10 Used Ford Trucks That Are Dirt Cheap To Maintain

Ford might not be the powerhouse of a company it is today if it wasn't so invested in trucks. Its consumer-friendly pickups and commercial behemoths have dominated the road for decades, drawing the attention of millions. The F-150 alone can stand comfortably amongst Ford's best-selling vehicles of all time, helping the company to be the first choice of those interested in a truck of their own. However, with the base price of a brand-new model being around $40,000 or more, some of those people might opt for used alternatives instead.

Because of how long Ford has been making these trucks, you can find a wide number of models available on the secondhand market. Depending on how old the truck is, some of them can be exceptionally cheap to maintain — while others can end up with a staggering cost. Repairs are something you'll likely have to take care of eventually if you get your hands on a used vehicle no matter what. Figuring out how much that might set you back will help you figure out which used Ford trucks really are dirt-cheap to maintain.

This article uses estimates of each truck's repair costs from RepairPal and Edmunds. As with any used vehicle, the actual cost of repairs might vary if you look at trucks that weren't given proper care over the years.

The Ford F-150, as mentioned previously, is Ford's most popular truck of them all. It's also pretty distant from the cheapest one to maintain in the company's lineup, but it's not exactly going to break the bank either. RepairPal estimates the yearly cost of repairs to be around $788, with the most costly repair being a camshaft replacement for as much as $1,755. This data is averaged from models from as far back as the 1990s into account, so you might be paying $100 more if you get an F-150 from 2012 — or $100 less if you get one from 2017.

If you want to rely on older models for the price and convenience, you should keep every generation of Ford's F-Series in mind. Some models from 2004 have suffered from multiple recalls while others from 2008 were simply lacking in overall performance. You'll have to do some pretty heavy research on both the seller and the exact model of truck you're buying from them. F-150s from that time are commonly found under $10,000, so if you're unlucky, you might end up spending that same amount after a few years just trying to keep it from falling apart.

While the 2004 model year issues are among the more important things you should know before buying a Ford F-150, there's one particular version of that truck only available from that year. The F-150 Heritage was a special variant remade from 2003 models, giving it a different look and interior compared to its standard alternatives. Overall discussions around this model have been positive, and partially thanks to its age, its annual repair costs are exceedingly low at around $473. If you absolutely need to get a 2004 F-150 for whatever reason, the Heritage would be the one to get.

Recently, a new model of the F-150 Heritage was revealed for 2023. There aren't really many things similar between this version and the classic 2004 model, only really sharing similar paint jobs on the exterior. The estimated repair costs only apply to the older model, and while you probably won't have to worry about those prices for the 2023 Heritage, that might end up changing after a few more years of use.

The F-150 Raptor is a relatively new iteration of Ford's iconic truck, focused on off-road performance and overall higher specs than its standard counterpart. Today, it's the most expensive F-150 you can get at a price of nearly $80,000 for a brand-new model. Used prices are closer to $30,000-$40,000, putting this model year at around the same price as a standard brand-new F-150. Even going back as far as its first generation, you'll still need tens of thousands of dollars just to see what makes the Raptor so special for yourself.

When it comes to actually keeping the Raptor in shape, prices get a little more manageable. According to Edmunds, repairs on a 2018 Raptor could add up to around $3,330 after five years, averaging under $600 a year if you're careful with it. Other maintenance costs could get a little high, though, climbing up to a five-year total of around $7,000 — but this is a worst-case scenario. The Raptor is an expensive truck either way, but it fits well for those who want as much power as possible using just a mid-range budget.

Those who aren't aware of the big differences between the F-150 vs the F-250 should consider what they're looking to do in their day-to-day lives. Ford's F-250 is meant more for heavy-duty driving, gaining the moniker of "Super Duty" from the company itself. However, this moniker didn't actually exist until the early 2000s, putting these older models on a separate playing field from the modern-day F-250. As a result, the repair costs are wildly different, with these variants only setting you back around $480 annually.

The older F-250 models are also much less expensive than what you'd find today. While the price can go as high as $10,000, the standard variants only climb up to a little over $4,000. It might lack the modern technology of a brand-new version today, and the older a used vehicle gets, the more likely it is to need some heavy maintenance. But considering the low long-term costs, it can actually be very worthwhile to just get these classic trucks up to speed yourself.

If you're going by annual costs, the newer F-250 Super Duty trucks can seem like a terrible choice for long-term spending. RepairPal estimates this number to be around $1,241, higher than almost any other truck on this list. But this covers an average of multiple years, including some years for the F-250 Super Duty Diesel that you should avoid. These costs have lightened up a bit over time, dipping below an annual cost of $1,000 and making them much less taxing on your budget.

In these more recent years, a used F-250 from 2019 would cost anywhere from $2,790 to $3,711 over five years to repair, depending on the size of your model. Other maintenance costs can rise as high as $8,503, so you might want to make sure your used purchase is already up-to-date on everything it needs. These more recent models will be more expensive than their pre-2000s counterparts no matter what, so you should figure out whether a more modern set of features and parts has greater value to you than simply having this powerhouse in the first place.

If the F-250 somehow isn't enough for you, Ford's F-350 is an even more capable option. It shares a similar history, having skipped its 1998 model year to eventually get a more modern feature set, capping off these older versions in 1997. Its annual repair cost is just a bit higher than the F-250, but it still manages to be remarkably inexpensive at around $529. As long as you're not forced to spend over $1,000 on a heater core replacement, you should have no problem sticking to a low budget for the long-term costs of this truck.

These older F-350 models aren't able to stand alongside the most powerful pickup trucks ever built, but they're still able to hold their own. Their ability to tow a maximum of 10,000 pounds makes them a decent force even today, and even models as old as 1992 still have an impressive horsepower rating of 230. Thanks to time and used prices, the pre-2000s F-350 manages to comfortably outpace the F-250 while still acting as a decent budget pick.

Like the modern-day F-250, the Ford F-350 Super Duty has a pretty staggering annual cost of around $1,295 for repairs, according to RepairPal. Unlike the F-250, this cost doesn't get lower as you approach more recent models, climbing even higher to $1,304 for the truck's 2019 model year. Edmunds paints a different story, however, with the five-year total costs of these trucks being comparable to the modern F-250's. Strangely, the highest maintenance costs are a few dollars lower in comparison, with a lot of variance depending on the trim — meaning you'll have to take more into consideration than just the truck's name and year when buying used.

The F-350 Super Duty is perhaps the most difficult truck on this list to justify buying secondhand. Its capabilities are impressive compared to its pre-2000s models and the F-250, but its middle-road status in Ford's F-series lineup — and its lack of massive price reduction for used versions — makes it a tough purchase. It still earns a spot on this list mainly due to how it measures up with other Ford trucks, managing relatively reasonable prices in its consumer line-up. There's still one other F-Series truck that surpasses its cost, after all.

The F-450 is the last Ford F-Series truck designed for consumers and the last one you'll see on this list. It's also the only one among its counterparts to not have an older pre-2000s model, with its oldest version coming from 2008. Its relative recency might be what allowed it to reach above its fellow consumer-grade pickups, becoming one of the biggest trucks you can buy from Ford today. That fact also led to it being the most expensive model of the bunch, which is a fact that stays true even when looking at its used prices.

Interestingly, repair costs for the F-450 could end up being lower than you might expect. Edmunds gives the 2018 F-450 an estimated total cost of $3,227 to $3,443 after five years, which would put its annual cost below the other Super Duty trucks at their peak. Other maintenance costs are another story, reaching as high as $8,010 but also going as low as $4,753. The trim you get will be exceptionally important in determining how much more you'll pay for the F-450 over time, which is something you'll want to consider when looking at its already staggering price.

As one of the few F-Series pickups in Ford's lineup, the Ranger manages to undercut its rivals with a smaller size and more competitive pricing. These aspects have also made it one of many used pickups that would make a great first truck if the full-sized F-150 isn't your style. This competitive pricing extends to its repair costs as well, only reaching an annual average of around $615. This only applies to its models from 2011 and below, though, with more recent models being an entirely different story.

Only recently did the Ford Ranger return to the U.S. market after having been absent from 2012 to 2018. This could lead to some differences in repair costs down the line, as the five-year total for a 2019 model could be anywhere from $3,103 to $3,330. Still, it's cheaper on average than most of the other trucks on this list, and it's probably your best choice if your definition of "middle ground" is closer to sedans or SUVs instead of other pickups.

The Maverick is Ford's latest and cheapest pickup at the time of writing, having been introduced in the 2022 model year. Its cost-effectiveness is partially thanks to its smaller size compared to every other Ford truck, leaving it less capable for towing or hauling — but still more capable than most cars. Its repair costs have also managed to stay at the lowest on this list, with estimations for the oldest model only reaching $1,700 after five years. That's lower than the 2004 F-150 Heritage, with an average annual cost of just under $400.

Because of its recency, you're unlikely to find many used Mavericks that go very far below the MSRP. On the other hand, that also means that many of these secondhand vehicles haven't even reached 100,000 miles yet, lowering the risk of long-term damage or worn-out parts. With any luck, you'll be able to knock a few extra bucks off of the car's original cost without having to worry about extra maintenance beyond what you'd already do. Your success with this tactic will vary depending on the owner, but when it comes to the most up-to-date pickup models, the Ranger is far from the riskiest.