04 f250 super cab 4x4

my arguments for:
i'm going to end up with a bigger truck someday.
it's got 18,000 miles and is $21,000.
it's got the 5.4 which i assume turns a lot of people off.
it's at my dad's clients dealership so i know i'm not getting screwed.
it'd be a cheaper payment since i wouldn't feel bad paying it off over a longer period of time.
i don't need the towing ability as much as i need the room and want the bigger truck.

against:
i JUST got this one and feel like i've put a lot of time and money into it.
i hate to cast my truck off so soon, but how often will i be looking at such a low-mileage truck for a good price.

i figured it's cheap for 2 reasons:
1) 5.4 - people that buy big trucks want bigger engines than that
2) it's an 04. if people are going to spend $20k+, they want a car newer than an 04.
neither boths me

edit: and don't try to swing me on the gas mileage front...i get terrible mileage as-is and another 1-2mpg less isn't going to kill me for all the more room i'll have

 

Why not to buy?.....this is what you said 3 days ago...."the day i have a kid is the day i'll upgrade to a bigger truck. just a fact of life. until then, i'll be here."


Why buy it?.....you won't get the chance after you get married!!!

 

TOMTOC,

I'm going to try to talk you out of it for only one reason - that 5.4 will be a dog in an F250. You'll get horrible mileage since the 5.4 will be working like a dog to push that F250. The 5.4 is a great engine no doubt, but not for a 3/4 ton truck.

Skip it.

CMOS

 

...tell me about it. my family is giving me a lot of crap. i've always been a "frequent changer". i always want the latest and greatest. computers, tvs, ipods, etc (mostly electronics i suppose) i just hate to get this 250 and then 6 months later want something else. i don't think i will.

1/2 of the reason is that i want to do a lot more to my ranger. BUT, on the other hand, i'm afraid to drill any big hole in it since i know in a matter of a couple of years i'm going to sell it. knowing that i'll drive the 250 into the ground would really let me customize it.

i guess i just don't want everyone in my family to be able to say "i told you so"

 

It does sound like a very good deal. If you need the bigger truck now, then I'd say go for it.

On the other hand, if the new purchase involves taking on more debt for a longer period of time, consider that it can work against you later if you and your wife want to go for a mortgage and buy a home. So if you don't really need the truck now, then maybe it's better to pass on it. A lot depends on what your plans are for the future. Plus, you sound like a sharp enough guy to find another good deal when the timing may be a little better.

 

FYI: info from FTE vin decoder:
World Manufacturer Identifier - 1st, 2nd, 3rd Positions:
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company, USA
Make: Ford
Vehicle Type: Truck (Completed Vehicle)
Brake Type and GVWR Class - 4th Position:
Brake System: • Hydraulic brake system, Class G, GVWR 8,501-9,000 pounds, Drv & Pass Air Bags & Side Air Bags, Curtains, or Canopies
Line Series, Chassis Type, Body Type - 5th, 6th, 7th Positions:
Line Series: F-Series - F250
Chassis Type: 4x4
Body Type: Supercab - SRW
Engine Type - 8th Position:
Engine: 5.4L SOHC/EFI
Cylinders: V-8
Fuel Type: Gasoline
Horse Power: 255-260
Model Year - 10th Position:
Model Year: 2004
Assembly Plant - 11th Position:
Assembly Plant: Kentucky Truck: Jefferson County, Kentucky
Production Sequence Number - 12th - 17th:

and from the dealer site
Optional Equipment
# 0
# 4 Wheel Disc Brakes
# 4 Wheel Drive
# 5 Passenger Seating
# Additional Power Outlet(s)
# Air Conditioning
# AM/FM Stereo
# Auto Adjusting Rear View Mirror
# Bed Liner
# Body Side Molding
# Center Arm Rest
# Certified Used Car
# Clock
# Cloth Seats
# Compact Disk Player
# Console
# Cruise Control
# Cup Holders
# Driver Air Bag
# Folding Rear Seat(s)
# Full Size Spare
# Heated Side Mirrors
# Intermittent Wipers
# Keyless Entry
# Map Pockets
# Passenger Air Bag
# Power Brakes
# Power Locks
# Power Mirrors
# Power Steering
# Power Windows
# Premium Sound
# Premium Wheels
# Reading Lights
# Rear Defrost
# Rear Shoulder Harness
# Reclining Seats
# Remote Entry (door panel)
# Running Boards
# Side Mirror Blinker Indicator
# Split Bench Seat
# Sunglass Holder
# Swing-Out Side Doors
# Tachometer
# Tilt Steering
# Tinted Glass
# Tow Hitch
# Trip Odometer
# Warranty

 

MAnual or auto?

 

i want to say auto, but looking over the facts again i guess it doesn't say. i'd prefer auto but neither one is a dealbreaker in my mind

 

Gasoline prices are starting back upward and summer isn't even here yet. Just another grim story for gas guzzlers.

 

I have driven an 06 F350 with the 5.4 and it IS a dog. Think of parking a F350, and then parking a ranger. I will tell you when I get a chance to drive my old 94 ranger, it feels like a nimble little sports car, its easy to park, and manuvers well. My F150's are all larger trucks, they suck to park, pull in, back up, straigten out, pull in, back back out, pull in nice and strait. The rangers a one shot deal. Parts are more expensive for an F250, bigger brakes, bigger rotors, and you will probably never see your kind of mileage with the F250. Also you have to mess around with more paperwork, loans, etc.

THEN!!! you would have to re-linex your F250, and start modding it all over again. Which might be a reason to buy it actually. Plus, chicks dig big trucks. Get the windows tinted, a little lift, yeah, i'd probably go for the F250. But I enjoy not having a 200-400$ per month truck payment. I get to spend it on parts for my current vehicles.

 

What gears does it have? I know people that switches cars/trucks every year. Trucks are like large replacable appliances.... Do whatever makes you and your wallet happy.

 

Why not buy it it sounds very nice of a truck and i hapen to own one very close to it and mine runs very nice and has plenty of power i have been racing it on the high way every time i go home from collage i have raced c 300 a new gto a chevy silveroto and dodge ram and more and won, my truck is mostly stock execpt for a raceing styile intake and a high performance exzust, but that is it of the stuff that i have done to it! i plan to keep my truck for as long as they make parts for it but i almost never have ever had to get any repairs to it so parts are not even a problem for me!

 

It does have a 29 gallon tank, thats about 75.00$ to fill as of right now. Kinda big for mall aprking, kinda big to fit between the tree's on the trails. It will get about 12 or 13 mpg, so you'll need that 75.00$ pretty often. Super duties are work horses, pretty impracticle for a pleasure truck unless your rich, it's like buying a bulldozer to drive to the beach. It's not just the amount of the payment, but total operating cost. You have allready made up your mind to buy it, but by this time next year you will have wished you hadn't. Thier a nice truck, I had an 01 supercab 4x4, v-10, 5-speed manual and 4:30 gears, I used it to pull my jayco. It was a horse, I tried to wheel it, but found it to big for my comfort zone, I perfer ranger, jeep size vehicles for the trail, but thats me.

 

It's nice...I've driven the F-250 with a 5.4L and auto. With a 4.10 LS...it still felt kinda doggy. It would do alright in day to day driving and had pretty good pickup considering the weight and engine size...

The thing was...it was an F-250...a Super Duty...and it couldn't handle the "super duty" you'd expect.

Grandpa traded it for an F-250 6.0L with six speed...absolutely awesome.

I say pass it by.

 

o...the decisions. everyone has their opinion. unfortunately everyone had a vote one way or the other. why couldn't everyone have agreed and told me not to get it. ...back and forth.

i'll keep you guys posted on my mental dilema