Newbie needs some advice on a truck
07-01-2016, 11:08 AM
#11
Hope this is not a violation of any board rules, if so, feel free to delete.
Obviously, a 1/2 ton is out for you. Last week, I was contemplating a move to a 5th wheel and knew I would need to upgrade my F150. When looking at new and almost new F250s, I noticed the Diesel was about $8,000 more than a gasser. On these boards, I have heard of people having problems with some of the bigger Ford V8 gassers in the past.
Jerry Reynolds has a syndicated radio show. He is the Car Pro and does research on all models of vehicles - trucks and cars, domestic and foreign. I sent him an e-mail asking if there were problems with the 6.2 gas engine. His first comment was go with diesel - the $8,000 would be worth it. When I asked again if there were problems with the 6.2, he said the engine was fine, but for some reason, the fuel mileage was horrible. He said you will pay for the diesel in fuel costs over the life of the truck, if you keep it long enough.
Obviously, a 1/2 ton is out for you. Last week, I was contemplating a move to a 5th wheel and knew I would need to upgrade my F150. When looking at new and almost new F250s, I noticed the Diesel was about $8,000 more than a gasser. On these boards, I have heard of people having problems with some of the bigger Ford V8 gassers in the past.
Jerry Reynolds has a syndicated radio show. He is the Car Pro and does research on all models of vehicles - trucks and cars, domestic and foreign. I sent him an e-mail asking if there were problems with the 6.2 gas engine. His first comment was go with diesel - the $8,000 would be worth it. When I asked again if there were problems with the 6.2, he said the engine was fine, but for some reason, the fuel mileage was horrible. He said you will pay for the diesel in fuel costs over the life of the truck, if you keep it long enough.
07-01-2016, 12:53 PM
#13
Grumpy Old Man
Monthly payments after a decent down payment or trade-in on a new $45,000 truck would be about the same as monthly payments on a $35,000 used truck, because you can get much better interest rates and longer terms on a new truck than used. I wouldn’t even think about buying some else’s problems with a used truck when I could get a new truck for about the same monthly payments. Check with your credit union to compare financing deals against the best deal the dealer offers.
So can you buy a brand new F-350 SRW diesel for $45,000 with the options required to make a nice truck with excellent fifth wheel hitch and trailer brake controller? Yes. Read on.
Here’s the minimum new truck I’d order for dragging your trailer. XL trim but fixed up with power everything, cruise control, chrome bumpers and hubcaps, and cloth seats. The good stuff from the XLT but a lot less money than an XLT. The following price is for a new 2016, but the 2017 you would order would be similar price. The following is sticker price, not the price you would actually pay after some negotiation with your dealer’s new truck manager or fleet manager. (DO NOT talk to any salesman – only a manager.)
Price Detail
Base MSRP: $41,760
+ Options: $4,235
+ Destination: $1,195
= Total MSRP: $47,190
Incentives: $750
= Net Price: $46,440 (plus TT&L)
But that’s sticker price. You won’t pay more than $45,000 for that new truck.
More detail on that truck:
Model
$41,760 2016 Ford F-350 XL Regular Cab, 4x2, SRW, 8' Box,6.7L 4 Valve Power Stroke Diesel V8 Engine, TorqShift® 6-Speed Auto, O/D w/Tow/Haul Mode, 3.31 Electronic Locking Axle Ratio. Optional is SuperCab or CrewCab and fancier trim, but for a lot more money.
Note the electronic locking axle. Yes, you want that. It’s great for getting you out of slick places. I don’t need 4x4 because my electronic locking rear axle gets me anywhere I want to go in snow or mud.
Equipment Groups:
$895 Power Equipment Group (power mirrors, door locks,windows)
$595 XL Value Package (includes cruise control and chrome bumpers and hubcaps so your truck doesn’t look like a fleet work truck). Ford says: “The XL Value Package includes an AM/FM stereo/single-CD/MP3 player/clock with four speakers, cruise control, chrome front and rear step bumpers, bright chrome hub covers and center ornaments (SRW only)”.
Exterior:
$370 5thWheel/Gooseneck Hitch Prep Package
$1,295 5th Wheel Hitch Kit - 18K = Excellent non-slider 5er hitch
$0 Manual Trailer Tow Mirrors with Power Heated Glass (power mirrors are part of power eqpt grp). The "manual" means manual telescope and folding, but the mirror glass is powered.
$320 6" AngularBlack Molded in Color Running Board (Ladies and old men need these)
$0 17"Argent-Painted Steel Wheels (SRW) (standard but can be upgraded to alloy for more money)
$0 LT245/75Rx17E BSWA/S (5) Tires (standard)
Interior:
$270 Trailer Brake Controller (Yes, you want this. It’s the best trailer brake controller on the market.)
$0 AM/FM Stereo with Single CD (part of value pkg)
$100 Cloth Front 40/20/40 Split Bench Seats (replaces std vinyl "work truck" seats that are hot in summer and cold in winter)
Here is the link to where I got that info:
http://shop.ford.com/build/superduty/?gnav=header-trucks#/config/Config%5B%7CFord%7CSuperDuty%7C2016%7C1%7C1.%7C610 A.F3A.137.UX...18B.CBC.X3H.90L.96V.REC.NFLEET.89S. 99T.CLO.4X2.44W.SRW.XLL.53W.15L.52B.~F-350.%5D
Go there and build/price your own truck with exactly the options you want and are willing to pay for.
Then go to NADAGuides.com and see what invoice price would be for that truck. A good buying price is $500 over invoice. Most dealers will settle for $500 over invoice.
http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2016/...137-XL/Pricing
………….Invoice………..MSRP
Base Price $31,449 $33,280
Destination $1,195 $1,195
Total Base Price $32,644 $34,475
Options
Engine: 6.7L Power Stroke V8 Turbo Diesel B20 $7,801 $8,480
Electronic Locking W/3.31 Axle Ratio $359 $390
Cloth 40/20/40 Split Bench Seat $92 $100
Power Equipment Group $824 $895
Xl Value Package $548 $595
Trailer Brake Controller $249 $270
5Th Wheel/Gooseneck Hitch Prep Package $341 $370
18K 5Th Wheel Hitch Kit (Pre-Installed) $1,192 $1,295
6" Angular Black Molded In Color Running Board $295 $320
Price with Options $44,345 $47,190
So buying price is about $44,845 Plus TT&L.
Last edited by smokeywren; 07-01-2016 at 01:12 PM.
07-02-2016, 10:36 AM
#14
Smokeywren, I agree with your last entire post, I've "built" pretty much the same truck. The only exception is:
For some folks, 2wd and rear locker is plenty. But OP will be towing a travel trailer. That means campgrounds and mud... where 4x4 will pay for itself even if used only once per year. I'd definitely go with 4wd, and on the XL it doesn't have to be electronic (for something more to break), but can be a lever.
For some folks, 2wd and rear locker is plenty. But OP will be towing a travel trailer. That means campgrounds and mud... where 4x4 will pay for itself even if used only once per year. I'd definitely go with 4wd, and on the XL it doesn't have to be electronic (for something more to break), but can be a lever.
07-02-2016, 11:13 PM
#15
If you want a 5er and you don't have a truck yet go for at least a 3/4 ton.
From what I have been looking at with trucks and 5ers most of the "1/2 ton rated" 5ers are at the max of what even the highest rated 1/2 tons are rated at and that is dry weight.
From what I have been looking at with trucks and 5ers most of the "1/2 ton rated" 5ers are at the max of what even the highest rated 1/2 tons are rated at and that is dry weight.
07-03-2016, 07:55 AM
#16
Grumpy Old Man
4x4 choices are a lot more complicated than that. On a Ford, the choice is manual vs. ESOF (electronic shift on the fly). By mashing a button on the dash, ESOF not only shifts the transfer case into 4x4, but also locks the front hubs. Without ESOF, you not only have to move the lever to shift the transfer case into 4x4, but you also have to get out in the mud and manually lock the front hubs. Ladies (and old men) will pay a lot to not have to get out in the mud to lock the front hubs.
If the OP is not a good enough driver to tow a trailer with a 4x2 with electronic locking rear axle but without 4x4, then in addition to the extra cost (and weight and maintenance costs) of 4x4, she probably will be glad to pay the extra cost for ESOF.
My exercise in choosing the options for her was to keep the price down to as close to $35k as possible, while still having a nice, comfortable truck for towing a 5er on long trips. 4x4 is not required for any good driver that doesn't live in a snowbank up north, so I omitted 4x4 from the specs of the suggested configuration of her new truck. 4x4 raises the price of the new truck by $2,800. and ESOF adds another $185. That's $3,000 added to the cost of that $45,000 truck, not counting the decreased MPG and higher maintenance costs down the road.
Last edited by smokeywren; 07-03-2016 at 07:58 AM.
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acdii (07-03-2016)
07-03-2016, 08:22 PM
#17
Good tires and locking rear trump 4WD. 4WD is the most over sold, underused option in trucks. I have had 3 4WD trucks, and can count on both hands the number of times I switched to 4WD over the past 16 years. My current truck is RWD, and an open diff, but I use snow tires in the winter, and have not been stuck or needed to have 4WD at all, even in the worst of snow. The OP should be perfectly fine with RWD, and a locker, as long as she has decent tires on the truck.
Might want to do a little research on tires too, and work those into the deal, most dealers would have no problems with switching out the stock tires with other brands.
Might want to do a little research on tires too, and work those into the deal, most dealers would have no problems with switching out the stock tires with other brands.
07-05-2016, 12:34 PM
#18
Senior Member
Good tires and locking rear trump 4WD. 4WD is the most over sold, underused option in trucks. I have had 3 4WD trucks, and can count on both hands the number of times I switched to 4WD over the past 16 years. My current truck is RWD, and an open diff, but I use snow tires in the winter, and have not been stuck or needed to have 4WD at all, even in the worst of snow. The OP should be perfectly fine with RWD, and a locker, as long as she has decent tires on the truck.
Might want to do a little research on tires too, and work those into the deal, most dealers would have no problems with switching out the stock tires with other brands.
Might want to do a little research on tires too, and work those into the deal, most dealers would have no problems with switching out the stock tires with other brands.
07-06-2016, 08:40 PM
#19
Senior Member
A fifth wheel RV trailer that grosses 10,000 pounds will probably have pin weight (hitch weight or weight on the kingpin) of 1,800 to 2,000 pounds. Any F-150 will be overloaded with that much pin weight along with a normal load of people and stuff in the pickup. And my '99 F-250 diesel was overloaded with my 5er that grossed only 8,000 pounds.
So the first thing to look for is at least an F-350 SRW (single rear wheels) that has 1,500 pounds more payload capacity than the F-250.
Next is drivetrain choice. Most folks that settle for a gasoline engine trade it in on a diesel the first chance they get. The diesel costs more up front, but it has a lot of torque to make towing a 10,000-pound trailer a piece of cake. And you get back the up-front extra cost of the diesel when you traded it in down the road.
Then with an F-350 SRW PSD (Powerstroke Diesel), you have a choice of a "shorty" 6.5' or a long 8' bed. Go for the 8' bed. The shorter beds require a heavy sliding hitch for most 5er RVs, and the best of the bunch is the PullRite 20k SuperGlide Fully Automatic Sliding 5th Wheel hitch which is REALLY heavy. However, the advantage of the SuperGlide is you don't have to worry about cab to trailer contact because it's fully automatic. If I had to tow a 5er with a shorty tow vehicle, I would insist on a SuperGlide hitch.
If you order a new F-350 SRW, be sure you order the factory fifth wheel prep kit. It's a bargain compared to adding it aftermarket. Then if you order an 8' bed, install the 5er hitch Ford has as an option, or order it also installed by the factory. It's an excellent non-slider 5er hitch. If you order the shorty bed, you still need the 5er prep kit, but then the SuperGlide you buy is a special one that plugs into the prep kit attachment points.
Manual slider hitches are also available for less money, but you must remember to ALWAYS slide the hitch before you put the tranny in reverse if you have a shorty pickup. You cannot turn sharp enough to have cab to trailer contact when going forward, but in reverse you can back into a jackknife and CRUNCH! in a heartbeat with a manual slider or without a sliding hitch in a shorty tow vehicle.
So the first thing to look for is at least an F-350 SRW (single rear wheels) that has 1,500 pounds more payload capacity than the F-250.
Next is drivetrain choice. Most folks that settle for a gasoline engine trade it in on a diesel the first chance they get. The diesel costs more up front, but it has a lot of torque to make towing a 10,000-pound trailer a piece of cake. And you get back the up-front extra cost of the diesel when you traded it in down the road.
Then with an F-350 SRW PSD (Powerstroke Diesel), you have a choice of a "shorty" 6.5' or a long 8' bed. Go for the 8' bed. The shorter beds require a heavy sliding hitch for most 5er RVs, and the best of the bunch is the PullRite 20k SuperGlide Fully Automatic Sliding 5th Wheel hitch which is REALLY heavy. However, the advantage of the SuperGlide is you don't have to worry about cab to trailer contact because it's fully automatic. If I had to tow a 5er with a shorty tow vehicle, I would insist on a SuperGlide hitch.
If you order a new F-350 SRW, be sure you order the factory fifth wheel prep kit. It's a bargain compared to adding it aftermarket. Then if you order an 8' bed, install the 5er hitch Ford has as an option, or order it also installed by the factory. It's an excellent non-slider 5er hitch. If you order the shorty bed, you still need the 5er prep kit, but then the SuperGlide you buy is a special one that plugs into the prep kit attachment points.
Manual slider hitches are also available for less money, but you must remember to ALWAYS slide the hitch before you put the tranny in reverse if you have a shorty pickup. You cannot turn sharp enough to have cab to trailer contact when going forward, but in reverse you can back into a jackknife and CRUNCH! in a heartbeat with a manual slider or without a sliding hitch in a shorty tow vehicle.
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Velosprout (07-08-2016)
07-06-2016, 10:50 PM
#20
Yep, wish I still had my old early 99 F350 Dually. It had the 7.3 with forged rods, and better turbos. Crappy transmission though, and that is why I got rid of it, didn't have $4500 to replace it at the time.