F-150 Owners

Airwolf

I didn't know you ordered it! Did you get the Dodge? Good luck... now we'll see who gets it first!

Ryan

Thau

HP. I think you got it. It look really cool. Hope you get your hands on it soon. Where did you dad got the shopmanual for F150 ? Is it Helm's? Is it any good? I am looking to get one for myself, Since I did not get one for Christmas. Anyway, just got about 300miles on mine. I got a 4.6L 4X2 and the engine is really smooth, Hardly notice it when it is idling at a stop or at start up. It has plenty of power for my needs. Got about 17mpg at the first fill up, not bad for the breaking in period.
Thau

ladyblue

Ryan,

If you're expecting delivery in 5-6 weeks, I think you're going to win! I have no idea how to check progress on my order without harrassing the dealer. He's been so patient with me, I hate to nag him!! It is hard to sleep at night dreaming of shiny chrome and that "new car" smell.

I hope you Ford fans won't hold it against me - I ordered a Dodge. I will miss my F150. It was a great ride for two years and saying goodbye will be tough (I name all my vehicles and this one was "Godzilla" the big green monster).

Keep us posted on your progress, Ryan. It helps take my mind off the waiting......

GTRocks

I'm getting ready to order mine. Silver F150 4.6L 4x2 XLT. For those of you that ordered FORDS!! , what sort of excess charges did you pay? ie did you pay ad fees, gas, documentation fees, etc?

ladyblue

Ha ha! Go ahead, GTRocks, get your digs in!

Even though I ordered a Dodge, I will still sing the praises of the Ford truck. Good luck with yours!

GTRocks

Thanks, ladyblue, I just had to do it Good luck with yours too. What did you pay in excess fees? I wonder if they're comparable....

ladyblue

To be honest, GTRocks.......I haven't seen a breakdown on things like advertising, gas, document fees. I do know I paid $500 over invoice and the dealer is throwing in 15,000 miles a year (it's a lease), the bedliner, chrome steps, and has offered to detail my old truck before I return it to Ford. If you add up the value of all that, I'm actually paying LESS than invoice, so I'm through haggling with him. He's also gauranteed my lease payment in writing so I don't have to worry about surprises at delivery.

hawkpilot

Well, it turns out that the pictures I posted were not my truck, (the writing on the back window is different) but what the hey, I now have some that are the right vehicle! It finally showed up at the dealer today, and I went over and drooled on it.

They are prepping it and getting the Line-X liner sprayed in tomorrow, and I'll pick it up tomorrow night. Man, this last 24 hours is hard, knowing it is in town, but I'll manage somehow. He he he.

If you guys want to test out your jealosy glands, point your browser to:

http://www.alienmind.com/f150.html

Whoohoo!

hawkpilot

Geez, man, let me get it home first!!!
he he he.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

HP

jlc4

HEY Hawk it works for me good luck with her.

jlc4

ladyblue

Now I'll have to change my name....I'm GREEN with envy!!! Gorgeous truck, Hawk. Almost makes me sorry I ordered that Dodge......almost! {*_*}

Airwolf

GTRocks, I ordered my Ford from the dealer in Tampa, and I paid $100 over DEALER INVOICE. This invoice included:
$15 in gas from the factory
$125 FDAF (Ford Dealer Advertising Fee)
I'm sure I'll have to pay tax, tag, title after that. The FDAF fee, even if I tried, probably wouldn't be waived since I'm only paying $100 over. But even at that, I'm only paying $225 over invoice.
I look at it as a cost of doing business. The extra $125 isn't anything when the truck itself is $26,900. Good luck!! The waiting is the hardest part, right ladyblue?

Cheers,
Ryan

GTRocks

Congrats Hawk!! That's the same color as the one I am ordering hopefully, later today. Mine's a 4x2. I have a 4x4 now, and have used the 4x4 mode about twice a year, so felt that it wasn't worth the extra bucks. Was nervous about the 5.4L engine due to some of the reported "piston slap" trouble on it. Check yours out before you take it home to make sure it sounds right!! Good luck, it looks great!

I got faxed a quote from one dealer last night for "$100 over invoice", but when I looked through it, he didn't have the base invoice price right. He's $166 over what Edmunds and Motortrend report as the actual invoice price. Weird, all his other numbers were spot on. Had some BS fees at the end totalling about $45. One was a $5 tire disposal fee. Can't see me paying that one since I am not disposing of any tires. He claimed in was a state law. We'll see when I get the other quote. It's supposed to be here by 1pm EDT. I had a $20 lein fee in there to dispite the fact that the loan wouldn't be through him. It will be interesting to compare the two quotes I am getting....

GTRocks

Thanks Ryan. FYI the FDAF fee is now up to $170, at least in Maryland. I got the $15 gas fee too. Those are charged to the dealer by the factory. The tire fee is the one that kills me. Please.

Airwolf

GTRocks,
Yes, the fees are ligit form the factory. I've never heard of a lien fee or a tire disposal fee. I wouldn't pay that garbage. Also, the prices from the Factory are not the same as on Edmund's. In all my years, I've always found that slipstream pricing is in effect at all manufacturers, and that the base vehicle price is always about $150 more than what is on-line. That's usually because the on-line information is a few months behind. Example, the price from the factory and the price on-line for my F150 4x4 was about $120. I treated it as the gray area, since I know that prices change all the time.
My only hope is that by the time it gets delivered there's a small rebate going on. Even $500 would be nice.

Ryan

ladyblue

Are you in Penn? I've heard of that bogus tire fee. Does that include your spare tire too? What if it's a donut? hahaha!!

I had the same thing with Edmunds invoice vs. what the dealer came up with, but it was minor - just a few bucks here and there. Not worth quibbling over in the end. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

GTRocks

Yeah, they wanted $5 for the tire fee. Weird. I'm still waiting for the other dealer...he's "on the phone..." Donuts cost $0.50...just kidding, I don't know how they deal with that. Knowing taxes they probably want the $1 for that too, but no, I'm in Maryland, the tax state. I had a dealer tell me that he just got a sheet on Ford's new incentives, and they're not changing for the F150. 'Course that was the same dealer that wanted $800 over invoice for the demo, so take it with a grain of salt.

I am surprised that the invoice/dealer prices aren't matching. They did on all the options (to the dollar) except the base price of the truck. I wouldn't have thought that would change mid model year. I guess it must.

Airwolf, how long is your wait projected to be?

ladyblue

One of the reasons I didn't go with Ford this time is the dealer threatened me with mid-year price increases. Since I was ordering late Dec.-early Jan., he couldn't guarantee the price quoted would still stand at delivery. The Dodge dealer DID guarantee the quote would hold. Also, I've been told that dealers often neglect to tell you about all available incentives, sometimes pocketing them. This could be a nasty rumor, but try either the Edmunds incentive list or the Ford web site to see if they have current incentives. If you've gotten to the point where you're ready to order and he won't budge any more, hit him with the Dealer Holdback. He's not obligated to tell you about that, but it's 100% profit for him. It might buy you that "little extra" you were forgoing.

stanford

Well, not quite 100% profit. There is rent, electic, salary... a certain amount of overhead is more than reasonable I think.

Thau

Hi Guys. When I ordered mine, we agreed on $100 over the invoice price. the cululated invoce price actually was right on the mark when I used the figure I got from carprice.com. Anyway only thing I paid at the delivery was registration and tag,which came to just under $30. The dealer told me that the actual price for the truck is $6 less from Ford. He throw in a full tank of gas, and a very nicely Waxed truck. To top it off, there was a tuoch up paint in the glove compartment waiting for me. The dealer actually came in that day(it was his day off),just to be there to show me the truck. I think that is a very nice touch. No BS or any surprise at all. Nobody push for extended woranty, rust proving, maintenance service contract at all. I was told that they do offer them should I like to get them then just let them know. Very nice! I would go back to them again in the future for a minivan or something.

Dirlton

The printout from Ford on my order was also dead on with the info on the various sites except for an additional $15.00 for gas (which I thought was wierd). I fully expected to have some sort of advertising fee tacked on to the actual invoice from Ford as well once the truck arrived as this has ALWAYS been the way it has gone with past deals (and Edmund's etc. say to expect a "legitimate non-negotiable" amount). The truck came in $3.00 less than I had already figured on! The gas deal was 12 rather than 15 and there was NO ad fees of any kind. Go figure! There is a spot on the invoice for "FDAF/LMDA ASSESSMENT" which reads ".00". Beats me, maybe the guy in charge of that box had the day off? Bottom line, the truck came in $112.00 over the info I was getting on the various sites (100 over invoice plus 12 gas). I'm holding a copy of the original invoice in my hand.

alexrod

Just want to share my thoughts on a '99 F150, 4.6 8cyl, 2wd,bright red flareside,ext cab Lariat...WOW!!! Great ride-had no problems with snow.(hit ground here in CT last week). Even took the family (wife, 2kids, mom and our dog-50lbs.) on a five hour drive to NJ to visit sister. Very comfortable.
Got it on the 18th of Dec., waited for a month (worth the wait). Never owned a Truck before, but when I first laid eyes on the '97's, I knew...well, you all know what I mean! Take care and safe driving. Almost forgot, I particularly like the turn signal mirrors! ; )

hawkpilot

I picked her up tonight, after the Line-x was installed. Man, what a great truck! Ride is firm with the HD shocks (towing pkg) but not harsh. I took my girl out for a ride, and she was quite impressed with the feel of the suspension, and she loved being so high up. Quite a contrast from her Firebird. ;-)

The 5.4 engine rocks, even with the conservative 3.55 rear end and 17" wheels. I ain't gonna be racing it, but it is nice to know I can merge onto the interstate with no problems, or get out of trouble when I need to. I haven't hammered it hard, (I want to go easy on it for a while to get the engine broken in properly) but with somewhat aggressive acceleration, the tranny shifts pretty solidly for an A/T. I do keep reaching down for the floor shifter that is no longer there, though! he he.

The cruise control locks in quickly and accurately on the setpoint, and doesn't hunt or drift, but admittedly I only had flat ground around here to test it on.

I was really surprised at the small turning radius, it is much better than my old Nissan 4X4, even though the truck is considerably bigger.

The stereo sounds pretty good, but I think I am destined for aftermarket speakers, either 2 or 3 ways and maybe a sub, since the sound is not all that well defined. I had kind of figured on this, so no surprise. I like the stereo head unit. Controls are pretty straightforward, and it has a lot of features, including the FM RDS system that displays the call letters of stations, and their format, and lets you seek out specific types of broadcasts. Unfortunately, I only found 2 stations in my area that are broadcasting RDS, but I imagine more will as time goes by. The CD player did not skip, despite my best efforts to find railroad tracks and speed bumps that would torture it.

The rear doors are solid when closed, and do not rattle or leak air like the ones on the Ranger I was renting, which is a relief.

Road noise is not a problem, the cabin seems to be pretty well insulated. No apparent squeaks, rattles, etc.

The Captain's chairs are supportive, and comfortable, if a tad firm, but they are brand new, so I expect them to soften as they are subjected to my big butt. I like them a whole lot better than some truck seats, but they are not as "bucket-like" as my Nissan's were. I definitely like the inboard armrests and the center console. If you are not concerned with carrying a middle passenger in the front seat, I'd highly recommend them over the 60/40 seat.

I got the dark grey interior, and it looks really nice. I hadn't seen any trucks with it, so it was kind of a gamble, but I like it far better than the light grey that was predominant on the trucks I test drove. Some had the denim, which I didn't care for at all. I think the dark color is new for '99.

All in all, I am really pleased with the vehicle. Time will tell if there are any hidden problems, but with just over 100 miles on her, she exceeds my expectations. Well done, Ford!

HP

ladyblue

Congrats, HP!! While I not-so-patiently wait for my new truck, I will have to live vicariously through yours! As I said in the past, although I'm getting a Dodge, I still love my Ford. They make a fabulous truck and yours sounds like a beauty. Good luck with it and happy driving!! :-)

noble1

I recently bought a '96 F-150 Eddie Bauer, 2WD, 4.9L, 5 sp (Mazda), short box, 34K miles. Still under warranty. I have a couple of questions. This is my first Ford, so have a little patience with me.
First question regards an unusually "whiney" power steering pump. Is this normal? The dealer said "I could put three new pumps on, and all three might be as noisy as this one!" I interperted this as saying "turn up the radio and it will go away". He didn't think it was unusual.
Second question deals with the transmission. The 2nd gear syncro is not very user-friendly. It's almost impossible to get a clean upshift from first. Again, the dealer didn't see anything unusual. The local tranny rebuild shops say this transmission has a poor reputation. Syncros and shift forks are notoriously weak on this tranny. Unfortunately, it's the only thin that will fit.
Any ideas or experiences? Thanks for your help!

dpt27

Thats great hawkpilot! I'm sure you'll enjoy your new truck. Mine is due in tomorrow. (post#510) Will it show?? It snowed here again today and my 91 Nissan 2x4 got stuck in all the usual places,but I didn't seem to mind as much this time. I know that out somewhere out there is a new F-150,4x4 with my name on it.
Well enjoy your truck.I hope to be joining you real soon
Mike

Dirlton

I, too, am less than totally impressed with what Ford calls "premium sound". I had a 30 watt X4 amp installed at a local (and legendary) car stereo shop. Guy said it was a necessary first step and that speakers should be step two if I wanted further improvement (power first, clarity second). Amp was definately an improvement, richer, fuller sound. When I left the guy said he figured there was a "thirty, maybe forty" percent chance I'd be back for speakers that would give me "crystal clear" mids and highs. He also said a sub might be in my future. He said to leave the rears alone. I'm curious to hear what you, or anyone else does along these lines and will stay "tuned". He he.

hawkpilot

I am going to reverse the order, and then we can compare notes ;-)

I disagree with the car audio guy, i.e. I follow the "clarity first, then Amp if you need to" philosophy, but then I am not selling amplifiers...

I think the factory system will do ok, once I give it some better drivers to play out of. It seems to have plenty of power, just the sound is not very "crisp" or well-defined. I have the treble cranked all the way up, but left the bass flat, and it sounds better to me, so I think I want more mid/high end than the simple one-way (I assume) factory speakers can reproduce.

One thing to keep in mind is that all audio issues are very subjective. If it sounds good to the owner, then it is a good system.

My thoughts are that I am pretty sure I want to do the speakers, regardless of whether I add an amp, so I am going to do that first, and I may not need more power. We'll see what happens, I may get off relatively cheap if the amp is unnecessary.

HP

hawkpilot

Hey, thanks for the kindness!
I know you will be as happy with your Dodge as I am with my Ford. After all, we each have different tastes, that's why Ford and Dodge both sell trucks! Some of my best friends drive Rams ;-)

The waiting is tough, but worth it when the time comes. Kind of like Christmas when you are a kid, you know how time slowed down about Dec 15th? Anyway, hang in there! Once you climb in it the first time, you will forget about the waiting, and just start making excuses to drive it all the time. Whoohoo, lots o' fun!

HP

hawkpilot

Mike,
Mine was due in on the 11th, but came in on the 12th. I think that may be because it got the random test drive of almost 30 miles. It even had "1-11" written in white grease pencil on the back window when it came in. Since the factory is within an hour of my dealer, the test drive is my best guess for the delay.

We don't get much snow here, but when we do, it takes quite a while for the limited number of plows and sand trucks to clear the roads. When I had my '78 Datsun 4X2, we got a bad winter, and I had to carry a couple hundred pounds of sandbags in the bed just to get to work. We had a few similar winters after I got my 86.5 Nissan 4X4, and I never had a problem. I know you'll love the extra traction!

It is kinda funny, My girlfriend is from Olean, NY which is about an hour south of buffalo. Few up there have 4WD, it seems. They get the roads plowed quickly, so no one worrys about it. They kind of wonder why I insist on spending the extra money for 4WD when we hardly get snow, but I like having the capability when the need arises! Besides, I like to drive out on the beach on the NC outer banks, and 2WD out there is asking for trouble.

HP

GTRocks

Well, I got mine Wednesday night. F150 XLT 4x2. 4.6L V8, 60/40 split, CD, towing package, rear slider, tonneau cover, keyless. Nice. I got "$100 over" but all kinds of fees. I shopped around and all dealer in MD were charging exactly the same fees, and all were blaming the state. $100 over, and then $156.50 in fees. Tags alone were $91.50. Lein fees, tire fees. I really do live in the tax state.

The thing that really got me was that I walked out of there, with tags in my name, keys in hand, and hadn't paid a nickel. I had $2082 in Ford credit card rebate dollars that I have been saving since the beginning of time, got an IOU for $2400 for my trade, whose change of hands won't happen until 2/1. Then I hadn't even applied for my bank loan, yet, but drove it home nonetheless. Amazes me that they do that. They did run my credit report which is exemplary ("we don't see many this good"), so I guess that put them at ease.

I can't get over how frigging big it is. I am used to driving my little sports cars, and this thing is just a tank!! The truck is actually going to my wife, so I am back to my '93 Mustang GT. Night and day vehicles. I really do like the truck though. We convoyed home and had a funny thing happen. We had a guy doing about 45 in the fast lane (pet peeve) and I was right behind him in the Mustang suggesting that he move over and once it became obvious that he had no intentions, I went around him. My wife pulled up behind him then and he moved over in about 1.2 seconds. That is one benefit of a big ole truck. That would be nice!!

ladyblue

Congratulations!! If you think the 4x2 feels big, you should try the 4x4. If your wife is anything like me, she's going to enjoy the respect such a big truck gets. Mine (sorry to see it go, sniff, sniff) is an extended cab with a high-top cap on it, so it looks even bigger. Most cars will move over when they see you coming. Watch out though - for some reason, people in little cars don't realize we can't see them when they get too close behind us or ride in our blind spot!!

Good luck with it,
Ladyblue

gmace

Your comment on the 45mph vehicle in the fast lane moving over for the truck and not the mustang may have been due to the 45 mph driver being oblivious to traffic behind until you passed in the mustang. One difference I bet you experience is a decreased frequency of the slow drivers brake checking the bigger truck compared to the mustang when approaching them from behind. BTW: The universal signal to move over is flashing the headlights at the slower vehicle. Most modern vehicles have a feature built into the turn signal stalk activated ( high beam/ low beam) dimmers. Pull back to flash even when the lights are not turned on. Of course the nudge technique works too. Greg

GTRocks

Don't get me wrong, I was NOT tailgating him, just hinting. My experience with flashing lights is that it attracts a lot of brake checks in the US. Overseas, this is normal and elicits the appropriate response (move over). For some reason Americans seem to take flashing personally. Then you get the whole road rage thing, and frankly it's easier just to go around them. Maybe me passing him did clue him in, who knows? The timing was a bit ironic though.

Dirlton

I will be VERY interested to hear what you come up with an think about in regards to swapping speakers. Also interested to know what's in there to begin with. I'm going to be pushover for anything that at least noticeably improves mid and high response. I like cymbals that sizzzzzzzle! The amp WAS a good start. Let me know. BTW, we are on the same page in re dark grey interior. Can't figure out why you see so little of it. The soft cover is big time snazzy too. Later.

alexrod

you might want to check out the newest Avital 6500 alarm/starter. I just got one installed on my F-150/99/Lariat. The unit sells for $350 installed, but due to the special key that Ford has, I had to pay an extra $35 for a relay switch. I love it! I can remotely start it close to 1/4 mile away, flashes the lights, etc.! It's the top of the line. Check out www.avital.com
Goodluck!

alexrod

Hello everyone!, anyone can tell me how much they paid for a fiberglass tonneu cover? I have a 99 F150 flareside/shortbed, made the mistake of buying the soft cover(what a pain to work with!). I checked out a.r.e's website, but no prices listed.
Also, had a gruesome discovery today while I was applying armor-all paint protector on my truck---seems to have a couple of knots on the right side, just where it curves inward (about 10 inches directly above the sidestepper). size of quarters, but the paint is smooth. It's just underneath the paint. hope this does not lead to worst things.

ladyblue

I just happen to have the A.R.E. catalogue and the LS II lid (the only model shown) is priced at $749 for a 99 Ford SD. That price includes painting to match your truck. There's usually a charge for installation. Options available with this lid are Fabric Headliner ($100), Sport Wing ($250), Interior Light ($15 battery-$65 hotwired) and Nomadic Roof Rack (no price listed). Hope this helps :-)

lwf

I've said this a few times before, but the same question reappears. My A.R.E for a 98 F150 a few months back was $650 in NJ, and that included the paint job and the installation.

jjson

axelrod,
I have a A.R.E. on my '99 F-150 Lariat Flareside/Shortbox and it looks great! Matches the style and color of the truck perfectly, and the latch/lock is located so as not to fill with snow, etc. I "negotiated" the dealer to $620.00 installed. I mounted a battery operated light ($2.00) myself. Good luck!

Airwolf

To HP and GTRocks: Congrats on the new truck! You both should be very happy.

To ladyblue: Yes, I've got an update: February 15th delivery. Build on the 1st. Not too shabby. If those dates hold, it'll be 37 days from calling the dealer to having the truck.

Ryan

ladyblue

Lucky you! I still don't have ANY dates, but the dealer said that's to be expected. According to him, it takes a 2-3 weeks for dates to come in. Since it's only been two weeks (a lifetime) I'll just have to wait.

Keep us posted.

ladyblue

Where in NJ did you get your lid? My prices came from Suburban in Oldbridge. I'll need a new cap for my new truck and if there's a better deal out there, I'd appreciate knowing. $100 is a lot to save. Thanks.

tammy2

Sheez, I guess I am REALLY SPOILED......
I have had my F-250HD for 2 years and am now getting ready to buy a 99 F-150. I have never over invoice for any of the last 9 Ford trucks I have bought in the past 10 years....Yep, I said I was spoiled. Anyway I just wanted to say that you guys that are paying around a 100 bucks to license your trucks ARE lucky....My 250 cost
$780.00 for the first year and the second year it went down to a low price of just $720.00. Boy California is a beautiful state and they make sure you pay your dues to live here!

lwf

The same place ladyblue. Sounds like they jacked their price up by about 15 percent. Sorry about that. I took my new pickup to Phoenix last year, and on the way was the first time I noticed an A.R.E. lid. I priced one in Phoenix and the price was $750, so I said thanks but no thanks. When I got back home, Suburban gave me the price I quoted, and I was pretty glad I waited. Not only that, the one in Phoenix was a last-year's model and the one I got was the new style.

You might try haggling with them, but I think they are the only dealer around. There might be one in PA though. Before I took that trip, I was thinking of a GlassTite cap. But the price (from Suburban) was up around about $1600, so I didn't get too excited about that. I phoned around and found someone in PA who said he would go lower, but I never followed up on it. Good luck with your shopping!

jlc4

alexrod thanks for the infoe on the security site.
they don't have a dealer in my area, but i sent them an e mail for infoe. thanks again.

jlc4

ladyblue maybe you would be so kind as to look up the cost of an A.R.E. cover for an f150 98 ext. cab short bed. thanks in advance. jlc4

dpt27

My truck was due on the 15th. and guess what? It's not here.Dealer says any day this week. Couldn't pin him down to any thing more specific than that. All ready cleaned out my Nissan(trade-in) and I'm ready to go. You guys who just picked up your trucks have fun. Hope to be joining you real soon.

ladyblue

The lid price I quoted is for the super duty - the standard lid is $649, not $749. Sorry.

jlc4: Are you looking for a cap or a lid? The caps come in six different styles, price varying by style. Lowest price is $779 and highest price is $979. The lid price is as above, $649.

jlc4

ladyblue: Thanks for the infoe on the manufacturer. I am looking for a lid. But then MRS. jlc4 wants a cap. life has its challenges.