350/3500--buy new or used? what MY?

[David and Jo-Anna]

I'm a newbie here who is looking to buy my first 5er and first tow vehicle next spring. I would look to spend the rest of next year getting acustomed to the rig with short trips and then hope to start full timing in early 2008 if I succeed in retiring at the end of 2007. I'm heavily focused on the 3400RL so far and am thinking of what tow vehicle to get to handle it. I've already pretty much decided on a one ton diesel to provide the level of towing capacity and payload that I'd be comfortable with personally. Haven't yet resolved where I come out on the DRW vs. SRW issue or whether to go 4x4 or 4x2, or long bed vs. short bed.

My original plan, for budget reasons, was to buy a used tow vehicle rather than a new one. Because there seem to be far more used Fords than other brands on the market here in northern Virginia, I've been focused on the F350 diesel. I have been looking at the 2005 F350 because of what seem to be higher GCVWRs with the 2005 MY. However, I've read in this forum and elsewhere about problems with some of the 2005 F350s, and I'm increasingly concerned that I'm at risk in getting one of those problem units by buying a used 2005--seems to me that someone is more likely to sell or trade in a two-year-old pickup if that unit is a lemon than if the truck is terific. So I'm wondering if I should be looking to something older or newer than a 2005.

I probably wouldn't want to go older than a 2004 model because I'd like to still have some warranty coverage if I have transmission problems in the first couple of years of towing a heavy Monty. How would 2004 350/3500 diesels compare to a 2005 F350 diesel?

If I look to go new instead of used, I don't have to focus as heavily on Fords because the used truck market in my area becomes less relevant. I haven't looked very much at 2006 units so far because I had not been planning to buy a tow vehicle until next spring. However, I've recently heard something about new emission standards going into effect in 2007 for diesel vehicles. I'm a bit nervous about buying new models in their first year. How are 2007 MY 350/3500s expected to look compared to 2006 units? Does it make sense to grab a 2006 unit before they all disappear even if it means having it parked for most of the next 9 months?