What truck to get? pics included
 

So I have been doing some truck hunting in my area and there are 2 that I have found that I am interested in. I know that neither one will be able to pull the steel gooseneck trailer that my family has, but I am ok with that as long as it can handle my bumper pull. Since this truck will also be my daily driver, I don't want to get a big rig (and the lower mpg that comes with it) if I don't have to.

These are the two trucks I am looking at:
- 03 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCab FX4. 128k miles, auto, 8 cyl engine (not sure how many liters), towing package, power seat, leather. Other accessories that aren't as important to me (power moonroof, power rear window). It's about a half-hour away from me and the asking price is about $11k.
http://i.oodleimg.com/item/302529596...50/?1335956172

-02 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4x4. 112k miles, auto, 4.7L V8 engine, towing package. It's only a 15 minute drive from my house and the price is $10k.
http://www.elbesellscars.com/pics/1A...1-3C8E6057.JPG
I have driven both Fords and Dodges and I enjoy both makes, so I;m not real particular as to which one I get. The Dodge is cheaper and has less miles and more interior room, but I have heard that Fords last a long time and the Ford has a power seat (which might help me alot since I am short). Whatever truck I get is going to have to last me the next 6-10 years or so, so I am really making a commitment when I buy whichever truck I choose.

I guess what I want to know is, in your experience, which will last longer, have the better towing capability, and get the better overall MPG?

Ford is good....

i dig the dodge personally. and if you know how to turn a wrench, power seats arent difficult.

get the Dodge, the fords of that year range tend to fall apart really fast. I had one identical to that one, even the same color. Plus they are asking way to much for it. I paid 6500, for my all power, loaded leather, sun roof, everything 05 GMC, and it only had 41,000 miles on it.

Comfort and nice ride = Ford
Affordable = Dodge
Comfort, Nice Ride and Affordable = Chev :)

Couldn't agree more, other then I like mine to say GMC.

Thanks for the responses. Both of those trucks are sold now (since I was looking at them in May, haha) and thus far I'm still hunting around for a truck. What I would really like to get is a Chevy or GMC with the Quadrasteer option, but those seem to be few and far between.

In the meantime I'm driving the family pick-up, a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. There's been some talk of maybe selling it to me, so who knows, Ol' Red might be my own soon. It's just hard to find a nice truck that meets my requirements and is within my budget.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you... That would be great to get the family truck as your own... Drive it for a year. Fix it up, accessorize it a bit and use it as an awesome trade in on what you REALLY want.

What do you want in a truck that old red isn't providing?

I have seen nothing but problems with the quad steer Chevy trucks.

The quadasteer were discontinued after a couple of years.
They were produced for GM by Delphi Corp and turned out to be expensive to maintain Basically because it was like having two steering systems under your truck. Equaling double the moving parts. Doubling the amount to service. (grease points) And expensive if parts had to be replaced.
At the time, it was an exciting and very state of the art addition to your truck in maneuvering in tight spots and in backing short trailers.

Well...the more I think about it...nothing. Ol' Red has everything that I'm looking for in a truck: it's a quad cab, 4x4, with a 5.7L Hemi V8. My only real requirements for a truck is 4x4 and extended or crew cab, fairly low miles, and minimal rust. Ol' Red even has some features that are nice, but I don't necessarily need...like heated leather seats and dual exhaust, for instance. It's just a complicated family situation right now and I'm not sure how it's all going to work out.

KBB value for it is around $17k for clean retail value, and the trade-in value even in "fair" condition is around $15k. I would say it's in more than fair condition. It's got the typical Dodge rust spots around the rear wheel wells, and a few dents on the tailgate and behind the rear wheels, but the interior is in almost pristine condition. It only has 62k on the odometer, too. To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to find this nice of a truck anywhere for this price (my mom says she might sell it to me for $7500). If I do end up buying it, I'm definitely going to fix the rust and dents if I can. It needs new door seals and could probably use some new tires soon as well.

I will definitely keep you all updated on how it goes.

Got pics of old red?