New Truck (well to me, sort of)
I brought the new truck home today. It is a 97 F150 with 126k on the clock. It is an old truck from work that I purchased for auction book value. I figure I put on 
at least 20-30K of those miles so I know the truck well.
It got a few dents on the driver side door from where it was rubbed in the barn by a semi trailer and on the tailgate from use. It was a work truck so what can you expect. I will purchase a chrome tailgate cover just as soon as I see them go on sale at Farm and Fleet.
It is a short bed extended cab with passenger side third door. It's got the 4.6L 8, 3 speed auto with OD, AC, electric locks and mirrors. Tilt wheel and cruse control. This is a big upgrade from the old Mazda. Don't think I'll be sucking more gas, the big 4L V6 in the Mazda sucks as much or more than this thing does at highway speeds. Around town I'll have to see - I only know how it does on long trips. Both have 4 wheel ABS but this truck has two air bags that have never been deployed. It is hard to tell from the pictures but it has chromed steel wheels - nice looking but not alloy like the Mazda. With the receiver hitch I can still tow what I need to and the larger bed, just uncovered. However the larger area and easier access of the extended cab gives me plenty of "out-of-the-weather" cargo capacity.
Best of all the rear bench seat folds down to make a flat floor - so no dog on the front seat. It is a split seat - note the picture below - so it is possible to have one or three passengers in back. Having ridden back there before - it isn't too bad - I wouldn't want to sit there for 8 hours but it is comfortable for a few. I am going to cover the back of the folding bench with a gray fleece blanket to protect it from dog hair.
It still has some field dirt in it, especially under the hood, so I am going to see about getting it detailed. All in all a good $700 net cost investment.
