Lately I have been thinking about what my dream pickup would be. I used to want a brand new F-250 Platinum SuperCrew. But then I realized how much money they cost and the maintenance expenses. Even if I had the money I just cant justify having that much money tied up in a vehicle. So I went largely the opposite direction. I decided I want a pickup very similar to what my dad had on the farm when I was growing up, a white 1989 F-350 single cab 4x4 7.3 NA IDI with a blue interior and manual transmission. I liked the pickup and loved driving it but hated it on long trips because it was single cab and 3 people in it caused for some friction back then. Now I feel like a jerk for acting the way I did.
I want basically the same pickup because the manual transmission will keep most people from wanting to borrow it. The single cab will keep the wife from wanting to take it on trips and me from having the room to clutter it up. I would be fine with an extended cab or Supercrew though. I would also be ok with an automatic transmission as my knees already hurt. I could also do the grey interior but the red interiors hurt my eyes.
The only things I can think of that I would want to do is have the old IDI rebuilt to strengthen it. Add a turbo and put all parts on it for longevity first(upgrade all bearing, headstuds, beefier rods, etc), fuel mileage second(Gearvender over/underdrive) and then power(turbo, bigger injectors, maybe some type of injection....Im in no hurry most of the time). Those engines are mechanical vs electronic like moderns diesels. Same reason a lot of people around here still seek out the old 12v Cummins; simplicity and ease to fix. I can buy a completely rebuilt IDI with some improvements for what it cost to replace a turbo on a new PSD, Duramax or Cummins. They were SLOW engines but we never had any trouble pulling anything. I would also put a flatbed on it and rhino-line or similar to the whole pickup. On the flatbed have a built in air tank, likely in the bumper.
So what is everyone's dream pickup and why? Has it changed over the years?