audipwr1

That is still 7.3 right? I need a truck and am having trouble stomaching the 65k price

winders

Yes, it is a 2002 which was the last year of the 7.3L. I special-ordered it. I love it!

hf1

So what's the model, year, & miles sweetspot on a 3/4 ton truck to get today in terms of best bang/$ and depreciation, both gas and diesel?

RickBetterley

Sounds like my first truck (F350 King Ranch long bed crew cab dually) that I bought used for $25k in 2004 or so.
Great truck, motor lasts forever. Lots of nvh but definitely a manly truck.
Good choice

morsini

I tow with a Tundra and it's the cats ***. Drives and handles like a car but rock sold towing.

mbean

Bought our 2002 Duramax diesel with Allison transmission new with extended cab and 8 foot bed. 150000 miles later, mostly towing, it still runs great. Don't even notice the trailer is there, as we have goosenecks. The only way I'm getting a new truck is if I get a new wife, and I can't afford that trade!
Buzz

Kugley

I have a GL450 that I used for towing a 17' open Featherlite. The power was fine and surprisingly the suspension was no problem either. I trailer 100 miles 15-20 times a year to and from the track without a single hill, so I never needed additional power. I was never that comfortable, however, towing 6,000lbs with the GL. It felt like it got pushed around too much.
I decided it was time to get a truck for towing. I thought I wanted a new F-150 because they look great and ride like a car. Everyone was telling me to get 3/4 ton. I was ready to buy an F-150, and one of my buddies called it a starter kit. At that point, I decided to listen and bought a 2016 Ram Laramie 2500 with the Cummins. While I've had it less than a year, it's my favorite vehicle (besides my track car) I've ever owned. It obviously does not ride like an F-150, but I've gotten used to it. It's a mega cab, so the parking and turning radius his horrible. Outside of that, I like almost everything about it. As many have said, you don't know the trailer is behind you. In fact, I had a newer S550 that I used as a daily driver and just sold it because I found myself driving the truck all the time. I'm not trying to say it's an ideal dd, but it was worked out great for me so far.

paradisenb

Don't buy a 1/2 ton. Everything is car-like. 3/4 ton has bigger axles, brakes, shocks, springs, etc. etc. etc. Ford, Chevy and Dodge all make very nice trucks. Buy the one that looks and feels best to you. You can't go wrong with any of the big 3.

StoogeMoe

Why is it so much fun talking about trucks?

It might be more interesting to talk about trucks than it is to talk about race cars!

I made the switch from 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton and the difference was night and day. So much more stable and confident. In the 1/2 ton it always felt like you were one heinous maneuver from disaster. A bit pricey but the best move you can make.

Viperbob1

I have had 2 1/2 ton trucks, a one ton normally aspirated dually, and a score of SUVs with bigger motors for towing. I now have a 3/4 ton with a diesel and cant believe how stupid i was for not owning one sooner. This does it all. First I get over 20 miles to the gallon just driving around (12 mpg while towing 15K lb trailer). Most of the others were 10-12 normal driving and 7ish mpg towing a 5-6K lb trailer. This 3/4 handles and rides great, nice and comfy and reliable. Wish I went this way 15 years ago

twk63

I tow a 20' aluminum enclosed trailer maybe 6 to 8x a year, rarely more than 300 miles in one direction. Fully loaded with car and weekend necessities, it's between 6k and 7k lbs. I had originally planned on an F250 (gas engine) but I took a test drive in a 2015 F150 King Ranch ecoboost and the ride quality sold me. It can comfortably tow my trailer but is much easier to live with on a daily basis than the 3/4 ton.

Coulthard Fan

OP: Once you start towing to the track you will wonder why you ever drove your track car there. Or, on some Sunday afternoon when you are at a track something will break on your car stranding you hundreds of miles from home, and then you will wonder why you drove your ride home there instead of towing it. Last time I went to the track with my neighbor and he brought his GT4, it left on a flatbed and I gave him a ride home.

I'd suggest that you seriously give some thought to what kind of trailer you want/can afford/fits in your yard/wife won't notice and THEN pick your tow vehicle. For some DE folks a light open trailer is fine and you can tow those and a Cayman with almost anything. When I started towing I had a small light enclosed trailer I towed with a Cayenne GTS and it was great. Now when I tow (rather than my team bringing my car in their hauler) I use a full size Yukon and a 26' enclosed aluminum trailer, but that is rare. I honestly liked the Cayenne and smaller trailer better, but I needed the Yukon for other things. What else you use it for will likely tell you what tow vehicle makes most sense in your situation.

wanna911

What size enclosed? I have an enclosed 20 footer, and it has at least 15k miles towing with it. I'm not sure it could handle much more than 20ft though. Towed through the mountains of Tennesse to Ohio no prob.

paradocs98

Followup:

After lots of thought and research and advice on this thread (e.g. pickups aren't great in snow), I've changed gears a bit--no pun intended.

Decided on a 2017 Audi S3. Found one inbound to a Connecticut dealership that was optioned very similarly to how I would have ordered one, and picked it up a couple of weeks ago. Ironically, it's the same price or cheaper than a nicely equipped F150 XLT. Small, very zippy, practical with four doors and should be a hoot (and safe) in the winter. Came with PZeros. I have Pirelli winters ready to go on soon...

RickyBobby

IMHO diesel tow rigs are far more addictive than ANY track car hands down. The torque...the smell...the noise....
What's not to love?