Cars stick with us for the long haul. Sometimes that might even be too long but we are insistent that the investment we make in them pays dividends. So in order for us to make a change prematurely, a need must truly prevail. That time came the moment Ethan was born and we became a family of 4.
We outgrew the truck that I have loved for so long. It never let me down and did everything we ever asked of it. The conversation got started before the RV came to light when all 4 of us piled into it and drove to Bethesda to help Lois with some heavy lifting. With two kids in the back, Kris was crammed against the dashboard making room for Ethan in his rear facing car seat. It had not mattered previously with Ryder since he could be in the middle, but that was no longer an option. We needed a crew cab.
What did change with the addition of the RV was the truck size we were looking at. Greater demands on space, payload and towing made it apparent that an F250 or F350 was a better choice for the next stages in life. So naturally after my typical schedule of analysis (yes, extensive excel spreadsheets were implemented) we derived a need list, a want list and matched it with available units. We briefly considered new until we realized it would be hard to avoid a $60+k price tag… HA! Yea right. We also briefly considered other brands but weren’t wowed by options and prices. Frankly, if our Fords have always checked the boxes, why change.
My Excel list of 25 contenders spread over 150 miles of the mid-Atlantic region was whittled down to about 5 real possibilities so we started looking at a few close up. That’s when a new listing popped up in Frederick, MD with only one picture (still dirty from previous owner) and a lacking description. But it felt right and it turns out it was.
The next thing we knew, we were handing over the keys of my beloved little blue truck (a story i have read to Ryder 100s of times) and driving home in a lovingly cared for 2015 F250. She has less than 50k miles and is immaculate inside and out. The kids have all the space they need to stretch out in the cavernous crew cab compared Blue’s extended cab. The cap (shell, topper… whatever you want to call it) was a bonus that affords some security of loaded cargo as well as the possibility of bringing the dogs camping with us. We can’t wait to share some road miles in this and put it to work doing what these beasts were intended to do.
