Thread: Economics of old trucks vs new trucks

I have the wonderful circumstance that I cant afford to get into a late late model wagon that I can change out every couple of years before the dramas start.
As such I have a 94 Pajero. Its the vintage where I can do a lot of the work myself and there is little electronics to go wrong.
Done a head gasket-still not sure I had to- and a bunch of repairs after the timing chain let go and busted the cam, bent some valves and punched a hole in the timing cover.
If I wasn't able to do a shit ton of the work myself it would've gone to the wreckers. Managed to get some second hand parts cheap but it is still 300ish for decent head gasket and head bolts, plus repairs to the head and another cheap used cam
And I still had to get the pump retimed properly. All up close to $800?
I was close but only going off marks not proper DTI up the back of the pump. I just don't have the gear or experience
I would like the slightly later 3.2 paj but wouldn't touch the models until 2006 when they went from the time bomb electronic fuel pumps with an ECU for the truck (close to 5K to redo) back to a more conventional model but they are out of my price range.
Ah well