Possible tow rig. Suggestions?

[Chadnutz]

I found a 1996 F-350 XL 4x4 Cruise control (formerly C/C) Reg Cab SRW White truck for
$9500 neg. It has 140k miles and was owned by some company who kept regular maintenence on it. I have not seen proof of this. It is very clean on the inside, and the outside has some minor nicks that were touched up. The hood 'almost' closes all the way. It has replacement bumpers front and rear. Draw tight in the rear. The bed has some scratches in it from sliding things in and out, but the paint in the bed is in better shape than my truck. The outside looks pretty clean other than the stuff I mentioned.

I talked to my mom thinking that she would laugh at me, but she actually considered it. I'd offer no more than $9000 (kbb value),
but I'm thinking more like $8500 because of said blemishes.

Payments would be $300/month for 3 years, which I can afford. Insurance would go up 300/6 months because I told the insurance co. that the Mazda would be primary vehicle and the Ford would be for pleasure.

I will not buy it without having Pickups Plus look at it first.

What do you guys think? No biased PS/Cummins/Duramax arguments. I realize that I run the risk of mechanical failure, in which case I get discounts on parts and my dad is a mechanic.

For those of you who have been pushing me to do the swap for so long: I will have to pay half if not all of my tuition from now on. I simply can not afford the swap without loans or credit card debt. If I can't have a trail rig, I may as well get a tow rig and ride shotgun on the trails. Besides, I'll set myself up for some Dana 60s 5 years from now when I finally have the means to build the Mazda without getting myself into debt.

[crawlingno5]

If i understand this right, since you dont have the money for a trail rig, you want to get a tow rig so you can tow other peoples trail rigs?

[Chadnutz]

My logic is as follows:

I will NOT get myself into debt for a toy. I am willing, however, to be in debt for a few years to pay off a truck. My truck has coolant leaking into the cylinders (for almost 5 years now), and I'm not sure when it is going to go belly up. I won't get rid of my truck because it isn't worth anything to anyone. So if I buy another truck that has more power, gets the same gas milage, rides 10x better, has the ability to do more work, and can pull a friend's rig to the trail every once in a while... I think I'm better off.

Summary: Debt for a vehicle that I can sell for what it is worth and it works for me = OK. Debt for a toy that is also my daily driver = Hell no. Scott can use his argument all he wants. He did the swap, but he didn't use all of his money and he didn't have a job. He could ride to school as I can, but I work on Riverside Campus.

I fvck up my daily driver...
I can't get to work...
I can't get paid...
I can't fix my daily driver.

Now do you understand the logic. I am not buying a truck to pull TAMOR rigs. I am buying a diesel because it isn't a 4 banger, it's a diesel. What more reason do I need?

[aggielr]

but you will get yourself into debt for a tow rig and keep a truck that would essentiallly have no use?

[Krawler68]

buy the powerstroke... experience the joys of owning a vehicle somebody else ragged on for the last 140k... experience the joys of the 70 dollar oil change, sensors that won't stay working, a motor that needs a phiniky pump to create vaccuum to run accessories, tires that won't be cheap, the biggest bitch in the world to park.

Other than that I would buy it... but I'm used to all the downsides and have the disposable cash to afford it. I get the impression from all your bitching you won't be able to afford the maintenence required on a powerstroke, or any diesel for that matter.

Sell your mazda and buy a toy truck or a jeep with that cash...since you claim your mazda is still worth so much money.


Doug

[Chadnutz]

Bitch to park a single cab truck?

I claim my truck is worth something? I wouldn't pay $2,000 for it.

You completely miss the point. I can not risk screwing with my daily driver because if I mess something up I CAN'T WORK. When I work I have money, when I don't, I don't. If your trail rig was your dd you would have been without a vehicle for how many years now Doug? Landon?

You people try to hard to get me to do the swap, but you all have a tow rig and a trail rig. I can't do the swap. Can't. No. Sorry.

I can afford minor repairs, not major ones. I change my own oil and I do my own work, so I think your $70 oil changes don't apply to me. If an alternator goes out, I can afford it. If the motor needs rebuilding I can't. There is a difference between affording repairs and affording tires/steering/shocks/suspension/ axle/brake lines etc........

How is the truck any more useless than mine? It gets the same mpg and does a whole lot more. How about I put it to you this way. If I save up my money and don't go into debt, all that money that I saved goes to tuition. If I get this truck and save a little money on the side, most of the side money still goes to tuition, just less of it. And I have a real truck to boot.

My question: Do I have to worry about MAJOR repairs with a 6 yr old Powerstoke with 140,000 HW miles?

[Krawler68]

I'm sorry I didn't realize it was a single cab...thought it was 4 door.

as for your question... is it a standard? And YES...you'll be replacing a lot of engine accessories in the near future.

Also...as for oil changes...it will not be 70 bucks but it will be 35-45 bucks per oil change if you do it yourself, and more like 50 if you change your fuel filter like you should every other oil change.

And I wouldn't have been without a vehicle any of this time if my trail rig was my DD, because I wouldn't have spent so little money on my trail rig... I would have had MUCH deeper pockets to afford my bronco, either a better initial start or more money for upgrade parts, if I hadn't had to maintain and purchase my 'joke.

Doug

[aggielr]

like doug said, if my trail rig was my daily driver, then it wouldn't have sat for so long without anything done to it, i would have had money to fix it, look at matt, lissa, jimmy, mark (before the golden bubble), busa, and sorry to anyone else i have forgotten, they all have dd/rigs and all a hellava lot more capable than mine, but i'm only spendin minimal $$ on mine, and i'm talkin about keepin the mazda, it'll pretty much be useless if you get a ps, so y don't you sell it? and y must you drop $2000 on a swap? what the **** is so expensive about welding spring hangers, some stock springs, simple steering ****, and puttin the tires you have on it

after you save money, then spend it on lift/lockers/tires/

[Broncocustom]

I know on my powerstroke I spend around $35 for the 14-15 quarts (almost 4 gallons) of Delo oil and fuel filter every 5000 miles or so. Every other oil change I change the fuel filter which sets me back another $35-$40 dollars. So if you drive 20000 miles a year your basic oil and fuel filter changes will cost you $210-$220 a year.


What does the c/c in this quote from your first post "I found a 1996 F-350 XL 4x4 C/C Reg Cab SRW White truck" stand for. Most the time c/c means crew cab.

[Chadnutz]

C/C meant cruise control, sorry. I see the confusion now.

I lose serious money if I sell my truck. Why?

Good things about it:
It runs well. (warm, but well)
I have tons of faith in it.
It gets decent milage.

Bad things:
Leaks oil.
Leaks coolant (into motor)
Every rubber bushing is shot to hell.
Loud pops when I turn...

Fact is, it isn't worth crap to anyone else. It has sentimental value to me, and will be my trail rig some day. So if I don't sell it for pocket change now, I won't have to buy a new rig. I know mine inside and out. If I do sell it - insurance is $50 MORE dollars a month, even for one less vehicle. I own 1 less vehicle so should something major happen to the stroke I'm screwed. In my family, there are more cars than people:

Parents - 3 cars
Brother - 2 cars and a crotch rocket
Me - 2 trucks, hopefully

We never have to worry about getting to work/renting a car. You don't sell something that is worth 1/2 or less to someone else than it is to you unless it is completely useless. At least if I keep the Mazda I have the option of doing a LOW dollar swap. If I have another truck I don't have to worry about how long the Mazda is down.

[Broncocustom]

I agree that you should not get rid of your truck. I also agree that you should have a daily driver that is different then your trail rig. Just make sure the truck is in good mechanical shape. Fords along with most rucks start to have problems after 100000 miles. You most likely will have to replace all the fluids which will get expensive. Each diff take almost a gallon of gear oil and in my superduty your supposed to use synthetic which got real expensive. If the truck is in good shape buy it and when you get the money later work on the mazda. I will tell you from experence that the cost of maintaining a diesel is alot higher then that of maintaining a gas engine.

[aggielr]

you know yours inside and out, well hibbidy dibbidy, your goin to have to replace 100% of the drivetrain when you turn it into a trail rig, so then you'll know the body? and after you graduate you should have the money to buy something w/ a better starting point, but it's your money and your goin to do what you want, so buy it and tell me later why you shouldn't have

[robertf03]

I say get a petrol powered truck. Wait until your making the big bucks or in typical TAMOR fashion wait until you sign with El Paso before you get a diesel.

[Broncocustom]

But how many mazda's do you see on d60's. He wants something different then a jeep like everyone else. If you get something that is a better starting point then you will have vehicle like everyone else. What he plans on doing with the mazda is the same as all the other people building up rigs right now. All that remains of the current rig is the body on most of the projects taking place right now.

[Broncocustom]

The insurance issue is also a good point. The bronco was my daily driver until I turned 25 and the superduty was my weekend truck. Setting it up this way cost me less then if I just insured the superduty as my main vehicle and no insurance on the bronco. My insurance guy even knew that the bronco set in a pasture for the last year and half.