Well, I went ahead and got the truck. Was able to get the price talked down significantly, including the modifications I wanted.
Yes, I will have a car payment for 6 years, but I plan to drive this thing for a very long time.
To the guy who posted about getting a Tundra, hell no! Tundras aren't that reliable, have the worst fuel efficiency among trucks, and are very expensive for what you can get. I've been driving Fords pretty much ever since I was old enough to choose my own cars, and they've always done right by me. FTR, I've also driven or had long term friendships with people who drove Subarus, a Plymouth, Chevys, a Jeep, Hondas, a Nissan, a Dodge, and of course a Toyota (I personally only owned Fords, a Chevy, and the Plymouth). I know Toyota cars generally are considerably reliable (though DW has had to deal with several major issues with hers, thankfully Toyota stood behind it each time, even if they didn't reimburse her for the gallons of oil she had to buy while her engine was eating it), but their trucks are a different story, and the Honda Ridgeline is an abomination among trucks. I just drove 950 miles to visit family and back this weekend (I couldn't get off work to catch the wife's flights and had something to do today, so I did the drive solo), and I averaged about 22.5 miles per gallon largely doing the 70mph speed limit in hilly terrain. In a Tundra I'd be lucky to get 18. Yeah, you don't buy a truck for MPG but it adds up.
I consider myself someone who enjoys driving, and what I've always valued most about Pete's message is the part about spending on what makes you happy, and about investing wisely and staying within a budget, and this checks the boxes. Am I maximizing savings? No. But I feel that, having thought about this extensively and gotten lots of feedback, that I am maximizing happiness by balancing something I've always wanted to own with continuing to be frugal in other areas of my life to make both it and aggressive retirement savings possible. I also feel that I got to a point where I just needed something else that would make me happy or proud just to see/have - it's hard to explain, but like I said when I don't see my wife. Sometimes you just need a little something for right now, but not something that you eat or experience and it's gone, and not something so little you forget about it...something that's a part of your daily life that makes you happy just to have in it. That's what it kept coming down to for me as I agonized over this. And I know I'm going to use it for its intended purposes, whether for DIY trips to pick up supplies, or just stuffing people into it so we can all do fun stuff together. Who knows? Maybe I'll even try offroading someday, since I have Jeep friends who are into it, though I won't be going near water. Already looking forward to going to a drive in and watching the movie from the bed.
To answer those who said buy used, why am I buying new?
-Earlier Ecoboost engines weren't as reliable
-I basically got to customize the vehicle as I wanted with the add-ons that are important to me and will keep the vehicle in good shape for a long time. Not trying to put a bedliner and tonneau cover in after someone else has let rust set in, or adding wheel well liners after tens of thousands of miles have already gone on it.
-Android Auto.
-By buying new, I can do my part to drive the vehicle responsibly, take care of it, and ensure that it lasts a long time vs. a situation where damage may have already been done. Been there done that - not with the Escape, but with other vehicles I've driven in life.
So, these updates will be part of my monthly updates, but I can say that I am happy with the truck so far. For example, when visiting family, we had 6 people to take to dinner. I was only there for a short time (just one night and one day), and I wanted to catch up with everyone. Fortunately, because I had the truck, we didn't have to take 2 vehicles, so all 6 of us all got to spend time together in the car, while DW's folks showed us around their neighborhood and gave us an impromptu driving "tour."
The first payment hasn't hit yet, so there's that, but I've run the numbers and my wealth will still be increasing significantly each month - even with school and truck payments. Plus, when school is done, I can send more money to the car note to pay it off earlier (if I choose, which I may, or I can continue to invest) - I ran the numbers on the financing and chose the best possible terms for myself without any extra service plans/extended warranties/etc.
I realize this is not the choice everyone would have made - and many wouldn't - and the facepunches definitely made me think about it a lot, which is what I wanted, but in the end, I think I did the right thing, and we've all got to maximize our happiness in our own way. And thank you for the facepunches, because in absorbing them, I have a better understanding for why I wanted it, that the reasons were valid to me, and that it wasn't something I would later get moody about or grow to hate or regret...because now I can say that definitely won't be the case.