In early 2012, my life started shifting—new job, new place, new routines I hadn’t planned but gladly took on. Around the same time, my sister parked her 2000 Silverado in my driveway to sell it. A quick borrow for a dump run was all it took; suddenly the height, the V8, the ease of doing things felt right. It was way different from what the Mini had been, and yet, so welcomed. It didn’t take long before I asked about buying it—and just like that, I had a truck.
But no, the Silverado had not been part of the plan.
As I mentioned, in early 2012, my friend Justyn from the small group mentioned that he was looking for a new IT Specialist at TLC Federal Credit Union. He was the IT manager there and asked if I would be interested. Being recruited like that was flattering. Up to that point, I had worked my way up at Tillamook School District and felt good about where I was. I knew the systems well, and I had built a reputation for being someone people could count on. I was often the tech staff hoped would pick up when they called.
My performance reviews were strong, and my boss continued to trust me with more responsibility over time. I had also recently finished my Associate’s degree in Information Technology at PCC. It had taken me a long time to complete, but it felt good to have it done. At the same time, there were still moments where I was introduced as “Tyler, the superintendent’s son” instead of “Tyler from IT.” It didn’t happen all the time, but it happened enough that I noticed it.
The opportunity at TLC felt different. It was a chance to step into something new, in a different environment, and prove myself somewhere I was starting from scratch. The building itself didn’t hurt either—it was brand new, clean, and always smelled like popcorn thanks to the machine in the lobby for members. I also genuinely liked Justyn and felt like we would work well together. There were practical considerations too. The position came with a noticeable bump in pay, and it would give me experience with a completely different set of systems. It felt like a chance to stretch a bit and see what I could do outside of the school district world.
I talked it over with my dad, weighed the pros and cons, and spent a lot of time thinking and praying about it. In late February of 2012, I put in my notice at TSD9. That was a bittersweet moment. I had grown up in that district, and the IT team there had played a big role in getting me to where I was.
I started at TLC in March.
Around that same time, another opportunity came up that felt just as significant. The house I had been renting—my great-grandma’s house—became available to buy. My grandma and her siblings offered to seller-finance it to me. The terms were incredibly reasonable: $95,000, 20 years, 5% interest, and no down payment. It wasn’t a gift. I made the payments. But it was generous, and it made homeownership possible for me at 25. I bought the house in April.
Owning a house changes how you think pretty quickly. Suddenly there were projects. Things to fix, things to update, things I wanted to improve. I started thinking about dump runs, hauling materials, and generally having the ability to move things without overthinking it.
Right around that time, my sister and brother-in-law were selling their truck.
It was a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, extended cab with a V8. Nothing flashy, just a clean, solid truck. They asked if they could park it in my driveway while they listed it. My house was on busy road with lots of visibility, so I said yes.
A few days later, I asked if I could borrow it for a dump run.
Driving it changed things more than I expected. Sitting up high, hearing the V8, not worrying about potholes or how carefully I loaded things—it all felt easy. The Mini had been great, but between corgi hair, beach sand, and trying to keep the interior nice, it was always a bit of a balancing act.
Between the new house and the idea of doing some remodeling, it started to feel like something I should have. I found myself imagining all the “truck things” I would suddenly be doing, even if I didn’t fully know what those were yet.
After that drive, I approached my sister and asked what she wanted for it. She offered to seller-finance it for me. I think it was around $8,500. And just like that, I owned a truck.
There was no real analysis behind the decision. I already had a payment on the Mini, and I still had credit card debt hanging around from years of gadgets and enthusiasm. Adding a truck payment wasn’t exactly a disciplined move, but at the time it felt reasonable. My new paycheck from TLC gave me a little more breathing room… breathing room I probably should have put toward paying down that debt. But… youth.
I really enjoyed driving the Silverado. It gulped gas like nobody’s business, but it was comfortable in a way I hadn’t experienced before. If you haven’t driven a GM truck from that era, they’re surprisingly car-like. Big, easy to drive, and with plenty of power when you needed it. I found myself reaching for the truck keys almost as often as the Mini’s.
On weekends, I would take it out onto logging roads to “test out the four-wheel drive,” usually with Brad Paisley’s Mud on the Tires blasting through the speakers. Dakota loved riding along for those trips.
At one point, I even used the Silverado to tow a travel trailer over to my mom’s place. Up until then, I had very little experience towing anything, so that first trip felt like a bit of a milestone. Driving it through Salem was… an experience. Between traffic, tight turns, and constantly checking mirrors, I was very aware that I was now responsible for a whole lot more than just the truck. It all went fine, but I remember thinking afterward that this was exactly the kind of thing a truck was for—even if I was still figuring it out as I went.
That balance didn’t last very long.
Between the Mini payment, the Silverado payment, the credit card balances, and now a mortgage, things started to feel tighter than they should have. On top of that, I had just bought the house and was already thinking about remodeling projects. Materials, dump runs, tools—it all added up quickly. Around that same time, I had also decided to continue my education and enrolled in an online Bachelor’s degree program in Network Administration at Bellevue University. It felt like the right move, but it was one more thing on the pile. The truck made the house projects feel possible, but financially, I was stretched. I wasn’t in trouble, but I was close enough to the edge that I could feel it. Something had to give.
I had a lot of equity in the Mini. It had held its value well—in fact, I ended up selling it for about $500 more than I had paid for it. Gas prices had spiked around that time, and small, efficient cars were in high demand. If I sold it, I could use that equity to wipe out most of my credit card debt in one move. That idea started to make more and more sense the tighter things felt.
At the same time, I had already started thinking about doing something different for a daily driver. The idea of leasing had been floating around in my head. I had even looked into ordering a brand-new Mini, exactly how I wanted it. The appeal wasn’t just the new car, it was the structure. I wouldn’t have a big chunk of money tied up in it—just a predictable payment and a car under warranty.
That combination—freeing up cash from the Mini and moving to something more predictable—started to feel like the right move.
So I listed the Mini.
It sold pretty quickly, and just like that, the plan worked. I used the money to wipe out most of my credit card debt, which felt really good. With the Mini gone, things were a lot simpler. I still had the truck, I still had a payment, and now I had a mortgage, but I wasn’t stretched the same way anymore and didn’t feel like I was constantly juggling everything just to make it work.
Around that same time, I followed through on that idea of leasing something new.
It turned out to be something that felt a little more… charged.
2012 Tyler is killing me. The impulsivity of youth…
Your stress levels may have been lower if you had stuck with a car you liked, paid it off, and kept it free and clear for awhile. And then you jumped into a lease right after freeing yourself from the cc debt? Oh boy.
In my opinion, leasing is a game for the financially secure. You’re never without a payment. Always paying for the steepest part of the depreciation curve. It is convenient to always have a new car, but it gets expensive.
Oh, 2012 is just getting started, as you will see. I agree on you with leasing. I did finally learn that lesson, although I will say in general leasing worked out for me, and I did enjoy the new car experience.
I can relate. In 1983 I was renting a room in a friend’s house, driving a year-old Civic 5 speed hatchback (way smaller than a modern Mini, but similar by 1983 standards) and had a nice two year old Honda 900 motorcycle. But I met some guys that had dirt bikes and got hooked. In October I bought a dirt bike, in November I bought a pickup (a used 4wd Datsun King Cab, again smaller than the Chevy but everything was smaller then), and in December I bought a house. And yes, even its price tag in San Jose, California was less than your 2012 cost in Tillamook, but the sub-$1k monthly mortgage payment (11% APR, and that was a deal then) was still terrifying and I rented out one room in the 2BR house. Times really have changed. My truck was soon busy hauling materials for a backyard re-do, and the dirt bikes on weekends. I sold the Civic the following April and though I haven’t always owned a pickup since then, I’ve had four of them and I’m still loving my 2016 Tacoma 40+ years after that first Datsun. Yes, they’re inefficient and rough-riding and poor handling compared to even modest cars, but modern trucks are still very versatile and I’m pretty sure I’ll be a truck guy for the rest of my life.
Here’s a pic of my dog and my truck from a quick two day, one night camping trip I took this week to the west Mojave Desert in California.
I just recently drove a modern Tacoma for the first time. I get why everyone has them. They are really nice!
If you own a house, it’s just about a given that you’ll need a truck. I’d borrowed my Dad’s basic 3 on the tree Chevy, but a couple of worn shifter, stuck in the wrong gear events killed that. (Stick shifts should be on the floor IMO, LOL!) I decided that I wanted a Silverado, primarily because it would have a tilt wheel that would get the steering wheel out of my lap. I ended up with a very nice ’83 fully loaded, double tanked truck. Although I still own it, I later downsized to a ’93 S-10 Tahoe; both of which have served me well with numerous home repair/remodeling/hauling jobs! Square bodies FOREVER! 🙂
An S10 will make an appearance in my COAL series again. Love them!
I was born and raised a GM fanboy, but I felt they really lost the plot my the mid 1980s and we parted ways. I owned a couple GM products after that, and while they were okay, it didn’t feel like the GM of my youth.
Then just a few years ago, I decided I wanted a truck. I found an ex-government 2002 RCLB Silverado. I really liked that truck, and it reminded me very much of the GM of yore. In many ways, a lot of folks (including me) say that the GMT800 trucks were some of the greatest GM vehicles of all time.
This truck was the start of very good relationship with General Motors vehicles. So far I have owned six of them. It was a very nice vehicle!
(Almost) the same here…I was sold on Opel since they were cheap to acquire, (halfway) cheap to maintain and offered a lot of possibilities to soup them up. Like when I had dropped that 3l-engine of a crashed Monza in my 1977 Commodore GS/E coupé, instantly raising the power output from 155 to 180 hp.
Then I got me that Kadett E GLS (1.6 75 hp) – and unbeknownst at that moment, it was the beginning of the end of my relationship to Opel. Technically it was no bad car and way less thirsty and worn out than my GS/E, but the overall assembly quality was less than stellar. Just when I had finally made the decision of parting ways a drunken dillweed totalled my Kadett while it sat on the curbside and ran.
Next car was an Audi Coupé 5S. More trouble…
Trucks…yeah, I’ve toyed with that idea many times but unless the recent years they were either small utility vehicles or the (mostly) gas guzzling US monsters which are definitely not practical for most European roads and parking lots. Today, they had become quite popular even here in Germany (current gas price: around 2.10/l for Super 95) but not a bit more useful as they all come XL-sized, lifted and with a rather small loading bed – a definite “no” for me as the main task would be to transport my motorcycles.
I still sometimes get the urge for a pickup, but the right one has not crossed my path at the right time. But I keep watching!
When I was pickup shopping in 2020 I did test drive a very similar truck but I had a bad example with a soft brake pedal and squeak in the steering column so I passed. I ended up buying a low mileage 2002 F150 that was cheap because it was 2WD. While It’s not good in snow or on wet grass it’s a great truck for bumpy dirt roads because because the long wheelbase and soft springs means we can go faster than the Toyota Tacomas on the road to Sparks lake. My truck is an extended cab with an 8′ box which means I can haul 8′ lumber or a queen size mattress with ease but it can be challenging to park.
Definitely something I can relate to this year – being won over by a truck. Earlier this year, my wife and I took over her parents’ 1997 F-150. They passed away recently, the truck was free, we needed a third car since we have two teenagers getting their licenses, and recent cost-of-living issues meant buying something costly was out of the question. So my daily driver is now a 30-year old pickup. It’s great.
Like you wrote, the V8, the ease of doing things, etc. all just feel right. Like the GM trucks, Fords from this era drove very carlike, and even though our F-150 has virtually no comfort/convenience options beyond a/c, it has everything I need. Plus, using it for regular household chores like getting gravel or mulch, is terrific. There’s no going back!
My first pickup was in 1979, a 1965 Chevy K10 that I still have. I’ve pretty much always been a guy with more than one vehicle and at that time my 1966 Chevy wagon (which I also still have) did lots of truck duties, up until that first pickup.
My fleet today consists of over 20 vehicles, 10 of which are on the road at any given time. Just one vehicle wouldn’t satisfy all of my needs. In the mix for summer is a “97 Dodge 12 valve pickup for those duties and heavier trucks for heavier duties. My drivers are a ’24 Nissan Versa, ’24 Ford Maverick small pickup and an ’08 Chrysler 300 AWD Hemi (which to date is my favorite car of all time). A couple months a year I’ll get the ’23 Camaro out too. Winter vehicles are a ’17 F150 and a ’00 TDI Beetle.
I tend to have vehicles for every use and wouldn’t have it any other way..
turbobill, have you ever made any COAL posts? It sounds like you’ve had a lot of stuff.
I have thought about it. Presently life is to busy for me to sit down and write about them, but if and when I retire I can see my way to a few COAL articles.
That’s quite the collection! My current fleet is four vehicles….. but more on those later.
You DEFINITELY got a good deal on that truck! Sure, it’s not the best on gas mileage but at least you used it for how it was intended (hauling/towing). The 4WD (and the Z71 package it looks like) is a nice plus too.
As much as I am a Ford guy (still daily-drive a 2011 4-cylinder Ranger to & from work), you have to admit the GMT800s are among the best all-around pickups you can find anywhere today. I still see plenty of these and the preceding GMT400s on the road almost every day. There’s no denying their staying power!
Having a 2002 Silverado 1500 LS Z71 4×4 I totally agree with what a good truck they are. GM got it right on that series, comfortable, nice driving, good looking. We currently have over 300k on ours put a New 5.3 in it last year, have rebuilt both diff’s and it has a new Transmission. Been worth every Dollar spent. Oh just rebuilt the Driver’s seat too a month ago. Gets 15-16 towing and around town, 19-20 on the Highway. It fits perfectly parked in our Carport next to our pop-up trailer.
In 1997 after running it for 13 years, I bought my father in laws last of three hardware stores in Fort Lauderdale. I was driving a very tired 1980 Buick Park Avenue (I’ve written about that car here) and my account told me to lease a truck for the business. I started with a 98 Chevy Cheyenne that I eventually had to Lemon Law.
A friend at the local Dodge dealer advised me against a Ram due to multiple HVAC issues, and I just couldn’t find an F150 I liked. GM had just released the new for 99 Silverado/Sierra. Chevy wasn’t willing to give a dime off but GMC was willing. So we bought a brand new 99 Sierra SLT-according to the dealer it was the 5th such truck sold in Broward County. Mine had the 4.8 engine and was a truly great truck. I recall the EPA fuel estimate- 16 city 20 highway. And it was pretty accurate. We drove that truck a ton as about three months after we bought itago, my mom found out she had liver cancer. She lived in Charlotte so we drove from Fort Lauderdale to see her 4 times before she passed. That truck had 55,000 miles at two and half years.
Thanks for the memories.
Yes, these were indeed very good light duty trucks .
The C.O.L.A. fleet had lots of them, most were basic strippers but all drove well and lasted in spite of careless and openly hostile operators .
Trucks are a thing, either you ‘get’ them or you don’t, my first vehicle was a rusty 1959 F100 stepside .
-Nate