Hello - I'm new here and interested in possibly purchasing a 90's style Ford pickup 4x4 because I've admired their look - not sure what years exactly I like best, because I don't know enough about how the years relate to the styles I see on the road. I know NOTHING about the history or reliablity of these vehicles, so all the advice is appreciated. Here's why, and what I am lookng for:

* Older style ford F-series pick up 4x4, 4 doors (extended? is that the right term for Fords?)
* Reliable enough to drive 360 mi rountrip to the Denver airport, and other similar business trips, when required.
* Desire to perform DIY maintenance.
* Reasonable price to operate and maintain.
* What's the difference between the 150/250/350?
* General price range I would expect to find these in?

That's the start - I'll look forward to your feedback!

 

Extended cab is the right word for our body style trucks, I have a 92 with 300K miles on it and it has never not started and gotten where I was going and back. If you want to drive 360 mi often I would get a 2wd, mine is a 4x4 which rides a little rougher, makes a little more road noise and definitely gets worse gas mileage than most 2wd. I get 12-13 mpg. Parts are cheap and they are easy to work on. There are also some very experienced people who can answer the more difficult questions if you have problems (I am not one).
What is DIY maintenance?

 

If you want reliability more than power find one with the 4.9L inline 6. It doesn't have a lot of horsepower, but it has more torque than the v8 and can tow a house, but it is also probably the most reliable engine ever made. Change your oil once in a while and it will go 300,000 miles no problem. I have seen them with over 500k on them, the truck will rot away and there will still be an engine and 4 tires driving down the road.

-Jon