We have 3 cars, one gets put away in the winter. That one plus my wife's SUV can haul the kids. still, I don't like to use at my daily driver. In the winter, I have to drive to my wife's place of work to switch cars, then pick up the kids. When she goes to work on my off days and takes the wrong car, I'm stuck at home with the kids.

It is becoming a pain.

 

Well if you plan on running it into the ground, then consider new if you can afford it. Another good thing about buying new is you can get a longer loan term. Obviously, you'll pay more in the long run, but it can significantly lower your monthly payments, which really helps with cash flow. People always talk about price, but a lot of times, cash flow is more important. You know what also helps with cash flow? A warranty. If something breaks, Ford fixes it. If you buy used and something breaks, you may be out $1k that you weren't planning to spend.

For me, the cash flow was the tipping point to buy new. I don't have to worry about those crazy unexpected breakdowns, unless I get in a wreck of course. And when I'm making more money after a raise or two, I can pay down the loan quicker by making payments higher than are required.

 

My old ranger wasn't cutting it with 2 kids to haul around - so I bought myself a screw! Best of both worlds.

 

A used 2010 should be a fine compromise for you if you can find the one you want. 2 years left of warranty and maybe 10k cheaper.

 

Bought my 2010 F150 new because it came with $6000.00 in rebates. Even though the 2011 has a better tranny (Select Shift) and new model engines I just couldn't afford the higher price without the rebates. The 2010 is still way nicer than my 08. I 1st went looking used, but the rebates were the deciding factor.

 

nah, not 10k
From what I have seen, 5k-6k

If it was 10K, it would be a lot easier to make up my mind.

 

If you are not in a rush to purchase a new truck, I would wait until July/August when the rebates get much better. I bought my 2010 last year in April and paid about 34k out the door. Later in the year I seen people post there purchase price of 29K out the door. So I would wait until the rebates get better and buy new.

 

That's good to hear, can anybody else back up this statement?

 

Yep. I got mine in August last year. MSRP was ~$37k, my price with all the rebates was ~$26.5k, before TTL, extended warranty, etc.

 

I would look at what you spend your money on. If the truck payment is $600 per month and you can fit it in your budget...go for it. You cannot take your money with you when you die. We cannot always put off being happy latter, it may not come.

Good luck!