Do I Replace or Restore?

Last year it was time to either replace or sink some significant money in my beloved 2002 F250 Lariat crew cab diesel. The bed, rocker panels, and fenders were badly rusted. The 7.3 was still running smooth, but being almost 20 years old it was leaking some fluids and needed some love too. Faced with a $70,000 price tag to replace the truck with a new one, I decided to restore instead. $27,000 later I’m happy with the results.

This was and still is the only new “off the lot” vehicle I’ve ever purchased. It was my “Dream Truck” at the time and honestly I still love it. These days I only use it once in a while adding up to about 2,000 to 3,000 miles a year. It didn’t make good sense to me to doll out big money to replace it. The restoration came out well. I get many compliments on the truck and have no regrets on the decision. Looking forward to the next 20 years.