Should I replace this truck?

I Own a restaurant and catering company in Baltimore Maryland. We have 4 custom made catering trucks that cost apx. $35,000.00 each. Our oldest truck, a 94' dodge dakota with 110,000 miles and it is starting to have alot of problems. The transmission is starting to shift very roughly, it doesn鈥檛 have much acceleration. The hood is starting to rust, I need new ball bearings on the front two wheels, and just yesterday the rpm gauge started acting very weird and somestimes dosent move at all. My question, should I replace this truck with a new truck that will cost $37,000.00, or spend 10,000$ to totally overhaul the truck.

You can view pictures of the truck at:



http://www.sorrentoscatering.com/catering_trucks



It is the truck with the pink lettering at the bottom of the pageShould I replace this truck?
I used to have a Dakota. They do those things, but they are a good truck. A low mileage transmission can be picked up from a salvage yard for very little (I got one for $350). The guage is just a connection short and can be fixed with a new wire. The hood rusting is typical. If it is not too bad, fix it. If its bad, see the salvage yard and get a used one. Either way its not a big deal. The front bearings are not a big deal either. Any auto supply store can get after market brands for you at very reasonable cost and they are not difficult to replace. Take it to a local gas station service center and not a major dealer or outlet. I doubt it would cost anywhere near 10,000. Most of the work can easily be done right at home without any special tools. I replaced the front bearings in my Ford F 150 last week. Total cost was just under $100. The job took me less than one hour per side and I installed new brake pads at the same time.

Considering the present economy, you would be best to maintain what you have.
Ordinarily, a truck is a truck and they do not change much. However, the economy being what it is, I would nurse them along until you see if Uncle Sam offers an incentive to the taxpayers to promote buying a new one. Otherwise you would be financially better off if you refurbished the old trucks, assuming that the job is done right.Should I replace this truck?
This is more a business decision than an auto question. Can you afford $37,000? Can you spare the downtime that a $10,000 overhaul would take. Is image important to your business? How are the other 3 trucks doing ? Are we looking at 4 $10,000 overhauls or 4 $37,000 replacements in the near future?
truck ownership is about doing the repairs yourself or learning who

you can trust to do a great job for you. check out nearby high schools

to see who might have auto repair class. Find someone to encourage

in their talent by working together on yours.
Dear Mr. Sorrento, Your question is becoming just a little dated. The truck makers are looking to make a deal. They are offering 0 to .9% interest and 10K off sticker. If your business is still generating the cash flow ( I suspect it is because I think you make excellent food) this may be the time to go for a new one.

I feel certain if you shop around you can find dealers begging to sell you a truck for much less than 37K.

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