Dear Tom and Ray: I live in Denver. I’m looking for advice about driving an old pickup truck a long distance. My father, who is in Iowa, is bestowing upon me a 1971 Ford F-250. It’s got two-wheel drive with a 360 V-8 engine, and has less than 80,000 original miles on the speedometer. This has mainly been used as a work truck for him, and it’s in good condition. I plan to fly to Iowa, and drive it the 1,000 miles back to Denver. I know this is the longest journey this truck will ever have taken, so I want to do everything possible to ensure a safe drive. What would you suggest I get done before I leave, and what should I take on the road?
– Patrick
Ray: What should you bring with you? I’d bring a cellphone, a couple of credit cards and, just in case, a screwdriver, with which you can take off the plates.You certainly want to have a mechanic check out the entire front end and all of the steering components to make sure the truck is safe to drive. Things like tie-rod ends and center links can wear out over three decades of bumping through rutabaga fields.
Tom: I’d also have the truck tuned up. And make sure you get a new set of ignition points and a new condenser, because those will be hard to find on the road.
Ray: If the spark-plug wires haven’t been changed in, say, the past 25 years, change them too. Then keep your speed reasonable, and I think you’ll have no problem. In fact, I predict this trip will be something you’ll tell your grandchildren about: “You kids won’t believe how many times that truck broke down between Iowa and Denver!”
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Dear Tom and Ray: I am a 25-year-old graduate student, and I am interested in purchasing an older two-door convertible car that is fun to drive, reliable and relatively inexpensive to maintain/repair. I am looking to spend between $5,000 and $6,000. My question is: Can you recommend a couple of makes and models that might meet my requirements? I really like MGs, but I read somewhere that they need frequent maintenance. – Noah
Tom: Actually, if the MG is the type of car you’re looking for, you should set your sights on a Mazda Miata. That basically does everything a classic British sports car was supposed to do, except leak oil.
Ray: And it’s a car that’ll start for you every day. If you go back to the mid-1990s, you can find a Miata in your price range.
Tom: If you’re open to something a little more offbeat, you might try to find a mid-’90s Honda Del Sol.
Ray: Another option is the Toyota MR2. It is a lot of fun to drive. But if you want to bring home a shopping bag from the grocery store, you have to rent a U-Haul.
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