Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Loreto, Baja California Sur
Posts: 100
Fairmont, I'm the same when it comes to holding on to things...On my boat, a Parker 23ft hull #1, Volvo diesel,1995, I did a "midlife" overhaul for about 30K, adding bow pulpit, electric windlass, new radar & electronics, seats.....I have a 1984 ford F250 diesel truck 4WD, where I had to replace the engine because of a thin spot in the casting Ford did not cover (2k miles outside the warranty). Bought another older F truck, swapped the engine out and saved the new tranny & radiator....Have the last 5cylinder Mercedes made, 1985 with over 350k miles, just keeps going strong, and a 2002 GMC Duramax Sierra with over 100k miles mainly for my Bigfoot camper and to piggyback the AC...
I looked seriously at new UTV's, would have liked a Turbo diesel one, but not on the market. The AC has a higher road clearance than the Rhino's and others for which I initially bought it. I basically left it stock, so I can carry it in the Duramax bed if I don't want to tow it on it's trailer. New units cost about 15k, have a bit more power,higher speed, fuel injection, a seat bench, disc brakes f&r, tilted steering wheel and better seat belts.
Here I drive normally without seat belts, I don't need tilted steering wheel and power steering, vehicle stops fine with the brakes provided and steering wheel is in the right place, the 650cc engine is strong enough, 45mph fast enough (I drive vehicle daily here), I have a 2nd engine, my original one bored out to 700cc and 2,5k put in to fix, with a minor issue left....I like the cat and what I have done with it, thus a "midlife overhaul" is in order and cost saving. I'll do the gauges of course and address corrosion and plastic issues. Will keep you posted how things work out.....