Opinion: best value HD truck under 20k?

Dadoffourgirls wrote:


However, you cannot legally take a 400 mile beer run with 15 people in a pickup.

Yup, you got me there!
And vans have better cargo security and make better ad hoc "campers" AND as I said are a great value.
Maybe I was a bit optimistic, quick search shows that you'll still pay a bit more to not be seen in a van (IE: buy a pickup), because vans are dirt cheap on resale.
But, vans like any other vehicle are a compromise depending on your wants and needs. If it works for you, that's perfect.

Grit dog wrote:
...People tout the value of a van. A base model gas 2wd pickup goes for the same $ maybe less. That’s what the “value” should be compared to. Then decide whether you want a pickup bed or 4 rows of seats.

I sure cannot find a 2019 2wd gas HD 1 ton pickup with 15k miles for under $23k.

And yes, they will only tow 10k pounds. And yes, they are not as quiet and upscale as a $65k truck.

However, you cannot legally take a 400 mile beer run with 15 people in a pickup.

LanceRKeys wrote:
I sure wish the OP would join in on the discussion.

Your right about the van compromise.

Sorry guys, been working on getting the new camper all set up and ready to go.

My opinion is that the best value HD trucks from an availability and reliability standpoint seems to be gasser of nearly any make. Especially the 4 speed variety from the 2000-2010 years.

2011 and up seems to be the 6.2 Ford. There are unicorn deals out there if one can wait and hunt for the absolutely best deal.

As far as a Van...I’m open to them and they are bargains! So you never know!

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Fella just scored a clean 7.3L for $8500 on that powerstroke forum i mentioned. People are saying he could drive it to other states and get double that.

I sure wish the OP would join in on the discussion.

Your right about the van compromise.

Flashman wrote:
If you feel like a gamble you can find a Ford 6.0 or 6.4 diesel for cheap - what could go wrong - it's a Ford after all.

Says the man that has never owned an early 6.7 Cummins - but it's a cummins at the end of the day.

Flashman wrote:
If you feel like a gamble you can find a Ford 6.0 or 6.4 diesel for cheap - what could go wrong - it's a Ford after all.

If I needed a diesel, had the time to fix them right and wanted a bargain truck to start with I'd get a 6.0/6.4. Trouble is finding one cheap enough to do all the bulletproofing and feel like you came out ahead for your troubles. Too many folks still don't know they're junk and the prices are somewhere between a good diesel and where they actually should be for the issues they have. JMO

crcr wrote:
Several suggested a 5.9 Ram Cummins truck but only with the manual transmssion. You will have difficulty finding one -- those are very rare and will probably bring a premium if you can even find one. The auto trans in the 3rd Gen seems to get a bad rap, but it is a decent trans if not abused. I had mine beefed up at 150K miles for $2800 by a builder who only builds Ram transmissions, and it is solid and reliable for towing.

Handshakers are not "that" hard to find and yes they do cost a bit more usually, but not much.

But you're right, autos will probably triple the amount of trucks to consider.
It's not like the 48re is weak. Quite the opposite, the 47/48RE are quite strong and can be made virtually indestructible like you said. More reasonably than newer auto transmissions as well.
What the 4 speeds lack is gears. Yes they work, but soooo annoying going from almost redline to almost falling off the torque curve with the large split between gears.

Ed505 FTW!
Discussion over!

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