SICK SICK SICK of my truck

[eminenz2]

Notwithstanding the crap gas mileage it gets - which I fully accept as a truck owner - my truck is determined to make its resale value $50.

My list:

Hole in tailgate that it got in Target parking lot. Went into the store, tailgate was fine, came out, there was a hole. Cost to fix? $750

Door Ajar light that will not turn off, even when the door is not ajar, or a-lid, or a-pi$$in'-me-off. Cost to replace? $289

And its latest self-destructive maneuver: The tanneau cover blew open in a sudden wind & rain storm yesterday, tearing out the supports that hold the lid open while you're loading the bed. Cost to replace? I have no idea, but given my track record, I'm gonna guess about $500, because the locks on the cover never worked correctly in the first place.

My dilemma is this - I would like to get rid of the truck next fall (2009). I was foolishly expecting to get $3500 for it given the cost of gas and the general crappy nature of all things financial these days. Now I'm wondering if I could even get $1000 for it. I am reluctant to spend mucho dinero gussying it up when I don't believe the payoff will be there when I'm ready to sell it.

May I get your opinions please? How much should I shell out to get this truck repaired?

Aside from the obvious cosmetic stuff, which I believe this all is, the mechanics of the truck are fine - I would even say excellent - although it is expensive to maintain.

It is a 2002 Ford Ranger.

Thanks in advance for your two cents (or a quarter, if you have the time! - hee )

Susan L.G.

 

[spyrosmom]

go to www.nadaguides.com click on the yellow vehicle pricing book on the top left, and then used cars on the right side. Follow it thru and it will give you a fairly accurate price range. Then adjust downward for damages. Kelly blue book also has a similar website. Nada is more accurate, but you can always average the 2. How many miles are on it? Depending on the miles, $1000 is prob about right.

Nan

 

[Matiana]

Ugh, just get rid of it as is. It's not worth it. We have a ford ranger too and it was the biggest mistake we have ever made. Horrible on gas, door ajar light on (you can probably fix that with WD40 on door closing latch), odometer has stopped, tailgate handle broke off, and finally, tire flap fell off. You have it much worse. Is this what is awaiting us? Luckily it's just our back up vehicle so we barely use it. Good luck!!

 

[eminenz2]

Thanks for the replies. I only hope I can last another year with the damn thing.

I want an Element, even though I hear they're not much better on gas than the Ranger (18 mpg as opposed to 15). But hey, it's a Honda, and if I didn't live on such a steep driveway, I'd buy a Civic hybrid in a second.