Hello; This sounds right. Some depends on the condition of the truck and what mods you have done. But in general stick with what is paid for. More later.
Hello; No to this for my dime. CC's are a trap. Think of them as financial pit vipers to be handled with utmost care. I know we pretty much need one, but only to use sparingly. Not for trivial stuff like a meal. That financial hole gets deep in a hurry.
Hello; Sludge at your mileage is not necessarily a big deal. Did they show you or just tell you? It is fine shinny bits in the oil that are the main concern. If you do your own oil change let the old hot oil sit in a clean container for a day. Slowly pour off the oil into another container until just a little is left.
In that remaining oil look for shinny streaks and bits. That will be bearing and other metal material wearing off the insides of the engine.
Also if the oil pan drain plug has a magnet attached it will have some ferrous material. Will almost look like hairs. Most any engine will have some metal in the oil so a little is not reason to panic. The less is better but some is to be expected. A lot is a warning sign that the engine is in trouble.
Hello; Pay at the end of each month. Also pay the first or second day you get the bill to avoid late fees. Do not carry a balance at all.
Hello; I doubt this is possible. Keep in mind they like it when you are late and when you carry a balance. Some years ago I went on a trip. I sent in several hundred dollars to my CC carrier to make sure I did not get behind. I also paid more each month for a while after the trip so I had a positive balance for a few months. The CC company sent me a check for the extra saying they do not do business that way.
Hello; I have not bought anything major on time since the mid 1980's. I was in a debt hole much as many are. I had an old car that was paid for. I kept it and made payments to myself of $300 a month into a savings account. The 300 was about what a average car payment was back then.
After a few years I had about 8K saved. I used that 8K as collateral to buy a used full sized Ford van. Two main advantages from that. I got the loan against my own money so had no problems getting approved. I also only had to pay about 2% net interest. The loan interest was only about 6% due to using my own money. The interest on my savings was around 4% so I wound up paying about 2%. At the end of the three years my van was paid for and I still had the initial amount of money in my savings.
I have used this method ever since for cars and such, Even saved enough to buy my house outright eight years ago.
The last time I check my credit rating it was over 800.
Hello; yes to this. Trucks can be ugly and as long as they run are fine.
Hello; I go along with this pretty much as well.
Hello; This as well. (Something is wrong here. I have agreed with Jaws three times in a row.)
Hello; Not the same day just be sure to pay each month in full. Debt you carry over a year can get you into over 20% interest.
Hello; On your old truck. My rule of thumb on when to get rid of a truck is when the monthly repair bill average out to be more that a monthly payment. I am (or at least was) a decent mechanic so my labor was a free cost to me.
My last bit of advice is to learn how to do as much repair work yourself. If you live next to an old hand such as myself My guess is he/she will be willing to show you some stuff.
If you have some spare time hang around a shade tree mechanic. Do some fetching and such. I learned how to do brake jobs on the old drum brakes by watching my uncle and handing him tools. ( Also saw him blow the asbestos brake dust into the air. Back then brake dust loaded with the stuff came off into the air every time a car slowed down. I have breathed my fair share.)
