How are you all doing, my name is Rick, I'm 42 and I usually hang out in the 73-79 section, I love the older trucks and have a project 78 Bronco, but my family car just took a dump ( 2000 Chrysler Concorde piece of crap) so I have decided to try to buy a brand new or almost new truck, but I have never bought a new vehicle, and my credit is not all that great, but I do own my home out-right(bought and paid for) so I am hoping I can use it as collateral, I do not know much about the newer trucks but I have a pretty good idea of what I want, I would like to get a super charged diesel, F250-350 4x4, short bed, extended cab or crew cab, I am hoping that this is a good time for the car companies to let a high risk person as myself to buy a new truck, if I have to I will try other companies but I would prefer to stick with ford . can anyone help point me in the right direction? as in how to go about this and what is a good truck to look at? what I will need etc, also do they still make a snow fighter package or something similar? thanks guys, any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated . later and Merry Christmas...Rick

 

To stay with the turbo charged diesels I think your in the 94 to current year range. While I like the looks of the 91-99 F250, a 99+ should have lower miles and last you a little longer.

New vs Used, I would look at the difference you'd pay in new sticker price vs how much your going to pay in interest in a used truck loan. New vehicles usually have a lower interest rate than used, but if your close in interest then the extra 10-15 grand is a heavy hit. If I were to do it again, I would make out a list of what I want; ie 4x4, PSD, Crew Cab, short bed, no lift, no mud tires, (I'll get into that later), Lariat or King Ranch, 60/40 seats up front, ect. Then grab up some autotrader like magazines and see what similar trucks are going for. My used vehicle loan was 5.4%, I can't remember how to work out the interest, but there are online calculators. Figure out how much that loan will cost and visit your dealers. Tell the salesman what you want and how much you are willing to pay and take a look at what they can offer.

I'd stay clear of any 4wd with a more than a leveling kit or mud tires. Either it was previously a mall crawler (which should be in decent shape) or it has probably been abused and you're purchasing someone headache. There should be a good selection of 7.3 and 6.0 non lifted trucks to look at.

 

If you end up trying to buy a Ford truck from a Ford dealer, have them run the OASIS records on it for you--that will tell you what Ford has done to that truck since new. You can also get an OASIS check by getting the VIN and asking for one on the OASIS CHECK thread. I personally would stay away from any 2003 with the 6.0--it proved to be a problem introduction of a new engine.

 

05 and newer have a better turning radius, due to the coil spring suspension in the front. I have an 04 and love it, but it sure doesn't turn very tight.

 

Great info guys, thank you, this is exactly the type of in-put I was looking for, keep it coming, I have no problems making the payments or anything like that, when I say I have not so good credit, it is just some old medical bills I acquired when I was young and dumb, and I am the type of person that has always paid cash and have never had a credit card, if I could afford to pay cash for it then I didn't need it and yea I have no problem getting a new used truck as long as it is a good one that will last a long long time, so keep on bringing me the in-put on what types of trucks to look at..Rick

 

Go to your financial services person and arrange a loan for the purchase. Then go shopping for what you can get. Credit is difficult to get nowadays with no credit history. Do NOT tell the dealer that you have financing already as they will negotiate a lower price if they think will make it up on the finance charges. If you are looking for a new truck you should try to get a "A" or "X" plan PIN. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...st-thread.html
I got a X plan PIN by calling Ford customer service and asking for one.

 

With the current market downturn you may be able to do better than an A or X plan deal. I just got an email yesterday from Ford announcing "Below Employee Pricing".

Used Super Duty trucks have dropped in value also. If you can get the credit, now is a great time to buy a Super Duty.

 

I would go with a 350 vs. a 250. There are alot of sagged out rear 250's around. The power train is the same for both but the extra towing capacity sure is nice. I've owned a 2004-350 crew cab short box 4 x 4 and currently drive the same in an 07. The 05-07 do ride nicer than the 03-04 PSD. My 04 -6.0 turned out to have an 03 motor and I also head gasket and turbo problems. Huge bill to pay if there is no warranty. they actually take the cab off for the repair. I saw the bill to Ford for warranty. It was almost 11K. The date code is on the passenger side valve cover. The 6.o engine in my 07 has treated me well though. 98,000 miles and not a single issue.

 

super-charged deisel ???

u meant "Turbo" rite ???

as far as getting a SD, ur timing couldnt be better.. wether u buy new or used, anyone in the industry selling vehciles will be glad to take ur money...

if u can swing it, i'd be temtped to buy NEW thou...u can take advantage of some HUGE savings...

 

YES! I did mean to say Turbo, sorry, I am used to being a gas man, but once again guys, GREAT IN-PUT thank you, I was figuring now would be a good time to go new as well, so if I can go that route

 

The F-250 and F-350 SRW have the same springs and the same towing capacity.

The stuff about F-250s having "sagged out rear" and F-350s having more towing capacity is BS.

The F-350 has greater HAULING capacity, due to having a rear axle with a higher spline count, plus the rear does sit higher because of larger suspension blocks between the springs and the axle, but the F-350 SRW is not rated to TOW a larger load than an F-250 with the same drive train.

 

The OP said his house was paid for. How about getting a home equity loan to purchase the truck and maybe some home improvements? The interest paid on such a loan should be tax deductible. Should be fairly easy to get a loan this way using the house as equity....unless, of course, the house is not worth much.

 

That's a good idea Barrelhorses I was thinking about that, I just have to get out to my credit union and talk to them, the house is well worth $60'000 or so, but with today's housing market being flooded with cheap houses, I would probably be lucky to say its worth $40'000-$45'000. so anyways now i know what I have to do about the financing part,

so lets switch this thread up ,

" What Year Truck Should I Be Looking For ?

I'll run down what I want in a truck.

4x4 is a must
Diesel , preferably with a turbo
short bed
F250-350
extended cab or crew cab, I am thinking 4 dr? or the two small doors that open up the sides of the extended cab would be nice for the family and I still get the truck I want.
it does not need all the bells and whistles. I just want a good, strong dependable truck, I live in snow country so rubber mats instead of carpet would be good too, I also do not need a/c, but it would be nice when its needed?
It does not have to be brand new, but that would be nice, but not if they are not worth it and an older truck would be better..
I am just sick of buying old used up **** that looks great, but then only last a few years, HELL I have only had this Chrysler for 2 yrs, and I have had nothing but problems with it. damn it, I sold a nice 65 Falcon to buy that piece of crap?

 

I believe that is what Rick is considering... a home equity load, which is almost the same as having cash. This is a buyer's market, make no mistake about it. You are in a great position to buy either a new or used truck at huge discounts. It mostly depends on what you want and how much are you willing to spend. Don't be afraid to make a LOW offer... you may be surprised at just how low these sellers are willing to go, from both dealers and private parties.

 

This is what I would recommend... clearly identify the options you want on the truck. Then go to Autotrader.com and search for the truck you want and average the asking prices. Then go to a dealership and look for the same truck in a 2008 model. You may be able to buy a new truck for not much more (and maybe less) than what sellers want for a used truck.

Click this link to see trucks 2000 to 2007 F250 4x4 automatic w/ the diesel engine within a 200 mile radius of your location. Good luck!

Find Your Car: Ford F250 Listings Near Lockport, NY - AutoTrader.com

Here is the same search but 2008 trucks only:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...=1229882229320