aseibel

I agree they use data that is not available to consumers. But I sold two vehicles in the past few years. The dealer's trade-in offer was basically spot on what KBB said my trade-in should be. I was able to sell both of them private party for a better price.

That sucks. But also a good reason not to buy a car on ebay. If you had bought from a respected dealer, that should not have happened. Just wondering what data you had to support your expected value of 8,000? a loss of 50% is drastic, but were you accurate with your personal valuation? Dealers never offer sh!t for trade-ins regardless of condition. That's why everyone is always upset when they compare the cost of a vehicle for sale on the lot vs. what the dealer wants to pay for their old one. This could be true. Until he talkes to the dealer we don't know the facts. If it is true, he should immediately go trade it in and make the at fault driver's insurance pay the difference to get him in a new truck. Until he completes the sale of this "damaged" truck, the loss is only theoretical. I look forward to hearing the results of SeanSmith's research and compare the value of his truck the day before the wreck to today.

Yeah, if one is currently damaged and the other is not, everyone would choose the clean one. You are talking like his is still wrecked. He said it has been repaired and drives "better than new" with "no evidence of damage". As long as his truck is repaired 100% back to original dimensions and everything works properly, then what is the difference? If it is not repaired 100% then he should not have accepted the vehicle back from the shop until it is. That's why I said he should go get a trade-in value from his dealer. And check KBB.com for the average value. Then he knows what he's working with. Everyone thinks their ride is worth more than it really is, so getting realistic numbers is key.

If you documented everything and keep all the paperwork proving repairs were done by a qualified shop, I don't know why it would severely depreciate the truck. Talk to your local dealer and get their opinion on trade-in value, both now and pre-accident. Maybe you'd be offered 1-2000 less if you tried to sell private party and they saw the carfax with no other information. But your truck is already 5 years old. Year and mileage are bigger factors in determining price. I think having a truck that works and looks like it did before is more important than worrying about diminished value. If you think its as good as new, why wouldn't the next owner?

I wouldn't count a car or s-10 on a flatbed as a heavy load. Stick with the 1/2 ton and enjoy your ride the rest of the year. Even if you have 3.08 gears, your truck can handle it, just may be a bit slower up to freeway speed.

There is only 1 logical reason to own a diesel HD truck, and that is for regular towing of heavy loads.

I was going to say the same thing. If I was going to upgrade, I would explore the Chevy Tahoe PPV brakes. But I don't know any more information about them right now.

I also have one on the driver's side. I love it. You won't regret buying it. you can fit alot of junk in there. Anything specific you want a pic of?

I love it. That's where all my tie-downs and various junk lives to keep it from rolling around. I was going to get two (one for each side), but I was able to fit everything I wanted in one. You can open it while stowed inside the bed, or swing it out to access it from the tailgate with your tonneau cover closed. The other nice thing is it easily lifts off the hinge if you want it out of the way for cleaning or to put something really wide in the bed.

I bought an undercover swing case to solve that problem. http://www.swingcase.us/chevrolet-truck-toolbox-sc104.htm

I kind of get what you are going for, and it sounds like there may even be a solution. But I'm still not following why you think it is easier to pull two pins to "stow" or "un-stow" your hitch each time you want to use it, than it would be to pull one pin and simply remove the hitch and put it inside the bed when not in use. Then your friends would never drop the tailgate onto it again. You already have to do something to make your hitch useable, I'm not sure what you are actually trying to gain.

Not to mention, if you live in the snow belt, leaving the hitch in all year is the fastest way to make the tubes rust together.

why can't you take the hitch out when its not in use? Or if you use the hitch daily, just don't drop the inner step on the tailgate. Step on the tongue of the trailer that is attached. You shouldn't need to use both the trailer hitch and tailgate step at the same time.

if you really think that your pedals are way out of whack, I'd stop by the dealer to confirm. Have them look at it, and you can compare to other new ones. I'm pretty sure all vehicles makes/models have the pedals in pretty much the same relative location to prevent this problem. If your brake is really too far forward, maybe that can be adjusted?

But seriously, did you confirm that your pedals are actually spaced farther front-to-back than other vehicles you have driven? Do you have any dexterity problems with your foot/ankle? Maybe you should search for some mobility suppliers such as: https://www.aavans.com/mobility-equipment-listing/easy-rider-pedal-extension/