This Might Be an Uh-Oh Moment
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (112763)
United States
July 19, 2025 8:48am CST
I have been semi-shopping for a truck upgrade. It's sort of a pseudo-shop. I currently have a 2018 Ford F-150 XLT V8 with less than 70k miles on it, and it pulls the camper fine.
We're 39' long and about 7,200 pounds dry weight. But it limits me a bit on where I can go, and where I am willing to go with it since I only have a range of about 200 miles, and want to be looking for a place to fill up around 150 miles, and maneuvering can be difficult.
You have to find just the right station where I can fit 60' total length into and get in and out of with ease.
There's also a question whether or not, if we ever wanted to pull the camper to Florida, if my truck could handle the Smoky Mountains we'd have to drive through dealing with many steep grades.
That's a lot of pushing and pulling.
So, I have been looking for a diesel, which can be filled up where the semis fill up, that has a bit larger tank that can also increase my range, and also handle the camper more easily.
Today this one popped up on Facebook Marketplace in my feed. A 2011 Ford F-350 Lariat Power Stroke diesel with 184k miles on it. I saw the exterior and interior pictures, and it looks awesome. An F-250 would be what I am looking for, but an F-350 is even better.
And the price is right too. $21,500. While 184k miles seems like a lot, it's a diesel, and it's not uncommon to be able to get 300k to 500k miles out of them if they are well maintained.
It's got leather, heated seats, air conditioned seats, heated steering wheel and all the other goodies. Of course, it's a Lariat, one step up from an XLT, and one step down from a Platinum.
I'm working on getting more information about it. I probably won't buy it. Then again, if everything was right about it, it might be a find I simply can't pass up. Wish me luck. This might an uh-oh moment that will set me back $22k sooner than I thought if I'm not careful.
14 people like this
13 responses
@DaddyEvil (174245)
• United States
19 Jul
If it's right for what you need, then you probably won't find a better deal.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (174245)
• United States
20 Jul
@porwest I don't blame you... Some repairs/replacements are to be expected but... you don't want to replace the whole thing before it's ready to be used.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
22 Jul
@DaddyEvil I try to avoid extra expenses wherever I can. Like I said. I'm not REPLACING my truck. I am adding a second one. I'm in no hurry.
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (33751)
•
19 Jul
Just buy it
22k you won't miss lol
And you want to buy it, don't you
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
20 Jul
Turns out I had some issues with it. Needs tires. Needs brakes from what I could tell test driving it. And the transmission felt a bit clunky to me. I passed on it. But he's got a 2012 F-250 King Ranch coming in next week with 168k miles on it for around $24k, and I told him to send me the information on it when it comes in.
It was a nice truck, but didn't quite "make the mark," so to speak. Brakes and tires would not have been a deal breaker, but I don't trust the transmission, and that is a deal breaker for me.
I'll be posting about my shopping experiences. So, stick around. lol
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
20 Jul
@Ineeddentures It just switched a little harder than I preferred and I felt like at top speed it was missing a gear. It's got a 9 speed transmission. My current truck is a 10. Not sure if that's why it felt different, but I have driven other 9 speed transmission diesels, although Chevy's, but still. It just didn't feel right. I'm not a mechanic but I've been driving for 36 years and feel like I have a "feel" for things.
Bottom line is, I'm not in any hurry. I'm not replacing my truck. I'm adding one.
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (33751)
•
20 Jul
@porwest
I would have passed on it as well first sign the gearbox was clunky.
Even if he had offered say 2k off of the price I would still have walked away.
1 person likes this
@id_peace (17036)
• Singapore
19 Jul
@porwest Ah I see. One good thing is that in your country, you do not have a certificate of Entitlement which is a requirement for us to have if we want to own a motor vehicle. A cert for a truck can cost up to $50,000 (based on the bidding results) and can only last for 10 years.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
20 Jul
@porwest Maybe something better will come along.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
22 Jul
@1creekgirl I am certain of that. Besides, I'm not replacing my current truck. Just adding one. So, I'm not in any hurry.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222286)
• United States
20 Jul
I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Hopefully the next one will. Good luck.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (222286)
• United States
21 Jul
@porwest I will watch for the report on the other truck.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
22 Jul
@LindaOHio The other one apparently had a transmission issue and they sent it back to the auction they got it from. I told him to keep me in the loop if something else interesting comes along.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (93194)
• Bangalore, India
19 Jul
That does look good. And might be a good purchase if it has all that you are looking for. Well, it's not easy to make a decision at times. You can fetch more information and ponder over.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (93194)
• Bangalore, India
21 Jul
@porwest Yes, such decisions should not be done in hurry. Take your time to explore. Hope that you find some good deal that seems right to you soon.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
23 Jul
@arunima25 I am sure I will. It took me two years to find my current truck. And considering I am not replacing my truck, but adding one...I have even more time.
1 person likes this
@kareng (80243)
• United States
24 Jul
Check out the recalls on Ford diesels. There are a lot of them. I was talking to my cousin last night and asked about his older brother. His brother lives in another state and now works for Ford picking up recalled trucks. My father, who was a mechanic hated Fords. I told my cousin that my dad is probably having a good laugh in heaven about his nephew's job. At least he will have good job security! Seems like with Ford, you either love them or hate them!
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
28 Jul
I have always been a Ford guy. They get more of a bad rep than are actually bad luck, I have found over the years. I do still enjoy the jokes, though. lol
One such joke happened when I was mentioning to a naysayer, "Hey, they can't be that bad. They've been the bestselling truck in America for going on 50 years."
He responded, "If you have to replace them all the time, you're going to sell a lot of them."
Point taken. lol
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (208751)
• United States
19 Jul
You go guy! as long as wifey agrees go for it! Sometimes used vehicles are awesome, friend of mine who has a dog grooming business bought a 20K van works great for her.
@Marilynda1225 (91013)
• United States
19 Jul
Seems like it would be just the right truck you would need so hopefully it works out for you. Are you going to test drive it?
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
20 Jul
We went today and gave it a spin. It was a nice truck but it didn't sell me. Needs tires. No problem. Needs brakes. Annoying and costly, but still no problem. But the transmission felt really clunky to me. That was a deal breaker. He's got a 2012 F-250 King Ranch coming in next week and I told him to send me the info on it when it does.
@moffittjc (128828)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Jul
Everything you described on it so far makes it seem like a great deal. But that is based of sight unseen. To truly know what you're getting, you're going to have to take it for a test drive and kick the tires a little bit. Is it close enough where you can go look at it in person? And where are you going to find a good truck for that price these days? lol
1 person likes this
@porwest (112763)
• United States
9 Aug
I did wind up test driving it, and it had all the bells and whistles, but I suspected it also had a transmission issue. The guy tried to assure they thoroughly test these vehicles before they accept them from the auctions they buy them from, but I felt that was more of a sales pitch than a confirmation. So, I passed. I am not replacing my tuck, simply adding one, so there's no need for me to be hasty in deciding anything. Eventually the right deal will come along.
@porwest (112763)
• United States
20 Jul
It ticked a lot of them and would have been a great truck. But I suspected an issue with the transmission, and I'm just not up for dealing with that. Onward and upward. I'll keep looking. I'm not replacing my truck. Just adding one. So, I'm in no hurry.
1 person likes this
@sw8sincere (6032)
• Philippines
19 Jul
That definitely sounds like a tempting uh-oh moment but maybe in the best way!
1 person likes this
