Well… my boyfriend totaled my truck. it wasn?t his fault… but the old ?96 F150 is gone. I have a ?04 Mustang. The question is do i take the settlement money and get an old used truck or do i trade in the Mustang with the settlement money and get a year old truck. I do trailer horses… But i want a truck with reasonable gas mileage. My Mustang gets 20mpg. I have found an old 86 F250 Diesel for $2500… any input would be very appreciated. 
I would have potential issues with body and frame rust for an '86. Hard to call without inspecting the truck. I think you need to stay in late 90’s minimum for model year.
If you trailer horses on a regular basis, you should think about a 3/4 ton (F250 in the Ford line). The 3/4 ton trucks aren’t known for great gas mileage–a 3/4 ton truck certainly won’t get anyplace near the 20 mpg on your Mustang. You may do well to get 15 mpg. The important variable is how many miles a year do you drive the Mustang? If you drive less than 5000 miles a year, maybe the newer truck is the answer. I don’t know how far you travel trailering the horses. If the distance you trailer horses is not more than 100 miles, you may want to shop for a 3/4 ton in the age range of your '96 F150.
well… i do drive the Mustang allot… prob around 15000 a year.
I agree with Jay…I would NOT buy a 20 yr old vehicle and expect it to hold up to the punishment of hauling around 6k+ lbs without putting some MAJOR money into it.
Let’s do the math. 15K @20mpg and $3.50/g = $2625/yr. 15K @14mpg = $3750/yr. You will save at least $1,000/year in fuel cost by not driving a truck full time. I would buy an 8-10 year old truck and keep the 'stang.
yea… i think i will.
Look at the math deeper. Owning a 2nd vehicle means at least another $1000 in registration/insurance/maintenance fees at a minimum.
You’re absolutely right Andrew. Funny, how often we forget about the added insurance costs when we buy a vehicle.