Our New Chariot

We came home to Coralville with Suzie Q, our 2018 Ford Edge Titanium, on March 28, 2022 after trading in Roxy, the Lexus RX350 Brandy had when I met her.

While Suzie Q was a go-getter, and she made it through many, MANY trips with us, we’ve come to realize we’d outgrown her.

When we thought we were going to be traveling in a fifth wheel RV, we were looking for full size pickup trucks that would be able to pull them, namely 3/4 ton pickups by Ford or GM.

During our trip to Colorado, though, we decided that it would be better, cheaper, and easier for us to just get a truck and stay at AriBnB’s while on our travels. That would save us the lot rent for an RV, the cost of utilities, the monthly StarLink cost, the time setting up and breaking down, arranging for laundry, not to mention the up front cost of buying a fifth wheel trailer and all the stuff we would need to travel with it.

We still, however, wanted a full size pickup, just in case we’d change our minds.

We were looking for a while, finding that desireable trucks came with undesireable price tags, or trucks in our budget were missing some of the creature comforts we were after (like leather interior), or were too old, had too many miles, or both.

Then, one day, while in Crested Butte, Brandy struck gold. She found a red 2019 Ford F250 Super Duty XLT with 16,000 miles on it for just under $51,000.

A five year old truck with that low milage? What was wrong with it? Clean title, one owner, no accidents, no open recalls…

Upon closer inspection, the interior was a two-tone leater, black and gray, with red stitching. It’s a little stripped down, some of the bells and whistles we grew accustomed to were missing, but for the low, low miles, and the great price, I’m willing to trade those perks.

We got in touch with the local credit union where we just started banking, and where the bulk of my settlement check went, and started the process of applying for a loan.

The truck was in Virginia so we paid the $350 to have it shipped to Des Moines. It left that day, on February 29, a couple days later showing up in Charleston, North Carolina, where it sat for nearly a week.

Then, on March 6, it finally showed up in Hammond, Indiana, where it sat for several more days.

Time was beginning to get thin at this point; Brandy was scheduled to leave for South Carolina and San Diego on March 18 and would be gone for 2 weeks. Getting her to the dealership to sell Suzie Q back to Carmax and to put for Jane Hancock on the paperwork for the new car would be challenging.

Then, finally, on the 13th, she got the text that the truck was in. We headed to the credit union to pick up a check made payable to Carmax and made an appointment for Saturday, the 16th.

The day finally came so we headed in to Des Moines for our scheduled appointment. We arrived right around 9:30.

We left at 11:30 the proud owners of this bad boy.

I swear this guy has to have an aftermarket lift on it. It’s high, even for me.

When I first got in to test drive it in Des Moines, I looked down on Brandy as she opened the door and before she got it. She looked like a small child. It was a humerous sight to be sure.

Since we’ve had this guy, I’ve already bought a few accessories for it.

• The truck does not have a CD player. Brandy’s phone holder was one that mounted in the CD slot. As there isn’t one, I bought a cup holder phone mount. With up to four cup holders in the front, one can be taken up with a phone mount.
• The center console is MUCH larger than it was in Suzie Q. The foam armrest/console cover was not going to fit, so I got a new one.
• I got a hard tonneau cover from Rough Country. That hasn’t shipped yet.

The truck also included a crossbed tool box that we have absolutely no need for so I took that out and have it listed on Facebook Marketplace.

I re-installed my phone mount in the same location it was in Suzie Q, on the left side of the windshield, but with the truck’s layout, it took entirely too much out of my field of vision. I’ve since relocated it to the little cubby that sits on the dash, in front of the center speaker.

I’m sure our configuration will change a million times as we get settled and start riding on the regular, but, for now, it’s pretty well set up. I have a few things from Suzie that need to be moved into this as–of-yet unnamed fella, but other than that, he’s good to go.

Later down the road, we plan on getting a Line X spray liner put in to better protect the bed and to try to cover up the holes left from the installation of the toolbox I just took out.

The first drive we took in him was from the Carmax in Des Moined to Leon, about an hour south, to exchange the shoes I bought at Long Creek Outfitters (I somehow walked out with size 13 shoes, not 14…)

As we approached Leon, I decided to check our fuel efficiency. The truck was reporting we were averaging just over 6 miles per gallon.

WHAT!

I decided this was including readings from before we bought him so I reset it when we got to our destination and measured again as we got home about 2 hours later. In Ottumwa, it told us we got a little over 14 MPG.

Well, that’s better, but still… I guess I can’t expect great milage out of a 6.2 liter V8 engine with oversized BF Goodrich All Terrain tires, huh?

I took Brandy to the airport two days later, carefully monitoring the milage and discovered we will see about 13 or 14 MPG with mostly highway driving.

Based on the fuel efficiency and the sheer size of the beast, we decided that it would only be used for out of town trips. Anything to be done in town (grocery shopping, neartby doctor appointments, etc) will be in the barely used Equinox. As ol’ Blue had been sitting undisturbed for months, the battery was no good, and after several exchanges of batteries when I refused to start the car, Auto Zone said “no more” and made me buy a whole new battery. I upgraded to a $200 battery and hed it installed in no time. The last time it was driven, I had taken some limbs from our fallen tree to Craig and Sue’s for burning. I’d laid a tarp in the back and piled branches and leaves on it. It had sat like that for entirely too long. Not to mention the trash I’d been steadliy piling up in the passenger side floorboards, and the general dust and grime from disuse. I decided to break down and start the cleanout process, dragging my shopvac to the car, emptying the trash and doing the most thorough vacuum job I’ve ever done in a car. That pretty well did me in for the night; I still have a bit to do to get it passably clean but it was a good start.

But, I digress.

So yeah, I have pictures of the new truck over in my Photo Diary. You should go check it out.

Up next, Brandy comes back to Iowa on Friday, March 22, and flies out again Monday, the 25th, to San Diego. No reason to make a trip out to get her, then take her back a couple of days later. We have an AirBnB reserved in Des Moines for the weekend, then I’ll be dropping her at the airport Monday morning on my way back home. She returns the following Thursday night then we’re home for a little bit.

But don’t you worry, there will be plenty to keep us busy come June.

Stay tuned!

-Phil