[Axle]

My truck has left me stranded once, make that twice. First time was before I even owned it, the fuel pump gave up on the test drive (no tow truck involved, owner and I pushed it a few yards into a service station. Talk about picking the right spot to coast to a stop, back on the road in an hour--the shop had a fuel pump on hand!). Second time, it wasn't even the truck but the battery that decided it was no longer going to be a battery. I've driven it all over, hauled trailers long distance, always got to where I intended to go. I have not even had a flat tire away from home (picked up a few nails over the years, but the tire went flat in the driveway while sitting overnight).

I attribute it to the fact my truck likes me, as I didn't walk away from her on that test drive where I suppose she actually tested me. =-)

My "new" & "reliable" work trucks on the other hand, those have given me fits over the years and been hauled away by tow trucks often. (fuel pumps, throttle bodies, ignition system being the main culprits over the years). Being the only driver its not as if I ignore them, I treat them as I do my own truck. Anything odd that crops up, I check into it, but unlike my truck, when they don't want to run, they flat out don't do anything. Just sit there with a warning light angrily glowering at you. My current '09 has had two throttle bodies, first within a week of getting the thing, and the other less than 20k miles later. My truck on the other hand, has a carburetor thats been metering fuel since 1981.

Alex.