Here is my .02. Find a Ford Garage, with a good mechanic, and get the truck fixed.
I'm glad you trust your mechanic, but I feel he is over his head. 2 month's he has been throwing parts, and not fixed it. The money you spend on getting it fixed, is not worth the time you don't have it.
I am not saying your mechanic is bad, I AM saying, ford has the proper tool's, and a hotline that would get it done quicker.
I'm sure there is a Cheezit, or Mchan somewhere in your state!
The Ford garage will be expensive, that is a fact.
Your mechanic is a good dude, who is working with you, and trying to get you going, but for how long?

 

Get it fixed. It's a pain in the rear situation from what it sounds like but like you said, not a 6.0 problem.

What if you try and trade/sell and that issue your having shows up during a test drive? People will run instead of walk. I think you've got the right thinking of stuffing money away vs an increase in payment. Throwing money at repairs is a here and there thing. Monthly payments don't go away and can't be put off. I mean if you can stuff $1000 every 4 months (is that what you said or did I read that wrong?) heck in 12 months you'll have $3,000 set aside. Keep doing the same for the duration of you rloan and you'll have $9,000+. Trade in then, plus cash and maybe you're ahead vs selling now. Start saving more money and you'll have some serious leverage on what you want to buy.

Or just keep piling the cash and draw payments from it while having a pile of cash to draw other things from. Or maybe by then (3-4 years) you have an interest in a home? Just in fees to purchase my home was $10,000. JUST FEES not even a downpayment!

You've got an awesome truck and I hope you figure this problem out so it can serve you for years to come.

Good luck in your decision.

 

Another vote to keep it here. Besides this problem with the pedal, which really isn't even 6.0 related, your truck seems to be trouble free. You've already done all of the big reliability mods and the truck looks awesome. I would get your electrical issue taken care of and drive it. 130,000 is really not any miles on the engine. Also even though $2-300 more a month doesn't seem like a lot now, it will make you feel the pinch on other everyday purchases you make. You also made the switch to diesel for a reason, and I think that if you go back to gasser when it seems you really enjoy the diesel you will be dissatisfied. I will admit that the allure of a newer Super Duty is sweet, but I also feel that upgrading just to get something newer is a habit that will cost you a lifetime. Keep it, fix it, drive it, and then cruise it around to pick up some chicks.

 

I haven't read all the responses above, but my vote is to keep the truck. I'm that guy who trades cars off every year or two because I get tired of them. Over the last ten years I've been through 12 cars, most of them new. Just thinking about how much money I've blown over this makes me sick. I keep telling myself I'll keep this truck for 10 years, but I probably won't make it that far.

Keep your truck Miles. Pay it off and keep some money in your pocket. The electrical issue SUCKS, but it can and will be fixed at some point. Pay it off and then you can laugh at all the guys like me with huge payments.

 

My vote would also be to keep it Miles. Shes a real beauty and with $8400 to go and you just have to drive it. Its all gravy then. Heck pay it off early. It can be frustrating dealing with vehicle issues specially on yer baby though.

I could see why youd want a new ride too. We all like new toys specially when we work hard everyday. Its nice to get rewarded and you seem like a good hard working man but IMO a new truck would be low on the list.

 

Amen to that, sell that bottomless pit 6 Leaker and get a good gas engine SD. If you can find a good used 2005-2010 6.8 V-10, you'll love it. Otherwise go for a new 6.2 V-8 with 4.30 gears. Never look back, I didn't.

Pap

 

Every time something comes up with my 00 V10, I go through the same deal. I paid $6500 for it because the guy was moving to FL and looking to sell quick. It seems like I've had to do a lot to catch up on maintenance stuff. And every time something comes up, I'm ready to just get rid of it. I've definitely weighed the pros and cons a bit.

Being 22, I don't have much financial responsibility to deal with, I'm on my parents' insurance, I don't have much for student loans, and I don't start making payments until I graduate. Basically all I worry about now is my apartment utilities and gas for my truck.

I could easily work more, especially over the summer to make higher payments on a newer truck. The KBB value on my current truck is about 7k if sold privately, plus I've done a few upgrades (level, heavier coil springs, and other cosmetic stuff), so it could be fairly feasible to sell this truck for a newer one.

I don't really drive around town so I can save gas and exercise, so I could go with a diesel if I wanted, plus upgrade to a truck with 4x4 (which I hate being without), a newer truck with fewer miles, and a bulletproofed engine, that I could theoretically drive longer before having to buy another vehicle. Also, having fewer payments now makes adding a truck payment more reasonable.

On the downside, that would be a payment that I'd be responsible for. If I lost my job or things got rough, I'd have to worry about making those payments still. My truck does alright as it is. Body is in decent shape, engine is running well so far, suspension has been a pain, as well as dealing with only 2wd here where we have a terrible road crew. Plus, there's no guarantee that if I got a bulletproofed 06-07 6.0L, I wouldn't have to still dump money into fixing stuff on it (plus the higher cost of regular maintenance). And like Tom said, what's the actual likelihood of buying a newer truck and sticking with it vs continually upgrading to newer trucks?

 

Thanks everyone. Im definitely going to be keeping my truck. And NO this is not my mechanics fault. He stands behind what he does and didnt charge me a dime last time it was in his shop, but i bought him a case of beer. And then he took time out of his day to drive 35 minutes one way and pick my truck up with his trailer...no maybe electrical isnt his strong suit but hes not giving up. And Hes swamped with work as everytime theres a snow storm people come in before and after last minute to have **** fixed, its been on and off for 2 months or whatever but he didnt actually start digging into it until thursday. And going to a ford mechanic does no good, he knows all the good ones and one actually assisted him in troubleshooting last time. The ford mechanic was the one who thought he found the problem but no luck...

Either way, im definitely going to be keeping it and just hope this can be sorted out soon

 

lol i know, i ended up making pretty good money last summer (for 19), like 4 digits a week, working my *** off in pool construction though...didnt do **** all summer but work on my truck and work (XDP was like the highlight of my summer) Also didnt really save anything, At least i took care of all my wants though. Been saving a lot lately so i hope i can keep that going

And my truck right now is financed through a credit union actually, they had the best rate along with the only ones who would finance a 2003

 

They are great. Mine had a rate of 1.75% for any term up to 84 months. That's like "free" money.

 

As much as i would love to tell you to dump the 6.0 i have to agree your married to it now for awhile at least. I know you really like it so i hope it starts running right for you soon!

 

Haha we are all married to our vehicles in some way, AK ex. Whether it's payment, repairs, or some special event in our life, there is a connection to our vehicles. Especially to ones that are a symbol of pride and joy, treated like a family member.

 

And like a crazy ex wife some of them you just want to go away forever..

 

For some that's certainly true. Not this guy though. I've averaged buying/selling a vehicle more than once a year for the past ten years. The second it doesn't suit my needs and there's another viable alternative it's GONE.

I like my F150 a lot, it's a great truck. But if something were to happen to it I'd move on to the next without giving it a second thought. It's just a collection of plastic and metal parts anyway, they make more every day!

 

Yea idk how you guys do that, i love my truck...i really dont think i could ever sell it unless it was for EXACTLY the new truck i wanted