Guess this goes here?

[byrdr1]

Most of you that have been around a while know that last year going to my summer vacation trip I broke down on the side road for 5 hours and had my truck towed home and was able to get my trailer to campground and enjoy my vacation.
My truck is a 2003 7.3 F-350 with almost 218000 plus miles on it. Just getting broke in.????? Thats what I hear?
Last years engine problem cost me near $1500 with tow and all that.
During my Halloween trip in the fall I blow a fan belt and that put me on the side of the road for another 2 plus hours and I burnt my chest with hot radiator fluid almost an hour after being stopped(lesson learned there, knew better but brain freeze cost me two trip to Dr's and much,much pain) SO two month ago I threw another fan belt on my way to work. Got that fixed with a replacement tensioner and $350 later. So last week my truck wont start ( new starter and over $500 later). this week power steering hose blows out, $200 more dollars and I got an oil change too so that adds another $100 to the bill.
I am ready to trade up.... THE wife says NO its still cheaper than a payment on a newer F-350..
I use Shell Diesel fuel almost every fill up and I add Diesel Kleen in the silver bottle every fill up. keep the oil changed at 6-7000 miles and fuel filter every other oil change.
AM I fighting a losing battle or am I good for another 200k miles...
Truck & body wise it is in great shape, interior in great shape, carport stored and I do use it daily.
My pocket book is drained and we go on vacation in a week to Myrtle Beach.
JUST looking for some compassion I guess!!!
Thanks for letting me vent,
randy

[SAABDOCTOR]

HI THERE! Here is Barney's rule of thumb that i tell my customers. Add up all the expences except gas and oil changes. for a year. divied by 12 is that more than the payment on a new car/truck. If no, keep it! every now and then a car/truck likes to dig deep into your pocket....Just like a teenager

[BirchyBoy]

I'm there with you. I bought a '99 GMC Yukon last summer from a mechanic for $3,400 as an entry level TV. I've spent $600 on electrical troubleshooting and harness replacement, $1,500 on oil leaks and $200 on a catalytic converter. I'm in the truck now for $5,700. More than it's worth but only about a year's worth of payments on a new truck not counting the higher insurance bill. I think the guy took good care of it overall; the stuff I've been doing is general maintenance (except for the harness issue).

Looking back, I likely could have bought something newer for the same money but there wouldn't be any guarantee that it wouldn't have had troubles either. Plus, the newer models started to add more electronic stuff like auto-leveling suspension, etc. I got the last of the good ones (the OBS) and love it. I just hope the thing can make it to Maine and back without any troubles!

[DJ85]

Stop looking at all the problems you are having and enjoy life. This stuff can and will happen and its always at the wrong time or so we think. It is suffer from attention deficent and just wants more attention right now that all

[hankpage]

It's cheaper to keep her! JM2¢, Hank ..... Don't go look at one or sit in one, that's too dangerous ... but look at the prices of a new one ...... Those repair bills will look like petty cash receipts.

[summerhummer]

As others say look at the bright side. At least non of the issues were Tranny related. That truck is a baby and its just getting its grown up teeth and those parts replaced are now new... I can feel you though bad timing. I thought my truck was all set and ready for a trip... went in for a simple oil change and check up and was told different and they were not lying. When the pointed the issues out I saw the were real issue needing addressing. 1500. 00 later I enjoyed my trip.... I cant complain though, last year was pretty much no issues just fluid changes.

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by SAABDOCTOR

HI THERE! Here is Barney's rule of thumb that i tell my customers. Add up all the expenses except gas and oil changes. for a year. divide by 12 is that more than the payment on a new car/truck. If no, keep it! every now and then a car/truck likes to dig deep into your pocket....Just like a teenager

Barney,
Yes I can see what you are talking about in the last year..
Don't think I can buy a diesel for $204.00 a month. I took the one oil change out....
Just seems to be a butt kicker right here at vacation..
one bright spot is I paid for my camping trip 2 weeks ago before the truck issues. SO as long as I can get my camper to the beach campground my spot is ALL paid for.
for the all words of encouragement...
Oh yeah Barney I got one those teenagers too. She is on her last week of school this year. She calls last night and asks can I bring a friend to the beach with us???? Can't you worry about those final exams before the beach trip???
randy

[hoffbrew]

Oh boy... been there done that with my 04 F350.... Was glad to see that gone! left me on the side of the road too many times while on my way camping. Originally ended up buying myself a 2012 3500HD SRW, for our shop truck of course!! but after a few "shop driver" issues it permanently became the shop truck then got a smoking deal on a 08 3500 with 20K miles on her which is mine now. I figured if it cost me an extra 100.00 bucks a month compared to shop time with F350, it was well worth it. No more break downs and actual camping time. Kinda like extra insurance for me. Sure, stuff will go wrong, but nothing like the F350 issues. There are good deals on diesels out there that are just a couple years old and have or can get extended warranties with them from dealer. JMO

[SAD]

63,000 / 72 months....

A zero percent loan is $875 a month for the next 6 years.

I'm keeping my 07 for a while.

[hankaye]

byrdr1, Howdy;

When I first thought about buying a BIG truck and becoming an owner
Operator I got to asking as many O/O's as I could and came away with
the conscientious that, and one even stated it this way, "When you
finish paying for it, you'll just be spending the money on maintenance
payments." In other words ... Better to deal with the Devil you know
than one you don't...
I have a 2004 F-250, bought it used in 2009, have had the FICM (Fuel
Injection Control Module), redone last June, I do my own oil changes,
(that saves me anywhere from $35.00/hr. to $65.00/hr.depending where
I am), and most of the maintenance that I can. I'm also learning to speak
diesel as a second language. Oh what fun ...

hankaye

[Cougarfamily]

Originally Posted by SAD

63,000 / 72 months....

A zero percent loan is $875 a month for the next 6 years.

I'm keeping my 07 for a while.

At what point do the truck makers price themselves out of business? Add some interest to that, and you would have near a house payment, I would think. I also would think it would be scary to have vehicle loans going over 10 years in order to keep the payments down to a more affordable level for most folks! With depreciation, you would almost never be able to get out from underneath it until it had already been worn out. With the way things are now, we are just going to have to wait many years until a used '13-'14 Ford or Dodge gets down to what we want to pay, no mater how badly we would like to upgrade now.

[theeyres]

No doubt it is always cheaper to keep what you have, but very few of our decisions on buying trucks, cars or rvs are based only on $$. I, for one, would start think about another truck when I'm afraid to take it out for fear of it breaking down on the road.

And if you look at buying a used truck a few years old with low miles, all those repairs may not look too different from payments.

[Ken / Claudia]

I have had way to many autos and auto loans to remember each. This F350 was a killer at 525 a month, I think the loan was 35000. If you have the money to get a new truck, good on you, get one and enjoy it. I thought I would be trading this truck in by now. I still like it, drive it acouple times a month. I do not think I can afford a new truck, maybe a 3-4 years old one. Than what, payments and they still break, they need tires, batteries etc, etc. Mine has 165000 miles. About 8000 bucks into fixing the trannys. Afew other things have broken, nothing major. If you like the truck, keep it.

[Western Traveler]

Originally Posted by hankaye

byrdr1,
I have a 2004 F-250, bought it used in 2009, have had the FICM (Fuel
Injection Control Module), redone last June, I do my own oil changes,
(that saves me anywhere from $35.00/hr. to $65.00/hr.depending where
I am), and most of the maintenance that I can. I'm also learning to speak
diesel as a second language. Oh what fun ...
hankaye

Without starting a best Automaker argument when we decided to upgrade our TV I did a lot of homework, though I know way more now after the fact.
The information on all three diesel manufactures had good and bad things about them. Couldn't justify the cost of a new truck, tried to steer clear of used units with limited track records on redesigned engines and found a happy medium that suited us.
Now I know what an FICM is and what its pressure should be.
I am financially committed to this truck and hoping that if I continue to care for it it will serve us well. My Crystal Ball is still in the shop for repairs so no knowing the future for us.

The 7.3L is a solid performing engine and sounds like you are happy with the overall condition of the truck. Perhaps the tension pulley may have needed changing the first time around so possibly that cost goes down as well.
Just like tires, hoses brakes etc wear out over time too.

BTW, your truck is a sought after year as well if you decided to move up.

[SAD]

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

I have had way to many autos and auto loans to remember each. This F350 was a killer at 525 a month, I think the loan was 35000. If you have the money to get a new truck, good on you, get one and enjoy it. I thought I would be trading this truck in by now. I still like it, drive it acouple times a month. I do not think I can afford a new truck, maybe a 3-4 years old one. Than what, payments and they still break, they need tires, batteries etc, etc. Mine has 165000 miles. About 8000 bucks into fixing the trannys. Afew other things have broken, nothing major. If you like the truck, keep it.

When I first bought my 07, it was my daily driver. In April 2008, my job location changed so I bought a 2002 Saturn as a "throw away car" for putting 11tybillion commuting miles on..... In December 2008 I finally relocated to the new location. We ended up liking having 3 cars and have had them ever since. All 3 have been paid for, for many years.

My truck gets driven 1x a week to work; trips to Lowes on the weekend; and of course camping/pulling the toys.

As a result, my 7 year old 07 dually only has 60,000 miles on it. I change the oil once a year - simply because of "time" not because of miles. My annual miles now is in the 4K to 6K range.

I'll never get enough miles on it to "justify" selling/trading it in. LOL "bouncy: And the though of a payment on a new vehicle makes me cringe.

[byrdr1]

Originally Posted by Western Traveler

The 7.3L is a solid performing engine and sounds like you are happy with the overall condition of the truck. Perhaps the tension pulley may have needed changing the first time around so possibly that cost goes down as well.
Just like tires, hoses brakes etc wear out over time too.
BTW, your truck is a sought after year as well if you decided to move up.

Funny you should say tires, bought 4 of them at the end of February. NOT counting the the 2 maxxis for the camper.. HAHAHA!!!
I know the 7.3 is solid(I got a guy work that has been trying to get me to sell it to him for the last year) and with 218000 miles equipment is wearing out. And I am happy with the truck.
IT just gets me that I am/was basically one month from going camping and I drop pretty much my whole camping budget on the truck to get my camper to the beach.. I see why some people give up and walk away to the condo world. I love camping too much to walk away and the dogs do enjoy going camping too. They would never be allowed to go to a condo with us and we would still have all the same expenses but at a higher level. but we could drop the camper payments, get rid of the golfcart....yada yada yada......
So after getting over the hit to the pocket book... I will keep it and keep going camping and pray that I can go the rest of the year without any more major expenses. I have already dropped $400 in the camper getting it ready, the 2 new tires (replaced the other two last summer) and 1 refrigerator control module.
So we are in count down mode now.. T-minus 7days and counting..
Again thanks all for the encouraging words of wisdom.. sometimes you just need to vent and express your displeasure with things.. You all are breath of fresh air and advise....
randy

[SAABDOCTOR]

3 letter words like cim cem fem rem dim ecu tcs tcm nct pfe vvt. Learning to speak car/truck can be fun! 0nly rossetta stone doesn't make a cd

[Lost]

Originally Posted by SAD

63,000 / 72 months....

A zero percent loan is $875 a month for the next 6 years.

I'm keeping my 07 for a while.

Looking at a new F350 loaded.. Loved the truck untill I was told payments would be about a thousand a month for 6 years
I'll keep the one I have.