Help buying my first pickup truck if you please?

[cowboydoc]

The Ford platform is a bit dated,

I think you need to read up on Ford some. The Ford trucks were redesigned from the ground up in 99. There have been other major improvements since then as well. What does the Dodge platform have that is better?

 

[rozett]

I will admit that I have a Ford bias, and currently drive a 2000 Excursion V10 (basically a SuperDuty with back seats). But you will not find a better platform to tow with. I agree with doc, it is not an outdated platform, and the 2005 SD is scheduled for a facelift and several more improvements.

The other thing to consider is how long you keep a vehicle. I tend to buy a one year old vehicle and drive it till it dies. I sold my Crown Vic with 258K miles. The extra cost of the diesel will pay for itself over time. The longer you keep the vehicle, the greater the payback. If you are only going to keep it for 2 or 3 years, I'd go with the gas.

 

[dmccarty]

Larry,

You pay more for the diesel when you buy the truck but you get
better mpg and the fuel might be a bit cheaper per gallon but
that depends on your locale and what kinda gas you buy. You
will get the money for the diesel back when you trade the truck
in. With the diesel you get better milage, more power, and
better drivability. I think it saves money in the long run.

If you get a four door F350. Its a big truck. Its a very big
truck. I would get the 8' foot bed. Especially if you put in a bed
box. I have a F350 Crew Cab with the 8' box. Its big and can
be a pain to park but I don't see how the shaving off 1.5 feet
off the box is really going to help that much. Beside that full
size box is way to important for me.

I have the SRW not a DRW with a 6 speed, 3.73 gears, and the
old 7.3 engine. My normal driving returns about 18.5 mpg. My
drives to/from work is mainly city/suburban driving with a
short 3-5 mile hop on the Interstate. The weekeds include
a trip to the property which helps boost the mpg. Once I'm
driving rural most of the time I think my mpg will go to 20+
mpg. And this is a 7,700 pound truck at the quarry scales.

I can't imagine trying to drive this thing with a v8 gasser.
Everyone at work thinks I drive slow enough as is..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The only problem I have had with this Ford is that my wind
shield wiper blades finally fell apart and I need to replace them.
Other than that, its change the oil/filter, fule filter, lube the
joints and fill it with fuel. Its just goes. I have about 32,000
miles on the thing and not one problem. I cant say that for
ANY other vehicle I have ever owned....

My two cents.
Dan McCarty

 

[Tractors4u]

Just a plug for the Ford diesels. I have a 1996 F250 4X4 with the 7.3L Powerstroke and I have 167K miles and the only problem I have had was the need for a new water pump around 140K. Ouch, they are expensive, about $450 pump and installation if I remember correctly. I won't complain though, it has been a good truck and I plan on driving it to the wheels fall off. When I do decide to get another truck it will be a newer used F250 with a diesel.

 

[RobertN]

A Cummins... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

They are so even, it's personal preferences and individual ergonomics. Dodge does not hold anything by much of a margin over Ford. At the same time, Ford does not hold anything by much of a margin over Dodge either. The same goes if adding Chevy to the mix.

This market is so competitive. It is great, becuase there are good products out there. It is "bad" though, 'cause it makes choosing tough since they are all nice trucks /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[TheKid]

I've got an 02 F250 super cab w/8 foot bed 4X4 and the 7.3 PSD. I went with the diesel for long engine life and better milage. Right now I have 36K on it and have averaged 18.8 mpg since i got it.

I do my own oil changes every 5K at a cost of $35. Fuel filters $12, and air filters $17 changed every 15K.

I've only had one problem with it. where it wouldn't crank at all. The dealer ended up replacing the fuse box and it's been fine since.

If you are going to order instead of taking one off the lot you should be able to get the truck with all the options you want for invoice.

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Dan, Brent and Keith,
You guys have me tempted by the diesel, no question. If they were the same price or close it would be a no brainer. Given current differences in incentives across the gas v. diesel the cost difference is close to $6,000. Performance issues aside I will pick up probably 5 MPG on the diesel. The $6,000 would probaly buy me 4.5 years worth of gas at current prices - so on an MPG basis it is tough to make the call. I intend to keep this truck for many years. Is the 5.4L Triton way too underpowered on a daily basis? I drove a 250 with the 5.4 and it seemed to have sufficient hop. When $$$ are tight I really need to convince myself that the 5.4 would be a mistake /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Lar

 

[Tractors4u]

A friend of mine just bought an 04 F250 and he really wanted the diesel. He wanted more for the high coolness factor of a diesel more than anything but his more mature side kicked in and he couldn't justify the extra money when he didn't tow often enough to justify the extra $$$. In fact he was looking at 02 and 03 diesels and he ended up with a new 04 gas burner for less money. He is very happy with it none the less.

 

[Tractors4u]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Is the 5.4L Triton way too underpowered on a daily basis? )</font>

After riding in his I would say a big fat NO. It is not underpowered. He did pull his trailer with my tractor on it once when I had another load on my trailer behind my truck and he said it pulled great.

 

[LarryD]

Larry, a friend of mine has the 03 F-350 crew cab diesel (not sure what size diesel) and pulls a 32' horse trailer easily.
While off loading some hay recently, one of the bales got away and made a mess of his tail gate. After talking to the dealer he found out Ford owners complained about the weight of the tail gate and Ford made it a little lighter...not what my friend wanted in a "Super Duty" truck. Take a little walk in the bed and see if it's what you need before haulin' material.
Larry