NuTruk!

 

Hooray! Look what landed in our driveway! A new truck for Bob (and Rita) to drive and enjoy. No, it is not brand new, but it's the newest vehicle (2014) we've ever gotten- even newer than our beloved Red Rover (2010? I think?) Anyway, we're pleased as punch... and relieved.

Do you know how hard it is to find a good used truck?!?! With an eight foot bed? (practically unheard of in this day and age!! They're all those weird stumpy long cab, short bed fiascos. We NEED the long bed- think sculpture and hay bales and gravel...) Believe me, used trucks fall into two categories: really old, decrepit- (suitable for "total restoration), with 200,000 miles or really new and costing major $$$.

So I think- WE think- we got lucky, especially as (what were the chances?!?!?) this crazy truck was located in our town. We were even able to have our mechanic check it out. He loved the truck; he was very impressed and said, "Except for needing two front tires and wind shield wipers, it's a great truck". That made us happy and reasonably certain we wouldn't regret buying it.

All we need is a new "Bernie" sticker for that naked bumper! We took a field trip and looked at a pretty much identical truck out in Willimantic last week. It was good to have a comparison in cost/mileage/color/year but there was no comparison. That truck handled oddly and even made a loud clunking noise when we tried it (universal joint?) But the dealership sales man (who looked like a character out of Twin Peaks) and the greasy young sales "closer"keep emailing and asking "what's it gonna take to get that Ford into your driveway?" I informed them we bought another one...

Anyway, between the new car and the new truck we should be happily motoring for years. And as was "helpfully" pointed out by a friend, accelerating the Climate Crisis.