My Coworker retired today, not yet 60, but past 59 1/2. I will be 60 in 22 days and it got me thinking as I have my retirement set for when I hit 65. He retired early after 37 years working at the same place, with a pension, though he can't collect for 2 years, but he has so much PTO and sick days built up that his payout is HUGE, how huge, didn't ask but when considering a year or more of PTO at his current rate, it should last him a few years until he can collect.

I have only bee there for 9 years, ten next March, have a decent 401K, but nothing like 37 years of banked PTO! So My F450 is a 2019, as of tomorrow it will be 6 years old, 10/18 build date. It will be 11 years old when I retire, paid off in 40 months. Once I retire I do not plan to have car payments, truck payments, RV payments, or whatever, and the Mortgage is mostly Escrow, which with taxes and insurance is actually higher than the mortgage itself, which once I reach a certain age, things kick in and drops the taxes. My wife will still be working 10 year after I retire, so the mortgage and utilities will be our only concern, which my pension and SS will cover easily.

Alright so, would NOW be the right time to get into a 2024 truck, extend my truck payment out 2 1/2 years and then have a 5 YO truck when I retire instead? A couple other factors that I am considering. The F450 is a great truck, handles my RV 5th wheel as if it isn't there, if that was ALL it did, then I would reconsider the F450, but it's not. Since I got the F450 I have only put 4,000 miles on the 5th wheel, but put 30,000 on the truck since I got it. Most of that time was empty driving to and from work, @ 13 MPG. <- This is my issue. The ride is secondary. The one thing I LOVE about the 450 is the turning.

So lets discuss the turning aspect of the F350. The LB SRW and DRW both have the same turning radius, Correct? Has anyone gone back to the F350 from a 450 and regretted it for any reason? Would I find that after backing my 43' long 5th wheel that is is actually a non issue? Backing my trailer into my drive on a 2 lane rural highway with ditches on both sides is my main concern. As it is now, I find I am putting the right front tire into the ditch on the far side, and I find my 5th wheel trailer breaks late into the turn. Will I find the same with the larger radius? If I go SRW, other than reduced GVWR, it handles the trailer well, I have driven at least 1000 miles or more with a SB 2012 F350 and other than the Sidewinder wedge causing side motion, it handled just fine. Trailer is 13,600 GVWR, its the length that needs the bigger truck.

Currently I am driving a 2014 Flex with 185K miles on it, love the car, HATE having to get gas every other day, getting old quickly. It gets 20 MPG, and its not the use of gas, its having a tiny tank, 16 gallons that needs to be filled every other day. For years I drove an F150 to work, filled once a week. It got 20 MPG. I am fairly certain that an F350 SRW with 3.31 would get me 20 MPG as well, and would be plenty of gear with the 6.7 and 10 speed with a 13K trailer. So do I really need DRW?

These are the thoughts going through my mind. I love driving the Flex, but hate the small tank. I love driving the big truck too, but hate the 13 MPG and the rough ride, and the thought of spending $2K to replace the rear tires. Would I regret giving up the awesome turning radius though? Would replacing the 2019 F450 with a 2024 F450 be a good choice? How much better would the ride be, and how much better is the fuel economy with the 10 speed?

Some real world numbers might help. Has the ride improved or does it still hop like a rabbit with its tail on fire? Is the fuel economy @ 65 MPH above 18 MPG or is that a pipe dream? I want it as my daily driver, 120 miles a day, 8' bed for hauling my 5th wheel and picking up large loads for the farm, like 2 pallets of things that weigh in at a ton each. Does a DRW 350 ride any worse or better than the SRW?

I know for some TL;DR, but hey, having an old age crisis here! 60 Years Freaking OLD!! How the hell I got to be 60, I will never know. LOL

 

There is much of this that I can't speak to, like the differences between the 350 and 450. But, I to will be 60 real soon and have plans on an early retirement (whatever that looks like). I have a 2019 F-350 that I bought new in 2020 as a daily work / pleasure truck. It's paid for and I love the truck. My plan is to keep this truck until I can no longer push it home. It will do anything I need it to in the future. I can think of many different ways to spend my money in retirement and they don't include a truck payment. BTW - the guy in my mirror still thinks he is 24, not 60. LOL

 

Don’t deceive yourself thinking your next truck will be your last truck.
Been there and done, or didn’t do that
The older we get the more disposable income we might end up with. You reach a point in your life where you have pretty much everything you want so spend the cash and enjoy life before you can’t.

 

I have a '22 F-450 with the 10 speed. I have 33k on it and tracked all the fuel; I get 10.8 pulling my 16.5k 5th wheel and 13.4 empty. It's a truck and the empty ride is rough, but I don't think it any worse than my '14 F-350 SRW. I doubt a F-350 DRW is any different than the F-450 and doubt it would get much better mileage. I like my F-450 a lot, but would not if it was a daily driver; I am probably 80% towing. The 19.5 tires are a PITA, but necessary for a heavy hauler.

I thought the same thing, buy a new truck when I retire and it would be my last; that was when I traded the '14 F-350 for a '19 F-450. Then covid and ridiculously high trade-in prices trashed that plan and I traded for the '22. I expect it to be my last truck, but who knows?

 

A 350 drw will not turn like the 450. it will be harder to put it in the yard.

I would get another 450 in a heart beat if I wanted a new vs anything else.

I have a 2016 Ford Tauras for the errant runner. I retired in 9/2022, 63 now. Still working for myself now and lots of vacation time.

Get a Maverick and commute in that.

 

'22 F450. Mostly empty driving, 16 mpg. Towing camper/race car, 12mpg.

The turning radius is absolutely amazing and for me, I totally need that short turn. We also have a regular cab but there are reasons for that. I knew that our driveway is narrow along with our street. We didn't know what camper to buy, still don't, so we rent/borrow. Today was the first day I put my buddies camper in my driveway... I absolutely, positively needed every inch of turning radius and short wheelbase to make it work.


Picture probably doesn't do it justice. Driveway is 11' at the narrow street end, road is 24' wide, trailer is 28' tongue to tail. F450 has more advantages that just outright pulling power.

Now, as for daily driving... I had surgery over the summer. I have a dedicated DD but I couldn't drive it after my surgery. The truck was FAR more comfortable. It also had A/C, but that's a different story. I have a 110 mile round trip commute to work. I do that 2-3 times a week. For the couple months I was recuperating, I took the truck to work. One fill up per week was the average with additional running around. Truck only has a 24 gallon tank and I was routinely 400 miles on it.

I wouldn't hesitate to DD my truck if I had to (and I did.) The ride is rough, but it's really not that bad. Would I like it softer and will I maybe take steps to do something about that? Sure. Would I be happy leaving it alone? Yes.

I mean, when you have a surgery where sitting is difficult and your 1-Ton Dually is the most comfortable ride, how bad can it really be?

 

I retired two years ago and my 2019 ford-450 that I bought new is paid off. Don’t plan to buy another one…this one is fine and I don’t really care about upper trim bells and whistles. It’s a lariat ultimate and that is good enough for me.

When I bought it I was looking for a dually that had plow package, camper package, sunroof, rear sliding window. If an xl had that I would have bought an xl.

Knowing what I know know, if I had a do over I would have tried to get a 2020 only for the new engine .

 

I daily a DRW and have for about 5 years now. My prior truck was a 350 drw, and in April this year, I upgraded to a 450. We pull a 39' fifth wheel as well.

I obviously notice it the most when I'm daily driving. The F450 is amazing for turn radius. I haven't had to battle any of the parking lot/obstacle negotiations issues I had with my F350. I would never go back if I could avoid it.

Towing, it isn't as clear to see the difference until you're backing. The tighter turn radius means a faster response of the trailer when you're backing, espwcially in tight quarters. That definitely helps, but the daily driving improvements is where this truck shines to me, personally.

 

Ironically, the 2012 SB King Ranch made backing easier, BUT that was with the Sidewinder and a much shorter wheel base. My #1 issue is Arthritis. It affects my lower back, hips, knees and hands. It makes sitting in smaller vehicles for any length of time, painful. The Flex is similar to roominess to the trucks, but the seats do tend to pinch my hips after a while, so I usually fall out of the car when I get to work and take a few moments to work the kinks in my back and hips out. I don't have that problem with the Platinum. I do have a problem with empty driving, it impacts my lower back. There are a couple bridges I cross every day and the transitions will put the rear end in the air getting on and off the bridge.

A list of pros and cons on the F450

Pro, tight turning radius
Pro, handles anything I need weight wise

Con 4.30 gears are extreme overkill
Con, Tires are Fooking expensive
Con, really hard ride when empty
Con, crappy fuel economy

It boils down to, I need a DD more than a towing truck, but it needs to be able to handle 14K 5th wheel. Then the next is, do I actually need a DRW. I would love to go with another F450, but the cons out weigh the pros, and 2 out of 4 are costly in the wallet. The best it does towing is just under 9 MPG, I averaged 8.8 going to the Dells last month, on a 2 hour trip. I have not seen anything over 9 MPG in over 4K miles of towing, about the same as the F-150 did with a small travel trailer. I think I won't be able to answer this without a decent road trip in a newer truck over the roads I travel, one is so bad it caused DW on the 2012. Going from 13 MPG to 18 MPG would be the biggest improvement as it means a difference of $50-60 a month between the Truck and Flex, and stopping for gas every other day is getting OLD. Seriously, it is the main reason I DON'T drive the F-450 more.

If I could put the ACC, heated steering wheel, PRB, and 8 way seat in an XLT, I would consider one, but thats more time and money than it is worth because it is still an XLT in the end.

LOL my Dealer friend sent me a window sticker, will this work? It is a 2024 Limited. I didn't know the 5th wheel prep was standard in them. Hey, if he can make that one work in my budget, Sure, I'll take it. Something tells me he is just teasing me though. LOL

 

Keep the 30k mile F450.

Per my math 35k miles a year commuting? Keep your eye out for a used 20-30k mile Taurus or Explorer etc as you roll up another year. Should last you till retirement.

Then use the 450 for your daily at retirement and buy your wife something new. I personally think 2017-19 are the best years.

 

Not knowing what the numbers are of your financial situation it's tough to make a good determination.

Sell the current DD and buy an older F-150 with a small motor for $15k and keep your current F-450 that's paid for? Dump the payment money towards the mortgage and get it knocked out. After that you're probably freed up to afford whatever truck suits the needs at that time.

Silastic spring shackles and good shocks should fix most of that abrupt bridge problem when you're empty.

 

It has 68K on it now. Thing is I WANT to drive the truck every day, trucks are more comfortable for my back, provided they aren't sending me towards the roof. I have a 2014 Flex I drive now, It's fun, but not as comfortable as the truck as it doesn't have the leg room to stretch out so I can crack my back or reposition my hips. When I get to work after 75 minutes of driving, it takes me a bit before I can walk as I need to work the kinks out, but I didn't have to do that with the truck. It's the 13 MPG and ride that prevent me from driving it every day. When we went back to 5 days a week I drove the truck every day, filling it twice a week. My last truck the F150 got 20 MPG but had a large tank and filled it once a week. The Flex I have to fill every other day, and that is getting old. Granted its about $60 a month less to drive, but still it is getting old. I want to eliminate the number of cars, insurance is expensive. We have a RAV4 that is liability only and is over $600 a year, on a car that sits more than it is driven, it will be the first to go, which factors into my decision.

If I can drive a truck every day, that gets 18 or better, then the Flex can be used by my wife, and the Focus can be used by the kid, or the Wife, then we don't have a car sitting unused that we pay insurance for, but still have a spare car, as it sits, I have a spare car and a very expensive spare truck. I cannot go without a 1 ton truck, period, and I surely do not want a maintenance hog like the 2012 was. I dumped more time in money into that truck and it still didn't meet our needs. At least someone now has a truck with a new bed on it.

 

The difference in price between your truck and new truck can buy a hell of a lot of fuel, mix that with the high interest rates and doing it strictly from a "i need a better MPG vehicle" perspective isn't going to net you a whole hell of a lot more $ than what you're in now. However it kind of sounds like you are using that to partly justify to yourself you want a new truck. If you want it, can afford it, and it makes sense do it.

Why the sudden change of heart on your current F450 though, you've done nothing but talk up your truck since you bought it and now all the sudden it's time for a new one?

 

I would put more trust your 2019 than a more current preowned, partially because you know how it was treated/maintained and partly because of the factory issues those years.
I would say to save your money for trips and drive the Flex till the wheels fall off and DD the F450 after you retire. Maybe do some yoga to help with the ride till then and have your kid fill up one of the times after work so that's not as annoying.

 

I daily drive my 450 about 50% of the time. I'm 62 and currently retired(sounds better than unemployed!), so not currently commuting.
As you know, you don't need a 450 for your trailer. A properly equipped F350 SRW is plenty of truck.
My other vehicle is an F350 Tremor. It feels like a sedan after driving the 450 for a while!
I average just over 14mpg with the 450, just under 18mpg with the 350. Not a huge difference. We will likely sell the 450 when we sell our Momentum toy hauler as we just don't use it like we intended.
I totally understand your back/hip small car issues. I'm in a similar situation.