Yeah, the nice ones are salty, but worth it. I had forgotten about Darrin, if we ever get to the point where we can get another, or replace mine, I'll have to keep him in mind. I know it will cost a little more that way, but to have something that I can still fix in the drive way, and can go through hitting a deer with only minor contusions, around here it's worth it. If I can get one for the wife, I fully expect to pay over $10K for it. Having said that, it's still going to be a few more years before we can afford to pay that much for a vehicle, and by then who knows what will still be left. At that point it may be a restore project. Find one with a good frame, and the right options, and then have the sheet metal replaced. Heck, at 10K, it might actually be cheaper that way, who knows. The one thing I do know is that with a new 2012 F150 base model costing +$38K, We'll be driving these old diesels until we can no longer find the parts to rebuild them.
