Concern: Jump-in and buy a 2021 3/4T Diesel truck loaded-up to the tune of $83K MSRP and hope to buy at ~8%-11% off MSRP and find that it's too much hassle for the around town use until next early Spring when I'll be outfitting for long distance overland trips as well as long distance slab time. Then, if I don't really like it, I've got a BIG ticket truck that I'd no-way be able to sell or trade without a huge hit.

Idea: Buy a 2018 and essentially test whether or not I like living with it. Understanding fully that the '20+ improvements deliver a different experience but my hope would be that I'd have a great truck that I can make my "test" truck. One KEY consideration is that buying and selling/trading a 2018 within one year means being able to get close to what I paid. Making it a low(er) risk proposition.

The "safe" thing is to wait for 2021 1/2T trucks and be one of the zillions of F150s on the road. But, it'd be roughly the same money as a 2018 or 2019 F250 when it's outfitted as I would. Yes, they'll probably run me out of town in my neighborhood with a large Diesel truck parked on the street. Yes, it is major overkill as I won't be towing heavy for at least 2 years but carrying a fairly heavy pop-up camper and towing a bike or two in the Spring. But I like the idea of the 1,000 mile road trips in this and will soon convert one of these into a real overland machine (no illusions about trail-running stuff with this big a truck).

So, unless a 2018 is for some reason going to give me problems, It would be almost a "try before ya buy" scenario where the big ticket rig is concerned.

Ya think I'm slightly analytical? I give myself a flippin headache. Sheesh. Maybe I'll just ride my motorcycles and call it a day...

 

Buy once, cry once

 

Ha! Good reminder...

Maybe I'm being silly thinking you can actually hedge a bet with any late model truck. It's a crazy market. The diff between 2020 and 2021 are not enough to grab one and many 2019 are not even far-off and they're of course pre-driveline refresh.

Thanks. Not sure I'll do it, but I do appreciate it.

 

Well around here 2018 trucks are going for their original MSRP. There is no deals to be had. Just buy the truck if you really need it.

 

Good point. I certainly don't 'need' the truck now. I can drive another vehicle for as long as I need/want to. Just don't love the idea of driving my vehicle that's appreciating. I'd rather keep it under the cover. It's getting a bit cold for the motorcycles as well.

Heck, if I'm so worried about "fit" maybe I can find one to rent for a month...

 

If you want to rent you can rent these trucks from Enterprise and Herc easily. You need to rent from the truck rental not the consumer car rental locations.

 

Roger that.

 

As mentioned its better to order. Better value there

 

You’re not going to be able to buy a 2018, drive it for a year, and sell it for what you paid. That’sa horrible assumption. If that was possible, we’d all do that.

 

In my market the 18s are going for close to new which is definitely not normal. Usually I would say buy the 18 but right now the better deals are on the 20s. Before spending the money go rent a F250 or similar truck and drive it for a week then decide.

 

So, that's a "Yes, your logic is flawed"? ;^)

My HOPE (wishful thinking, yes) was stated as "...buying and selling/trading a 2018 within one year means being able to get close to what I paid." Of course, two HUGE variables there. What I paid and what the market's like. The operative phrase was "CLOSE" to what I paid. I know that I bought a 2020 GMC Sierra in April this year and sold it for $1200 more than I paid in October...but I think all bets are off in this crazy Covid time.

Signed, Horrible Assumer <grin>

 

Thanks! Yeah, I think that's the right thing to do. In fact, the guy I've tried to run a deal with is the Fleet manager at a Ford store so I'll ring him on the outside chance he has something sitting around he'd let me borrow for a few days.

I tried speaking with Enterprise about how to get a 3/4T or 1T Ford and they were completely lost and unhelpful. I then called Hertz....rang and rang and rang then on hold until I bailed.

I think I'll stop being an overly analytical PITA and just buy one...I know what the drive like, so it's not going to change much to drive it around for a week. There are some well equipped 2020's in my market but they're not giving any better deal than one one I can order today.

 

I owned a 2016 F-150 since new (Dec 2016) and thought that was going to be my last truck. I was involved in a wreck (my fault) and wound up having to have the frame completely replaced. The dealer I bought it from low-balled me on trade in after it was fixed (would only offer "auction" value on it) and I laughed as I walked out the door. A year later, the same dealer came up to me and offered me $3k over their initial offer. I still laughed as they were seriously low-balling me. I waited and then saw some of the guys on the F-150 forum talking about Carvana offering some good trade-in values and other places as well. I clicked on a link for "Instant Cash Offer" on a truck trader page and within 30 minutes, had a call from a local dealer. They wanted me to bring my truck in that evening to look it over and give me an offer. Thinking I was going to be low-balled again, I jumped at the chance to laugh at them as I walked out the door. Well, the surprise was on me. They offered me $13,500 over what I owed on it, even with the frame being replaced. I told them I wanted to think about it and went home and started looking. My girlfriend and I ride a Goldwing and sometimes we just want to drive to a destination and then ride around instead of riding 3 or 4 days to get there and being worn out from the ride. Hence we bought a 7'x12' enclosed trailer that we could also use as a camper if we wanted. Well, after a couple of trips in the F-150 (with a Coyote motor, mind you) I decided I didn't want to strain it too much. Plus we also had talked about possibly buying a toy hauler in the next year or two. Well, with the new offer for my F-150, I decided to look at F-250's. I found a 2017 F-250 with a 6.7 liter in it, 2 1/2" Ready Lift leveling kit, all the options I wanted short of the Adaptive Cruise Control, but it also had a spray in bed liner, 35" tires and Fuel wheels. After driving it, i worked a deal with the dealer to buy the truck and they took my '16 in as trade. I probably paid a little more than I should have for the truck, but for it to come equipped like it did, I thought that it would save me money in the long run. I've been driving it for 2 months now and I'm loving it. I've pulled the trailer with it a couple of times with the bike in it (about 2600 lbs total weight) and it doesn't even feel like it's there.

All of this to say, I bought now so that I could have the experience of driving a 250 or larger before deciding to buy the toy hauler to see how I liked it. Fuel mileage is not a big concern with the price of diesel so cheap around me, and the truck is fantastic to drive. If it turns out that I decide I don't want to buy a toy hauler or 5er, then I can sell the truck and buy something else. If you're gonna jump, jump in safely. Make sure the bottom is clear and you're ready for the added expense of owning a diesel. Filters are more expensive, requires more oil in oil changes, fuel filters need to be changed more often and this all costs more money. I have a year plus to decide, so I'm going to enjoy the luxury of this truck till then and enjoy pulling my trailer and bike wherever I want to go. Good luck on your decision!!! And keep us informed!! Inquiring minds want to know.

 

a modern crew cab is not an unappealing daily driver. It’s not like a single cab with no room for people and it’s not like some weird leper specialty thing. Unless you’re concerned about garage heights, fuel, or using mirrors like a man (or a 360 camera like me) I see no possible downside to a super duty over any other vehicle.

just do it. Cognitive dissonance will do the rest.

 

Nice, Keith. Your story sounds similar to where I'd be if I bought an F150 (snore)...minus the crash. That-is, I'd definitely be towing either my '16 Road Glide Ultra and/or '20 BMW R1250 Adventure just to get closer to a riding destination vs sitting in the saddle for 6-8 hours of slab where you're hoping for some heavy crosswind or rain just to break-up the monotony...ha. I'm getting too old and fat for that, sadly. Though I did do a little 30mph get-off on the Adventure bike last week in the dirt. Fun w/ nothing broken. Anyway, the 3/4 ton idea was really all-about having the flexibility...whether needing to transport a 2,500 pound+ piece of chocolate manufacturing equipment, putting a low-profile modern pop-up and towing a bike, or just putting the 900+ LB bike in the back and heading out into no-mans land. I have other vehicles to go to the flippin hardware store, after all.

Great outcome with your bent 150, man!