2004

2004??? What was going on in 2004? Not much that I can remember. I do remember that being the year that I decided to go back to school and get my AutoCad Certificate, but other than that it was pretty uneventful. So why would I be talking about it?? Well, that's the year of my truck. I own/lease a 2004 GMC Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4x4. I leased it in 2006 for 4 years. If you do the math you will notice that this is the year it goes back to leasing company. In fact at the end of August I need to hand it back to them or buy it out. I have decided to give it back to them and we are going to become a 1 car family for as long as possible. Let me tell you about my truck.

As I stated before it is a 2004 GMC Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4x4. It is a SLE trim, which basically means it's loaded. It has power everything, except seats, cruise control, auto dimming rear view mirror with compass and temperature read out, 6 disc upgraded stereo, remote key less entry, dual air bags, dual power outlets, the 3.5l in line 5 cylinder engine (yes 5 cylinders), and a bunch more. I bought the truck in 2006 and it had 70,000kms on it already. I wasn't concerned about the mileage, because I knew that these trucks are pretty durable.

The day I picked the truck up and drove it home, my family was in the back yard waiting for me. After showing it off for a few minutes, my Dad announced that we needed to take some stuff to the dump. We loaded it up 3 times that day with junk that had been accumulating in their garage. The pleasures of owning a truck. It wasn't bad, I actually enjoyed it. The next weekend I ended up hauling some cement blocks from my parents house to my brother-in-laws for their back yard. I could already start to see a trend forming. When my sister in Salt Lake City found out that I had a truck, she asked if I cold bring down her trunk that she had here still. She had been without it for around 5 years, but now that I had a truck......well you get the idea. I didn't really mind doing these things, after all, that was what a truck was for.

Of course I also had some fun in it. Almost every weekend I could, I was out in the country looking for new off-roading areas that I could go. I had a blast on those days. Even when I took the trunk down to my sister, I went in search of the roads less travelled.

I loved this truck. The ride on it wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be. I drove very nice on the highway. I put a lot on miles on it the first couple of years I had it. Since then, the mileage has lessened. It is basically only driven now out of necessity. The reason being the gas mileage. For a smaller truck it's quite bad. The most I've ever got out of it was 550km to a tank of gas, which is around 70 litres. This was the biggest fault from day one with the truck. Everything else was good. The inside materials weren't the best quality and a little hard to the touch, but come on!!!! It's a truck for crying out loud, not a Lexus!!!

The reliability of the truck has been outstanding. There were winters were if vehicles were not plugged in, they wouldn't start. The truck always did. It got us to work when there was over 2 feet of snow out, it got us there when there was a layer of ice on the roads. The 4 wheel drive system in the truck is unstoppable. I have never gotten stuck in it (knock on wood).

Lately there have been a few issues with the truck. Last year the ABS light came on and was causing the system to act a little funny. We took it to a local garage where they informed me that the front wheel bearings were worn out and needed to be replaced. I almost passed out when they told me that it would be close to $1500 to replace them and the ABS sensors on the bearings. I thanked the nice man and left with the truck. My cousin and I changed the wheel bearings and ABS sensors for around $800 (Thanks Fergus!!). The truck is getting to that point where the little things are starting to wear out. The front brakes are almost worn out, the tires are getting worn down, things like that. And I've found out that nothing is cheap for this truck. A turn signal bulb is almost $7, rear brake shoes are $150, Front bumper cover cost $250, so I think it is time to give it up. Plus the payment isn't exactly cheap either.

If we can do with out a second car until the new baby arrives, then we will be able to put a lot of money into savings maybe, just maybe, have enough for a down payment next year on a house closer to our family and friends.

Well, there's the story on my truck. This truck was a post divorce/new career gift to myself at the time. Since then I have found an even greater gift in my wife. She is the light of my life and the reason to better myself each day.