pickups

[carpetman]

I currently have a minivan I use in carpet cleaning and an old(1981)Ford pickup. I am retiring in a couple of months and wont need a carpet cleaning rig. The old Ford is a gas hog and I'm considering possibly new or a like new used pickup. I sorta want a crew cab as the grandsons could go on trips with us. Yesterday I looked at the Nissan Frontier,but their crew cab model has very small bed. I moved up to the Nissan Titan and liked it pretty good. Looked at Ford F-150 in crew cab and liked it too. Probably look at Toyota Tundras too. Any comments on any of these?

[shooter2]

Ray, It's pretty hard to beat anything made by Toyota if the size fits. I needed to tow a 13K trailer and went with a Ford F350. It performed extremely well. The Dodge with a Cummins Diesel is good, but they had (may still have) a weak transmission. FWIW. Bob...

[Scrounger]

I currently have a minivan I use in carpet cleaning and an old(1981)Ford pickup. I am retiring in a couple of months and wont need a carpet cleaning rig. The old Ford is a gas hog and I'm considering possibly new or a like new used pickup. I sorta want a crew cab as the grandsons could go on trips with us. Yesterday I looked at the Nissan Frontier,but their crew cab model has very small bed. I moved up to the Nissan Titan and liked it pretty good. Looked at Ford F-150 in crew cab and liked it too. Probably look at Toyota Tundras too. Any comments on any of these?

What happened to that tiny pickup you ragged Waksupi about? Looks like you're the one with the BIG PICKUP. Now to your question. I had an '85 Voyager and so much trouble with it, I swore no more American vehicles. I've only owned Toyota and Nissan pickups since then and they can't be beat. Last one I bought, which I said had to last me the rest of my life, was a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab. It comes in two models, short bed (about 4 feet long) and long bed (about 6 feet long). I'm happy with my choice of the long bed version. It is a 2004 model, 6 cylinder, 200 HP, auto trans with air. Gas mileage is a little less than I hoped for from Nissan, but this is a pretty good size vehicle and an automatic transmission, so maybe 20 MPG on the road and 18 MPG in town isn't too bad. I don't drive much anymore. In almost 19 months I've only put a tad over 13,000 miles on it. There was a package where I got a bed liner, electric door locks and alarm, and something else, don't remember what it was, upgraded radio and CD player maybe, that ran the price up $1000. My nephew and I bought identical trucks from the same dealer. The out-the-door price with tax was $20,010 each. I got a DMV sticker that gave me 5 days to register it, and drove it up here to Nevada to get licenses. Screw California. I would have/could have paid the sales tax here too, but I would have had to pay the dealer to drive the vehicle up here. Screw them when you can, but don't shoot yourself in the foot...This would be a much better choice than the bicycle, you can haul an awful lot of cats in a truck. Mashes them flatter when you run over them, too.

[carpetman]

Scrounger---Even these larger than I currently have pickups are dwarfed by what Waksupi drives. You could put both of them in Waksupis pickup---in the cab--in his glove box no less. I did have a Nissan pickup at one time. It got 30MPG but it would beat you to death. I could drive it to Wichita Falls---240 miles and be so sore could barely walk. I have driven the Ford to Wichita Falls and back same day--no problem. So I want to avoid the cramped up rough ride and I do want good gas mileage. The around 20 MPG sounds pretty good after buying gas for the Ford I currently have.

[Scrounger]

I had an '80 Nissan pickup that I still regret getting rid of to get that Voyager. Went up to Reno one year with it. My friend and I accounted for about 500 pounds plus 7 or 8 rifles, luggage, and at least 100 pounds of ammo. Averaged 28 MPG up there and back at 80 plus MPH. And that's mostly through the Sierras. Those Nissan 4 banger engines are something else.... That one had 4 cylinders but used 8 spark plugs if I remember right...

[carpetman]

Scrounger--I forgot to mention that I too had a Voyager. It had been wrecked and the state of Texas was given an estimate of repairs that went way beyond robbery. I bought it at auction and had it repaired. We drove it several years and really could not complain at all about it. Was fairly peppy and did well on gas. My wife traded it in and got a new Ford Focus about a year ago. I don't like the Focus not having cruise control. I am spoiled for cruise control and consider that a must anymore.

[Scrounger]

Scrounger--I forgot to mention that I too had a Voyager. It had been wrecked and the state of Texas was given an estimate of repairs that went way beyond robbery. I bought it at auction and had it repaired. We drove it several years and really could not complain at all about it. Was fairly peppy and did well on gas. My wife traded it in and got a new Ford Focus about a year ago. I don't like the Focus not having cruise control. I am spoiled for cruise control and consider that a must anymore.

Ah, Cruise Control! That was the other thing in the $1000 package- Bed Liner, Electric locks and windows, and Cruise Control. Actually, the Voyager wasn't too bad. Like you said, good acceleration and 25 MPG. What soured me on it was someone put the wrong fluid in the break cylinder. breaks went out, had it fixed, went out again, and again, and again. By the time we figured out where the problem was, they had to replace the whole system. I'd lost confidence in the garage I started with and took it to the dealer; cost me $1500 before I had a vehicle that would stop reliably. By then I hated the car. Sorry to hear you're out of Focus....

[DOUBLEJK]

carpetman FWIW here on the farm we have a 87 toyota 4x4 pickup that has 346,000+ miles on it.....1 clutch 1 fuel pump er the only none maintenance items its ever needed....my drivin' truck's a 2001 Tundra extra cab 4 door V6 4x4 that hauls 3 Grandkids n me n Moma real comfertable pullin' a 23ft. camper trailer...it has 82,000 miles on it with only oil changes n a new set a tires so far...n it gets bout 21mpg hwy....17mpg town...:)

We also have a diesel 96 Ford dually that is purty good but has had injecter n tranny problems n a 3/4 ton 92 chevy 350 gas that has had minimal problems also....fer my money them toy's er good trucks....gonna get 1 more new Tundra fer my retirement yrs....[smilie=l:

[floodgate]

Scrounger:

"I had an '80 Nissan pickup that I still regret getting rid of..."

When we moved out to the country on retirement in 1984, we bought a hard-used '80 Nissan P/U with a 16" chassis "stretch", a 9' stake-body bed, Mickey-Mouse duals made up by welding two rims to one spider, and a left front corner that had been bashed at Point A and straightened - sorta - at Point B. And the seat had been crunched almost flat by what must have been a 300-lb. driver. That said, it got us moved - three 400-mile trips, grossly-overloaded, with my wife driving while I stayed home, finished out the job and packed up our "good junk", and hauled hay and grain, livestock, building materials (3,500 lbs+ of wet sand put the bed right down on the rubber), and helped move a couple of other friends. I funally drove it to the junker and left it with a tear in the eye. It had that WEIRD split charging system they tried before going to the NAPS-Z dual-spark setup in 1981, and ate alternators like popcorn - but I still miss it now & then. Replaced it two years ago with a '93 Ford F-150, the last of the in-line sixes, 4WD, standard cab and 8' bed, 70,000 miles, and good history from the two previous owners. Stone reliable, except for the rear semi-metallic brakes that rust themselves to the rear drums; I have to park it with handbrake off in wet weather, and drag the brakes for the first 100 yds. to clear the drums. And then there's the time last winter a mouse nested under the hood, and ate the voltage regulator lead making nest material; now I look under the hood before fiiring it up. Amazingly, the local Ford shop gives GOOD, fast and affordable service!

floodgate

[Maxthompson]

Ray, Don't tell anybody but I sell cars for a living, on the Internet. I've sold GM, Ford , and now Toyota. There's no comparison. When you decide what you want, I can tell you what the dealer paid so you have ammunition, "to keep on topic" in the negotiation. The new tacoma with a V6 will pull more than the other posters Tundra and have a full bed and be much nicer that the Frontier.

Email is Rootdr101attcs.com. There are two t's in att to confuse me I guess.

Mike

[MT Gianni]

Since I first read this thread I calculated that I and my wife have driven over 800,000 miles since 1980. Most of them have been by me in Chevy vans, an 80, 85, 89, a Ford F350 [current company furnished] for work. Personal have included a 1980 datsun, 84 buick, 95 Intrepid, 01 stratus cars. Personal trucks have been a 76 Chev. 3/4 ton, 90 Chev. K25, and 98 Dodge 1/2 ton. All have been used for short commutes to 2000 mile trips except the newest Dodge P/up.
The Datsun is the only one that we have not had go over 125,000 as it died a hard death at 113,000. I prefer American as to the balance of trade, supporting american workers and american owned corporations and have had great luck with their products. Troubles included a transmission in the Intrepid at 55,000, a trans and clutch in the 90 Chev at 75,000 [5 speed german made that uses atf instead of 90 weight oil]. I have no problems with others that have differing opinions and experiences but my needs; farming, hunting, fishing, hauling, short term logging, towing and comfort have been well served with the big 3 American corp. Gianni.

[Scrounger]

Since I first read this thread I calculated that I and my wife have driven over 800,000 miles since 1980. Most of them have been by me in Chevy vans, an 80, 85, 89, a Ford F350 [current company furnished] for work. Personal have included a 1980 datsun, 84 buick, 95 Intrepid, 01 stratus cars. Personal trucks have been a 76 Chev. 3/4 ton, 90 Chev. K25, and 98 Dodge 1/2 ton. All have been used for short commutes to 2000 mile trips except the newest Dodge P/up.
The Datsun is the only one that we have not had go over 125,000 as it died a hard death at 113,000. I prefer American as to the balance of trade, supporting american workers and american owned corporations and have had great luck with their products. Troubles included a transmission in the Intrepid at 55,000, a trans and clutch in the 90 Chev at 75,000 [5 speed german made that uses atf instead of 90 weight oil]. I have no problems with others that have differing opinions and experiences but my needs; farming, hunting, fishing, hauling, short term logging, towing and comfort have been well served with the big 3 American corp. Gianni.

Not to start a debate but just for the record, most "Japanese" vehicles sold in this country, are made in this country by American workers. And the money goes to rich old guys who could be any nationality, and own property and busnesses in more than one country. And check your "American" vehicles sometime to see where the various parts were actually made. It's a small world and nationalism and isolationism are strange bedfellows...

[carpetman]

MaxThompson---E coming at you if I understand your address.

[Buckshot]

.............We bought a used '01 Ford Sport-Trac 9 months after it had been sold new. I also bought an extended factory warranty to 75K miles at the same time. Out the door I believe we financed about $17K after a $2500 down. Basicly it's an Explorer with it's frame stretched 14", but it's 20% stiffer due to the extra crossmembers and boxing they did because of the seperate pickup box.

Has a 210HP V-6 and a 5 speed automatic. On the highway running the air it'll get right at 20 MPG. Trips back and forth to the folks in AZ have averaged that, and the best I ever got was 22.3 (had the wind with me!) They're built to tow but we have no need for it. Although it's Donna's ride I do sneak it out every once in awile. It accelerates very strong and the trans is a solid shifter.

It rides nice and smooth. Last year we drove it to Winnemucca and back and out in the sticks we cruised along nicely at 90.

Although the bed is kind of an afterthought compared to a real pickup you can still haul a goodly amount of junk in it. You can buy (I built one) a bed extender if you want. That way you can haul 8' lumber, etc.

What I like about it too is that the backseat is sized for adult type human beings with plenty of leg and headroom. You can fold the back seats flat and it makes for additional cargo space. We're coming up on 70K miles and so far have done nothing to it except regular maint. and one set of brakes pads.

..............Buckshot

[brimic]

I currently and have been driving a 95 Nissan p/u for the last 9 years. It currently has 164,000 miles on it and runs great though its beat to hell from hard use.

work/maintenance put into it so far-

-New steering gear box- I have a bad feeling that the truck had been in a flood ( I bought it used) and water got into the breather tube on the gear box and rusted out the internals. Cost- $150 for a junkyard gearbox.
-4 sets of tires
-oil change every 3000 miles
-new brakes at 100,000 miles (though brake linings still had some life left in them at that point)
-a couple sets of spark plugs, spark plug wires
-new lead battery cable terminals- Nissan used crappy copper bands for terminals that corroded off quickly. This was about a $5 fix.
-New power steering pump- $50 changed when I changed the steering gear box
-New set of belts at 140,000 miles $20
-oil changes ever 3000 miles
-5 or 6 air cleaner filters
-1 valve cover gasket which cost me ~$15 at about 155,000 miles
I still run with the original exhaust and battery- though both will need to be changed in the next year or so.
It has a real honest to goodness timing chain so there is no worry about changing a timing belt that could break at any time after 60,000 miles and cause major havoc with the engine.
When landscaping my house, I used it to haul gravel- a payloader would fill the bed with gravel for me to haul 7 miles home.

I've ran it down hundreds of miles of logging trails- like someone else said, these trucks are a rough ride and will beat you up.

It has the nissan 4 cyl engine, standard 4 sparkplug arrangement, but has a curios 3 valve per cylinder head on it. It runs really strong yet, and I still tow my boat with it, though it struggles at highway speeds going up hills.

I'm going to retire this truck soon to offroad use only at my vacation house in the Michigan UP. I can't bring myself to get rid of it, it runs too well, and its been nothing but dead reliable.

I also have a 2004 trailblazer- stripped model with only 4wd and posi rear end as options. Its like driving a cadillac compared to the Nissan, but I mostly drive the Nissan for commuting still, unless its snowing.

[Willbird]

Well Yaal can dis american equip all you want, but I have never bought a furrin car or truck, and I have only bought one that was under 80k miles (that may be the secret) my current go to work is a 91 S-10 2.5 liter with 5 speed stick shift, had 120,000 miles on it when I bought it for 1,000, it has 151,000 on it now and including a new set of tires I have put probably another 1000 in it tops.. it gets 25 mpg consistantly, and uses 3 quarts of oil in 3000 miles. It don't look purty, it don't have tilt, air or cruise, not even power steering, but it hauls willbird 37 miles to and 37 miles home from work every day without fail.

The car I drove before that, (still have it as backup) is an 85 camero, I bought it in 95 with 30,000 on the clock (gotta watch low milers, things still may go wrong) and I drove it 120,000 and the 305 engine puked, so now it has a 95 roller cam 350 in it....still running on the original trans tho...and that isnt bad for what is considered a poor year for 700r4 trans. it now has 149,000 miles on it.

My wife has a 95 Grand prix she bought new in 95, it has 157,000 miles on it, uses 2 quarts in 3000 miles...otherwise still tip top.

My gunsmith has a 95 chev pickup with 350 auto tilt cruise, power power, etc. that he has over 300,000 on (gunshows) , it uses once again a quart in a thousand miles.

I say buy well cared for high mile vehicles for a fair price, and turn them into well cared for and maintained extremely high mile vehicles.....or if you would buy new, keep it forever and wring every last mile from it.

but thats just me..........I am 40 and never ever have I bought a vehicle over $5000 (I paid 5k for the camaro)and that was the one exception to my $1000 typical vehicle purchase price.

in 22 years I have been stranded by vehicles three times, once was when the starter crapped out in my 1972 Nova...once with a broken tie rod (my fault, poor maint.) and when the engine in the camaro puked (it has been driven HARD for the 120k I put on it).I have been stranded many many many times in friends newer shop maintained vehicles.

Oh ya and an S-10 can haul at least 2400 lbs for 10 miles without popping an artery.....3-4 trips....that amazed me.

Bill

[wills]

Not to start a debate but just for the record, most "Japanese" vehicles sold in this country, are made in this country by American workers. And the money goes to rich old guys who could be any nationality, and own property and busnesses in more than one country. And check your "American" vehicles sometime to see where the various parts were actually made. It's a small world and nationalism and isolationism are strange bedfellows...

Toyota is building a plant in San Antone, and you shold have seen all the fawning over Toyota that went on, trying to get the plant.

[wills]

I currently have a minivan I use in carpet cleaning and an old(1981)Ford pickup. I am retiring in a couple of months and wont need a carpet cleaning rig. The old Ford is a gas hog and I'm considering possibly new or a like new used pickup. I sorta want a crew cab as the grandsons could go on trips with us. Yesterday I looked at the Nissan Frontier,but their crew cab model has very small bed. I moved up to the Nissan Titan and liked it pretty good. Looked at Ford F-150 in crew cab and liked it too. Probably look at Toyota Tundras too. Any comments on any of these?

You could combine this with your bicycle purchase. Get you one of those cast iron Huffy bikes that weigh about a ton, modify it to use truck tires, nail an apple crate on the back for a bed, and there you go. And the best part is it’ll be cheeeeeeep! [smilie=l:

[longhorn]

Well, I'm driving a '98 Ford F-150 short cab/short bed with 158,000 miles and zero repair costs, so what do I know? However--I have been looking at the new Honda Ridgeline. My opinion is that this thing will change pickups forever. Strong V-6 power, independent suspension, ingenious 4WD system, comfortable room for 5 adults, locking/waterproof underbed storage big enough for 3 sets of golf clubs (how many rifles would that be....), on and on. They're pricey at $30K plus, Honda isn't really dealing yet, and it is the intro year. Next year, though, unless owner feedback turns sour, it's my new ride. I've ridden in 2; both were quiet, comfortable and would flat run away and hide from my 6 cylinder Ford. Of course, if I can promote a store delivery vehicle for my personal use (not likely) we'd probably buy "American"-aren't Chevy pickups built in Mexico these days?

[brimic]

aren't Chevy pickups built in Mexico these days?
I'm almost sure that their full sized pickups are made in USA, my trailblazer was made in Ohio, and a lot of the bigger GM SUVs come out of Janesville WI. Usually it seems that the bigger a vehicle is, the more likely that its American made.

[carpetman]

Well I leased a new crew cab Ford F-150 on a 36 month deal. Bed sure is short,don't know if my atv will go in it unless I keep tailgate down???? It does have the bed extender (the gizmo that folds down onto the tailgate and forms a cage like dealie. Sure aint no Waksupi sized pickup. Has good amount of passenger room. Can only get two in front as it does not have the bench seat.

[shooter575]

I have had good luck with Dodges since 94. Bought one of them new and it has 150,000 hard miles on her. Nothing major went cept a starter. Heck I still have the orgional exaust on her.And that is here in Mich. I pulled a 5 th wheel 8,000 lb camper 50,000 miles with her.That is with a 318 cid and 3.5 axel. So she is a bit tired.
Bought a biger camper and a biger truck. Got a 04 cummings dualie.8' 4 door. The thing is quiet,has the HO 325 hp and a auto. They say they have the week trans prob fixed in 04. Empty it gets 23 mpg at 55. I am real happy with it.

[Gunload Master]

I have had good luck with Dodges since 94. Bought one of them new and it has 150,000 hard miles on her. Nothing major went cept a starter. Heck I still have the orgional exaust on her.And that is here in Mich. I pulled a 5 th wheel 8,000 lb camper 50,000 miles with her.That is with a 318 cid and 3.5 axel. So she is a bit tired.
Bought a biger camper and a biger truck. Got a 04 cummings dualie.8' 4 door. The thing is quiet,has the HO 325 hp and a auto. They say they have the week trans prob fixed in 04. Empty it gets 23 mpg at 55. I am real happy with it.
I bought a 96 dodge two years ago and have had great success with it. It had 105,000 miles when I bought it, has about 128,000 now. So far the only thing that has gone bad on it has been the power window switch on the passanger side went out. I've pulled a 21 foot camp trailer between 70 - 75 MPH pretty easily. My brother bought an 05 dodge 3500 (not dually) and he loves it. When he first bought it, he said it felt like he was going 20 MPH when he was actually going close to 40. I'm most definatly a DODGE fan. Second best Ford..

[wills]

Well I leased a new crew cab Ford F-150 on a 36 month deal. Bed sure is short, Can only get two in front as it does not have the bench seat.

I saw the title of the post, and thought you were going to tell us about some ladies you met on S. Chadbourne, or some such.

[carpetman]

Took most of day getting my garage rearranged to where I could get the pickup in it. The spot I wanted it accomodated an Aerostar van no problem,but this crew cab,even with it's suitcase size bed had to relocate shelves and workbench. I also tested how well my atv will fit. Probably need about 2 more inches of bed and it would work. I might be able to close tailgate if I deflate the tires---that would be a pain. Now I have to remove the bed extender use the ramps and drive atv on,then reinstall bed extender and remove it when I get where Im goin and re-install when I leave. Not nearly as handy as my old pickup---which I all but gave away on the deal.

[wills]

You’re going to have to move the garage wall back. For all that trouble you shudda got a real truck.

[35remington]

High revving, high horsepower, modest displacement V6's (4.5 liters and less) are fine in the "new" pickup like vehicles, but you won't like them when you pull a load, especially on the overoptimistic high end of their rated towing range. I've done it and would rather drive something with less "ricer" and more displacement. They've got no low speed torque and they rev their guts out on hills, as that's the only way they can make adequate torque. Mileage drops in the crapper and revs under load don't do much for engine longevity. If you're not hauling much they're fine. For towing it's better to choose a motor with a more suitable powerband. The old Ford straight six mentioned in a previous post might be slower than the new V6's but it's a better towing motor. A better intake and exhaust make it a much better towing motor.

Even the VVT V6 models are less than desirable, as the intakes and breathing are optimized for high rpm's despite the claims, and performance at towing speeds mean these things downshift on every little hill.

Great vehicles otherwise, but the Japanese (and even Ford with their 4.2) are trying to put small race engines in heavy vehicles. Don't work for hauling and never has.

[carpetman]

I got the 5.4 v-8 in the pickup. Took it on the highway past few days and it gets about 18---little better one tank. I am going to Austin tomorrow. I gave my minivan to my grandson,so guess that made the decision as to when I quit doing carpet work.

[Buckshot]

.........Ray, I'm curious why you leased? I could sure never see the attraction to it. Kinda reminded me of renting an apartment.

We had a 1 ton Ford crew cad (not dual tired) with a 460 gas engine basicly for pulling a 4 horse stock trailer. Did that job MUCH better then our previous tow vehicle which was a Chev Suburban trailering special w/454. If we were to be in that situation again it would be a diesel without one milli-seconds thought!

I have noticed this for so long and in so many instances it has become no surprise, but is still interesting. That is if you pass 20 pickups towing loads or carrying campers it will be 10 Fords, 8 Dodges and 2 GM products. In fact on our recent trip to Las Vegas it was so common I was pointing it out to Donna as we went along. Of course she couldn't have cared less, but I'd point and say, "Ford, Ford, Ford, Dodge, Ford, Dodge, Dodge, Ford, Dodge, Ford.

What was funny was she did say it looked like they'd had a baby meaning our Ford Sport Trac as we'd zip by :-). In the basin area going across the Mojave desert, while I was pointing out the extreme lack of GM vehicles towing or carrying stuff, there was a Suburban on the southbound side with it's hood up. I pointed and said, THERE'S a Chevy :lol:.

My buddy Ray who passed away last year worked for Morgan Drive-Away hauling RV's all over the U.S. had a '96 Dodge Diesel. When he sold it the engine had 375K miles on it, was on his 2nd trans and the RR was growling. But the thing was those were mostly all towing or high speed return miles. Definately a tough life for a 3/4 ton PU, diesel or not.

.............Buckshot

[carpetman]

Buckshot--You ask a very good question. Until very recently I would not have considered leasing a vehicle. I do have the option of buying this one at the 36 month point---the price is already established. Believe it or not--what I will spend leasing and the buy it price will be about the same as if I bought it now. I drove off the lot and still have not spent the first penny---yea I know first payment just around the corner. I've washed it twice already and until I do make that first lease payment,Ive spent more washing it than I have buying it. Who knows,at the 36 month point that very deep oil well I've been drilling might be a gusher and I buy another new one?

[StarMetal]

OIL! OIL! Did I hear oilwell drilling Carpetman? I'm in ok? You know I use to work in the oil industry. Hey, since you are officially out of the carpet business do we see a new name change for you? Hey guys, how about a contest? No not shooting, a new name contest for Ray. Winner gets a box of Win DynaPoints.

Joe

[Scrounger]

OIL! OIL! Did I hear oilwell drilling Carpetman? I'm in ok? You know I use to work in the oil industry. Hey, since you are officially out of the carpet business do we see a new name change for you? Hey guys, how about a contest? No not shooting, a new name contest for Ray. Winner gets a box of Win DynaPoints.

Joe

I've always liked "Bwana Gato". Or how about "Cats-R-Us? Or "Feline-ski"? or "CatTerminator"?

[45 2.1]

RayCat Oil

[StarMetal]

hahahahahaha good stuff, good stuff, guys. Keep em coming

Joe

[carpetman]

Easiest change would be take the R out and make it catpetman

[floodgate]

Easiest change would be take the R out and make it catpetman

Ray, I've been calling you "CATPETMAN" for years, since "shooters" days. Let's make it official! Does this mean retirement, and you can hunt CAT-tle full-time?

Yr. pal "floodgate"

[Scrounger]

Ray, I've been calling you "CATPETMAN" for years, since "shooters" days. Let's make it official! Does this mean retirement, and you can hunt CAT-tle full-time?

Yr. pal "floodgate"

Somehow I don't think 'pet' is anywhere in the equation. Make it 'CatMan'.

[waksupi]

I kind of like Cathouse Ray, last of the sheep shed piano players.

[MT Gianni]

Catmandoo?

[Buckshot]

Catmandoo?

or

Catmandon't?

..............Buckshot

[wills]

How was the Austin trip? Did you get stuck on 71 between Llano and Brady behind the elderly guy in the ancient pickup overloaded with hay, driving about 30 mph, whom you cant seem to pass?

[carpetman]

Wills--It worked out I didnt go to Austin afterall. My ex son in law took them. My daughter did mention getting behind a truck---will have to ask was it hauling hay.