I have a 1994 Dodge van which has 140,000 miles and looks great. It is very useful for window cleaning work but needs a transmission, about $1500 to 2 grand repair. The dilemma is do I send it to the scrap heap and get $400 out of it or take a chance on a repair and try to get another couple of years out of it. Everything else works fine. Do your keep repairing your trucks or replace them?
Thats a very tough question Steve. I am currently facing the same dilemma with a couple of our vehicles. Interested to hear others feedback.
Image is EVERYTHING in business. If you are able to maintain that image with an older vehicle (Van or small p/u truck) that has no dents, good paint, and currently working great, than it is by far more cost effective to keep your older vehicle. You MUST consider however fuel costs in the long term however. If your older vehicle is a gas guzzler, get that problem fixed. We work in the summer months when the fuel prices are up. A $2000 fix now isn’t that bad if you consider the $400 monthly payment x 5 years.
Older vehicles are great for service businesses as they usually are paid off. Especially if they are used by employees for business only and not for personal use.
New vehicles are great if you use your work vehicle as your personal vehicle and don’t want that 1990 smell when you take your wife, girl friend out on the town.
Just my thoughts and experiance in past business ventures.
If the body is in good shape then repair it.
I have two 1997 cargo vans. One I replaced the transmission two years ago (low mileage used). I’m shopping for a motor for the other one. A friend found one with 50K miles on it for $650.
The tags are cheap, insurance is cheap. Any dinks in the paint are gonna be covered with giant vinyl letters anyway.
It’s a no-brainer for me.
YMMV.
Chris,
How large is the fleet you guys are running at All County?
John
Last year, I rebuilt ($1,250) the transmission on my secondary work vehicle, a 1978 3/4T Jeep longbed pickup.
10 tacomas
Steve,
Really you can only answer that question. You know how faithful and reliable it has been to you over the years. Some of my older Astros I have sold for parts because I can buy newer ones with less mileage. They might have a few little things like oil leaks, oil blowby (worn piston rings causing it to smoke through the exhaust). If it has a slew of small things that will add up to alot of money, I get rid of them.
If its just the trans and she runs fine, I would put the money into it. The real question would be “what would you have to spend to fill the spot of the old van?” Probably at least 5-6,000 would be my guess.
On a side note, if that van is a Dodge CARAVAN, get rid of her!!!
Steve
Yeah I had a Caravan, piece of junk. This is the B150 though.
I’m probably going to take the chance and fix it, just wanted some other feedback.
When my accountant tells me I made too much money and need to blow some I’ll start buying (almost) new vehicles.
Until then I’ll suck it up and put that money into things that will generate income.
I just spent $2000 replacing the transmission in my 97 Dodge truck, it has 160,000 miles on it. I spent several weeks tossing this decision back and forth.
What pros and cons did you personally consider?
Send it to the scrap heap. Put the $400 towards a downpayment on a newer truck/van and take the tax break at the end of the year. The van probably owes you nothing, it’s the transmission this month, what next month?
Steve,
Dodge is notorious for having things wrong with the trans (mostly mini vans). If you do decide to keep her and get the trans rebuilt, I would consider having a shop do it that offers a lifetime warranty if you can find one and its cost effective for you. My father in law had a 1998 full size with near 300,000 and recently sold it due to trans trouble. Just something to consider…
Steve
Thats a nice little fleet!
do you have a picture of that? sounds like a nice rig.
What I considered was …
new monthly payment or not
other conditions of the current truck - am I going to have a likely repair next month
comfort level of the current truck - I really didn’t want to get rid of it.
my current truck has a matching fiberglass topper, so I would either have to buy I new one or figure something else out for storage/protection.
That is what happened to me this year. I was going to have to pay a good bit of taxes. I had a 1997 Ford F-150, a 2006 Tundra and a 2008 F-150, in my fleet.
My accountant said “look, the 1997 is totally depreciated, sell it and get a new vehicle that we can start depreciating”. I went out and got a 2010 Super fine Tundra, and am now getting a refund back. 
I’m happy, because that is my work vehicle, (sorry guys), and my Father in Law is happy, because I gave him the 1997. I say if you are incorporated, and are finished depreciating the vehicle, and if you can afford it, get a new truck and take the tax breaks, and look super sharp for your clients. 
windowman
Charlie Laurie
985-640-0348
A-1 Window Washers
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this my old van on its way to the scrapyard . i was very lucky in that i found a great van [exact same model same colour etc but newer] to replace it . the old one still ran good but had a mystery water leak and a crack on the windscreen.
This is a topic that I tend to have a lot of emotion over. I love my xB (as you all know, lol), but I know the day is coming that I will need to replace it. It’s been a money maker as well as my daily driver. It’s fun, gets a lot of looks and attention, and is surprisingly capable for such a small car.
So this is the issue I contemplate: when the time finally comes for the brave little toaster to meet its final resting place, what should replace it?
What I know I should be wanting is something just a little bigger, a little more capable of moving us forward with our most profitable services, like house washing and wfp maintenance cleans. Something with AWD would also be advantageous for getting around in snow removal season.
What I’m looking at then, would be a Sienna AWD or maybe even a Previa all-trac.
But… what I really want is another xB- a 2006 model (before Toyota got stupid and “americanized” the design) with low miles and zero rust, impeccable maintenance records, and [cringe] an automatic transmission (for the wife, who has officially given up learning a manual)
So talk some sense into me, guys. Or tell me that I’m not stupid for wanting another cute little tin-can on wheels. Whatever you want. But thanks for listening 
