# Mid size trucks



## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

None of those will get that great of mileage compared to a full size unless you get the new body style canyon/colorado.


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## drewsserviceco (Aug 1, 2014)

I don't think you're allowed to use fuel economy and truck in the same sentence. 

EPA emission controls took the mileage away from the diesels, although I've heard good things from the Ram EcoDiesel, and Nissan has a similar offering. 

Personally I wouldn't expect anything more than 15mpg, anything more would be a bonus.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Going_Commando said:


> None of those will get that great of mileage compared to a full size unless you get the new body style canyon/colorado.


That's what I'm thinking. I have to buy fuel anyway so what we're really talking about is the difference in fuel economy which doesn't seem like a lot.

If I buy a truck a few years old, is there anything that gets really horrible mileage? I'm assuming the more speeds in the tranny, the better the fuel economy. Is that true?


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Only time I ever got good mileage with a truck was with 2wd.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

99cents said:


> Going_Commando said:
> 
> 
> > None of those will get that great of mileage compared to a full size unless you get the new body style canyon/colorado.
> ...


Cruise around www.fuelly.com and see for yo'self. Real mpg results from thousands of different people.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

Just get a fleet of scooters! And sled dogs!


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Majewski said:


> Just get a fleet of scooters! And sled dogs!


It might come down to that. I'm waiting on my insurance settlement and they gave me a Kia Soul as a rental. Cute little car but I can't work out of it.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Majewski said:


> Only time I ever got good mileage with a truck was with 2wd.


I had a farmer's truck once - plain 4 X 2 reg cab F150 with a V6. I should have kept it as a beater.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm tellin ya. 2014 or newer canyon/colorado is where its at for midsize trucks and fuel economy. Anything else and just get a full size.


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## 350X (May 20, 2016)

From my experience, you won't get much better mileage with a little truck, than you would with a full size van. Do you drive a lot? I'd go for reliability. I have two work vehicles: 3500 Chevy express 7.4L 12/15 mpg, Toyota Tundra 4.7L 15/21 mpg(not much difference). As you probably know, mileage is drastically effected by the way you drive, I.e-hard starts and stops & speeds over say 65. If it's a mid-size truck you want, go for Toyota!


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

drewsserviceco said:


> EPA emission controls took the mileage away from the diesels, although I've heard good things from the Ram EcoDiesel, and Nissan has a similar offering.


I get 21 MPG out of my Sprinter. In Europe where they don't have the emission garbage they get close to 30MPG. Good job EPA!


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I think sometimes people put a little too much worry into mileage. What is the actual difference on a daily basis? 

You can hide $20 anywhere. You can slip it in to every job, no one ever lost a job for being $20 too high. You can add $20 to what you charge per day. It's easy to pay for the lesser mileage you may get with a larger vehicle.

But here's the thing, how much money will you save because you had the tools and material right there in your van ready to go, versus having to drive to the supply house, back home, or come back to the job another day? 

Having a large enough vehicle can make you way more money than you would save in better mileage with a smaller vehicle. I know this from experience, I used to use a pickup when I first started and it's a night and day difference now with a large van and everything I could ever need on it. Just the time savings in having to load and unload what I needed that day into the pickup alone is a large difference.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> I get 21 MPG out of my Sprinter. In Europe where they don't have the emission garbage they get close to 30MPG. Good job EPA!


I like it. Get that pipeline built.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> I think sometimes people put a little too much worry into mileage. What is the actual difference on a daily basis?


Exactly. Is 4 mpg difference a deal killer? I had a Dakota once. Besides being a total raging POS, it sucked gas like crazy. No wonder they quit making them.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

I have never known the price of gas. Little light comes on or the needle points closer to 'E' on the older trucks I've had I fill up.

I know the totals cause I pop em in my accounting progrom as a cost of doing business.

There are far more important things to worry about. Hydroceles come to mind.

Now go buy a 4 cyl, 2WD, Automatic, Plane Jane 'S', King Cab (model I have) Nissan Frontier. :thumbsup:










canyon/colorado = $$.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

While working just in NYC years back I had an Isuzu pickup company truck, it was small and easy to find parking for and get down narrow streets. Seemed a tank of gas lasted forever. They stopped importing them to the US, not sure about Canada.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

MechanicalDVR said:


> While working just in NYC years back I had an Isuzu pickup company truck, it was small and easy to find parking for and get down narrow streets. Seemed a tank of gas lasted forever. They stopped importing them to the US, not sure about Canada.


I think they were a re-badged Colorado at one time.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> I have never known the price of gas. Little light comes on or the needle points closer to 'E' on the older trucks I've had I fill up.
> 
> I know the totals cause I pop em in my accounting progrom as a cost of doing business.
> 
> ...


Can I have it?


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Not sure what I'm going to do. All I know is that the insurance company will write me a cheque and take the rental vehicle away two days later.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99cents said:


> Not sure what I'm going to do. All I know is that the insurance company will write me a cheque and take the rental vehicle away two days later.


Yikes! Better go shopping. 

Mine (2013) was $20,000 (GST included). New but, they were selling 2015's. They also had a new 2014 but more money. I bought the cheap one (no frills).

They going to give you good money for yours or screw you?


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> Yikes! Better go shopping.
> 
> Mine (2013) was $20,000 (GST included). New but, they were selling 2015's. They also had a new 2014 but more money. I bought the cheap one (no frills).
> 
> They going to give you good money for yours or screw you?


Dunno yet. I'll probably just go to the auction and pick up something to keep me going. I have been out of town and haven't had time to shop. I have a new job start Monday and no wheels.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Worst case you could lease. I did that once when I was young and a go getter... 1979.

You would be driving this afternoon.

*Edit*: Worst Worst case you could call me and see if I have my UBER License yet.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> Worst case you could lease. I did that once when I was young and a go getter... 1979.
> 
> You would be driving this afternoon.


I used to lease but not for a work truck. I need time to make an informed decision but time is something I don't have right now.

All I know is that being in an accident is a complete PITA even when it's the other guy's fault.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> Worst case you could lease. I did that once when I was young and a go getter... 1979.
> 
> You would be driving this afternoon.
> 
> *Edit*: Worst Worst case you could call me and see if I have my UBER License yet.


You're a cool dude, Dave  .


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

I know.

Auction this Saturday...
https://www.osmanauction.com/


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Buy an older van, they can be found in great shape.
$400 for a good lettering job
$300 for shelving from Craigslist
$300 for a ladder rack from Craigslist

Have everything you need neatly organized and stocked in your work vehicle ready to impress customers and get sh1t done. 

Profit.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> Buy an older van, they can be found in great shape.
> $400 for a good lettering job
> $300 for shelving from Craigslist
> $300 for a ladder rack from Craigslist
> ...


This is good advice. I just have a thing about vans. I don't like them. For practical reasons, absolutely, but I like a separate cab and satellite radio  .


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

99cents said:


> This is good advice. I just have a thing about vans. I don't like them. For practical reasons, absolutely, but I like a separate cab and satellite radio  .


$150 for a divider from Craigslist.

The cab of my Sprinter is very quiet and easy to heat/cool.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99cents said:


> This is good advice. I just have a thing about vans. I don't like them. For practical reasons, absolutely, but I like a separate cab and satellite radio  .


Bad ears so not so much for sat radio. Vans I find cold. Don't fit in parkades. Mini's might be OK.

Depends on the work you do or what type of work you are going after. In 79 I was into machine shops. Hack's idea worked there. Had an extended Ford E350 with a 460 cubic inch engine. Scary fuel consumption on that guy I'll tell you.


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## Essex (Feb 4, 2015)

daveEM said:


> I have never known the price of gas. Little light comes on or the needle points closer to 'E' on the older trucks I've had I fill up.
> 
> I know the totals cause I pop em in my accounting progrom as a cost of doing business.
> 
> ...




That is what I have. Done 105,000 miles and never dropped a beat. Fantastic vehicle.


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

My gas 2015 F250 Super Duty gets 18 on interstate. Around town not that good about 13-14. It is 2 wheel drive and standard cab.It is very plane like a Amish bugy with air conditioning. 
When I talked to the salesman I told him I wanted a truck like we were buying 30 years ago. 
LC


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

HackWork said:


> $150 for a divider from Craigslist.
> 
> The cab of my Sprinter is very quiet and easy to heat/cool.


Does your sprinter have a solid divider or a perforated one? My van takes forever to heat up and is insanely loud on bumpy roads, and that is with all the shelves lined with carpet padding, and the walls and ceiling insulated.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Going_Commando said:


> Does your sprinter have a solid divider or a perforated one? My van takes forever to heat up and is insanely loud on bumpy roads, and that is with all the shelves lined with carpet padding, and the walls and ceiling insulated.


It's a solid steel divider, a factory Mercedes option. There are two very small vents near the floor that will only let a little air pass thru. 

I pretty much only hear some of the holesaw clinking together sometimes.

If your divider is perforated, you can screw plexiglass to it to seal it off.


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## drewsserviceco (Aug 1, 2014)

HackWork said:


> It's a solid steel divider, a factory Mercedes option. There are two very small vents near the floor that will only let a little air pass thru.
> 
> I pretty much only hear some of the holesaw clinking together sometimes.
> 
> If your divider is perforated, you can screw plexiglass to it to seal it off.



I used Masonite on my van partition. Works great with heat, a/c and noise. 

I scavenged scraps of carpet squares from the commercial jobs I was on and used them to line the shelves, bins and drawers which cut down drastically on noise. It's funny how you can turn into a mad scientist about noises and be able to identify easily what it is. I've had passengers bewildered that I could know what was making noise in the back.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

drewsserviceco said:


> I used Masonite on my van partition. Works great with heat, a/c and noise.


 That will work too. But the plexiglass will allow GC to still see thru the perforations and out his back window.



> I scavenged scraps of carpet squares from the commercial jobs I was on and used them to line the shelves, bins and drawers which cut down drastically on noise. It's funny how you can turn into a mad scientist about noises and be able to identify easily what it is. I've had passengers bewildered that I could know what was making noise in the back.


Im so anal about my stuff that most of it never made noise to begin with. The plastic eurobins that most material is in helps a lot.

I did have an issue with a coil of MC behind a shelf rolling around, I forgot it was back there :laughing:

And every couple weeks the handle from my pipe bender twists it's way all the way out and falls and hits the floor and scares the crap out of me :thumbup:


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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

99cents said:


> I like it. Get that pipeline built.


That pipeline runs fairly close to me. They didn't have a problem with protesters here but the Indians didn't want them to go under the river with it. I am not sure why people are protesting the most efficient and safest way to transport crude oil.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Jhellwig said:


> That pipeline runs fairly close to me. They didn't have a problem with protesters here but the Indians didn't want them to go under the river with it. I am not sure why people are protesting the most efficient and safest way to transport crude oil.


It's all that peace, love, happiness, coexist mantra. They all sound good but when the rubber meets the road the added expenses just cause bigger problems.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

All I know is that it doesn't take much to fill up a Kia Soul  .


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

99cents said:


> All I know is that it doesn't take much to fill up a Kia Soul  .


That's like 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag. Whatever you do don't stomp on the brakes.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

99cents said:


> I don't need a big vehicle. A Canyon/Taco/Frontier would do me fine. Towing capacity is meaningless to me.
> 
> What I don't get is fuel economy. Mid size trucks don't seem to get much better mileage than full size trucks. Does anybody have any real experience?
> 
> I realize the new full size pickups are getting great mileage but, if I buy a pickup, I will be buying a few years old.


What about an avalache? Covered box,inside srorage and they drive like a car. The real trouble would be conduit or ladders but I am sure you could have some temp racks made. hell you could remove the back seat and make some inside shelving. 

They drive nice are pretty reliable and there are a ****load of them out the used.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99cents said:


> All I know is that it doesn't take much to fill up a Kia Soul  .


Is that the rental or the service truck for this winter?


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> Is that the rental or the service truck for this winter?


The rental. Actually, it's a cool little car but it's definitely not what I need.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

sbrn33 said:


> What about an avalache? Covered box,inside srorage and they drive like a car. The real trouble would be conduit or ladders but I am sure you could have some temp racks made. hell you could remove the back seat and make some inside shelving.
> 
> They drive nice are pretty reliable and there are a ****load of them out the used.


I dunno, is there a disadvantage to unibody?


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

99cents said:


> I dunno, is there a disadvantage to unibody?


It's the same thing as the Suburban. Only the Suburban would give you a lot more dry and secure storage.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

Hax I thought it was the same as a tahoe.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

sbrn33 said:


> Hax I thought it was the same as a tahoe.


I thought the Suburban was on a 1500 platform, Tahoe being short box and Suburban being long box.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

sbrn33 said:


> Hax I thought it was the same as a tahoe.


AFAIK they are all essentially the same thing only the Suburban and Avalanche are longer than the Tahoe.


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## drewsserviceco (Aug 1, 2014)

99cents said:


> I thought the Suburban was on a 1500 platform, Tahoe being short box and Suburban being long box.



There's a 1/2 ton (1500) and 3/4 ton (2500) version of the suburban. Ford had a 1 ton version with the Excursion.


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

My buddies avalanche has the same wheelbase as my regular cab longbox but his turns way tighter for some reason. It was just a thought for you. Honestly if you could find an Astro all wheel drive in nice shape I would go for it.


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## drewsserviceco (Aug 1, 2014)

Benefit of the suburban being that it typically fits in most parking garages while the excursion will not.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

sbrn33 said:


> My buddies avalanche has the same wheelbase as my regular cab longbox but his turns way tighter for some reason. It was just a thought for you. Honestly if you could find an Astro all wheel drive in nice shape I would go for it.


I have a GC who runs Astros and he loves them. The problem is most of them are getting old and tired. I think the final year was 2005. The fuel pump is inside the tank. He says it costs close to a grand to fix.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Astros were great. They had a big following and lots of people loved them.

I like the Ram C/V cargo minivan because it's the closest thing out there.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> Astros were great. They had a big following and lots of people loved them.
> 
> I like the Ram C/V cargo minivan because it's the closest thing out there.


This GC knows every flaw and just keeps them going. The bodies on those vans must have been really good. You don't see any rust. I may have been suffering image problems driving a wagon but I would never drive a rusty van  .

I will getting my payout from the insurance company this week but I don't know how much. I'm watching a low mileage Astro and a Colorado with a three door canopy. Either one would be fine.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Well ****, why don't you just buy a used transit connect? More room in the back than the HHR, the earlier ones are getting cheap, great gas mileage, etc. I am seeing them used for <$10,000 USD.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

It gets worse. The Kia died twice today and he only vehicle the rental company had on the lot was this:


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

The good news is I bought a Grand Caravan today. I never thought I would buy a minivan but all the seats fold flat and you can fit a 4 X 8 piece of plywood in there. Not bad. Try that with an F150.

I pick it up Tuesday.

Ideas on how to set it up would be appreciated.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

While you've had this thread up I found and bought a Chevy 1500 Express with shelves and rack....yeeehawwww!


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Can I have it?


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

If you want to be my employee, yes.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Majewski said:


> While you've had this thread up I found and bought a Chevy 1500 Express with shelves and rack....yeeehawwww!


Ewwwww. That Fiat 500 has a greater payload than a Chevy 1500 van.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

99cents said:


> The good news is I bought a Grand Caravan today. I never thought I would buy a minivan but all the seats fold flat and you can fit a 4 X 8 piece of plywood in there. Not bad. Try that with an F150.
> 
> I pick it up Tuesday.
> 
> Ideas on how to set it up would be appreciated.


Ummmm, an F-150 with an 8' bed can take sheets of plywood and close the tailgate. I'm confused.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

I don't really care, it's for employees, not me. lol


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Going_Commando said:


> Ummmm, an F-150 with an 8' bed can take sheets of plywood and close the tailgate. I'm confused.


Who drives a truck anymore with an 8' bed?


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## inetdog (Apr 13, 2016)

99cents said:


> Who drives a truck anymore with an 8' bed?


Either put the tailgate down or rest the sheets on top of the gate? The key thing is that it has to be wide enough. (No stepsides?)

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

99cents said:


> Who drives a truck anymore with an 8' bed?


A lot of people. Heck, Sabrina has one.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Going_Commando said:


> A lot of people. Heck, Sabrina has one.


I've had a couple myself. Should have kept one as standby and just for carrying junk. You don't get much for them when you sell them.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Majewski said:


> If you want to be my employee, yes.


Monday morning okay? If you let me sleep on your couch and feed me Twinkies, the rest is negotiable.

I don't whine about getting coffee either.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

That's funny, my helper doesn't get coffee and just stands there when I do. Lol


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Going_Commando said:


> Ewwwww. That Fiat 500 has a greater payload than a Chevy 1500 van.


It's gotta be able to carry more than a pair of Kleins, three drivers, six Wagos and a ham sandwich.

Good thing I'm picking up Lotus Lights today. If they were cans I would be screwed.


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## Majewski (Jan 8, 2016)

It could wPro if you switch to turkey.


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