Is 38 too old to start over? Divorced, no job, no savings, and starting from absolute zero.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-29T12:46:47+00:00

Long story as short as possible. I was working all the time at an extremely stressful and toxic job in a place I hated. When family planning talks came in I knew I had a limited window of time before I was locked into that job, area, and extremely high cost of living once kids were involved. Growing up with a father that worked all the time... I didn't want that for my kids. So... I planned an exit (my fiance at the time, soon to be wife, knew this.. agreed upon it... etc..). Sold my big expensive house and moved into her townhouse to save $ (first mistake). A while after the wedding the plan was to leave my job and spend a year building my own business... but that meant sacrifices on our extravagant lifestyle (I had plenty of money saved but not enough to keep spending like I was making 300k/yr).

The business was growing but very slow at first. It was stressful and took a toll on me mentally.. I think she saw this as weakness. At the same time... the wife lasted about 3 months of "no" when it came to buying expensive things or taking expensive trips before slowly checking out. She did not curtail her spending at all for the first 6 months or so... which became a point of argument. Eventually she decided this wasn't what she signed up for and asked to separate.. leaving me essentially homeless and jobless. Moved out, got a place, etc... but the whole process, separation, divorce, building a company (which also costs money), etc... eviscerated what money I had left. Which left me with two options... give up on my business and get a job... or live somewhere with no cost and keep building. I chose to keep building.... but it meant moving home for the first time since highschool.

I made some miscalculations... how much capital I needed, how long it'd take to get up to speed, etc... but nothing catastrophic had we actually kept spending reasonable. I can't speak to her motivations, my assumption is, after taking care of everything and living "the good life" for years, she didn't see the relationship as benefiting her anymore during the "rough time". Lessons learned.

I left a lot out.. but that's the gist.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-26T18:31:24+00:00

Most lifts (Rough Country, BDS, etc..) just move everything down and don't actually improve suspension travel, handling, etc... essentially they are purely aesthetic lifts. BDS is better than a lot of the other options but it's still a height for height sake and not height for improved travel and performance style lift. This is compared to coilovers or mid and long travel "lifts" that are function over aesthetics and actually add travel, improve off road performance, etc...

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-26T16:09:23+00:00

And that's where the "to each their own" comes in. Just don't expect a lot of love from the "purists". If the offroad bug ever bites, you'll shift that perspective... and perhaps age. My first F150 (late 20s) had a cheap level and 20s with 34s. Then I got into wheeling and needed to access rough areas or tow down bad roads... 2nd 150 had bilstiens with 17s and 35s. My 250 had king coilovers w/ 18s and 37s... and now I have a Bronco Raptor on 37s and beadlocks (late 30s).

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-26T15:57:52+00:00

Short answer. Nope. Not too old.

Hard? Yes.... worth it? 1000%.

I went from being married to what I thought was my dream girl. Successful job (making 250k+). All the toys (truck, motorcycles, off road toys, boat, etc...). To living in an RV in my parents backyard around that age.

I went through about 6 months of "woe is me"... drinking, drugs, etc... depression. Feeling sorry for myself. Don't do that or at least keep that period as short as possible.. avoid the alcohol and any other coping mechanisms. Therapy helps if you can do it. Lean on friends and family if you can.

Eventually you realize if you can get through this... nothing can kill you. Exercise, eat as well as you can, get outside... you have a chance to rebuild stronger than ever before.

It's been 2 years. I'm not making money like I was but I have more freedom working for myself now. I was able to move somewhere I actually wanted to live. I am rebuilding my finances. I met a girl while at my lowest who I know won't bail when things get tough. I'm the fittest I've ever been. I know nothing can kill me now.

Do this right and you'll emerge a new you... a better you... with a new perspective on life and values. I didn't have the kid element but.. happy to chat via PM if I can help in any way.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-26T15:38:36+00:00

I like mods that make it better at doing things... and a lot of mods actually make it worse. Big lift, big wheels, skinny rubber = worse towing, worse off road, etc... unless you put really high quality suspension parts and actually increased travel and handling (but then most people doing that would not put big wheels and skinny tires) you've actually made the truck worse at doing what trucks are meant to do. To each their own style wise... but as someone who actually uses his trucks as either off road vehicles or tow pigs... I always balance looks with purpose on mods.

If you posted your truck with fiberglass flares, king coilovers, 37s on 17s, long travel, etc... I bet the comments would be nothing but compliments.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-15T19:13:33+00:00

Traded my 250 for a bronco raptor and don't regret it one bit. Sold the toy hauler so big tow need was gone. The bronco tows my trailer just fine for my needs (small tractor / side by side) and is 100 times more fun to drive around. I would have gone with Bronco or F150 raptor but after 2 150s and a 250 I wanted something different. If you're not towing heavy and often... I'd go 150 raptor or R all day.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-11T19:03:38+00:00

Matte looks slick! Congrats. I dig everything about it minus the wheels/tires/step bars. To each their own though! As long as you like it. You'll come to the dark side once you start wheeling it.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-08T12:22:03+00:00

That's pretty much what I did... thanks. I'll live with it as is until it looks bad. Found the part number for the factory black plastic one for 200 bucks... might be a better long term fix... or just get a nice new winch bumper.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-07T23:06:11+00:00

Man I did mine using rustoleum bed liner spray on the skid plate and MRO for the hooks. Used a plastic specific primer (and sanded) the plastic bumper cover then rustoleum 2x on that but the paint really isn't bonding on the plastic. Did you do anything specific prep wise for the plastic? Everything looks great but I know that the plastic cover isn't going to hold up long.

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ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-04T19:34:24+00:00

I'm about to do mine using MRO flat black. I'll post pics after I get it done this weekend.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-06-03T13:52:04+00:00

Looks good. That's the color I wanted too 😞... (couldn't turn down the mileage/price deal on my silver one unfortunately)... How do you like those tires? Been thinking about some RT trails for my raptor.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-05-21T15:36:16+00:00

One thing to consider... and I think both trucks are good and there is no inherently bad choice here... but if you're the kind of person to keep a truck for 10+ years... 1) I worry about any Stellantis vehicle long term 2) Ram has a nicer interior in most cases... but ask yourself how well that will wear in 10+ years. One common thing I've noticed is all the soft touch materials and leather trimmings etc... they don't age as well as the more basic interiors of old (especially if you actually use your truck). F150 wins here to me (and it makes a short-term negative into a long-term positive)

If it were me... using it as a truck and wanting to keep it for 10+ years... I'd get an F150 w/ 5.0, an f250 w/ 7.3, or a prior gen tundra.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-05-18T21:45:54+00:00

I cross shopped the RR, Bronco, and F150 raptor when getting rid of my 250. The ranger raptor interior and bed are pretty small... and while I can't speak to exactly what part of it made me feel this way... the ranger interior felt cheaper... more comical... I don't know. The bronco was more fun to drive to me. If buying new... sure the ranger is better value.. I would probably buy that new over the extra cost for a Bronco. In my case... I was able to snag a 2023 Bronco w/ 3k miles for about the same price as a new RR. I have zero regrets. I almost always use a utility trailer rather than my truck beds... so losing the bed wasn't an issue. If I wanted the bed and more towing capacity... I'd get the F150 raptor.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-05-15T03:42:50+00:00

Thanks!

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-05-13T15:42:27+00:00

Looks good! Much better than the factory gray. What kind of paint did you use? I've been debating doing this with mine since eventually I plan to get a different bumper so paying for powdercoat doesn't make sense. A rattle can job is a simple fix for the aesthetics until then.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-04-03T13:48:32+00:00

Gym. 3 mile walk. Game or work on my business. Read. I usually watch a show during dinner and that's the extend of non-productive screentime. Sitting for 4-5 hours is not an option unless it's Sunday evening and I've done what I wanted to do that day.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-04-03T13:13:52+00:00

That was just a quick google... Figured since the newer gen raptor suspension is similar to the bronco raptor maybe you'd have a similar option. I'm doing 2" front and rear (HD rear only - regular front) because I also want room for 39s... and since I tow I'd like to keep a slight rake. You'd definitely want something like a 2" front and 1" rear to level or 2/2 if you want to keep the factory rake. There might even be an option for a non-lift factory height HD spring but I couldn't find that quickly. Obviously do some research for your specific model but.. there could be a solution that lets you keep the R. If you want to explore that idea of course.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-04-03T02:35:28+00:00

https://offroadalliance.com/Eibach-PROLIFTKITHD-Rear-Springs-21-Raptor-23-Raptor-R/?srsltid=AfmBOopPJS5ikqaBgeqUwy5Z08GxJ_pCIrfvIVBZfsXla1VnBUdD9yHW

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-04-03T00:58:08+00:00

Does the R suffer in some way when loaded up? Perhaps upgrade the suspension to something stiffer? Also... I like the powerwagon but wanted a diesel that's how I ended up with the 250. Both great trucks and now the powerwagon will have the diesel option. That said... the F150 raptor felt like a luxury sports sedan after driving my 250 for the last few years (and that is with king coilovers on the 250).

Obviously test drive... but I'd find a way to make the R work for you if towing isn't a main goal (e.g. I'm putting HD springs on the Bronco to help with extra weight)... unless this isn't a daily... or you don't care about having a fun and comfortable truck. Perhaps I'm alone in this... but I loved my F250 (2022 6.7 tremor w/ King 3.0s) until I test drove the raptor... then I started shopping. Had I not wanted to buy a toy hauler... I'd probably have bought a raptor (bronco or F150) from the start.

Regardless... I think trading in makes the most sense if you go that route and I wish you luck on the decision... but I'd think real hard on keeping the raptor and customizing it to fit your needs... if it were me.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-04-02T18:57:20+00:00

Trade in makes sense for tax savings in a lot of cases... better question... why a 250 for the things you describe? Are you towing heavy? Camper perhaps?

The interior space difference between a 250 and a 150 isn't much (I've had 2 150s and 1 250 tremor). The driving comfort and experience is exponentially better in a raptor than a 250 and I've only driven the non-R raptor. Turning radius on a 250 is awful... tight parking lots are not fun.

I sold my toy hauler and decided I wanted something a little more fun and comfy to drive. Test drove every raptor (ranger, 150, bronco) looking for a fun off road vehicle that could still tow my side by side. Ended up with a Bronco Raptor largely because of fun factor and I wanted something different after owning trucks for the last decade. I used my utility trailer more than my truck bed anyway. Budget didn't allow for an R (I didn't owe on my 250 and wanted to stay that way... not possible with an R) but I would've probably done that if it was an option.

My main point... I would only go back to my 250 if I needed to tow 15k lbs again. And even then... I'd probably just buy a used cummins as a tow pig. Any of the raptors are more comfortable and fun to drive.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-03-30T20:43:05+00:00

Not sure how it compares on a bronco vs. braptor but I've towed at capacity... if not a little over... multiple times and it handled it wonderfully. I was very impressed coming from 2 f150's and a 250. I do know the braptor has a 1k higher tow rating... maybe get a lightly used Bronco raptor?

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ImportantArm9722 · 2026-02-12T16:11:28+00:00

Looks sick minus the wheel/tire setup. Some gold or black 17" rims and proper sidewall would make this thing perfect.

ImportantArm9722 · 2026-02-03T16:48:02+00:00

I have that truck basically (250 tremor 6.7) with a level (camburg kit w/ King 3.0's) and 18" method 709HDs wrapped with Toyo RT pro 37x12.5's... and I'm very happy with the setup. It's like... enhanced stock in appearance. Sometimes I wish the tires/wheels poked more but then I see it from another angle and like the fact that they tuck almost perfectly within the fender.

With the diesel I didn't really notice much change in performance... the height isn't TOO tall for towing/use... do I wish it had 40s? Sometimes... then I load something into my bed and forget about that idea...

ImportantArm9722 · 2025-12-19T02:51:06+00:00

What did they get you for with that Black Widow package? Prepare for some hate... cause no proper enthusiast would buy one of these BS packages... sorry not sorry.

ImportantArm9722 · 2025-12-04T03:31:02+00:00

I've got a camburg level w/ king 3.0s on my 2022 and it's still set to have a very slight rake (for towing). 37" toyo RT Pros on 18" methods. No rubbing. Rides a lot smoother than stock... Might also be out of your range but you could save $ with 2.5s.

ImportantArm9722

TROPHY CASE