"Kris Osborn" <kosborn_91@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:LaaPj.4676$vF.3716@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hi,
>
> I am 16 years old and am looking at a 1994 F250 with 128,000 miles for
sale
> and am thinking about buying it. The only problem is that it is 2WD, I
was
> just wondering if the truck would have rear or front wheel drive? I live
in
> Michigan and this year we had tons of snow and I nee something that
won't
> get stuck in the snow. I was told not to buy a truck with rear wheel
drive
> because they can get stuck very easily when there is a lot of snow on
the
> ground.
If the bed is empty that is quite true. However a lot of people that
drive
pickups in the snow simply put 3 or 4 100 lb bags of sand in the
bed over the rear tires during the winter and put on snow tires. It
reduces
your gas mileage slightly but not enough to be a problem.
>Would it just be wise to keep looking and get a 4x4, or will the 2WD
> work fine? The truck is in great condition, it there is no rust, and it
has
> a clean interior. It was owned by a Landscaping Company.
>
A 4x4 has more complex mechanicals and getting something more complex
as a first vehicle is a very bad idea.
I think your making an excellent choice, frankly, I wish I had had as good
sense
when I was 16 in picking a used vehicle. It's very unlikely your in the
commuting
crowd where your going to be driving 50-70 miles a day, so I think the
mpg
is probably not going to be an issue. Trucks have a lot of versatility
and
the
fact that this one was owned by a landscaping company means that it likely
had
regular oil changes and maintainence, unlike some POS rice-burner Corolla
that some ditzy blond owned who drove around with the emergency brake
on all day long is selling. Trucks are also larger so you have more
safety
in
an accident, and because they are larger the engine bay is usually easier
to
get around in so you can do your own work on them a bit easier.
There's just a few things that I'd strongly advise that you DON'T do:
1) Jack the thing up into God's ass. Every jacked-up pickem up truck on
the road just screams "wannabe". Not to mention the steering and ride
goes
to ****, and all your maintainence costs go through the roof.
2) Drive fast. Remember that your truck isn't a s****ts car and it will
not
take kindly to going around corners fast. You will be in the ditch in an
instant. It's hard to remember that at 16, I know from experience.
3) Drive without a seat belt. Trucks roll a lot easier than a lower-slung
car and if yours ever does and your not belted in you will be dead. A
roll bar that bolts into the bed of the truck looks pretty cool I think,
and
adds some needed safety.
4) Put a camper on the thing. A truck with a camper is nothing more
than a wanna-be station wagon.
Ted
|
