I love the 7.3 (and 5.9 Cummins, and the original Duramax) but cheese and rice do I hate having to drive behind one of the pre-emissions engines.

Agreed. One of the trucks at work is an 01 super duty. Parts are cheap and plentiful. 

There will be parts availability on a Ford F-Series pretty much up until the Sun consumes the Earth. It’s a safe bet in this case, and that 7.3 will still be running by then too.

The only thing that gives me pause is parts availability. That is probably not an issue for an F-series truck for a long time, but I’ve also owned a Cortina Mark II, where it definitely was an issue.

Ding ding ding. Emissions equipment on newer diesels is a huge pain in the ass. 

Money laundering?

Those tires are gonna be howling around 10k miles and bald at about 15k miles. Then you gotta replace them with $2k worth of decent tires.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but car prices have made me maintain, clean and insure my fleet like they are the last cars I’ll be able to afford. When I bought my truck 6 years ago, I assumed I’d upgrade when something better came out.

It’s not all that crazy really. It’s got a manual and nostalgia...should cover the $7k difference..

I suspect there is an emotional attachment to this vehicle by the purchaser,

Maybe the dude wanted a truck that looks like a truck instead of a hulking Mad Max monster.

Old diesel truck prices never made sense to me. I suspect there is an emotional attachment to this vehicle by the purchaser, maybe his first job involved a truck like that or some other positive association he has with it.

It’s like family members.  Keep that shit internal.

Nothing common about that sense.... 

Always a good car wash before a road trip. A clean car is a happy car and a happy car is a reliable car.

Amen!

“There was something about that Maverick that made dad super obsessed about making it perfect”

I actually knew someone who said you should never talk about selling your car where it can hear you, because then it will break because it’s upset.

I don’t say negative things about my car (such as features I wish it had, drawbacks, etc) where is could hear me. I don’t want to hurt his feelings. 

That if I’m really observant, keep up with basic at home maintenance, use premium fuel, and baby my 15 year old Audi, my mechanic bill will be less than $1,000 when I take it in for regular service intervals.