Good evening, I am a new owner of a new-to-me 2004 F250 extended cab. There are many like it, but this one is mine. I picked it up with 75k original miles on it from a local Ford dealership. It's 2wd with the 5.4L. Now, I looked and looked for quite a while. It seems in my area (Southern Missouri= Springfield) trucks are very much prized. While KBB and NADA put a price of 10-11k bucks retail for this truck, there is no way in H3LL you will find one at that price in my area. In fact, the salesmen at the lot didnt even know they had it, because it just came in the night before and has not even been detailed yet. I found it way before it hit the lot because i was snooping. This truck started on the lot at 16.5k and by the time we were finished, I had them down to 15k. after my trade in (4k applied) for my wifes 06 chevy uplander with 130k on it, I got it for a bit over 11k. which is still over book even with my trade in. All that said, I am feeling good about the deal because I have been looking for a long time. The vehicle is in near mint shape. I was wondering If I am alone in seeing this messed up trend of book values vs. real life or if the damn insurance agents are sleeping with the KBB and NADA teams? I would love to hear your opinions on this. To add, this truck spent most if its life in Georgia and has almost zero rust. just some surface specs on the frame/springs/bolts. Very clean.

 

I'm not sure about trucks specifically in the past, but blue book and nada don't seem to be very accurate with the market value anymore.

Congrats on the purchase!

 

Good example of why it it saves to use the net and find one several states away. A 2wd around here is just about worthless, wouldn't find the same truck for even $10K on a lot. Truecar is about the best price estimator site and takes location into account since it really just shows the prices cars were listed and sold for.

 

While I would not have minded a 4x4 it wasn't on my must have list. same with crew cab vs. extended. That said, as I mentioned I have shopped quite a bit and could not find a rig like the one I purchased for that milage/ price , even out of state. some were close though. Which again raises my question of where the hell book values come from. My dealer told me that he had more in my truck than what it booked at. wtf?

 

blue book seems to be a guide for a starting point, and every area has different demands. My 2002 dodge Dakota blue booked at 5500, but since it was two wheel drive, its essentially worthless around here. after having it sit around for 5 months and more and more clear coat peeling of the hood, i opted to sell it for 4000, instead of making yet another insurance payment. now my ford that i bought blue booked for 7600, i picked it up for 6500 b/c i knew the people selling it and paid cash. that truck would have sold for about blue book b/c people around here love 4x4 . we have lot of farms here. if it were a 7.3 it would have sold more then blue book.

 

If this truck were not a 250 but a 150 with same mileage it would have been almost half the price where I am. 4x4s are also in huge demand here, but even a 250 2wd commands more than book. Hell, I even saw a 08 Tundra extended cab (also 2wd) with 110k miles selling for over 16k the same day, different dealer.... and yeah.. not.

 

Not the case here. I got my truck for 2k less than any comparable 1/2 ton I could find... Though I really could use the 4wd.

 

When I worked for a car lot in the 90's . We had two books we used . The blue book and the black book . Totally different pricing . Don't know how it works now , but , we use to make a killing on used cars and trucks .

 

well, I realize I could have found a cheaper truck by going out of state, but that leaves me having to sell my "down payment" vehicle on my own, then traveling just to inspect the vehicle and test drive it on the chance I may want it (or roll the dice on the chance the seller is honest and correct). If I were paying cash and/or did not have a trade in it would for sure open up more chances of a good score. I am a working family man that can not swing a $500 dollar monthly payment (can you say "Child support" lmao) I will sacrifice some price for convenience, but there seems to be a fine line between satisfied and "my butt hurts". I think part of this is due to the fact that I live in a area that is chock full of 5th wheels and RV's. I'm sure that's part of what is driving the prices up on the local F250's.

 

Good god, it sounds like I might be taking a road trip to Springfield. I paid a lot less than that for my 2004 crew cab 4x4 Lariat diesel in October. I got it for about $2000 less than blue book. Most of the Super Dutys seem to be at or below blue book, while GMs and Dodges are a few grand more.

I don't understand why the book values are not more accurate for different areas, since they always ask for your zip code.

 

congrats on your purchase. same story here. in the NYC area the price is 5K more than driving out to the outskirts 50 miles away. bought a 2005 SD lariat 4X4 crew cab with 84 K for 16K (had a trade to bring it down to 12K). Same vehicle in NYC will cost you 23K, while at the same time, trade in offer is only 13K. Needless to say, will keep this one for a while. I changed all the fluids right away and bought the external trans filter which I will install soon...the one in the truck looks like it's never been replaced....so good chance housing external filter housing will crack. fingers crossed. Leaving the spark plus alone...til I can't start it...then will go down that path.

 

Run a used vehicle through a price finder at New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing - Edmunds.com and then Official Kelley Blue Book New Car and Used Car Prices and Values - the KBB site is 25% higher on average, for 'dealer retail'. No wonder dealers love KBB.