best year for a f series ford truck?

[hypnofrogstevie]

I been looking at pick ups since I been thinking of working as a landscaper and maybe a invisible fence instlaler since I put in ours flawlessly. What do I look for in a truck? I know body rust and major dents but what else? This is my first time buying a used truck by myself. I dont want my moms b/f to be with me since he is all about GM and after i saw his 05 buick (bought brand new) go down the pooper in a matter of months. My mom gave me her car and it has to many problems to fix. Cracked manifold, needs new paint job, new headlights and more dents that I have ever seen in a car. The cost to fix it would be as much as a used truck. I will be going in about 2 months to look for a truck but right now I just want to do some research. So please give me some info in what to look for

Thank you

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

Buy new is always the best bet with pick up's. You get the full warranty & know it hasn't been abused by others.

Good luck with that FrogMan

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Thanks LCRT. I wiill have to make payments since I dont have much money for it. I want to try to save up $6,000 as a down payment.

 

[lockedhearts]

Well, since you asked, I guess it depends on what kind of money you want to spend.
I have a 91 F350, doesn;t look great but it pulls my steel 3 horse slant trailer full of 1500+lb horses anywhere I want to go. Mileage(about 10 mpg), not great but it goes where I want.
Honestly, I wouldn't look at the year or whether its a 150, 250 or 350. The engine is more important. I had a Long Bed, dual tank 150 that was a straight 6 automatic, it also pulled a heavy trailer, didn't go fast up hills, but it could pull.
The 350 dually i have has a 7.3 IDI engine, as far as I am concerned one of the best engines in a diesel. I change my glow plugs once a year and change the oil every 3000, some say 5000 but I do 3000.
I did have to have a new tranny a year after I bought it, but all other repairs have been minor (leaking fuel line, fuel pump etc) I have almost 400,000 on it and would not hesitate to drive a few hundred miles in it right now.
My dad has am 03 250 4x4 his also has the 7.3 and it is not the power stroke, he gets 21 not pulling and about 14 or so pulling hos 35 foot fifth wheel.

 

[LittleChickenRacingTeam]

Ford has some great fianacing deals. You shouldn't need that big a downpayment. You might want to consider leasing if it's for a business.

That way you can claim taxes paid & the payments as a business expense.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Typically, it's much better to buy from a dealership because (Like LCRT mentioned) you get a warranty. Most dealerships do have used cars and trucks you can buy, or even ones for lease. I've always been warned about buying from private sellers and I'm not sure I would trust it. If something goes wrong after you hand over the money and receive the title, it's YOUR problem.

I can't say I'm a big fan of Ford trucks. I used to drive a 2000 F-150. It was ok, but had a lot of circuitry issues with the lighting and gears. It also tends to have a lot of problems with the transmission, air conditioning, etc, etc. I could go on and on. We also have a Ford Windstar van which has had many of the same issues. Perhaps our issues are isolated, but I have to say my friend's Dodge has had a LOT less problems, and I think it is even older than our truck.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I was thinkin about spening $5,000-$6,000. Its going to be used for everyday work from landscaping- snowplowing. I also do agriculture so it will have to lift hay carts back and forth. I was thinking a diesal truck and I want to learn manual shifting.

 

[lockedhearts]

Quote:
I bought mine back in 03 and paid $5000 for it. Check out oilburners.net, they have a ford message board, they also have people selling all the time. You can probably find a good deal. You can always do a CarFax on any vehicle, in fact you can pay a small fee for unlimited use for like a month and check out several. I did this on mine and have not regretted it one bit, my Dad also did it on his and it was only a few months old.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I was looking at the dodge trucks but never been a big fan. I also like the toyota tundra but I want to buy american. I will go check out a ford dealership this weekend since my bday is oct 18th. Hopefully it will give some hints lol. Thanks for all the helpful advice. I dont want to lease because I want to take it with me to NC and do the same stuff I do here. Hopefully there payments are low. I still have to give my mom money for the property in NC she is giving to me if it nobody takes it.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Quote:
I will try out carfax. I know ebay uses it. I checked ebay for trucks and craigslist. I saw one that needs a new swaybar and has a exhaust leak so I stayed far away from it.