July 2024 vol. 5
Last week, I shared the story of our pickup truck’s catastrophic failure. Out of necessity, I was forced to find a replacement. It’s never advantageous to be FORCED to make a major purchase. It takes a lot of time to do due diligence on what is the right product and the right price, and it’s hard to negotiate when your back is against a wall. Knowing this, I was willing to make compromises and knew I’d end up with something sub-optimal.
With prices approaching $100,000, there was no way I was going to be able to afford a new truck. That, coupled with my miserly nature, drove me to the used market. A quick review of Facebook Marketplace was somewhat overwhelming. There are a lot of used trucks on the market – but the devil is in the details. My search was limited to a 1-ton capacity, four-wheel drive, and somewhat low milage. Ideally at a stellar price – something less than $15,000.
Ironically, my search results were showing me trucks identical to what I already owned. Either they were very popular, or everyone is trying to get rid of them – or both. No matter how I broadened my search, the “best deals” resulted in 2008 F350s at around $10,000. I didn’t have the best of luck with that model, but for the price point and the features, I thought it worth giving them a second chance.
Yep, I ended up buying nearly the same truck that failed on me. The major differences are that it was two-wheel drive, a long (8ft) bed, and that it had 100,000 fewer miles on it. I figure if I can get another 100,000 miles for $10,000 then I’m only spending 10 cents per mile, and that’s a fair shake. Of course, if I have significant repairs to make, then the scales quickly tip. But when you’re buying used vehicles, and sometimes even new ones, you have to roll the dice.
Thus far I’m pretty happy with the vehicle. It feels like an old glove. It certainly rides a lot smoother and is a lot cleaner than my old truck. It seems well taken care of and suits my needs. It’s not the ideal vehicle, but as stated at the beginning, I knew compromises would have to be made. Here’s hoping for another 100,000 miles!
See you at the market.
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