Author Topic: I'm buying an F-250!  (Read 1628 times)

LumberJesse

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I'm buying an F-250!
« on: April 17, 2020, 12:10:23 AM »
Hey all,

If you're reading this, my title caught your attention.. as planned.

I haven't committed to anything yet. Here's the down low.

I work in water treatment. I live onsite where I work = zero commute. I make decent money with a good outlook for the future.

Not owning a car is not an option - I am too remote.

I buy and sell cars for extra income with good success. I do mechanic work on the side. I also pick up painting contracts and lately have picked up more and more carpentry and handyman work, and plan to buy my first property next year. I've used a Subaru Outback (300k miles) for a while, but it's really getting hard to use. You can only fit so many sheets of plywood before it gets dangerous, and I'm always a good 30 minute drive from any site I'm working on. I've been thinking of a truck for a while. I don't need it to haul cars, but it would open up some avenues to buy cars non-running to flip.

I am a big fan of small trucks, but where I live they are ALL EXPENSIVE. ie., 1995 Toyota pickup, 300k miles, $4000 expensive. I have an opportunity to buy a '91 F250, 190k miles, manual V6 with nice toolboxes for between $1500 and $2000. For what they go for out here, it's a good deal. It'd get ballpark 16 mpg with the V6. It's stout enough to pull a uhaul car trailer. It'll haul all my lumber. I can start picking up local towing and trash hauling contracts, as well as felled tree removal work. I don't want such a big truck, but for the price it seems like a good deal.

Not looking for discussion on the truck itself. '91 F250 4.9V6 manual is a very reliable old truck 4.9s were bulletproof, manual is a great match.

Just wondering what folks think about such a big truck.

Thanks all.

Jesse

alsoknownasDean

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2020, 01:38:05 AM »
If it genuinely fills a need, sure.

If you're using it for carpentry work and hauling around flip cars from Craigslist/auctions, then the big old truck is earning it's keep and earning you money.

Of course it's excessive for someone commuting to a desk job in a brand new 70K truck.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 01:51:31 AM by alsoknownasDean »

rothwem

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2020, 04:34:53 AM »
The 4.9 is an in-line 6 btw. I doubt you’ll get anywhere close to 16 mpg, but good luck. Maybe downhill with a tailwind. Also, did the F250s of this era come with the TTB front suspension or a solid axle? The TTBs are known to destroy tires if you let the bushings go bad, so keep an eye on them and buy a lifetime alignment from Firestone.

Anyways, no hate here on owning a truck, sounds like it’ll be useful for you. I’ve personally found a utility trailer more useful than a pickup, but that’s just my usage, which is very intermittent.

Milspecstache

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2020, 05:29:03 AM »
I applaud the manual transmission as it will generally outlast an auto.  Also it sounds like a great investment for your business.

Don't know your location but how is the frame?  If in an area where they salt the roads please check the frame carefully...

Also I would check the trailer lights before you purchase.  Might help you reduce the price a bit.

maisymouser

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2020, 06:40:41 AM »
I like the idea. $1500-2000 isn't a crazy amount to spend on a truck from what I've heard from my parents, who have always owned a truck (not for Mustachian purposes though).

nereo

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2020, 06:48:44 AM »
The 4.9 is an in-line 6 btw. I doubt you’ll get anywhere close to 16 mpg, but good luck. Maybe downhill with a tailwind. Also, did the F250s of this era come with the TTB front suspension or a solid axle? The TTBs are known to destroy tires if you let the bushings go bad, so keep an eye on them and buy a lifetime alignment from Firestone.

Anyways, no hate here on owning a truck, sounds like it’ll be useful for you. I’ve personally found a utility trailer more useful than a pickup, but that’s just my usage, which is very intermittent.

Yeah - if you've outlined why a truck will be be the best option for you and properly considered the cost then you'll get no blow-back from me.  I, too, have found an enclosed utility trailer with a rack more useful and less annoying than a full-sized pickup, but that might not be you. Trailers hold more, are lockable and can be left at home when not needed (which for me was most of the time). 

Fishindude

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2020, 07:37:32 AM »
Hard to go wrong with any truck in that price range that runs and is ready to use.
Bet you don't get 16 mpg, probably more like 10-12 mpg, but it doesn't matter as you're not buying it for fuel efficiency.

Ecky

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #7 on: April 17, 2020, 07:50:11 AM »
The 4.9 is an in-line 6 btw. I doubt you’ll get anywhere close to 16 mpg, but good luck. Maybe downhill with a tailwind. Also, did the F250s of this era come with the TTB front suspension or a solid axle? The TTBs are known to destroy tires if you let the bushings go bad, so keep an eye on them and buy a lifetime alignment from Firestone.

Anyways, no hate here on owning a truck, sounds like it’ll be useful for you. I’ve personally found a utility trailer more useful than a pickup, but that’s just my usage, which is very intermittent.

I had a 95 F150 5MT for a while with the same engine. It might have had a taller rear end. I was able to pretty consistently get 17-19mpg.

affordablehousing

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #8 on: April 17, 2020, 12:05:18 PM »
why are you sweating two grand for a truck, that's a great deal! Buy it and don't look back.

Syonyk

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2020, 03:08:21 PM »
I buy and sell cars for extra income with good success. I do mechanic work on the side. I also pick up painting contracts and lately have picked up more and more carpentry and handyman work, and plan to buy my first property next year. I've used a Subaru Outback (300k miles) for a while, but it's really getting hard to use. You can only fit so many sheets of plywood before it gets dangerous, and I'm always a good 30 minute drive from any site I'm working on. I've been thinking of a truck for a while. I don't need it to haul cars, but it would open up some avenues to buy cars non-running to flip.

The, uh, proper sheet of plywood count in an Outback is about zero, right? :p  I'm sure you can fit a few, but at least the year I had, they'd be pretty bent up by that bend in the back seats.  Maybe run a few 2x4s to create a flat surface first?

Quote
Just wondering what folks think about such a big truck.

It's a big truck.  This is the wrong forum to be asking about trucks on, because there's an insane hatred of all varieties of trucks here by a decent chunk of posters.

If you're going to drive a large truck, learn to drive it properly - and that means both being able to get it through halfway tight spaces, and recognizing that, you know, there are just some places you don't fit.  Park in the back of the lot, and if you're at a home improvement store with a large load of supplies after checking out, go pull your truck around into the loading bay to load stuff in.  That's what it's there for, and an awful lot of the time, you'll get help loading.

Be aware that "It fits, it flies!" doesn't really apply to large trucks.  You can easily overload them.  Not going to say I've never done it, but the right answer for many things is a trailer.  A good flatbed with sides might work very well for you - lower to put stuff on, you can roll cars on (get a 12V winch up front and some ramps, and you can load just about anything), and if you've got the sides on, you can haul bulk material easily enough.  Unfortunately, I think a good flatbed will cost more than the truck you're looking at.  Spend the coin on a good brake controller, it's an awful lot cheaper than trailer tires.

Fuel economy sucks, handling sucks.  That's a given.  You said it's got toolboxes on the back, so make sure that hasn't narrowed the bed down enough that you can't fit what you need.  Get an empty weight as-is, because I guarantee those are an awful lot heavier than the bed it came with, and you may be slightly surprised how little of a gap to GVWR there is.

Go through and do a lot of maintenance on it when you get it - just assume that almost anything that has a recommended replacement interval hasn't.  At a minimum, replace most of the ignition system (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and maybe see if you can get the coil tested), swap out the fluids, including the rear diff fluid and coolant, and while you're up there, take a pretty good look around.  You'll learn quickly about the "truck tax" on parts - if you're used to working on cars, everything seems to cost 4x what you're used to (at least for my truck).

Otherwise, it's a truck.  If you're using it for truck things, they work well.  Just, go find a truck forum for questions about it.

ChpBstrd

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Re: I'm buying an F-250!
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2020, 09:44:41 PM »
Well, it's not like you're buying a late-model, fully-loaded F-250 for the usual facepunch-worthy use case: driving 20-100 miles each way on the freeway every week day to a desk job, rarely hauling anything, but feeling so masculine all the way. It sounds like you're talking about something you'll use about twice a week for short hauls?

If that is the case, yea, don't sweat it. Just be aware that things like tires and insurance will cost a lot more. I agree with avoiding an automatic in a Ford with 190k miles, and echo what a previous poster said about the front suspension probably being sh*t.

If you use it more than that, you'll quickly find that a 30 year old worn-out truck can get expensive quickly. Next thing you know, you're justifying to yourself spending 5x more for a 15 year old truck, or a head gasket job. And so on...

If you use it less than twice a week, you have to consider if renting a truck + car hauler from your local U-haul would be more economical. For building supplies, a 4x8 trailer can be pulled by an economy car and can haul plywood, concrete bags, brush, trash, etc. for small jobs (e.g. <750lbs of material). You could also avoid the high costs of truck ownership by shifting your car-flipping business to focusing on things that run and drive, even if these are not as lucrative.   

Honestly, my #1 reaction is a bit of concern. You live in a remote location. Would an antique truck with 190k miles be your sole source of transportation?

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!