Maybe for three months! you can rebuild most of the engine parts that wear out for around $2k. That's 3 months of $650/month payments. I don't care what you're driving a new truck will ALWAYS cost more. Always.

They're robbing us blind on new trucks!

1989 buick? Yep, truck is more.
1962 Chevy? Yep, new truck is still more than repairs.
Bicycle? Same thing applies.

 

You forgot to factor in "The Stinky Effect". Saying that, many woes were induced by owner incompetence. Even with all my screw ups, and the lessons learned from them - I am still many thousands away from the cost of a new truck, and I could still say the same thing if I dropped a performance rebuild in Stinky's nose.

 

Amen to that! The day it costs me $40,000 to rebuild a motor is the day I'll start home building my trucks. "Fart boxes Truck Sales" will be in business. All square, paint optional, and each one pushed by an old 7.3.

 

Not with the rust issues I was encountering along with everything that usually needs to be replaced updated etc. on a 15 year old truck

Reliability along with comfort and sanity were beginning to take hits for me. Remember, while the 7.3L engine and drivetrain is relatively legendary for its reliability relative to comparable trucks, it is still largely the same F250 that houses the 5.4L that rusts out like a bitch from roof to axles......

If I were in a non-Salt environment maybe some of these issues would have been avoidable. After 15years in New England, that means roughly 6-7 years of constant salt caked into every crevace of some rigs. Plus no cold start issues to ever contend with etc......FL/TX etc. are different environments for truck longevity.

And as I said, every situation is different, I don't have the time or energy to constantly be working on my truck, I have other projects and hobbies that I would rather spend my small amount of free time on.

Add to that if you sell out before a major issue etc. value is still holding on the 7.3L, those newer rigs are a little more affordable.

Plus I have some personal pride in my equipment......driving around a rusty POS that may or may not turn into a smoking ******* at any time isn't what I wanted.

I sold it for damn near what I paid for it 5.5 years ago......

Again, everyone's situation is different.

 

That right there is the real point. POR15 will cure the rust problem. Didn't come treated from the factory. The cold starts are fixed for about two weekends worth of work and around $200 (just did this myself).

The comfort/sanity factor is immeasurable though. That can be worth $80,000 or more to some people. For me personally if I were 70 years old and unable to get up and under the hood then yep, I'd buy something else. But it's probably going to be a little ranger or similar. Something that can lift about what I can and get good gas mileage. I'd use it to drag "treasures" home and carry the grandkids fishing.

But back to the money issue, it's still always less expensive to drive the 7.3 and fix the problems if your back and mind can handle it.


Afterthought: I also failed to consider the "WWI" factor, you know..."Wife Wants It" (also known as World War 1). In that case I'd do exactly what most married men would do - Tuck, turn tail and sign on the dotted line.

 

For me, living in Connecticut I also have to factor in the crazy property taxes every year! My 2001 cost me $355.00 this year. Can't imagine what a new $60,000+ truck would cost?? I'll stick with the old girl till the wheels fall off!!

 

Welcome bud,

I guess I can see that almost true if you are running a 4x2 with a gear vendors unit behind it across the flats at low altitude.... That is my opinion and experience of about 850k miles behind numerous 7.3s For the rest of that I will stay out of it. I wasn't trolling at all, and actually added my opinion on the 7.3 vs 6.7 besides boasting about my 60mpg 4bt swapped John Deer FL550. I might swing by TN on our way to Barber sometime just to see this package rolling down the highway.... I know here you would be paying more in fines than your trucks worth if you tried to go down the highway like that... Let alone with a tag pull. Everyone has likely grossed more than the GCVW would allow for, but I really want to see an excursion doing highway speed down the road with a tag pull whatever behind it with 32k atop.

I also have SCFB 90 ve Pumped 12v stick.... even at 55-60mph.... 30mpg...really??? Even with a gear vendors...forget it here.

If I were you I'd also considering contacting FORD. That stupid Toyota commercial really pisses me off now, knowing there is a fellow with an excursion who can likely yank the effing thing into lift off :-)

I'm just a lowly turd who parouzes around the forums...I ask stupid question quite often since I am a dimwit, and sometimes post pictures containing my wifes incredible butt....do not mind me, I might try to call BS when I hear it. This is the internet, emotions are worthless and undertones sometimes are inferred the wrong way. Welcome to the forum.

That being said its good to hear he will stick with the 7.3...

 

POR15 won't replace missing metal lol.....used it on several vehicles before.

And prior to selling my truck I had the roof rust fixed and repainted......but it was bad....the bed rails were the next thing that needed to be replaced.....

Cold start issues were mostly under control but that is why I also got decent money for it, I had proof of good maint. despite the thing crumbling from the roof to the frame.....

The list was endless.

But you and I have been down this road before.....if I had endless time and patience and didn't have dates and times committed to when that truck had to be running flawlessly then I would have loved to keep it. But that isn't my reality.

As I said, everyone is different.

 

Over the weekend I stopped and looked at two different '11's sitting on the same lot. Both white CC SB 6.7's. One had 110k the other 126k. One missing the tailgate the other a huge dent in the rear bumper........and they still wanted $29,000 for them!!

Old "Whitee" ain't going anywhere with these crazy prices! I've even price shopped Ram's thinking you could save a buck. While yes a little bit over a GM or Ford still not worth it!

 

It pretty impressive what can be found right now at the big auctioneers around the US. The oil and gas industry (my career) has crashed pretty hard and a lot of field service companies are going under or nearly non existent and newer diesels can be had below 15k for 100k mile or less trucks.... go look at 6.7s Ford/Dodge sold by the ritchie brothers and you may be shocked....

Then there are the screaming deals of trucks that could not pass emissions and sell as parts trucks but are as functional as any of them, but 99% of the time its for a minor CEL or no Cat...

 

I wouldn't touch a 2011 with even someone else's money.....

I might pay $29K for one if they put $25K in small bills in the glove box......

 

Haha. Ya, I was looking for a '12 or newer. These caught my attention so I stopped in to see.

Somebody mentioned GearVendors Overdrive unit. My buddy bought one for his old Highboy with a 460 and C4 trans. I'd love to give one a try, but at $3300, its going to be low on the priority list for now. Maybe I'll find a used one...

Gearvendors OD

If I did do a GV OD setup, should I keep my 3.73's or get my 4.10's installed? I've only bought the rear gears for now and still need to buy the front.

 

They are definitely quality units, We have had a few of them on our trucks, I'd sure like to put one on my towing truck for the days its not towing, and for the versatility towing heavy in the mountains. I agree it a hard investment to fork over. Some may get a decade of driving out of their truck before it pays off, but like I said they are great units. I have even seen them installed on FL70s or Kodiak's to get a bit better efficiency on light duty trucks spend their entire life towing.

That being said I do not believe I have ever seen one for sale used :-)

 

There is a bunch of them used on Ebay, but sadly none for our 7.3 trucks. That's where my buddy picked his up from. There is a '04-07 new setup on there for $2300 ($1000 off). Still uses the NV271/273 Tcase but the 5R110 must have something different about it.

 

I could swing a 6.7 if I really wanted one.

I asked the guys in the 6.7 forum and they were the ones, for the most part, that told me they wouldn't own one that's not under warranty. Buy the extended warranty they all said.

Kinda sounded more like a Dodge forum where they talk about when it's going to break, not if. But they also said it was the best truck they've ever owned (again like a Dodge forum)

The guys who ain't scared of it tell me that if all the emission crap falls off, I can get the same mileage as I get with my old truck. I couldn't figure out where that was a benefit other than maybe from the creature comfort angle.