I watched, in horror, the common rail introduction to the scene. "everyone" was going nuts over the power production that the common rails offered, and they were right, a tuner with stock turbo made enough power that the transmissions of the day needed to be built. Then a few years went by, and those common rails started eating cylinders cuz the injectors failed open and took out out cylinders. No biggie, they said, just replace the cylinder and move on.

Then common rails went from questionable injection system life to questionable-injenction system + emissions equipment. The DPF was then added sometime in the late 2000s and then we have degraded mpg, and diluted engine oil. That's all on top of the inherent problem with common rails - the failed injector.

The HEUI 7.3 and 6.0s are infinitely more reliable than even the common rail pre-emissions, and that says a lot considering the 6.0 sucked terribly in stock trim (thanks party to emissions).

 

Inflation Inflation Inflation. My '03 F250 4x4 V10 MSRP'd for $33K over 20 years ago now. Hard to believe that $33K is $58K in today's dollars. Just a reminder that I can increase my Upgrades and Gas budget (taking inflation into account). OP's MSRP example provides easy justification!

 

Remember how ridiculous 33k seemed then? I remember thinking that we must be nuts buying any of these trucks new. The diesel version was 40k, easy, back when you got the v10.

I'm 39, we have all heard older guys tell us that our generation is ****ed (fu-q'd). The older guys told the older guys when they were young, that their generation was ****ed. They were all correct, it's just that we continue to explore the limit of what "****ed" really means. I'd say it means 25+% of our GDP goes to interest payments, and increasing by the day, while the people who continue to orchestrate that spending don't seem to GAF, all-the-while creating a child-brined useful idiot class that cheers it on. . It could be chocked up as incompetence during another era, but the only logical conclusion at this point is intentional destruction.

 

I’m an old guy.
My first new pickup was a 1985 F-150 4x4
Custom, four speed manual 300 six.
$9,800.00 out the door.
Interest rate was 14.5%.

 

And that right there is why I still have my almost "antique" 02 F350/7.3/4x/CC/DRW.... last new truck I bought was an '02 Ex/7.3/4x/Limited 'twas not quite $50k then and I almost had a heart attack. I'll occasionally play around on the Ford website and price things out, and then walk out to the driveway and smile at my paid for "fleet" consisting of said '02 F350 w/156k, '00 Excursion w/142k, 98 Expy w/185k and all my older trucks... in full disclosure, I DID have a Bronco reserved in '21 and ordered in '22, however the idiot salesguy that processed my order didn't check the MANUAL box and it came as an auto. My price on that was just under $48k, but it wasn't a manual so I didn't get it, had a lot happening back then, but still don't regret not having a truck payment, it was a want not a need.

 

Toyota has an excellent solution but NO, you (and all of us) can NOT have it. Trust FedMamma and pay the big $$$ to the corporations (like big pharma) and shut up! FedMamma knows best.

The solution . .
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...mobility-show/

 

IMHO the 300-6 was the best most basic dependable engine ever put in a truck. My first one was a straight drive I picked up at a dealership which they just wanted to move out off their lot. I considered myself lucky. What a great truck. Cant find them now.

 

I've turbo'd a few, they are great truck engines once configured. I would 100% daily drive a turbo 300 obs

 

I do like old school. One of the things I liked about Cummins . . straight six. Huge torque.

 

I bought a 2014 F250 in March and my father bought a 2024 F350. Same basic spec truck (even the same color), just ten years and 30k miles apart. I paid $25k, he paid $55k.

Now he is in a different situation than most people. He is older, ran his last truck into the ground, and had to spend a certain amount of his retirement this year. It works for him.

While I'm very happy having a low mileage truck at a new 30k savings. I just have to keep the rust at bay.

 

On point, well said

I remember when the 6.4 made its debut then the 6.7. People traded in their faithful 6.0, 7.3, and V10 trucks for newer technology and more creature comforts. Some of them didn't let things play out much less weigh the cost of ownership vs their current vehicle. I faced this back in 2011 and again in 2013.

My 2001 Excursion Rudolph needed some love at 10 years old and while I could've bought a newer Super Duty, I chose to sink the $4000 I saved up into him and it paid dividends. For me, the only other time I had to sink that much money into him was in 2021 when the torque converter blew up and ate my transmission.

In 2013, I looked at a '13 Super Duty platinum with the 6.2 Gas. I was on the fence about it especially with the $70,000 price tag which came out to a $1200 payment WITH good credit and $5,000 down. To me I figured I could spend $1200 on a truck or I can spend it on a house. Needless to say I spent it on a house instead.

I still wanted a new truck so I instead got myself my 2005 Excursion just the way I wanted it. I knew the cost of ownership and knew I could do most of the work it would need. This made it easy for me to not only afford the truck but enjoy it, even with the repair bills along the way.

Common rail trucks out of warranty cost some serious money when issues arise. I now know how to prevent them, keep the truck healthy, and do the work myself, much like I did with my 6.0 Excursion. If anything, I may pick up a 2014-2015 Super Duty for $20-25K or less with a blown up fuel system but part of my heart is still with a 6.0 Super Duty. I may even consider a V10 Super Duty but either way, "paid for" is better.

 

Couldn't agree more...
My 66 F100 has the 300/1bbl/T-18/3.70's and gets 18+mpg on the hwy, my 79 F250 I sild to my BIL, 4x/300/Offy w/4bbl/NP435/4.10's and 33's, avg. 18+ for 1800 miles when I drove it from CA to MO, have a 300 I'm finishing buttoning up to put in my 64 F250 4x, it has 4.56's so I'm not expecting great mileage, but I am looking forward to the Smileage I get driving it! I still kick myself way back in 96 when the Ford stealer in SoCal had F150's with the 300 and 5 speed for not buying 3 or 4 of them! They had them in 2wd and 4wd and I want to think they were under 25k, reg cab.. tis a good thing sometimes I don't have money to throw around!

 

Sounds like you both have nice pickups! Adding those trucks together would still be $20K short of the MSRP example that started this thread.

 

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Ya right...100K for a pick up, are you kidding me! HARD PASS. Thats a frigging house payment!...or it was a few years ago.
Imagine a municipality or a business that has to turn over their fleet. No wonder why my property taxes are out of control. At least with a business you can write off a portion....and then pass it off to the customer. It rolls down hill.

I hope to drive my 2011 till I'm dead. Still rot free and under 100K. The dealers are chasing me to trade up for a brandi new F250. "We will give you 30K trade". Ya sure, in trade for 1500/month payment. Cant imagine why I'm not running to my dealer for this absolutely awesome deal.

If I ever need another truck Ill get an Arizona sun baked 1970 F250 paint it,Krown it and go...Oh wait those are a 100K now. Guess I'm walkin.

Lets hope the next 4 years and beyond someone gets a hold of this out of control inflation.