Looking for USED F-350 - Which year/engine/model is best?

[foreman Etexas]

Insurance is cheap on a small 4x4 truck.($30 mnth liability,broke down a year=.98cents a day)
Gets better fuel mileage then big 1ton diesel.(gas vrs diesel around .50gallon,say 20gallons a day savings $10 and gets about 6mpg better)
Maintance/repairs cheaper.(oil changes for gas around $60 cheaper than diesel,brake that down a year=.16cents a day for each oil change)
Tires cheaper.(new set broke down a year=.88cents a day)
Tags are like 60 bucks a year.(brake that down a year=.19cents a day)

Its not exact but close so cost a day to run $2.21,I bought my 4x4 toyota for $2500 so running cost a day is $6.85, so thats $9.06 and I save $10 a day running my gas vrs diesel. Kinda gives you an idea it pays not to run your 1ton diesel all year. My Toyota has been issue free for 5yrs now,besides regular maintance and paid for itself first year. I just done engine rebuild on 7.3turbo $6500,wonder how many times I could have rebuilt the 4banger...
And just say ones in shop,your not at foot(whats that worth):laughing:
Im sure someone will find the numbers off some but its just an example.I run 3 trucks and a car(all paid for but the new dodge) and the car is loaned out to neighbor right now(free of charge),cause there truck is in shop from deer hit,and both have to have a way to work and only have one truck right now,humm what does a car rental cost for cple weeks.....

 

[YesDeere]

When fuel spiked I quit commuting in the duramax. I got a 98 civic that I traded some labor for. I have about $300 bucks in it. Gets 32 mpg. Huge savings over the 13.5 in the truck.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I drive my 03 F350 dually 4x4x crew to work...
It is only driven twice a week as I commute with my wife the other days...
Can't justify a commuter car only putting 5K miles a year on the dually...

 

[Diamondpilot]

Getting one for free or nearly free is one thing. I had a new 2008 Titan and picked up a 2002 Saturn with 105,000 miles on it for $2800. Big mistake. It drank qt of oil every 600 miles plus when I got it the sunroof was broke and the passengers side power window was broke. These cost me about $300 to fix myself. Dont get me wrong, it was a nice little car but the tranny neutral switch went out twice, new brakes, new tires, new battery, new tie rods and ball joints, new horn, new exhaust system due to bad converter, ect. Long story short I drove it for nearly 3 years and sold it for $3800 but when I figure in all the cost even gaining nearly 20 mpg it did not save me one dime. Granted, I keep 50,000 miles off my Titan so that was the only gain.

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

Owning a second commuter car never pays off. What you save on gas is ate up with plates, insurance, tires, and general repairs. Bee there done that 3 times and always the same story. Even if your current truck only got 13 like mine does and you got a small car that turned in 33 it did not pay out over the 2 years I last tried this.

Chris

i agree... I tried that a year or so ago.. ... wife got a brand new kia rio lil cheap fuel efficient car...i had just got my drw. fast forward.. a lil low speed fender bender while my wife was at a stop totaled out her rio ( she was hit fromt he rear while stopped ).. their insurace begrudgingly paid off the new car loan.. my wife went back to driving her 00 yukon, and I'm driving my 7.3 psd.

easier.. in the end.. still cheaper... ins and plates on the extra lil care was 1300$ a year


soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

and what will you tow in the lil hopped up 4x4? can a round bale fit in the back safely? will a full pallate of wet sod set in the back without crushing the overload springs?

how much better milage does it get than that 'evil 1 ton diesel'?

got to a good synthetic oil in that 1 ton and do less changes and I bet your oil change numbers come out vs regualr oil on the lil 4x4..though you could certaintly go to syn on it as well for more savings.

maintenance and repairs less? a repair is a repair.... I havn't found much difference in repairs between the 98 dodge ram, 00 yukon and 99 ford diesel I have ( sold the dodge recently ).. the only reapir that was more on the ford was rear brakes.. pulling the axles..e tc..

I kinda see it like this. that big nasty evil 1 ton diesel might have an engine that can go 250-500k miles.. I kinda doubt a smaller gasser will make that, on average. the chassis? that's gonna be a same for same issue on each vehicle.. so a wash...

soundguy

Insurance is cheap on a small 4x4 truck.($30 mnth liability,broke down a year=.98cents a day)
Gets better fuel mileage then big 1ton diesel.(gas vrs diesel around .50gallon,say 20gallons a day savings $10 and gets about 6mpg better)
Maintance/repairs cheaper.(oil changes for gas around $60 cheaper than diesel,brake that down a year=.16cents a day for each oil change)
Tires cheaper.(new set broke down a year=.88cents a day)
Tags are like 60 bucks a year.(brake that down a year=.19cents a day)

....

 

[Highbeam]

Owning a second commuter car never pays off. What you save on gas is ate up with plates, insurance, tires, and general repairs. Bee there done that 3 times and always the same story. Even if your current truck only got 13 like mine does and you got a small car that turned in 33 it did not pay out over the 2 years I last tried this.

Chris

I agree and have done the math. It is a bad idea to own a mpg car. I do own a dual sprt motorcycle that gets 70 mpg but I bought it for the dirt bike abilities more than commuting.

 

[StanR]

I am looking at this one in the moring... If I get it it will be my first diesel truck.. It will stay at the farm

 

[Soundguy]

looks clean and straight.. 93-96?

 

[frischtr]

Looks like a 92-early 94, no Powerstroke emblem, makes it a 7.3 IDI... Turbo or non?