Let me start by saying hi, I think this is my first post on this forum, but I have been lurking on here for over a year and on the Excursion forum for several years.

Just under a year ago (last February) I purchased a gently used 2011 F-450 with just over 50,000 miles on it, it is my DD and at times a critical component to my business. As the title of my post states I have already put 40,000 miles on it and will break 100K shortly so I will no longer have any warranty coverage. Normally this would not be a concern, any more I consider a car with less than 100K to be virtually new and for the most I am more than callable of fixing any issues that come up, I have done everything from break pad replacement to short block installs on various cars in the past.

This beast is a bit of a different story, both because it is critical to ensuring that I can put food on the table and the magnitude of some of the issues that have occurred on some of these. I know that in the grand scheme of things, considering the number of 6.7 on the road, the major mechanical failures that your hear about represent a tiny fraction of the total number of 6.7s on the road, but the threat of my truck being out of service for several weeks is bad enough, add on the potential for a 5 figure out of warranty repair bill and that is enough to keep me from sleeping at nights.

So I am looking for input on what I should do next, should I trade it in now on another F-450 with far fewer miles? I just did a quick search and there are several 11’s or 12’s comparably equipped to mine with 20K to 30K on the clock for around $50K. I have heard that it is much harder to get financing for a vehicle with more than 100,000 miles on it and consequently dealers will give you much less for a vehicle with just over 100,000 miles then one with just under 100,000 miles. That being said I have personally purchased a couple of vehicles with over 100,000 miles and never had an issue with the financing, and have traded in several vehicles with over 100,000 miles and always gotten very close to NADA trade in value on them while still only paying NADA clean retail on the vehicle being purchased. According to NADA the truck will actually depreciate more between 85,000 miles and 95,000 miles ($650) then it will between 95,000 miles and 105,000 miles ($625), so the idea of getting substantially more for a vehicle with just under 100,000 miles then one with just over 100,000 miles may be a myth.

Do I keep driving it and purchase an extended warranty? I went to my local dealer the other day and they did not seem to have great information about their extended warranties, but it looks like the best I can do is get one that will cover it for another 50K. That may get me as much as another year of low stress use out of the truck.

Or do I take my chances, stock up on Unisom so I am able to sleep at night, and just keep driving it. I know there are a few members on here who use their trucks professionally, if you are one of them I would be particularly interested in your opinion since I am guessing you have already faced this decision in the past, likely several time, and may have insight that I do not. If you do not use your truck professionally I am still interested in what you think, since anyone who can afford to spend $40K or more on a truck must have some reasonable level of intelligence, though my wife may dispute that at times.

Sorry for the long winded post, I seem to be incapable of getting my thoughts on paper in a concise manner. This is why I lurk a lot with very few posts.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

You should be able to buy (as lig as youre under 100k) a Ford ESP warranty for $1750ish that will cover the engine until it hits a total of 200k miles. It's far from complete coverage, though, and I'm not sure if it covers some of the issues these newer 6.7s have had (hpfp, valve issues due to egr or whatever).

Honestly, maybe you should see what they'll give you for trade in and see if you can work a deal on a new truck.

I traded my '11 gasser in last month on a new truck (I actually bought a new Ram Megacab Cummins as I needed more space for 3 kids in carseats.). At the time, and still now, you can score a nice Lariat/Laramie level crew cab truck, 3/4 or 1 ton. 4wd, brand new for $50 Grand or less, if you shop em. When I saw the prices of used ones ($40k for a 2008/9/10 with 60-80k miles), it was a no brainer for me.

Good luck

 

Personal preference I think but for me I think if I was going to worry myself to death about it and I was financially able to trade it. That's what I would do. I bought the extended warranty when I bought my truck but I am generally not a fan of extended warranties.

Anyway just my thoughts on it.

 

I would consider Ford's ESP plan and keep on truckin.

 

When I got my truck I relied on the factory bumper to bumper warranty. At about 25k I had a new EGR. Shortly after I had the blinker wand and circuitry replaced. None of those are "major", but still issues covered under warranty and Ford treated me well through them - I even got a loaner car for the EGR replacement. From that experience, I felt a bit more comfortable with upgrading the warranty. When I hit 35k I splurged and got the full 125k premium care package. I can't remember the years on mine, but I know I didn't go out the full time period. I stack about 20-25k a year on the truck, so I was going to hit the miles quicker than the time.

At 90k I am not sure what kinds of warranties would be available, but I don't think you can go factory Ford. You may need to have your vehicle inspected as well - including sampling the oil and possibly other fluids. There are some aftermarket warranties that dealers may offer. I looked in to one, I have a family member that works for a dealer (non-Ford) and I went through their dealer first on the third-party, but later we all found out that the warranty company wouldn't let me buy it because I did not purchase my vehicle from that specific dealer...

Before you go buying a third-party warranty - do a little research. Check here for others that may have that particular warranty and see if anyone has experiences to share. My gut feeling is if your dealer offers you a warranty then they have some experience working with them, which is a bonus because there is an authorization process the servicing dealer must process with the warranty company in order to start your repairs. Your dealer having experience with that process will make it go a whole lot better. If not, you have to have patience. Given your professional use of the truck - even a dealer knowing "how the system works" with a third party company, you are still at the mercy of the company and their schedule to process the claim. It is almost like dealing with an insurance company. There is another perk to a factory Ford warranty - if you can get one. The only people you have to deal with are those at your servicing dealer.

 

I would buy the warranty, Ford esp or something else. I have an 11 350 6.7 I have been posting about. It blew the motor at 113K, I bought it with 107K. Long story, but a replacement motor is 18k after tax if you dont get a deal like I did. I use the term deal loosely here. Used motors are in the 8 to 9K range, but I didnt want to go that route. and wanted piece of mind with the factory reman warranty. An extended warranty would have paid for itself 3 times in this one go. I kick myself for not getting one when I bought it. It was costly though after 100K. They are good motors and mine I believe was a fluke, but you mentioned you have the 450. The early 450s had issues with the valves if Im not mistaken, so you should consider that if you keep it. If it fails with the warranty, you will get the new upgraded valves that were put in in the later production runs.

 

I'd get the warranty or trade it in for a newer model. The 11's had serious issues with reagards to Turbo's and fuel injectors. Also the sensitive HP fuel pump. And keep every record of service etc.
A Ford tech recommend changing injectors at 100k My turbo blew at 99600 miles. The A/C has been going for lot's of folks from 80k to 100k and that is $1300. I've had 2 of those issues so far. I hope I don't get any more until it's paid for in 1 1/4 years. And my Ford Service Credit charge for the AC is paid. 30 % for interest from Ford.. nice.

 

Ok, my trucks are used commercially. They are business expenses, they are run 50,000-60,000/ year.

I'll tell you what we do..

We run the trucks until they hit 250,000 (5 years). We finance them for 3 or 4 years, whatever cash flow will support. We always buy the factory warranty coverage that covers the powertain to 200,000. We've had enough repairs needed under warranty to where the extended warranty has paid for itself 7 times over, so basically, if you keep track of the repairs under warranty and apply to itself, the warranty for our next 3 trucks has already been paid for.

My advise to you, if business is good, go ahead and get a new or newer one, get the extended warranty, and basically start over. With your existing truck it appears that it will be cost prohibitive to hit the reset button and try to get it covered for the remaining two years you are looking at operating it..

But, another important thing that may allow you to keep running the existing truck, is to beef up your auto insurance coverage to insure it against powertain failure and vehicle replacement. It may be less expensive through your vehicle insurance to get the same coverage that would allow you to sleep at night.

Another strategy we employ is that my father drives an F150 and my wife drives an expedition. Both of these could tow my small trailer with work gear to a job site in a pinch. They both are "white knuckle" tow vehicles but in an emergency they will get her done. So, you may be able to get a personal vehicle as an emergency backup.

Your projections, cash flow, and finances are your business but the options in front of you are all probably fairly equivalent so I'd bet you could manage to get yourself into a newer model and rest easy for the next 5 years.

 

I would also check to make sure your 'to 100K warranty' is in force.. second owners have a heck of time getting service for large problems.

 

OP hasn't posted on FTE in almost a year wonder what he ever ended up doing.......

I bought my truck used at 89k miles on it. I knew it still had some 100k powertrain warranty left on it, and that was nice for a little while, but when I learned that Ford offered factory warranty coverage for up to 3yr/36k additional miles, I jumped on it.

Forget the five-figure "worst case" engine failure scenario, having coverage for the A/C or the nav system or the seats or even the dang mirrors was all the justification I needed.

 

Geez, I hate it when I don't look at the dates! Seems I wasted my time and helped bait some of y'all along too.....

 

LOL I think that was my fault. I posted to it yesterday. I picked up on it at the bottom of the page where the forum lists suggestions. I didn't catch the date and responded. Sorry folks. Newbe

 

That's ok mboydd, some times its interesting to see where we have been over the years and who knows ddorband may even fill in the blanks for us !

 

So not one comment about how great these things are and to just smile and keep driving it?

Is the general consensus really to either buy an extended warranty or ditch it before suddenly turns to dust or something?

 

No, I don't think so. The OP did not list in his post any desire whatsoever to keep driving his truck without doing anything about his situation. To speak for myself, I was trying to help him/her decide which course of action would satisfy his needs by explaining what we do in our business.

So, there it is. Some of us depend on these trucks to get us 1,000-2,000 miles down the road every week and keeping one beyond 250,000 to do that becomes risky and that goes for any vehicle type or brand. Small businesses don't have a fleet shop where regular maintenance is scheduled and regular inspections are made.