Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from.

   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #31  
KBB says the old Ford is probably worth about $12-15,000. My only hesitation would be, if you sink $10,000k, its probably worth $22,500 tops.

Is the old Ford 4x4, and automatic? Other then that, it seems a great base to customize. Although it is technically possible to turn a 2wd to 4wd, and a stick to auto; both are either extremely involved, or hack jobs.

Edit; crusie control, I dont know if I've ever seen (but I've never looked for either), after market cruise control. I would assume an 02 has AC from factory, but there are kits to add AC to virtually anything.
 
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   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #32  
Did 30 seconds of google; and aftermarket crusie control is available; and although that generation says "call for pricing", others are between $350-500.
Screenshot_20250706_142821_Chrome.jpg
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #33  
The last few used vehicles I bought were common enough that I could look for units with good service records. With Carfax and similar that mostly means dealer serviced as it's mostly dealers that report services. If it's relatively low miles then to me a good service record is more important than 10 or 20% difference in miles.

If Cummins (or anyone) could get a similar amount of power per liter out of a gas turbo truck engine that modern four cylinder car engines get, it would be interesting. For example my VW makes 300hp out of 2 liters from the factory. There are other cars that do about the same. A 6.7 making that same hp/liter would be about 1000 hp.

Making power has a direct opposite effect on engine longevity. The cars can make a lot of power on a small package because they just don’t actually make a lot of power. A lightweight car can’t load a 300hp engine very long. You might accelerate hard but that only last a few seconds. It doesn’t take much power to keep a car rolling down the road. People do make 1000 hp out of 6.7 Cummins but they don’t last very long. You’re probably talking single digit operating hours at 1000 hp before catastrophic damage occurs. Semis can go 7 figure mileage on an engine which is unheard of for passenger vehicles but they’re making like 30 hp per liter.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from.
  • Thread Starter
#34  
And as soon as the OP said its primary purpose would be to “gather dust, suck up parking space” I knew a DPF/DEF diesel would not be a good choice.
How many of you that are not in the delivery or a similar operation and have multiple vehicles operate them more than 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. The rest of the time they are parked.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #35  
Well, just from a strictly logical reasoning; I would fix, update, and modernize the F350. Now, if you want a new vehicle, thats absolutely fine. If you're going to buy a new/newer truck; I would go gas Chevy/Ram, 2500. I have heard nothing but good from the Ford 7.3L gas; but its still a new motor. Given the Chevy vs Ram; I'd go 6.6L gas Chevy.

I know you say 2 people, I would still go crew cab. 2 door trucks have about zero resale value. Same with 4wd vs 2wd.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #36  
How many of you that are not in the delivery or a similar operation and have multiple vehicles operate them more than 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. The rest of the time they are parked.
I know one couple that used their diesel F350 to haul their big horse trailer/RV once in a while. They were having some engine issues even though they were not driving it much. The mechanic said they should drive it more instead of sitting around. The other people I know had a big LANCE camper in the back of their Duramax duelly and only drove it maybe 2 times a year. Both of them now use gassers instead.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #37  
Well, just from a strictly logical reasoning; I would fix, update, and modernize the F350. Now, if you want a new vehicle, thats absolutely fine. If you're going to buy a new/newer truck; I would go gas Chevy/Ram, 2500. I have heard nothing but good from the Ford 7.3L gas; but its still a new motor. Given the Chevy vs Ram; I'd go 6.6L gas Chevy.

Hmmm, even with the other recall on the 6.2L GM and all the transmission problems?
IMO, Ram is offering a solid, proven engine lineup and a new ZF-8 transmission that looks good.
I know you say 2 people, I would still go crew cab. 2 door trucks have about zero resale value. Same with 4wd vs 2wd.

Agree. And once you own a crew cab, you discover what a wonderful asset it is.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #38  
I work at a Ford dealership and have seen first hand what happens when def fluid in modern diesel trucks sits. It is not a good thing. These trucks are designed to be worked everyday and worked HARD. Sitting around will totally destroy them. When they do break down, lead time on parts or just shop backlog can mean a month or sometimes two before you get your truck back. My dealership currently has about a month of work backlogged.
On the other hand: the 7.3 gas engine has been out since 2020. I know of a fleet of ten to twelve of them in bucket trucks with several over 200,000 miles on them. The only issues they have run into is a couple have needed roller lifters replaced. Parts have been readily available and don't require a highly specialized skill set to work on.
I can't say all of this without saying the older truck with the 7.3 diesel can have a lot of parts changed or updated. Not to mention that if you do have a break down, just about any town will have someone that can work on it.
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #39  
Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.
&
 
   / Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from. #40  
Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.

So I've narrowed my choices down to 3 vehicles.
2023 Ram Bighorn with /edit- 6.7L
diesel < 300 miles ~53K
Warranty mostly used up sitting on the lot
2024 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~56K
2025 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~60K

To me the 2024 is the sweet spot.
/edit - what would you pick?
I am also retired and only drive my diesel 2018 2500 6.7 Ram about 8000 a year. The thing I learned the hard way is the DEF fluid in all the newer vehicles solidifies clogging everything up. I was quoted $7000 to repair mine. Problem is if I fix it, it will just keep happening. You would be better off rebuilding the engine in your 2002. I was told I needed to drive at least 45K to 50K miles a year to keep it from happening.
 

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