You guys might have seen or read about my Ranger that was lost in the Black Forest fire here in Colorado, if not you can see the thread here. I actually got some pictures of it since then... It is insane how hot that fire was! My transmission melted into a river of aluminum. My family lost 5 houses, including my grandparents but we are thankful to all be alive and well. Some pics of my ranger are below. But now I'm looking for a new truck. I only had liability on my ranger so I'm not getting anything from insurance but I with the help of family and friends I have a budget of 6k. I am currently looking at mid-nineties to early 2000 7.3L powerstrokes. Two of my uncles have them. Well, actually only one of them does now since one was lost in the fire but I have grown up with them and have always been impressed with their reliability and power since we are always pulling stuff from hauling jobs to the old sleds, boats and jet skis. Not to mention the fact that both my uncles '97 7.3L and '00 7.3L both got better mileage than my ranger! So that is the route I think I am going to be taking. I am sure I will still lurk these forums and will never forget my first truck and the help I have gotten from you guys. Still looking for a good deal here in Colorado if anyone has a lead on a truck! Thanks again guys.

Before (just put the new chrome bumpers on two days before the fire!):


During:


After:






This picture is very bizarre. We could not find my 9mm... It was just ash. Yet my iPod was still recognizable. So weird!

 

Wow. That's crazy. Sorry to hear about the truck. Hope your next one is better, and makes you proud.

 

Pretty nuts. Glad your family is ok. Do you think your 9mm was taken after or before the fire? Lots of dirty thieves up there after the fire passed through. I'm sure the gun was no good...but maybe they saw it and took it? Who knows.

It will be hard to find a nice 7.3 with 6k...but doable. You can find some decent 2wd's for that.

 

I'm sorry to hear about what you and your family had to go though.

Just asking, why you park by the trees?

 

Naw, we were the absolute last ones out of there. It was a little scary at the end there... And then we got back in with the sheriff before any of the public was allowed back in. And my gun was hidden really well up behind the jumper seats. I've found a couple 7.3s for a good price and condition but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

And yeah... I know... I messed up on parking near the trees but when we ran to my friends house, we never believed that the fire would ever turn into a wild fire. Crazy stuff. The whole time I was in the forest during the fire, I never saw a single fire fighter. Only police telling people to get out asap.

 

Man that's sounds crazy. I hope I never have to go though that.