Shopping & Pricing Questions - I see pickup trucks with up to 200,000 miles selling for thousands of ... (2024)

I have a 2007 GMC Sierra 5.3 v8 with 404,480 miles Of course it’s all highway miles. I replaced the engine at around 280,000 miles from a 2006 Avalanche. My mechanic kept it for three months while he looked for the right engine. The first two engines he received from his supplier were not to his approval. Finally the third engine he received was from a truck that was wrecked and considered a total loss. It has the original transmission which was rebuilt at a cost of $1200. The original exhaust, suspension, ac and heat still work well other than the fan speed controller has been replaced twice. I changed the oil every 5000 miles and my last set of Michelin’s last 91,000 miles. Bottom line is, with a new purchase price of $24,000 plus misc. mechanical repairs have been less than $6,000, including the newer engine. I feel that it is still a dependable, inexpensive truck. I know I’ll never get what it’s worth to me if I wanted to sell it and I would never pay over $35,000 for a new one. Even spending 20,000 for a used one and figure on replacing the engine and transmission and anything else is still financially smarter and cheaper than the new truck prices. Yes, the new and improved ones are pretty but you will pay big time and there’s no guarantee it will not break down. Calculating cost per mile: On average I have spent about 7.5 cents per mile for purchase, and repair cost, not counting oil changes and tires. For a $40,000 new truck, you would have to drive it 570,000 miles to only spend 7 cent per mile. Good luck