You're not going to come very far ahead doing what you suggest. It costs money to own a truck and whether it be 12 years old or 5 years old is not going to matter much. The $850 per month payment should be covering more than depreciation.... in other words your payments are likely contributing to building a little bit more equity in the truck each month. If you buy a 2007 it will still be depreciating several thousand dollars per year and you will likely have higher repair bills on it. How many more years do you expect to be needing a truck?