by Karl Denninger
Market-Ticker.org
Naw, you’re not.
Ever look at a “modern” vehicle? Own one? Hope you like the dealer and their prices — whatever they are.
Sure, there are times its worth it. Major stuff where you get a warranty that has some teeth beyond where you had the work done, which matters if you travel. A lot, by the way.
But the rest? Not so much.
Enter my ’02 Suburban. Yeah, it’s 20 years old. It doesn’t get driven a lot, but when it does, it works. It tows, it hauls, it does the things a truck should do. It can handle a 10′ piece of something inside poking through to the front, which an 8′ bed pickup cannot. It will haul 4×8 sheets of plywood enclosed too with the seats folded, which came in very handy when Ivan threatened us in Florida. It will pull (assuming you don’t blow the GCWR) more than 7,000lbs, although beyond 5k without weight distribution it’s unsafe, as are most half-ton trucks. With WD, however, and a brake controller, 7k is fine. 275HP, allegedly, but normally aspirated, well, at altitude de-rate as appropriate (expect to go slower if you’re hauling or towing something, maybe a lot slower. At ~6,000 feet you got a bit over 200HP to pull whatever. Yeah, you ain’t doing it fast if there is any sort of grade.)