Buy New or Revive Old? Place your vote and reasoning

[Thumperbird]

Just for fun, looking for others perspective on whether to buy a new F150 or revive my 2000 F150.

I know most folks here are doers so I suspect maybe the votes will slant that way but just wondering how crazy it is to redo an old truck versus buy new.  Money is not particularly an issue though it isn't falling off trees either, just hard to part with a truck only because it looks like crap but the wife does not want to ride in it.  She has a nice new SUV.

Old = 2000 F150 Lariet with 130K miles, all lower body panels have the usual rot, reviving would mean spending ~$2K for materials (includes paint) and I do all the work including full paint job.  Not a 4wd truck so that is a negative overall but I only need 4wd about twice a year.  Interior is nice and all metal other than lower body panels is in good shape.  Runs well but looks like hell.

New = 2018 F150 XL with a few options, including 4x4, would be ~$35k.  Would be stuck with a payment but interest rates are low.

I only put ~10k miles on a vehicle a year.

What would you guys do?

Thanks.

[Lenz]

Me, I'd fix the old one.  If the rot's too bad you can always get a used bed, cab, doors, don't think fenders are too much either.  That's the beauty of pickups, everything from front to back just unbolts and you roll it off the frame.  Since everything else but the body is decent it comes down to what you value more, your time and labor or the roughly 30k the new one sets you back beyond fixing the one you have.  I have redone a couple (including one I rolled) and working the body portion isn't nearly as time consuming as a typical car IMO.

[HarleyJack17]

Do whichever is more financially sound. Cars lose value and fast. The old truck won’t be worth much more than it is now. If 2k fixes it and you get 5 years...it cost you 2k. Loooong way from 35k. Or, here is a curve ball, find a classic that needs a little work and you may put some cash into but be able to get it back out. This can work pretty well on late 69s to late 70s Ford Trucks.  Certain older cars will not lose value. All new cars will, aside from specialty go fast rigs.  You have to watch your budget on the older old ones though. My .02 and I am a tad frugal at times.

[HTM101]

Would the purchase of a 2015-2016 F150 be an option for you?  That could put you in the $22k-25k range.

[chris401]

Just for fun, looking for others perspective on whether to buy a new F150 or revive my 2000 F150.

I know most folks here are doers so I suspect maybe the votes will slant that way but just wondering how crazy it is to redo an old truck versus buy new.  Money is not particularly an issue though it isn't falling off trees either, just hard to part with a truck only because it looks like crap but the wife does not want to ride in it.  She has a nice new SUV.

Old = 2000 F150 Lariet with 130K miles, all lower body panels have the usual rot, reviving would mean spending ~$2K for materials (includes paint) and I do all the work including full paint job.  Not a 4wd truck so that is a negative overall but I only need 4wd about twice a year.  Interior is nice and all metal other than lower body panels is in good shape.  Runs well but looks like hell.

New = 2018 F150 XL with a few options, including 4x4, would be ~$35k.  Would be stuck with a payment but interest rates are low.

I only put ~10k miles on a vehicle a year.

What would you guys do?

Thanks.

When things were going good we would pay off everything as soon as possible and use what we have. Keeping it simple has helped us when times got tuff. If there is not undercarage rust I would repair the 2000. Is it a 4.6?

[e philpott]

Hard to compare the two with the age difference , it's Night and Day difference , the new will have a fully boxed frame that the 2002 won't have , Engine and Transmission are in a different Ball Park than the 2002  , heck the whole drivetrain is just has more Brakes just everything ,the safety systems are way better like side air bags and such ,  here in the "Rust Belt" 2002's are getting at the age where we are seeing the frames break/rust in two and vehicle getting scrapped ... I'll vote on the newer because it has more power , better mileage , just safer and better

[Joe-JDC]

Personally, looks alone would drive me to buy a new F-150 over anything  in the 1997-2010 time frame. JMO, but unless it was a SVT, it is not worth putting any money into body work.  Ride quality, options, fuel mileage, all make buying new and taking care of it is the way to go.  After 18 years, it is time since it is not a classic.  Joe-JDC

[Thumperbird]

Thought about an old one but need reliable winter vehicle.
Not a big fan of buying used due to risk, even if perceived.
2000 F150 Truck is a 5.4l, frame is decent I think.

I was about to ask, last response did not post for some reason,  if anyone just said screw it, bought new, let the old one go even if not worn out but a couple of you guys beat me to the answer.

You just don't see many older trucks on the road, is it because of high mileage, lacks of skills to revive?  Time is too valuable?  Lack of motivation?  Safety and comfort as mentioned, what is it?

I am not a fan yet of the new designs although they are finally going away from the gargantuan grills and super high stance that tried to make pickups look like semi's, I guess that is what real men want?

[Barry_R]

  here in the "Rust Belt" 2002's are getting at the age where we are seeing the frames break/rust in two and vehicle getting scrapped ... I'll vote on the newer because it has more power , better mileage , just safer and better

I finally replaced my 2000 Excursion for this reason.  At "only" 200,000 miles and 17 years of daily Michigan use I realized that the structural integrity was becoming compromised.  It had reached a point where I was servicing something every couple of weeks, and all the doors, the rocker panels, and the "B" and "C" pillars all had significant rust out.  The cost of maintenance and repair outweighed the value of the vehicle.  I still miss that damn truck.

[Lenz]

Thought about an old one but need reliable winter vehicle.
Not a big fan of buying used due to risk, even if perceived.
2000 F150 Truck is a 5.4l, frame is decent I think.

high mileage, lacks of skills to revive?  Time is too valuable?  Lack of motivation?  Safety and comfort as mentioned?

Yep, and add fuel mileage too.  All of those reasons are valid depending on who you are and what you bring to the table.  I drive my '69 a lot and the 300 3 speed stick is not a mileage king.  I've got a nice '78 overdrive in my garage to swap in that'll help there, but that's part of running the old stuff.  I also have a '14 F150 that is the nicest all around vehicle I've ever owned, it's highly reliable, the 5.0 has plenty of power and it gets great mileage too (compared to the old stuff anyway).

[Lenz]

Yeah, that's another thing about the older stuff.  I've been around Erie all my life and back in the 60's and 70's it was rare to find a 100,000 mile vehicle in the junk yard.  Most had significant rot by 50k if they got that far.  The up side was a ton of good mechanical stuff was readily available, it didn't have time to wear out.

[BattlestarGalactic]

I would go new.  Not that I am a fan of them, but considering your old truck and what it would take to make it presentable?   Might as well go new.

Beside the electrical nightmare of a new truck, I just don't care for the BIG wheels and the ridiculously tall bedsides.   They are not user friendly in my opinion.  I did see a late model F150 last summer.  It has smaller rims/tires on it, sat down enough you didn't have to crawl up into it like an old school 4x4 that was jacked up.  Not that I'm ready for a truck payment, I'm going to milk my '95 for many, many years.

[GJCAT427]

Larry, same here. I just repaired my 95 F350 7.3 crewcab . New rockers are not available for crew cabs but I got factory style replacements for standard cab and made a set. New cab mount and cab corners Some floor work and it as good as new and NO DAM PAYMENTS for a over priced work truck.

[Thumperbird]

So this is getting to be a 50/50 deal, who would have thought?

I do have custom wheels and a nice lid for the old beast, which of course will not fit a new truck at least without some finagling.

Will be a shame to see it all go given the low miles, just so hard not to think that I did not get my monies worth out of it.  If it was needing maintenance routinely that would be a different story but it is mostly care free, knock on wood.

They do still sit up high and bed sides are high, hell makes me want to get the stupid integrated rear step.

I have flipped both ways several times in the last few days, still noodling on this, part of me is cheap and hates to get rid of a vehicle with known history and life left but cosmetically challenged but I do see the value in all the things that come with new.

It's both a curse and a blessing to be able to fix and rebuild things or at least think you can, ALWAYS projects to do!

[Thumperbird]

By the way, cab corners are good, bottoms of rockers are almost gone but rot has not crept around the side at all yet so I think I would just clean that up and tack in a piece of sheet stock on the underside.
Otherwise it would be repair panels on all 4 doors and all 4 corners of the box.  Maybe I will try and put a photo up for fun.