EM3 Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I hate having the care trading itch. Maybe some of you wiser folks can help me out. I currently drive a 2004 Ford Ranger V6 and no 4 wheel drive (don't really need it). It currently has 25,000 miles on it but it get's 16mpg. I would love to trade up to a Ford F150. Now I figure I can afford the gas since I drive 4 miles to work and 4 mile back each day. On a rare occasion I take trips of about 60 miles and if it's more than me going I always use the wife's Blazer. I am trying to convince the wife to let me trade my Ranger this summer. I owe less than $3000 on it. However, she wants me to wait until next summer until it is paid off. My problem is I like the looks of the 08 F150's vs the 09 F150's and I am sure I could get some good deals right now based on the current gas prices. But do I wait and chance gas prices next summer and get an 09 or trade somewhere between now and the end of the year for an 08? Another thing that worries me about the 09's is the 6 speed transmissions and all V8 lineup. So any suggestion or questions? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Interesting question. I think driving an f-150 would be a wash on mpg. I think you'd get the same mpg with the F-150 as you are currently getting with the ranger. You are right that there are alot of fiancial incentives for F-150's. I haven't looked recently, but earlier on have noticed prices that were cheaper than what I paid for my F-150 in 1999. I think your wife's suggestion to wait is an idea that has alot of merit. There is a strong liklihood that next yeart will offer discount opportunities just as good as this year. It might be nice to wait and see what shakes out of the market on gas prices, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srobak Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 If all you are doing is going back and forth to work - do you really need an in-efficient gashog to do it if you already have another SUV? Get a wallet-friendly windup car for 14 to 20k instead perhaps? Or - if a truck is a must - consider the GM full size models as they will knock down from 8 to 4 cyls and get 24mpg (per my co worker who has one). $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Well the truck is almost a must since I use it and my parents borrow it also. It's nice to have one when someone in the family is working on a larger project such as lanscaping or building a deck like we did last fall. The GM trucks I have looked at are nice but I am not sure how the engines work on them going from an 8 to a 4 and I have no idea if I would benefit from it. Last year I put 7000 miles on my truck so that tells me I am in a lot of stop and go traffic. The longest trips I go on are about once a month 70 miles each way. This year I put 10,000 on the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelA Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I would wait till next year. Just think how much the savings will be when they have an over-abundance of 08 stock still on the lots. With the way the price of gas is going, I cant imagine there will be a big demand for the gas guzzlers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Interesting question. I think driving an f-150 would be a wash on mpg. I think you'd get the same mpg with the F-150 as you are currently getting with the ranger. You are right that there are alot of fiancial incentives for F-150's. I haven't looked recently, but earlier on have noticed prices that were cheaper than what I paid for my F-150 in 1999. I think your wife's suggestion to wait is an idea that has alot of merit. There is a strong liklihood that next yeart will offer discount opportunities just as good as this year. It might be nice to wait and see what shakes out of the market on gas prices, too. The mpg should be close to the same based on my driving conditions. Right now Ford has employee pricing (yeah right). I know you can get pretty decent deals in December because the dealers don't want to have to pay taxes on last years models or at least that is what I have beeen told. The catch is if I trade the truck now I can get between $6k and $7k but I owe close to $3k. Now if I wait until next year in July I think it will be paid off so that means more toward a down payment but at a slightly less trade in value (how much I'm not sure). Or I could just keep it and make some improvements to the sound system etc. but I kind of had my heart set on a full sized truck. Stupid unstable oil prices aren't helping me decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Sounds like you have already made up your mind, but given how little you drive and the short 4 mile trips why waste money on upgrading the sound system, buy a used corolla to commute and just drive the truck on the few occasions you need to haul something. Or you could really go for it and buy a true upgrade of a F750 Super Duty. As you said you don't drive much and you haul things on occasion, I am sure you get get a real nice stereo for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Here's where my advice goes against the basic mindset of the average consumer. Don't buy anything, don't trade, pay off the 3g's and drive the damn thing until it's not worth repairing. Keep what you have, unless you REALLY NEED a bigger hauling capacity. Do the numbers on a cash flow basis (how much cash do you keep in your wallet each month versus paying principal and interest plus transaction costs). You will see the obvious, and you will know why my newest car is a 91 and they are all paid for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 Here's where my advice goes against the basic mindset of the average consumer. Don't buy anything, don't trade, pay off the 3g's and drive the *** thing until it's not worth repairing. Keep what you have, unless you REALLY NEED a bigger hauling capacity. Do the numbers on a cash flow basis (how much cash do you keep in your wallet each month versus paying principal and interest plus transaction costs). You will see the obvious, and you will know why my newest car is a 91 and they are all paid for. The last truck I had until 04 lasted me 10 years until the transmission went out. BTW is was a Ranger also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Ten years! That's hardly broken in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Waiting til you have equity by paying off is usally a wash against the lower value your car is worth a year later. Find the end of year time line in your area....in the NE, it's around Feb...there are more dealing opportunities during the end of buisness year than trying to cut a deal during the summer months which are normally high sales months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 The longer you own a vehicle the lower your average cost of ownership becomes. Ten years and a transmission fails just means you are buying the wrong vehicle. I have never even replaced a clutch except in the 70- beetle and it was at least 30 years old and was driven by some fairly weak drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 "Ten years and a transmission fails just means you are buying the wrong vehicle. " West Virgina is not what I would consider flat lands...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Well financially It makes more sense to keep the Ranger since I owe less than $3k and just slightly over 25,000 miles so that is what I am doing. I have decided to install this into it http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/CarAudioVideo/Source/CD-Players/Premier/FH-P800BT?tab=A I was looking for one that would let dvd's play with a touch screen, bluetooth, and IPod connections but they are a little much. So now I am looking at that unit and maybe new rims with larger tires. Does anyone know where I can get some black and gold rims that don't look like they come off a pimp mobile or what the max size tire you can put on a Ranger is without the tire sticking out past the body is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Here you go.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 get whatever you want, you should be biking or walking to work anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 get whatever you want, you should be biking or walking to work anyway! Only if I wanted to end up dead. Idiots around here can't drive. I really thouhjt of that and if I didn't have to wear business slacks, shirts and dress shoes I would seriously consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Here's where my advice goes against the basic mindset of the average consumer. Don't buy anything, don't trade, pay off the 3g's and drive the *** thing until it's not worth repairing. Keep what you have, unless you REALLY NEED a bigger hauling capacity. Do the numbers on a cash flow basis (how much cash do you keep in your wallet each month versus paying principal and interest plus transaction costs). You will see the obvious, and you will know why my newest car is a 91 and they are all paid for. Good post. I agree with Oldie. I wish I was more inclined to follow advice like this because I know it is right. Add up "his and hers" car payments for 40 -50 years and see what that comes to if you'd have invested that same money and not had to buy but two cheap cars in the beginning and maintained them well. Yes, there are plenty of cars that run well and are 50 years old. I have 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Here's where my advice goes against the basic mindset of the average consumer. Don't buy anything, don't trade, pay off the 3g's and drive the *** thing until it's not worth repairing. Keep what you have, unless you REALLY NEED a bigger hauling capacity. Do the numbers on a cash flow basis (how much cash do you keep in your wallet each month versus paying principal and interest plus transaction costs). You will see the obvious, and you will know why my newest car is a 91 and they are all paid for. Good post. I agree with Oldie. I wish I was more inclined to follow advice like this because I know it is right. Add up "his and hers" car payments for 40 -50 years and see what that comes to if you'd have invested that same money and not had to buy but two cheap cars in the beginning and maintained them well. Yes, there are plenty of cars that run well and are 50 years old. I have 3. Do they really build to last that long anymore? I doubt but hey anything can happen. Anyway it makes more sense to keep it and do a few upgrades to it To make more mine instead of buying a new one. So let's see what happens with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Matthews Posted June 25, 2008 Share Posted June 25, 2008 They will last as long as you want to take care of them. Might need to do some costly repairs here and there, but you can keep a car running for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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