Hey all! I've been going back and forth in my mind for about a year or so on whether it's time to upgrade to new a truck or keep throwing money at my old ones. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I want to hear your stories, good and bad, that might help me in my decision. Some more details regarding my decisions below.

I currently run a 2001 F150 5.4 as my daily driver that I've owned for over 10 years and is creeping up on that 200k mile mark and I know some expensive repairs are surely on their way. I also have a 1999 F250SD with the V10 gasser in it that I use for towing my trailer (10k lbs fully loaded) and for hauling other crap around. The SD has over 270k miles on it. Thankfully the previous owner put a remanufacatured engine in the SD about 60k miles ago, but the transmission is still original. I've already asked the dealership how much a new transmission would be, about $5k parts/labor, as this one had lots of debris in the last transmission flush I had done earlier this spring.

Here's my question to everyone, should I stick with the trucks I have and pay for the new transmission in the SD? Or, do I bite the bullet and but a new, or slightly used, SD to replace both trucks all together? If I bought a new truck, that would be my daily and my tow rig until I can look into getting a better commuter car. But I like the idea of replacing the transmission in the SD because; 1, its cheaper, and 2, I really like these generation of trucks and the way they look. But I'm also leaning towards a new truck to have the benefits of better gas mileage, modern conveniences, and increased towing/payload capacity. And if I go the route of a new 250SD, would I be able to get buy with the gas engines or should I make the jump to diesel?

What's all of your thoughts on this? I really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

- Jared

 

Just went through this myself. Sold my 2001 Excursion V10 after I bought a 2003 F350 with the 7.3 in it. The idea of a new 7.3 Gasoline Super Duty was nice, but the payments that would go along with it really turned me off. Also, the MPG would only be marginally better than that V10. Add to it the current inventory shortage and youd be paying MSRP or more than that even if you could find a dealer with new stock.

Unless you have a drastic increase in the amount you need to tow, or have available for payload hauling Id say stick with the truck you have. I will say though, that I wish I would have purchased a Super Duty or Excursion with the 7.3L Powerstroke in it years ago. I hand calculated 17.5 mpg on one leg of my trip from Tennessee back home to Arizona. Vega, TX to just outside Albuquerque, NM. Unloaded of course. Its double the highway MPG that my V10 Excursion got.... so if you WANT a new truck, finding a good condition 7.3L Powerstroke SD would be my vote.

 

What gear ratio do you currently have?

I have a 1999 F250 SD V10 4x4. I had my transmission rebuilt a few months ago with new Torque Converter and a couple other upgrades for $2k, add in a new Radiator, Transmission cooler, fluid and a couple other bits I was easily at $3k total plus installation and removal myself. It's definitely an awkward job, helps to have a second person during install.

My next upgrade is the Doug Thorley headers I've had on the shelf for a while, need time and some other tools though. After that will be some 4.56 gears, traction devices, traction bars and finally a seat upgrade to a newer model. My truck was recently stolen and repaired through my insurance, in that time I casually looked at a 6.2 V8 SD, trucks are holding a high resale value, keep in mind Ford is having an issue getting electronic chips for vehicles like other manufacturers during this COVID.

 

If it were me I would find a Max Tow F150 new on the lot and immediately put a 10,000/1,000 aftermarket hitch and 4600 Bilstein shocks in the rear. That will work fine unless you tow daily or have a tongue heavy trailer; and you wouldn’t be able to have a lot of weight in the bed of the truck while towing.

Finance with Ford and put your current trucks for sale at these crazy inflated prices. Then pay down the note and go refinance with a credit union.

They run sales on F150s new even though there is a shortage I see popup ads from local dealers. Max Tow and crew cab 6’ bed would be best.

Good luck

 

I refuse to buy a new truck at these crazy inflated prices. And the property taxes will take your breath away. My local mechanic says ford is building vehicles with the cheapest parts money can buy. No I would not get a new truck.

 

Its the used trucks that are nuts….

 

It really is both, I've been seeing stickers around the country with a $20k markup on Super Duty's in stock. All posted in social media, people walking into dealers and showing the tag.

 

I'm not actually sure which ratio I currently have, is there an easy way to figure that out? Would I be better off hitting up a transmission shop instead of the dealer to get an aftermarket transmission put or would sticking with whatever the dealerships are putting in these days be the route to go? I don't tow real often currently, but that's partially because I don't know how much longer the transmission will last. I'd be less hesitant to take it on the road more often if I knew it wasn't going to crap out on me halfway through the trip.

I unfortunately do not have the know how or tools to replace a transmission on my own which is why I asked the dealer how much it would be to replace. I just had the radiator in 250 replaced last year, so that's one less expense to throw in there. The original made it 265k miles before I blew it pulling my trailer up Snoqualmie Pass.

I know new inventory is hard to come by right now and the resale on used is crazy, but the draw of having new and shiny is strong! But the simplicity of these older generations are really handy on diagnosing problems.

 

I just ordered a new super duty at invoice. Should be here before the end of the year.

Seeing occasional popup ads for discounted F150s in stock. If he did that it may take a wide search. He will want a Max Tow package crew cab 6’ bed to tow his 10,000 trailer; just pick that on the ford build site and search inventory and keep changing the zip code in the browser.

 

…………………..wrong thread

 

Joe, don't depend on your dealer to follow through when the truck comes in. Just heard the local dealer wanted to jack the price up 30,000$ when a truck arrived. All the buyer could do was get his 100$ deposit back.

 

We have a contract and agreed price.

I have ordered from them before.

I am thinking about ordering an F150 super cab long bed 2.7 payload package for one of my workers as well. Used market is nuts.

 

I have a 03 Sd 5.4 with close to 200,000 and I decided to put some money in it and keep it, engine has been replaced, transmission has been rebuilt, I replaced the fuel pump, all the hoses, belts, lock out hubs, brake lines, brakes, front wheel bearings, ball joints, I spent some money but I plan on getting many more years out of it.