touch! Oh well, happy wife....

I believe I understand the November date to have something to do with the American presidential election but what about the rest of the world? There are many who struggle with taking the necessary steps to combat the spread of this virus until it hits someone they love. I understand the frustration but getting angry at the spread will not reduce the impact. Some are putting an inordinate amount of effort into finding faults in others perhaps in order to somehow excuse themselves from individual responsibility. Proper hygiene, keeping social distance, and wearing face coverings when necessary are effortless habits with widespread positive results. This is common sense and works for no matter what your political beliefs.

This is absolutely beautiful! Well done! My wife and I were just talking less than an hour ago about building a second "shed" in the back yard. I built a 9' X 10' about 4 yrs ago. It also matches our house and was the largest I could build without a permit. However, the match is in color and shingles only and not nearly as nice as yours. Unfortunately it was meant as an overflow for my tools/shop equipment but ended up being more of a gardening shed! Your post has put a fire in my belly. Thanks!

My neighbour just brought home a white '18 GMC SLE 2500 regular cab, 8' bed, gas truck. It has 12K miles and is in pristine condition. It overflows with brawn and functionality, imo. I love the feel and handling of a base 3/4 ton and I often rent(ed) them for personal use when out of town. I don't have a company gas card and my cargo is most often old people so this configuration would not be a practical choice for me. Also, my pom X chihuahua requires a whole backseat! I see very few new 1/2 tons on my dealer's lot but I do see an unusually high number of used 1500/2500/3500 trucks. I can only speculate on the impact covid19 is having on the truck inventory at my local dealership. I sincerely doubt I'll be able to trade-off my current truck in the next few years. Most us have vehicles we've owned in the past that we wished we kept. I start to miss my '15 the moment I start considering a new truck!

Yes, you were right to hang in there! I am surprised this thread wasn't put in "off topic" 18 pages ago!

I inherited my father's '90 Sedan DeVille. It was huge and comfortable. It was a FWD V8 which was strange, imo, but it was a nice ride. I imagined being pulled rather than pushed! It was a great car in the snow. Funny thing is that other drivers always felt the need to pass me on the highway. I think there is a certain amount of stereotyping going on when we see a huge burgundy Cadillac driven by an older man wearing a ball cap!

My dad was a fan of the large sedans (Galaxies, LTD's. Bel Airs, Parisiennes etc.) I loved them too, but the big gas guzzlers were frowned upon by my cohorts of the era. This is what first moved me from Austins to 1/2 tons. Somehow it was acceptable to drive an equally thirsty pickup! I bought my first pickup in '71 and hope to get another in '21!