Bought a heavier duty truck today at a yard sale

[RoMad]

I have a 2006 4 cylinder Toyota Tacoma that I bought brand new in 2005. I bought it mainly to drive back and forth to work and haul my kayaks and bicycles on.
I really like my little truck but things have changed since I bought it.

I increased my property size from 5 to 10 acres
I bought my tractor
I built a 450 lb box blade for my tractor
I bought a trailer to haul my tractor on
We have started raising steers (5 at a time)
I built a hopper trailer to buy feed a ton at a time
I bought an old horse trailer to haul my steers to the butcher, a 110 mile round trip. (they only make it one way)
We bought a small camper
We are thinking about buying a bigger travel trailer for when I retire in four more years.

I actually have pulled all of the above with my truck but usually use my wifes Honda Pilot which does an admirable job even though the tractor with boxblade on the trailer is a bit over the recommended towing limit.
I have been thinking about a bigger truck but I really like the mileage I get with my Tacoma and I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I looked at new trucks but they don't do that great on mileage and they are more than I want to spend.
I drive my truck about 15,000 miles a year and appreciate the 25+ mpg I get tank after tank

Today my wife talked me into going to yard sale with her, even though I told her I would rather stay home and get over my cold. She said we would only go to a few.
Well, at one of the sales I noticed a truck sitting on the other side of the yard with a for sale sign on it. It was a 2000 3/4 ton ford with extended cab and four wheel drive. I asked the guy how much the truck was and he said $3500. I walked over and looked at it closer and it was pretty rusty. The bed was in bad shape and both rear corners of the cab had a little rust on them. I climbed under it and the frame had a lot of rust on it, but it was built up scale and I could flake it off and there is plenty of good steel.
I asked for a test drive to check out the engine and running gear. It drove nice, the four wheel drive worked good and the 7.3 diesel sounded great.
After a little negotiating I ended up getting it for $3200.
Now, I think i will have the best of both worlds. I can drive my little truck back and forth to work and when I need to pull or haul something I am ready.
I think I will look for a new bed for it and have the frame and undercarriage lightly sand blasted and coated.
Here is a picture of it. It has 126,000 miles on it. The guy was the original owner.

[RedNeckRacin]

You will be blown away by the difference in towing ability! Going from a lil gasser to a diesel is monumental and you will never look back. The heavier that you tow, the less you are really concerned about the mileage. It comes down to safety.

[droptop]

That's a great price for a 7.3 with low miles!!

[sam5570]

Romad truck look good a bed should not be hard to find and being a diesel it still got alot of miles left 1 thing to consider when you sand blast the frame a recoat it we have found that the rubberized under coating works really good and last a long time 1 important thing if it were me i would replace all the metal brake lines under the truck real soon because of the towing and weight you going to be dealing with not to mention the safety issue

[RoMad]

Thanks for the suggestion. He just had new rear ones replaced but I will check them all. Since this will not be my everyday driver I will be able to take off the bed and look it over real close.

[Diamondpilot]

You got the deal of the century. My buddy just bought a 2000 F250 7.3 4x4 auto tranny, extend cab, short bed monday. It has 180,000 miles and rust around the wheel wells. He gave $10,000.

You stole that truck. Drive it up here and you will tripple your money.

Chris

[Code54]

Good deal! The body cancer can be easily fixed if you feel the need, it is not too big of a deal.
If you have never owned a diesel truck there is some differences and with towing a few things I would look at or dowhich you may know and if so I apologize for wasting space)
I would change the oil (it is going to take a bit more than the Toyota!)
Put a new fuel filter in it (that is normal maintenance on a diesel)
Check/change air filter
Check out the brakes from end to end (GREAT advice from SAM5570) - pads/rotors/lines/master cyl/etc...
Check your hitch and make sure it is solid and not rusted.
Make sure you have a brake controller and it works correctly.
Look at the tires and make sure they are the right load range (my 3/4 uses "E" rated tires for example) and helps with towing/sway control

May also want to check out some of the Ford Super Duty forums and see what common problems there are with the truck (they all have a few bugs). Other than paying more for Diesel I LOVE my diesel truck. They truly do "pull" different and with the extra weight that truck has over your other one you will feel far more in control while towing.
Good luck and enjoy your truck!!!

[Bob77064]

You didn't buy that truck, you stole it! That is an excellent deal and low mileage too.

[bucktaker]

Also check the radiator for the correct chemical thingy I cant remember right now a cca level maybe? I am sure diamond pilot knows what i trying to say......
FYI I owned a 2000 f250 just like that is was the best tow vehicle of all three diesels I have owned 2000 7.3psd 2003 6.0psd 2007 6.6duramax

[RobertBrown]

I would wonder about the excessive rust.
I live here too (Florida)......
That much rust makes me wonder.