# Need Advice From Experienced Tow Vehicle Buyers



## rgrant78 (May 18, 2008)

Greetings All

Over the last couple of weeks I have been helping Chris (H2oSprayer) with a long distance purchase of a tow vehicle. I am now inspired to find my own new vehicle. I am only 30 years old and have not bought many vehicles. I need some help from all of you that have many more vehicle purchases under your belts. Here are the facts. My wife and I purchased an 07 21rs last april. We absolutely love it. We tow it with a 6 cyl Ford Explorer Sport trac. I know that the vehicle is overloaded. We only tow about 20 miles to our nearest state park. I know that we need a new vehicle to pull the trailer. We are planning a trip to florida for spring break to visit my parents so I need to find something in the near future. We would like to tow this trailer all over the US. My wife and I are both teachers and would love to close up the house each summer and travel. My wife is from WA state so we will tow mountains often to visit her family. My budget is not very big. I would like to stick with ford as I really like their spacious cabins. It looks as though the budget will allow for a 40000 to 50000 mile f150 or a 90000 to 110000 f250 diesel. I would like to own this tow vehicle for a very long time. The truck will only be used for towing the trailer or the odd weekend trip to Lowes or Home Depot. We both drive fuel efficient cars for daily drivers. Now for the question. Am I better off buying the lower mileage f150 with a 5.4 or the higher mileage 250 with the diesel. Thank you in advance for all of your help.

Ryan


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## SmkSignals (May 2, 2005)

I would go for a 2001-2004 Ford F250 Crew Cab V-10.

I have the same trailer, and towed it with an 01' truck as above, and loved it !!! Only reason i sold the truck is I need more interior space.

I now tow with an Expedition. It's ok and does the job, but nothing like my 250.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I would consider an '04-'08 F150. You get the 3V motor and your mileage will be better than the older V10's. Really though, If you can get a '09 F150 with the 6 speed trans and the 5.4, you will love it. That combo is just great. You might have to get a lower end model but you will be glad you did. The mpg gains on the '09's, especially on the highway, are more than worth it. My '02 F150 with the 2v 5.4 gets 16mpg (unloaded) on the highway. The '09's get 20-21mpg (unloaded). The 09's are alot more truck than my older '02 for dang sure.

-CC


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## AZthunderations (Aug 21, 2008)

Go with the F250, either a V10 or diesel, I'd go diesel. I tow a 25 foot Ultra Lite TT with a F150 SuperCrew and it works well, but if you ever want to upgrade your TT, all ready having a F250 would make the decision a lot easier. Better to have a little overkill, then overload.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Be cautious of the early 6.0L Diesel engines. The early years were problematic. The last couple seem to be a lot better. The 6.8L V10 is an option. They are a lot cheaper to get and the engine is strong. The downside will be fuel economy.

With a 21RS I might consider more of the F150. The reason I say this is that the Super Duties are TRUCKS, and behave like them







. The F150 has a more comfortable ride and feels more carlike in how it handles. You would also be getting a newer truck and therfore would probably have more time before additional maintenance issues come into play.

To play Devil's advocate however, I could also see 1 summer on the road resulting in the DW asking for a _slightly bigger TT_








The F250 would have you prepared for that discussion.... Of course if she is like my wife, go straight for the F450...


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We had a 2000 GMC yukon that we traded in at 80k miles 18 months ago. We would have kept it but it was going into the shop more frequently for more and more expensive repairs. The reason I say that is if you are able to pay some more for a newer vehicle(30k or less miles) it will most likely cost you less in repairs and be more reliable in the long run. Eventually it will need repairs, but you will have gotten much more use out of it before it needs those repairs.

The last thing you want is to break down headed cross country with an older truck that has close to 100k miles on it. Not saying at all that older higher mileage trucks are not reliable. If it was my own truck that I knew the maintenance records on I wouldn't think twice about it. An older truck I bought used and didn't know all the history of I wouldn't be so confident.

Mike


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## rgrant78 (May 18, 2008)

Thank you for all of the quick replies. I am kind of leaning towards overkill as a larger trailer will be in our future eventually. Currently I am looking at an 06 150 with 45000 and an 06 250 diesel with 102000. Both are priced at 18,000. How bad is it that the 06 diesel has 100,000 + miles in a few short years. Please keep the replies coming. I am so thankful for your help

Ryan


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## WYOCAMPER (Mar 28, 2007)

Either would probably suit your needs. I'm with you on erring on the side of caution and prefering overkill. My vote is for an F250 with the V10. Here are my thoughts as to why:

-If you will be towing in the mountains, the V10 will give you more power than the F150 5.4L.
-The F250 will give you a better towing platform with a longer wheel base than an F150
-The V10 is a proven engine with outstanding reliability in comparison to the 6.0 diesel
-You are only using the truck for towing or the odd weekend trip. Diesels do not like to sit for extended periods of time, they like to run. 
-You clearly are not towing heavy and do not need the extra expense of a diesel - initial purchase + maintenance.
-You can buy a used V10 cheaper than a used 6.0L diesel 
-You can upgrade to a larger travel trailer in the future without buying a new tow vehicle


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## timewizard (Jun 9, 2007)

Lenzauto.com is a good place to look. A lot of selection good luck!


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## Rob_G (Feb 16, 2006)

timewizard said:


> Lenzauto.com is a good place to look. A lot of selection good luck!


GREAT DEALER! I'd compare them to the Lakeshore RV of the truck world! Although I haven't purchased from them, two of my closest friends have (Diesel F250 and Diesel Excursion) and they had nothing but great things to say. Great prices and good guys. I was there for the Excursion purchase.

And yep... we drove up from Illinois to get the best deal.

Good luck on your purchase!


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

WYOCAMPER said:


> Either would probably suit your needs. I'm with you on erring on the side of caution and prefering overkill. My vote is for an F250 with the V10. Here are my thoughts as to why:
> 
> -If you will be towing in the mountains, the V10 will give you more power than the F150 5.4L.
> -The F250 will give you a better towing platform with a longer wheel base than an F150
> ...


 That's my train of thought.

Eric


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

egregg57 said:


> Either would probably suit your needs. I'm with you on erring on the side of caution and prefering overkill. My vote is for an F250 with the V10. Here are my thoughts as to why:
> 
> -If you will be towing in the mountains, the V10 will give you more power than the F150 5.4L.
> -The F250 will give you a better towing platform with a longer wheel base than an F150
> ...


 That's my train of thought.

Eric
[/quote]

I agree 100%

John


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

I have an 08 21rs and 02 F-150.
It tows well but struggles up steep grades, found that out going east from WA to MT last summer.
Other then that the F-150 is great.

Would opt for the diesel just for the torque for the mountains.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

I guess it depends a lot on how long you plan to keep the truck and do you plan on going to a larger trailer some day in the future. If it were me I would go with the Diesel, great for towing and they last a long long time. I would not just look at one brand but all 3 and go with the best buy none of the trucks are perfect(GM,Ford,Dodge) all have their strengths and weaknesses but all are great trucks overall. Take some time to check out the new truck deals, there are some great deals right now and you might be surprised and while at the dealer look at the used trucks and use the new price deals to make a better deal on a used one. Most people selling trucks right now have them over priced for this market but dealers are very aware of the market and don't want the used truck buyers to know the new truck prices, so look at the new ones first then go over to the used ones and make a deal based on what the new ones are selling for.

I usually spend a month or two looking and pricing cars/trucks, I use the Internet to the max, find a car/truck I want then find what other dealers are willing to sell it for. I ask for lots of on line offers, you will get back offers but a lot of them will try to get you to come in or call them. Just email them back and ask them to give you the best offer via email because you don't have time to go to all the lots or make phone calls but when you find a deal that you feel is fare you will then make the time to come in, also let the know other dealers have already given you offers via email and you will be deciding soon. When you do get offers don't think that is the bottom line you can still get them to come down some. When you do go the dealer, treat them like you would like to be treated do get in a pissing match or make ultimatums it doesn't work and they will not work hard to get your business. Also be prepared to walk away from a deal, if they can't get to your price or they treat you bad, it is a two way street, no deal is worth being treated bad. The best deals come to those who take their time and do their home work.

Of course you may know all this stuff but either way I whish you the best of luck and hope you find a TV that makes you happy and does a good job for you. Good luck


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## HDOutbackers (Feb 28, 2008)

I have owned both an 02 F-150 with the 5.4 and most recently the 08 F-250 with the new but apparently short lived 6.4L Diesel.

I love both trucks. We looked at towing with a newer larger capacity F150 but since we wanted to begin taking long cross country trips, (including the Mts out west) we opted for the Diesel F-250. (Our trailer choice dictated that too). If you believe you will opt for a larger trailer in the future, then the F-250 seems to be the obvious choice. My F250 is getting about 17 mpg empty combined hwy/city driving, 11-12 mpg towing about 13000lbs. The truck tows like a dream but it does ride like a truck.

Nuff said..thats my two, maybe three cents worth. Good Luck.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

If you are indeed thinking "longer term = bigger camper", I have to admit that I am partial to F250 V10's














.

-CC


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## beek15853 (Aug 12, 2008)

I have a 99 F-250 Super Duty Crew Cab with the V-10 that has 277,900 miles on it and still running strong. The only complaint that I have is she is only likes to run about 60-65 MPH while towing...any faster than that and it's too hard on the truck and the MPG go down to about 6. This truck has been pretty much trouble free for me. I get about 12.5-14 normal driving, 6-9 towing. Not great, but who buys a truck for fuel economy? 
Good Luck.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

If you definitely are planning on a larger trailer then buying the larger truck now is probably the smart way to go. Either one will handle your current 21RS. I think you should be able to find some decent deals on 06 or 07 F250s with the diesel if you take your time and shop around. Ford/Navistar made a fair number of improvements to the 6.0 by the time they stopped making them in 07. The 06/07 models have a fair number of improvements over the 03 - 05 models. Try not to have a trade if buying through a dealer as it will complicate the purchase and you rarely get a decent price on the trade. If you go with the F-250 diesel or for that matter any Ford see if you can get an OASIS report on the truck before buying. The OASIS report is Fords system for tracking all of the dealer service on a vehicle. Taking a look at one will tell you if the truck has had a lot of problems and if it has been maintained properly. There are a couple of Ford specific forums where people will get reports for you, all you need is the VIN. If buying from a Ford dealer they should be willing to provide it also. If they won't then walk away as they are likely trying to hide something.

Last year a guy at work I know was able to find a nice low mileage 02 F-250 with the 7.3L motor and if you could find one like that it would be great setup.

Good luck


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