Gerry

I know I'm too late posting this but, you will take a hit on re-sale/trade-in. I owned one of these and that was my experience when trying to work a deal on a new truck. Most buyers want the crew cab configuration.

It was a 2006. It went for mid $30K USD.

I've owned a Lund ProV, Triton TR21, and Ranger 620. Although they were all very good boats, each one was a bit better and different than the previous one. Sold the Ranger last summer and that was a sad day for me.

Yup, agree with your assessment about Hampton. They are our preferred hotels also. How did you like PEI? I visited last year. My late brother lived in Moncton....nice place. Don't forget to visit the monument honouring the 3 RCMP officers who were gunned down.

Surprised to hear this about the 5.0. Mine is a 2012 and so far it has been very good. More power than the 5.4 and better fuel economy. I guess I'll hold onto mine a little while longer.

Agree with Garnet....fight it the way he recommends.

Yep, the term is and should be 'Walleye'.

Although I don't drive a Tundra, I have the greatest respect for that vehicle. It is indeed, probably a simple matter of the Tundra being late in it's redesign and that this deficiency will get addressed in it's next makeover.

Wow Ironmaker, that's quite a leap there. So, you're saying that the IIHS and all of their employees, along with the independent Brd of Directors are all lying criminals. For the others who are probably more inclined, check this out: https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings

I had a complete rear of my ACL at age 56. Surgeon advised me to not have it repaired and to try to live with it being absent. I got a 2nd opinion and got the same story. I got fitted with one of those $1,800 braces that was mentioned previously, had the knee scoped to clean out the torn cartilage, and took 8 weeks of physio. A rebuild of the ACL is a very intense procedure and the rehab depends on your age........most cases it takes about 1 year. Both surgeons that examined me at the time said that there could also be complications, like being left with a stiff leg. That was 13 years ago and I'm still without the ACL. It hasn't been great, the pivoting like was mentioned is the biggest issue, can no longer run or jog even. can't fold the knee (like crouching down), but otherwise it;s been OK. I do have pain but this is mostly due to arthritis. So, you can count on being out of commission for at least 6 months.

Ch312's statement that these motors are known for carbon build up is flat out wrong. I've been running Optimaxs since 2002 and have not had any issues. It appears that the OP isn't the original owner and that might be the problem. Some people cheap out on oil by using off brand types and the Optis, like most other 2 stroke, DFI engines, have strick requirements when it comes to oil. Even different year Mercs have different oil recommendations. Repairing might be the cheapest option but not the best. One would have to discuss it with a qualified dealer/mechanic.

As you see in my profile pic, I have the Ranger 620 DVS. I've owned it for approx. 7 years and it's been very good. All of the ones in your list would be good rigs IMO.

Fishing Erie limits you in the size, anything under 19 ft and you'll have to really pick your days and stay relatively close to shore. Bigger boats brings higher price tags unfortunately. Aluminums provide rougher and wetter rides than glass......I've had both, a Lund ProV and currently own a Ranger. Your family members might not enjoy getting wet and bounced around. Either way you'll be pushing $50k for a 19 footer, properly equipped. Forget about trolling with a higher power motor, I.e. 150+ hp, it doesn't work....you're trolling too fast. When choosing a kicker, a 9.9 is all you need for anything up to 21ft. Hope this helps.

Same here, I prefer the original but this one's not bad.

I drive it each yeah year for the past 10 yrs or so. I've done both and I prefer the The West Virginia route. Someone mentioned I-95, this is wrong, it's I-90, Buffalo to Erie, toll costs $3.90 US. The West Virginia route is slightly more complicated in that there are more changes in routes, i.e. I-90 to I-79 in Erie, then it's I-77 to I-20, then I-95 and finally on to I-75. There are 2 more tolls but they are minimal, $1.25 and $0.50 (I think). Be careful around Summersville, WV, they love to ticket Canadians for speeding.....a very inhospitable place in my opinion and so I never give the businesses there any of my money. Your GPS will probably take you to Daytona along I-95 to I-4 through Orlando and that's OK. But if you go through I10 in Jaksonville, to 301 then be careful along this route.....plenty of speed traps. The only other matter is weather through Eire and the mountains in WV......pay attention to the forecasts.