In March '13, I traded an '01 F150 5.4 XLT Supercrew (12 years, 240,000 miles) for a new '13 F150 3.5tt 6-speed XLT Supercrew. The new one gets 50% better hwy mileage (26 vs. 17) with WAY more power. The only significant expense on the '01 was a new transmission at 160k miles and three coil packs. It was a good truck and was still running well when I traded it. It was using a quart of oil every 2,000 miles. I have no regrets on the trade. Fuel savings will not pay for a new truck, but I really like the power of the new one.
For the 12 years that I owned the '01, I put aside $50 each week into the new truck fund. I did finance the purchase of the '13 through Ford to get the $1,500 purchase price discount, but paid it off in 4 months with little interest. Spreading the cost over 12 years and paying no interest was easier on the wallet.
