What are the costs of owning a V8 truck?

-I'm 18 years old and I'm thinking of buying a Ford F-150 truck for 2-3 grand on Craigslist.



I need it for my job ( 7 min drive only once a week ) and college in the fall ( 30 minutes drive 2-3 times a week ).

I wouldn't really use the truck to carry/pull loads , it's just a taste preference.



I will be paying insurance which is around$100 and gas by myself.

I also have a sister who needs a car so I could let her borrow the truck in return for gas money.



I really like trucks but would I waste too much money on gas? Should I buy a sedan instead ?

I don't really plan on driving it a lot but would I regret it later on ?

Any car buying advice is appreciated. Thank you !A truck is okay, if you want one and can afford it, get it. Most people that own Corvettes don't need a fast car, but they wanted one and they got one... The only thing I would recommend is to maybe buy a smaller truck, e.g. Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Chevy S10. They do a bit better on gas, but if you're sold on the 150, I'd go for it... Some of your costs with a V8 will include more gas(obvious), more oil on changes, depending on the year of the f150 you could be shelling out big buck for maintenance/repairs...to Matt, im sorry buddy but the cost of gas has nothing at all to do with the value of your truck. I read a report the other day where the cost of gasoline had no effect on new buyers of trucks.
oh yes. have you considered a small car. owning a truck can put a dent in your wallet with to days gas prices. and a truck will cost more to fix. if your going to go with a truck go with a v-6
people say that v8 waste alot of gas but not really i have a ram v8 and i fill it up with 60 bucks and it last all week and i drive alot
I just bought a Government seized 1999 Ford F150 4x4 in Georgia, then moved to Florida (much more expensive here).



14mpg on the highway with a Triton 5.4L V8, but pulls every load I put in it and behind in a trailer.



$1000 worth of parts and labor to make it pass emissions, due to 3 bad ignition coils out of 8 causing misfires and emissions tests failing. $200 for tag and title, $600 per year in Full Coverage insurance with Geico, then insurance rates doubled for the Florida move so I dropped it to liability only.



With gas prices for regular hovering between $3.48 to $4 per gallon here, fill ups are between $70 to $85 for this model truck, or about 20 gallons.



The older ones are problematic. The Spare Tire Lift winch was jammed on this one and had to be cut out just to get the spare tire down. $145 for a replacement unit, they can't be rebuilt when the cable jams. Another $65 for the power window motor that failed on the driver's side, not to mention power door actuators that failed at $45 apiece. What else, oh the Air Bag key switch in the dash to disable/enable the passenger side Air Bag. It breaks often leaving the warning light on the airbag illuminated on the dash, and disabled. I haven't figured out how to get it out yet without removing the entire dash to change one key switch.



These are not user friendly trucks, even changing the oil. 6 months later and one oil change I did myself, I still haven't found the oil filter anywhere on the engine. I'm sure it has one, maybe they hid it in the gas tank?
Trucks are expensive on gasoline. Since the cost of gasoline is extreme the past year, I'd get something that would save on gas cost and try a truck at a later time. I have a 350 V8 Chevy pickup and cost me twice as much to go anywhere compared to my car. Hence, I only use it for hauling stuff that isn't easily done in a car.



Also they are terrible or dangerous on snow or ice.



One thing to consider... if the cost of gasoline really goes up higher the value of your truck will hit rock bottom.