it might be time for a new car

[t-maxxracer32]

Whatsup guys.

So heres the scenario.

A freind of mine wants to buy my 2000 f150 for 9k straight up cash. I bought it from my dad for 8k 3 years ago and its all paid off and everything. I put maybe 3k into it for tires rims etc but it does not have any crazy modifications to it. about 70k miles. according to KBB its worth around 9500.

the reason im coming on here is for guidance... I think most of you will say just keep the truck and dont waste money on a new car, and usually I would agree but my friend is offering me pretty much what it is worth and I highly doubt in the future anyone else would offer near that.

so lets just say i sold the truck for 9k and I have about 3k saved up right now.. I dont want to spend more than 15k possibly because i would like to pay the car or truck off before i head off to college (may-august not sure when)

I get paid about 400 a week steady so a monthly payment wouldnt be a huge deal, and my job will carry on once im going to college so even if i dont pay the car totally off it wont be a huge deal.

enough of the boring stuff. WHAT CAR/TRUCK SHOULD I BUY!?!

since im not wanting to spend 50k my options are somewhat limited.

im not into older cars due to the fact that i do not know how to work on them and i just like the luxary of newer cars..

trucks are a heck of alot more expensive for a nice setup and id want to buy my truck lifted so my 2 options here are a newer f150 and a tacoma. The tacomas are more expensive in like the 17-18k range but are WAY sick. the f150s are about 15-16 and still really nice.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false


as for cars.. they are so much cheaper than trucks and i can get something SO sick for 15k
thinking possibly... a charger.. maybe an 04-08 mustang, possibly a CTS.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false


what do you all think?

i should mention.. i would not get any dodge truck, titan, altima, civic.. really any average car.. I dont like 4 runners xteras expeditions.. etc.. If im going to spend my money i want it to be sweet. that is the bottom line..

cars are quicker more fun to drive, but i think id miss sitting high up like I do in my truck. Also, with a car.. there are some places you cannot go.. like the desert or over a curb, etc. trucks kill gas like no other too.
both cars and trucks have their ups and downs but ive never owned a car so i dont exactly know how it would be.
I drive my moms 08 hybrid to school mon-thursday (due to saving gas..) and cant wait to get back in my truck because the stupid hybrid has absolutely no power.. its just a sissy car so i cant base my hatred towards cars on that..

to sum it up.. my moral dilemma.. basically i dont know whether to keep my truck and save up all my money for college n such (have a college fund that should last the rest of the way) or should i sell my truck and get something new knowing that i will pay it off before i go to school.. AND if i sell my truck should i go balls out and get a sick tacoma for 18k or should i just get a nice newer f150 for 16. or should i get a sick car for 15k? shoot even some cool cars go for 10-12. i could probably pay that off straight up.

sorry for such a long thread.

thanks for any help!

[E-Revonut]

Well I know from experience that the newer F-150's are great trucks! I have an '04 extended cab FX4, a similar truck can be picked up for about $14k in my area. I have owned cars and trucks, used to have a small car for traveling all over and my truck was my toy, now I have another Ford Ranger 2wd for travel. Ranger doesn't get as good of mileage as a car but it's a truck! I sit up higher, it's rear wheel drive, and easy to work on. Personally I dislike foreign vehicles but esspecially Toyota. based on the prices you gave I can only assume you are looking at 4x4 trucks, don't know where you live but here in central NY we get lots of snow and I wouldn't trade my 4x4 for a front wheel drive car. I don't know how much room your looking for but since you mentioned a Tacoma I'm guessing your not looking to pile a bunch of friends in with you. I would suggest a Ford Ranger FX4, great trucks and you'll have tons of power and can expect about 17MPG average with a moderately heavy foot at times. F-150's are great, I get between 15-16MPG combined city/highway driving, have gotten 18MPG on the highway with my 33x12.5 Mud tires, which fit without a lift. If you go with a car, I know you don't want an average car and I said I dislike foreign vehicles, it's hard to beat a Honda. They are incredible cars and you could always step up to an accord. Then there's a VW TDI Jetta, not sure what you can find these for but you get a 4cyl turbo diesel that has tons of torque and can get 50+MPG, actually gets better mileage than a Prius and has 10x the power!

Hope this helps in some way

[JThiessen]

Due to the fact that you are heading into college, you should keep the Ford. Its a win-win for you. Any college student that goes in with car payments, and possibly high insurance payments, is going to struggle.
Cars are the worst investment you can make (unless your talking about classic's). I know for a fact - I've been deeeeeep in that hole, an dit took many, many years for me to get my head above water on them.
The trucks value is going to plateau for a while - keep in decent shape, and when you are done with school, you can then pick out a brand new vehicle, and sell this one for almost what you can get for it now. If nothing else, you can put some money into it (dont do a lift - they actually bring down the value, and add to your maintenance costs).

[squeeforever]

Personally, I would NEVER buy a Toyota or a Ford, but thats just me. GM all the way! If I was looking to get another car, it would be either another 4th gen F-Body (93-02 Camaro/Firebird) or a newer GTO. I'm thinking of getting a nice used Viper if I get another car. You can pick up a nice one for around 25-30k for a GTS. Thats just me though...If I was to get another truck, it would be a 07+ Silverado...

[lincpimp]

Originally Posted by squeeforever

Personally, I would NEVER buy a Toyota or a Ford, but thats just me. GM all the way! If I was looking to get another car, it would be either another 4th gen F-Body (93-02 Camaro/Firebird) or a newer GTO. I'm thinking of getting a nice used Viper if I get another car. You can pick up a nice one for around 25-30k for a GTS. Thats just me though...If I was to get another truck, it would be a 07+ Silverado...

You must really like squeaky plastic interiors... I guess all of the wind noise and exhaust leaks (not to mention the wet seats from those t-top seals) distracts you...

God, I could never recommend a f body to anyone, unless I really did not like them. But someone has to buy them, and kudos to you for that.

I would stick with the truck, and I cannot imagine that a tacoma (toy taco) costs more than a real truck? Tacos are little turds, weak everything and have no interior room compared to a full size like the f150.

I am a ford guy, have a lightning and a supercrew both 02 models. Old fairlane and a f250 in the yard. Mom has a charger and she likes it, save for the seats which are a bit firm. Seems to be a good car and she got it brand new for 21k, cheaper than a civic decked out!!!

I get to drive everything owning a body shop and I can say that dodge seems to making decent stuff. GM is gm, garbage motors all the way. Unless you like badge engineering, they are the only game in town for that. I could not recommend the trucks, no paint on the rockers and the fit and finish is way behind ford and dodge. Toyotas are too expensive, and parts costs are crazy. Nissan cars seem ok, but they are just fwd mass produced boxes. Anything european is needlessly complex and the interiors do not wear well.

[squeeforever]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

You must really like squeaky plastic interiors... I guess all of the wind noise and exhaust leaks (not to mention the wet seats from those t-top seals) distracts you...

God, I could never recommend a f body to anyone, unless I really did not like them. But someone has to buy them, and kudos to you for that.

I would stick with the truck, and I cannot imagine that a tacoma (toy taco) costs more than a real truck? Tacos are little turds, weak everything and have no interior room compared to a full size like the f150.

I am a ford guy, have a lightning and a supercrew both 02 models. Old fairlane and a f250 in the yard. Mom has a charger and she likes it, save for the seats which are a bit firm. Seems to be a good car and she got it brand new for 21k, cheaper than a civic decked out!!!

I get to drive everything owning a body shop and I can say that dodge seems to making decent stuff. GM is gm, garbage motors all the way. Unless you like badge engineering, they are the only game in town for that. I could not recommend the trucks, no paint on the rockers and the fit and finish is way behind ford and dodge. Toyotas are too expensive, and parts costs are crazy. Nissan cars seem ok, but they are just fwd mass produced boxes. Anything european is needlessly complex and the interiors do not wear well.

My t-tops don't leak and my interior doesn't rattle actually. The only rattles or anything is from the double rod ended lower control arms and panhard bar I installed. I can live with a slight rattle when I hit a bump cause it handles so much better without the deflection the bushings cause. Not to mention my car never had any exhaust leaks while I've had it. Surprising considering it had a STS turbo. Not really any wind noise either....

All bias aside though, I'd really have to say the new GM trucks are the nicest i've ever seen. Interior is amazing, no squeaks, no rattles, dead quiet inside, best fit and finish as far as interior goes that I've ever seen. I was rather surprised on the test run cause it was almost like a Cadillac.

As far as the engines go, I dont' see how you could say their garbage. The GenIII and GenIV smallblocks are some of the best motors ever produced. LS1s are VERY good and reliable as well as powerful motors. As a matter of fact, I raced a Lightning once in my grandpaws old GMC truck...AND WON. It was a '04 Sierra with the highoutput 6.0L LQ9, exhaust, intake, etc. the motor was rated at 375/395 plus what was done to it, so it ran iight.