F-150 Owners
Hello Truck enthusiasts, I figured that this
conference has gone on long enough without a topic
for owners (and future owners) of the world's best
selling truck. I am (not very) anxiously awaiting
the delivery of the '98 4WD XLT SuperCab Long Bed
that I ordered on March 1. This vehicle will be my
3rd Pick-up and replaces an '89 F-150 with 166k
miles on it that still looks and runs good enough
to have my 19 year old brother BEG me to hand it
down to him. I chose not to order the Triton
engine, because I just didn't know enough about it.
I would love to hear from anyone with first hand
experience, though. I didn't figure I needed the
extra power (not to mention cost) of the Triton
since the heaviest thing I tow is a 2 wheel trailer
with my Heritage Softie on it. We would love to
hear everyone's Ford Truck war stories...Also, for
any Dodge Truck fans who wandered in here, my 1st
Pick-up was an '81 Dodge that I loved, so don't get
upset, I check out the Ram Owners Topic
occasionally.
conference has gone on long enough without a topic
for owners (and future owners) of the world's best
selling truck. I am (not very) anxiously awaiting
the delivery of the '98 4WD XLT SuperCab Long Bed
that I ordered on March 1. This vehicle will be my
3rd Pick-up and replaces an '89 F-150 with 166k
miles on it that still looks and runs good enough
to have my 19 year old brother BEG me to hand it
down to him. I chose not to order the Triton
engine, because I just didn't know enough about it.
I would love to hear from anyone with first hand
experience, though. I didn't figure I needed the
extra power (not to mention cost) of the Triton
since the heaviest thing I tow is a 2 wheel trailer
with my Heritage Softie on it. We would love to
hear everyone's Ford Truck war stories...Also, for
any Dodge Truck fans who wandered in here, my 1st
Pick-up was an '81 Dodge that I loved, so don't get
upset, I check out the Ram Owners Topic
occasionally.
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Comments
for years, never so much as a hiccup!! I know of no better engine.
Catscan, I pulled a 6500lb 5th wheel with a 1993 F150 w/351 automatic for 5 years. I loved the truck, it ran great and did a good job pulling the trailer. I live in Dallas, and we we towed that trailer to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, and all over Texas. The only problem I ever had with it was burning up the axle bearings twice in 52000 mi. After I sold it I found out that 140W senthetic gear lub in the rear-end would have prevented that from happening. I don't know why Ford didn't know that. I read it the owners manual of my new truck (98 Dodge 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel).
Ford did pick up 1/2 the tab for the repairs both times even though the truck was out of warranty. That was good..
Enjoy your new truck..Happiness is a new truck
I was merely questioning his claim that if they build such good trucks why didn't he have them longer that 5.2 years each. I've had my chevy 9 years, not a rip in the seats nor a crack in the dash and the original paint. I have not pampered my truck either and it is still going strong. I too am going to trade up soon and I expect to have that truck for at least 10 years. From my experience with the chevy, it should go at least 15 before a rebuild.
So, to do a fair cost comparison, aren't we just comparing dealer invoices (we negotiate up from dealer invoice, not down from MSRP, so MSRP really isn't relevant)? Maybe I'm missing something about the term "out-the-door" costs and why Chevy might be less because of those costs. I don't know how the price of an F-150 compares to a comparatively equipped Chevy 1/2 ton, but it seems to me that we can find the lowest priced vehicle by comparing dealer invoice prices, irrelevant of any other charges since you can negotiate those extra charges to a fairly equal level with a little shopping around.
why don't you ask 31modela why he replace his trucks so often? Seems to me a better idea than assuming all of them crapped out in 5.2 years. That would be like me assuming that in order to keep his model A Ford running for 67 years, he had to replace the engine 134 times. Just a thought.
My "beef" is with people claiming that this or that truck manufacturer is the best, but then they never have their truck longer than 3-5 years to really find out how great it is.
Incidentally, I originally came here tonight to announce the arrival of my new baby boy: He is 244.3" long, 79.5' wide, & 75.3" tall and his name is Ford F-150 XLT SuperCab 4WD Long Bed. He finally arrived at my local dealership after 4 1/2 anxious weeks. He is Dark Toreador Red, automatic trans., and I pick him up in 8 1/4 hours when the dealership opens. After I found out that he arrived, I drove by the dealership after work (I get out at midnight) just to sneak a peek....He is beautiful! I'll be sure to post my first few experiences with him as soon as my wife can pry my fingers off of his leather-wrapped steering wheel.
My firm currently owns eleven trucks which are in constant use. I own a roofing company here in Delaware and we go "through" trucks every five years or so. During the winter, all I do is research the current models available with the CURRENT SPECS and the price.
Fredwood is right not to blindly follow a brand without checking it out first. Reputation does play a minor role and it does matter when buying any product. The trick is finding the best product with a solid name. Ford has long been considered the best brand yet, I own five Chevy's.
We also own four Fords with the remainder being Dodge.
These trucks vary with age, size, power, and all had roofers driving them.(Trust me:they are tough)
My thoughts are still biased toward Ford. Despite my affection over the years for Chevy,I have to admit that the Fords have saved me more headaches and money. Brand loyalty is fine if you own stock but mine has faded since I was a teen-ager. It reminds me of a similar debate with friends of my hobby: motorcycling. Harley makes a pretty bike and is "American" but Honda has them whipped in every other subject.
So what is the answer? Well, do the research and judge with RATIONAL thoughts. Lately for my company, it has been all Fords. That doesn't mean forever, just for right now.
I mean, "We couldn't find anything wrong and give me $134 for two hours to diagnose." doesn't do anything for me!
Rich
It's interesting!
On my '86 F-250, Ford sent me a questionaire asking how happy I was in November of '91. I answered Paint sucks, Front end sucks. Ford responded with phone call tpo my wife "Take it to your local dealer and have them call this number."
Ford painted the roof and hood for $100 and rebuilt the front end at no charge.
Rich
i was thinking of a 1998 clearcoat black lariat f150. is it really true about "hard to clean","water spots" you've heard um. i have never owned a black vehicle before (always red or blue). Any comments. - nay
If you like in the northeast or midwest (Ohio Valley), I would avoid darker colors...no, I wouldn't buy a new car! Acid rain causes those "waterspots". Rainwater left on your paint is evaporated and concentrated till the ph drops to a real etchy number. Now you have a shallow crater in your paint. Next time it rains, water gathers in the crater and the sun goes to work on it again. The cycle repeats...
The only way to really avoid this is to hand dry your vehicle after each rain and/or avoid parking
outside at all.
If you live elsewhere, just keep that baby waxed and try to protect it from fallout anyway.
I own the very pickup you're looking at and I can say that it will most likely meet ALL your needs.
I drove my 1997 XLT from Texas to NY and back very nicely...no chiropractor visits necessary! The six hauled me and mine easily.
Reliability has been very good. I had just two defects. My mass airflow sensor died and the windshield washer switch was intermittant. The sensor would have cost about 500 bux, but it was under warranty. Both items were fixed right the first time and in a timely manner too.
The back seat I cannot vouch for...I don't sit back there! It looks like it would be ok for trips of 2 hours or less (due to the short seat and erect back). If your son is under 10 years, I wouldn't sweat it. Kids have a way of making the best of things, eh?
Get the 5.4...it isn't worth quibbling about the few dollars difference and your milage won't be hurt much, if at all.
If you MUST get the 4.6, rest assured it will serve you well. The only reason I recommend the 5.4 is because this is a truck and it is meant for work. A little power in reserve seems warranted.
Thanks for the reply. I laughed when I read about your lack of need for a Chiroprator, my husband happens to be one.
'92 F-150,XLT,X-cab,63k,V-8,exe cond /$10,950.
or
'94 XLT,Eddie Bauer,AT,X-cab,SB,pwr snrf, tow pkg, bedliner,55k, clean, loaded, smogged, dual tanks 16,500-OBO
or
'94 Super cab, AC,ps,pb, full size $10,725(dlr)
or
'96,supercab,,5.8,V8,XLt,loaded,19,000mi,$17,988 (dlr)
or
'98,XLT,super cab,4.6 V-8,AT,fully loaded,160mi, alarm,tow pkg,bdliner,rack,3.55 ratio,$21,900, Lost job, must sell.
I have been doing so much reading I am going a little nuts. I Know what I want but am trying to keep the cost down, which means keeping the x-tras to a minimum.
Our last two vehicles we bought new and we tend to keep them for their lifetime. I keep hearing about the loss on a vehicle the minute you drive it off the lot. We really want a Pick up, and I have seen and like the F150. I have read Edmunds and it helps, but those dealers are no fun. I hate the games.
Another question, have any of you bought your pick up over the net? How satisfied were you with the results? What about using a broker? Have you been able to get you pickup for between 3% - 6% over invoice as Edmunds suggests. Does this vehicle fall into the category of 'hot selling' trucks right now and so excludes this? If so, what is reasonable to expect?
I would appreciate any and all advice, suggestions.
"have any of you bought your pick up over the net?"
I told this story once before in these posts, but it's buried somewhere and I don't know exactly where. My answer is almost. There was an email address in car-ad page of the Sunday paper, so I sent email indicating exactly what I was looking for (F150 XLT w/507A package, etc.) and also mentioned that since I was on the web I knew the dealer invoice prices. I didn't send any numbers, but I asked if we could negotiate the price within a few hundred of the dealer invoice. The dealer responded with a price, and it was about $300 over the dealer invoice of about $20,000. But that dealer was about 100 miles from me. I went to a local Ford dealer and his price was about $400 over dealer invoice. I didn't think it was worth traveling so far just to save $100, so I ordered it from the local guy. I then sent email to the first dealer, and he came back with a counter-offer that was $300 less; i.e., at dealer invoice. But I was already committed to a sales agreement, so it really didn't matter. But to answer one of your other questions, it looks like there's no problem at all getting within 3 percent of dealer invoice. I didn't even really try and I did much better than that, and I'm sure there are many who have done much better than I did. And by the way, a couple of those 1998 used-car prices you mentioned above kind of look like they are in the same vicinity of what a new one should cost you. I'd say that if you know the dealer invoice prices because you've referred to Edmunds or Kelley or CarPrices, you're 98 percent there.
I guess you need that chiropractor, eh?
Since the F-series seems to hold it's value real well, it doesn't seem worth it to look for one much older than two years. My advice? Find a used
version of the new model. They're out there. The current "book" on mine is about 18k...5k lower than retail. That's a significant savings! The advantage seems to dwindle for each succeeding year.
Me? I can't be bothered with splitting hairs. I bought the new one because it was easy and I'm single...no budget here! Another possible factor
is that there was no year old current model
in 96! I didn't have a choice if I wanted the third door.
Wanna buy mine? Hehe....
1998 F-150 supercab Lariat with the 4.6L engine. He told me that he was receiving about 8 V8's for every 100 F-150's he was getting in. This included both the 4.6L and the 5.4L engines. I thought the 5.4 L engine was the only engine on short supply. He then said I would have to pay $1000 over invoice for the vehicle. I thought this was way to much. Is this true or was the salesman just trying to justify the $1000 over
invoice price? How much over invoice is resonable?
thanks,
Darrin Cashel
darrinc@sw.ods.com
If we can order these new 99 Superduties for less than $1,000 over dealer invoice, you can get a F-150 for less than that. You should shop around. If you don't have a trade-in and know what you want, you can shop by phone. If you're willing to order a truck, you should be able to get it for very close to dealer invoice. Dealers will sometimes try to tell you that if they special order a vehicle, it will cost more. This is not true. It actually cost the dealer less because they do not have any inventory holding cost related to the vehicle. The factory still charges the dealer the same amount. Actually, every truck on the dealer's lot is a special order since the dealer does order them all. Keep shopping. You'll get a better price. Just out of curiousity, what part of the country do you live in?
Having a tough time making a choice. I have been really attracted to the RAM, but the F150 is slowly beginning to grow on me. My old man still drives his 73' Ford F250. My brother-in-law says buy the Dodge. It is a tough choice, I was at first unimpressed with the new Ford look (Curves & ovals), but the more I see them, the more I consider the Ford. I am not a devoted follower of any particular brand, I look for quality, dependability, reliability, and good looks. ??? Further, does anyone know how competitive the Ford dealers are and will they deal close to invoice?
Any suggestions and opinions?
I am currently a senior in a Canton, Ohio high school. As a graduation gift, my parents have offered to buy me a new truck. They will make the down payment and all payments up to November/December, as I am enlisted in the Marine Corps and will graduate boot camp around Thanksgiving. I will make somewhere in the area of $1500 a month and will not have to pay for housing, food, etc.
I would like a '98 F-150 XLT Standard Cab Flareside with a V-8 and my dad owns an '86 F-150 XL Supercab Longbed with a 302, he doesn't have carpeting or air conditioning and it seems to suit me fine...less things to go wrong or get dirty.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I don't want to spend over $19,000.
You may want to ask your parent to just give you the down payment and money for the monthly payments up front. Then you can be the sole owner of the truck. The reason for this is that if they "own" the truck and you meet a girl that they don't approve of and you plan to get married....they will take your truck from you. Lets just say I have first hand experience.
Also, Boot camp will be a much more pleasant experience if you start doing 200-300 push ups a day now! If you wait until you go in you will be kicking yourself. Good Luck.
Also, to the person who asked if $1,000 over invoice is too much to pay, IT DEFINITELY IS!!
If you don't like to haggle, then use Auto-by-Tel, and get your truck for $500 over. If, however you don't mind haggling, I'm certain that you can find a dealer to order your truck for $200 over invoice.----Don't forget, they make about $700 for their 3% holdback not to mention Dest. Fee, Financing, & Advertising Fee.
I'm sure you'll be satisfied...as long as you don't change your mind about towing! Even then, as long as it's not frequent or heavy, you should do fine. Heck, FWD isn't really a good towing platform anyway...no matter what the powertrain.
Confession time! I am NOT the pickup truck "type".
I bought mine for business (and then got out of the business) and am now "stuck" with it. I now find the bugger growing on me! It's really nice to be able to throw anything in the back and go and the ride is very decent. I sorta feel guilty about driving a vehicle this big and thirsty and miss the performance, handling and mileage of a good sports sedan, but I cannot even consider changing vehicles (I'm upside down in a BIG way with this truck) for awhile.
I know what's going to happen. I will trade to a sedan in two years or so and then be faced with some home improvement project or appliance purchase. I'll then start whining like the folks I sometimes see here about missing the darned truck!
Whatcha gonna do? Unless I can triple my income, I can't justify having two vehicles. The money would come in handy elsewhere...ARGH!
I don't recommend stop-leak products because I've seen them clog heater cores.
I somehow doubt that you have a coolant leak anyway because it doesn't seem likely that it would survive the high temperatures all the way back to the tailpipe. I may be wrong but it would seem likely that, since your coolant level is fine and the muffler would hold an awfully large amount of fluid before passing it back, there would be no significant coolant loss noted.
I have an idea. Why don't you put a container of blue vegetable dye in your radiator/recovery tank?
Wait one day and see if you have blue (or dark green) fluid coming out of the tailpipe. I doubt it would cause any harm and it would most certainly get some laughs from your mechanic if you had to take it there!
you love fords, that is obvious, and that is fine. But i have a question. if GM trucks are cheaper because there is no demand, how does GMC +Chevy outsell ford every year (except for last year, ford moved ahead, i know). seems like close to a million trucks per year is a pretty good demand. i'm not trying to start childish word slinging contest, i would just like to see a little better reasoning on your part. by the way, one of my best friends just recently bought a new chevy a couple of months ago. His reasons for choosing the chevy was the power, reliability, nimble handling, and comfort. he priced a truck from each of the big 3, and the chevy he bought was more expensive than the ford and the dodge he priced. ( about $400 to 700 i think, not sure, i didn't write the check)
cdean
explain what you mean by
"However, if they are both producing 1/2 tons, 3/4 tons and 1 tons, they must be two different trucks in competition with each other. What is the story?"
sorry this is getting off of the ford subject
cdean