How long do you keep your truck?

bobx2 wrote:
At around 150k or so, I think about looking, and if I find a deal, I buy it. Found my '09 three years ago with 36,000 miles on it, and picked it up for $9,000 less than it was worth. Wasn't really "looking" at the time since I had just 153k on my '03 Duramax, but couldn't pass it up for the price. It's now at 66,000 miles, so it will likely be a while before I go on the hunt again. But then again, you never know when you might stumble across a deal too good to pass up...

I think this is key. You will never get a good deal on a vehicle if you need a vehicle as opposed to want a vehicle. I learned to negotiate when buying a car for my wife years ago. We were young and still getting established so there wasn't a lot of flex in the budget. We had reliable transportation but knew we needed to start looking over the next year or so. Scouting trip to Ford and salesman wasn't really interested in dealing so we walked out with real intent to leave instead of as a negotiating tactic and ended up with a good deal. I've never walked in a dealership since without full intent to walk out if that meant waiting months or more. But if you are disciplined, it never hurts to check out deals and hopefully a salesperson that needs to close a sale who will work with you.

I did get burned on a truck that I bought from an individual and never again. I scout for a reputable dealer and go that route even if I may pay a little more.