Ford '99 Super Duty Delivery Issues

richflynn

stanford,
The color choice for all trucks is pathetic. You can have any color you want, as long as it's white. (Something like 50% of pichups are white.)

My dealer told me that when some one comes in looking for a white vehicle they won't settle for anything else. HOWEVER if someone is looking for a blue or green vehicle they can always be sold a white one. Rather interesting marketing perspective.

Rich

pworange

FINALLY!!!!I talked with my dealer Friday 8/7 and he quoted me a delivery date of 9/14. He gave me the VIN. I ordered a F250SD/diesel/ with everything but clearance lights, on 5/4. That will make 19 weeks on the nose if it arrives on 9/14. I called the number that Airwolf supplied in the other Ford 1999 topic and they were very nice. I gave them my VIN number and they confirmed that the vehicle will be built the week of 8/31. I was told earlier by my dealer that the allotment of trucks depends on the number of cars they sell. This guy is fairly small, Canon City CO, so I'm inclined to believe him. If you order from a volume dealer you get your truck quicker than the guy who orders from a smaller dealer. Anyway I'm looking forward to it.

pworange

gobrownfish - I think the grey leather you spotted may have been in an F150 add. I did the same thing. They make grey and tan for the F150 but only tan for the F250.

Brutus

White tends to be the color of choice because it covers up scratches and dings better.

stanford

I just get a little tired of driving what looks like a utility truck. I did see some nice CC DRWs in white with a tan lower stripe though, which looks pretty sharp.

sundance

Believe it or not my truck was built a week or so ago with a delivery date of 8/10. I called the customer information line and all they could tell me was that it was built. The rep then went into a canned speech on delay problems due to lack of transportation and to call back in two weeks and see what the status is. I called my dealer and he said that he went on their Star network and was informed that there were no longer any transportation problems. Figure that out.

pworange

Heres my two cents worth on color. Remember that the Super Duty Series was really meant to be a work vehicle. I think it may have surprised Ford a bit with the positive reaction from the plain old pick up drivers. White is just as someone said before a utility truck. I was going to order a black truck for "romantic" reasons, I owned a black F150 when I met my wife. I had actually placed the order when we (my wife and I) saw the "Bright Amber" color and decided that was it for us. By the way thats how I came up with my nick name here. One of my cohorts who I chided to death for not getting a black pickup when he bought his "Prarie" GMC assigned that name to the color of my truck when he found out I'd changed to Bright Amber from black. The PW is short for two words that refer to a husband who does what his wife tells him to do. Of course thats not true in my case and my wife said it was ok to say that. (grin).

stanford

Then again, Ford even stated in press releases about the SD that they were heavily targeting the ~33% of large truck buyers that were interested in using the trucks for reacreational purposes.

How is the amber, btw? It looked interesting in the brochure, but I'm not ordering a color that I've never seen in real life. I'm yo-yoing between solid black and white-over-tan right now.

pworange

I think the amber is fantastic. I was impressed the first time I saw it. It's actually a dark "burnt orange and I think it really looks good when it has the tan interior. I'm not much on two tones, but I think the white over tan looks good. I've always been a fan of solid black. I went to one dealer here a while back and he had every color that Ford has for the super duties. Most of them looked good in there own right, after all beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I particularily like the amber, green (not the olive),and black. The violet and the blue were to "bright" for me but didn't look bad. But that sort of academic since they're not making those colors anymore.

Anyway I and my wife think the amber is pretty sharp. Good luck.

kirkpama

pworange & stanford

I just saw a SD that was amber over tan and it was impressive. It was the first amber truck that I have seen and it almost made me regret that I got red instead of amber. I wasn't about to order amber without seeing one in person. Now that I have, if I was ordering again, I think that I would order the amber. It is not just a good looking color, but it wouldn't be the same color as every third truck I see on the road, they all seem to be either red, black or white.

gobrownfish

pworange and kirkpapa

Great story PWORANGE on the handle. You bring
that new beautiful orange super duty down here
and watch the Tennessee Vols and we will treat
you like a king. (Good choice of truck too).
All handles have a story, I have a terrible habit
of chasing Smallmouth Bass all around the country
thus the need for the Ford F-250 to pull the bass
boat ( 20 Ft Norriscraft) from Tennessee to Canada and any other place the old brown fish hide.

But Ford really missed a great opportunity to
make a great looking truck in a nice two-tone
color. I am tempted to have my truck custom
painted in a nice two-tone at one of the better
Customization Shops just to keep from being one
of every other three colors on the road.

I now feel like a rookie having just ordered my
F-250 Supercab SWB V-10 4X4 in Lariat Package.
Hope you guys are around to keep my spirits up
during the next 10 - 15 weeks.

See you later....

Airwolf

First, I must apologize for the confusion... I didn't originally post those numbers.
Second, The Burnt Orange/Amber color is hard to find on an F250, but usually not a new Ranger. I went to the local Ford dealer here in Naples and he had a new 4dr Ranger in the Orange color. Looks sharp with tan interior.
Third, since we are talking handles, my hisotry is simple: I grew up, loved to fly, got my helicopter license, and fell in love with the black Bell 222 in a popular TV show, aka Airwolf.
Fourth, I've been talking to dealerships here and the closest I've got anyone to invoice is $650 over. Still working on it.

Cheers,
Ryan

gobrownfish

Airwolf, I didn't have much trouble getting
best price. First dealer offered 1,000. over
and gave me the print-out. Next dealer I called
I told him the price and he went to 500 over.
By the time I got to #4 he offered 250 over and
#5 offered cost on the truck just to get the
holdback. To make sure things were on the up and
up I called two more dealers that advertise and
they said they couldn't touch the last two offers
and doubted I even had those deals. After getting
best two deals be sure you go with the best
service dept of the two. I've never had a lemon
and usually shy away from first year models but
I think the Super Duty is a good looking truck.
Good luck.

sundance

Richflynn- to update your chart, my 250 arrived at the dealer today. I ordered it on March 6. 250 4x4 XLT V10 LB, SC.

richflynn

sundance,
I don't keep the chart on delivery dates.

Glad you got yours!

So far I have only seen 11 total on the road here in LA. Two in San Diego, one in Vegas and two on the road to Vegas.

It feels good to be the only one in town with the new model!

Rich

longhair

I got a piece of mail offline that bears a mention here. There's a site
www.wheels.com
that tracks current factory production status
It shows a long history of super duty delays, especially DRW.

ruz

#0 of 4: mcb2 (mcb2) Mon 10 Aug '98 (04:12 PM)

Anybody out there own one of these monsters?

I want to order one, but I'd like to talk to
someone that owns one before I take the plunge.
Tell me all about it; what kind of mileage are you
getting, hows it ride, strong motor,rear end
ratio,
THE WHOLE ENCHILADA !!!!!!!!!!

#1 of 4: kcram (kcram) Mon 10 Aug '98 (06:41 PM)

Check out topic #159 here - all Super Duty owners
have been checking in there for months now.

#2 of 4: mcb2 (mcb2) Tue 11 Aug '98 (12:33 AM)

kcram , Thanks for the tip on topic #159. After
reviewing all 380 comments regarding the 1999 super duty line up I'm a little disallusioned by it all. Looks like a great product but very few proud owners out there.

P S I'm new at this computer stuff so please
hang in there with me.

#3 of 4: richflynn@yahoo.com (richflynn) Tue 11 Aug '98 (11:42 PM)

mcb2,
I like diesels so I'm biased.
I always drove Chevies until I bought my '86 Ford
F-250 diesel new. I'm on my third F-250 now. Over a quarter million miles total.

My F-250 rides almost as good as my Son's Explorer
and a zillion times better than my old '92 F-250.

I've only got 4200 miles on the '99. It is,
absolutely, without a doubt, a quantum leap over
anything else that is out there.

The only problems are that the Super Duty is
scarce, delivery is slow and some dealers are
reluctant to deal.

Would I buy another? In a minute! Even if I had to
pay MSRP.

I see that you're considering a F-350. Unless yhou
are going to be carrying a lot of cargo, I would
go with the F-250. It will ride better. The F-350
does not increase towing capacity over the F-250.
You say 4 door. The F-250 is available in super cab (2 door plus 2 small doors) and Crew Cab with
seating for 6 adults.

I've had two adults in the back seat of my super
cab for a 2 hour freeway ride. Even when we stopped about half way, neither got out to strech legs, etc. So I guess the back seat is comfortable.

Rich


#4 of 4: bigfur (bigfur) Wed 12 Aug '98 (02:03 PM)

One quick comment on the F-250 CC(crew cab) it is
only avalibile in a short bed.

Tom
P.S. what is appx. mileage on F-350 six speed?

checksix

Drove past my Ford dealer tonite and saw it -a beast: 250 sc with v-10 and DUMBO mirrors.
No lim slip on the 3.73 axle. It went through the production line before they switched over.

I have looked at lot of them at the dealers, but never sat inside one . What is impressive is the view from inside- and the mirrors. After many years of towing travel trailers, this should be a breeze.

Time from order to delivery was 15 weeks+2 days

gobrownfish

I've seen most of the colors on the SD
except the Dark Purple and the Deep Blue,
did I understand you guys to say these two
colors are already discontinued ? Something
about a fading problem. Whats the scoop ?

brandot

I've had my F-350, CC with PSD for a month now. My last tank of fuel got 14 MPG. I just got my Snugtop bed lid installed today. It will be interesting to see if it affects the mileage. I couldn't be happier with the rig. No problems so far. I have a little over 2,000 mile on it. The ride is great and the power is too. I've had many compliments on the rig. No noises or vibrations. I don't have the 4X4 so SOF is not an issue. I've got SRW. So far, so good.

Brutus

I've heard that the mpg won't be better with a lid, but you might notice a smoother ride on long trips since the air won't be going into the bed.

richflynn

Brutus,
I don't think that the air has anything to do with the smoothness of the ride. The WEIGHT of the snug top is the major contributing factor. When my spare was stolen, it was the difference in the ride that made us notice.
Rich

wolf2

I never put a deposit down.
They said they would order it sans deposit.
If there are any "vibrations" forget it.
My 95 Ram has rattely steering column and
tapping on the floorboard problems, and I'm
not going through that again!!

Vaughn

singer2

Check----congrats!!! Good luck!! JB---by the way, I ordered XLT

Thanks!! JB

richflynn

A friend of mine walked into a Ford store in the CA central valley. He was looking for a 6 speed in a super duty. Found a diesel and out he went. The dealer implied that he was VERY GLAD to get rid of the 6 speed. Evidently, it takes a special individual to appreciate the 6 speed.

Rich

Airwolf

From the Wheels.com (http://www.wheels.com) Newsletter:

FORD MAKES PASSENGER AIRBAG STANDARD ON THE
F-SUPER DUTY

Effective with units built July 27, 1998, passenger side airbags will be standard on all F250/350 Super Duty pickups
excluding the chassis cab models. The passenger side airbag continues to be standard on the F150/250 light duty pickup
models.

So I guess that settles it.

Cheers,
Ryan Allen

Brutus

I wonder if that raises the price? Initially, they were standard. Then Ford said that it was a goof, and they weren't standard. If you wanted the passenger side airbag, you had to pay about $500 for the option. Now, it sounds like they are standard again.

longhair

as i was building my truck (on paper-still the only place it exists) all the options were $100-$250 each. Add twenty of them together, it's a lot of money, so when we looked at ways to trim the price, I joked that the only one that made sense was the $500 airbag. You didn't want to be sitting across from my wife when I suggested that! At the time, I asked the dealer why it wasn't standard and the only reply was "so people can save money."
Having been on the rescue squad for 10 years, I've seen enough to know that the airbags are worth getting regardless of the cost. Sure the few people who can't sit > 6" from the wheel may not always be better off, but the rest of us certainly are.
I looked on my dealer's lot today, and all he had were XL fleet trucks, either without airbags or with $500 options. Maybe too soon to see the effects of this change on pricing, since these were probably all ordered before the change.

campo

ordered sd-f250,xlt,v-10,4x4,stick,prefered pkg,camper pkg,+tow. first go around ordered esf but cancelled it. was told by salesman I couldn't get slip-dif with 3.73.eta 8-31-98 price 500 over invoice.will post when delivered

harold2

To everyone waiting for your super duty pickups: before you write the check to the dealer when the truck is delivered, take it for a THOROUGH test drive. some of these trucks have drivetrain vibration problems and the dealers and factory reps claim they don't know what the problem is or how to fix it. after posting my problems, i have been e-mailed by four people on this site, and three have been forced to take legal action against the dealer/manufacturer. this is turning out to be a big problem with some (not all) of these trucks, and is obviously a quality control problem. it has become so pervasive that some dealers are refusing to accept the trucks in for warranty service of this problem because they already know beforehand that they can't fix them and can't get support from the factory. in my state (Virginia) you have to return the vehicle 4 times for the same complaint for our lemon laws to take effect, but if the dealers refuse to take in the trucks, you can't even document your complaint. DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ACCEPT THE TRUCK OR PAY FOR IT UNTIL YOU HAVE TEST DRIVEN IT AND MADE SURE IT DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I,too, have been forced to retain legal council in an effort to resolve this. believe me, it's a nightmare, with no end in sight.

harold2

pworange

Harold2 thanks for the tip on the test drive. I intended to do that in any case but now I will be particularily aware of the vibration problem. I've had to wait for my beast for 15 weeks now and its not due in for another 4 (a VIN and build date have been assigned) and I sure would hate to have to wait again, but I will if I have to. Thanks again for the heads up and good luck.

singer2

There still may be time!!! Believe me, I talked directly with Gary at the Ford Plt. He stated eff. 7/13/98, Ltd Slp was definitely available with the V-10, 3.73. Gary works in change control at the plant. Don't necessarily take your dealer's word for it!!! History shows that they really don't know the truth, or just don't know the right people to go to!! Need ph. no.'s, post or email me and I'll get them to you. Good Luck!! JB

dennis4

Hello All- I'm going to be buying a 1999 3/4 ton 4wd super/quad cab in 2 weeks. Since the Silverado won't be out for awhile, I guess that leaves either a Ford or Dodge. Last friday I took a F250 SD SC Lariat w/V-10 auto for a test drive and immediately fell in Lust! What an awesome truck! I've calmed down since then and want to make an intelligent decision. Anyone have any info, pros/ cons,or comparisons between the SD and the Ram?
I appreciate any and all info. Thanks

fred9

I'd like to add my experience with the PTO on the Lariat package. I ordered a F350 Lariat crewcab
4x4 diesel and I wanted to have the PTO option
on my truck. In the brochure it said that with the Lariat package the PTO was not available. When I sat down with the salesman to order my truck I asked him to try to add the PTO on my order and the computer accepted it. I don't know who was more surprised me or the salesman. When I received my build number just over a week ago I asked the salesman to double check to see if the PTO was actually on the truck he said it was on the order and that there was a N/C on the invoice for the PTO. I was very happy about this as it was about a $400.00 CDN option.

I was looking to see how much my truck cost in U.S. dollars today when I saw that the Canadian dollar dropped again. My MSRP on the truck was around $53,000 and I paid $44,398 which worked
out to $29,500 U.S.. If I were an American I would think that it would be a optioin to come to Canada and take a look at buying a truck as the way the exchange rate is it would save a pile of cash. Just a thought.

Fred.

Brutus

Stanford,

It sounds like your truck will look very similar to mine (if mine ever arrives), except that I ordered the Supercab. Mine will be a black F-350 SC V-10 4x4 DRW Lariat with just about every option except the captain's chairs. I ordered the 4.30 to get the L/S.

I've started seeing more of them in the Dallas area. The only DRW trucks I've seen have been 2wd. I think the elevation of the 4wd will look really sharp. I've only seen one or two black ones. I don't think black will be as abundant on the roads in these trucks as they are in the 1/2 tons and compact trucks. I've seen a lot of white and red ones.

stanford

I got the 4.30 for the same reason. I'm also seeing a lot of SDs around in the last few weeks -- maybe they've all started to come in from long orders?

Maybe we can get the trucks together for a photo at some point after they've both arrived :-)

Airwolf

To anyone who can answer this one:
I just received a printed invoice from a dealer that wants to order my new truck. It lists something, though, that I don't know about:
FDAF Assessment, $150. It's something they added I know.

I want to get back to him this morning if possible. The salesman also wants me to eliminate the holdback in my pricing scheme "because it's not straight profit" What a joke.

Thanks,
Ryan

stanford

One advantage to not having a price based on the invoice document -- the dealer gets to eat unexpected things like that.

Brutus

Actually, you don't need to mention the holdback. That's for your own calculation of what you want to pay. Make sure to calculate the dealer invoice before you go in, using this site or Kelley Blue Book. I used Kelley Blue Book and the invoice pricing was exactly what the dealer had.

There are some legitimate additions to dealer invoice. I consider a legitimate addition to be one that is passed on to the dealer or something they actually buy and add to the truck. Added to my dealer invoice was a $75 advertising charge. It is my understanding that this is for Ford national advertising and is passed on to the dealer, so they do have to pay it to the factory. The other charge was $24.80 for gas they will put in the truck for me.

The $150 sounds like it would be in addition to the charges I mentioned. If that's the case, it's likely dealer profit. I mean, sure it may be costs that his dealership incurs such as local advertising etc, but that is an expense that he covers with the profit he makes on the truck.

Having run the numbers on the Superduty trucks, I would say that you have a real good deal if you can get the truck for $500 over the dealer invoice indicated on this site or Kelley Blue Book. Be ready to add the $75 for national advertising and a reasonable amount for gas to that figure if he mentions it. That's the number you should shoot for. Depending on where you live and what the demand is for the trucks, you may or may not be able to get that amount.

When I mentioned dealer invoice in the last paragraph, that is the dealer invoice indicated on the two sites I mentioned. It's not dealer invoice minus holdback. A more appropriate term for that figure might actual dealer cost. When we talk about amounts over dealer invoice, we are talking about the dealer invoice amount, not the actual dealer cost. Holdback is a sore subject for dealerships. The only time I will mention it is if he says something like, "How can I make a living if I'm only making $500 profit of the deal?". My response would be something like, "Yeah, but you're making another a grand off the holdback.". Otherwise, I wouldn't mention it at all as part of my negotiation. I use it to calculate what I feel is a fair dealer profit, and figure out what I hope to get the truck for.

By the way, the holdback is "straight profit". That is a common line used by salesmen, because the don't actually receive the cash at that point. The dealer and factory are constantly purchasing and selling vehicles between themselves. The holdback may be reflected as a discount on a future order. Regardless of how it is accounted for, at the end of the year, 100% of the holdback amount for each vehicle has either been reflected as a debit to income or a credit to expenses. The result is an increase in the bottom line profit for the dealership.

tglab

Someone please help me with this reasoning.

I am in the market for a truck. I currently have an Explorer. We love it. But now I drive a company car and we rarely use the Explorer. I found that I have the need for a truck since I constantly need something for hauling junk around. However, we still need a vehicle for skiing (4WD) and camping. We have three teenage daughters (I can hear you feel sorry for me already) and they need to fit in our vehicle for our camping trips, etc.

So my thoughts are like this - get an extended cab 4WD truck. Although the kids will be squished in the back, it will only be for the camping and skiing trips. Otherwise, I will be driving it and have the capacity I need. We don't have a trailer, but may get one soon. If we do, it won't be a huge one.

First I looked at the F150, but found that the F250 SD is the same or lower price. Why should I buy a lighter duty truck for more money? I am also looking at the Dodge and the new 99 Sierra.

As you may have noticed I am not loyal to any brand - I just want the best truck for my bucks.

1. Your thoughts on which truck, F150 vs. F250 SD vs. Dodge 1500 vs. 99 Sierra.

2. What gear ratio for light towing?

3. V10 vs. V8 - mileage vs. power.

Thanks

curiouser

I took a test drive 4x4 sd ext xlt 250 w/die,auto. It drove great (no vibrations but also no esof). It also had pos. What impressed me though was this dealers unbelievably bold additional dealer markup sticker which added almost $5000.00 to the manufactures sugested price. Obviously he is not looking to sell me a truck unless I lose my mind. I am in Fairbanks Alaska but this dealer is not small. I saw almost 50 1999 sd on the lot (fleet type) earlier in the year and he always has a good selection. I have noticed this same dealer markup in Anchorage in past years. They don't pay any more than anyone else including shipping and their service is double the price of the lower 48. Such tactics are insulting to me. They appear to be looking for a sucker. I understand that there are some midwest VOLUME dealers that deal reasonably. Have any of got any names say around Kansas or Nebraska?

curiouser

Reported same mileage for v8 and v10. 373 w/ auto, don't forget lslip, 410 for stick. Chev is not the truck the ford sd is for size and power. consider crew cab short box. Your girls wil love you. Also consider not getting tinted side glass. My kids complained all the time.

stanford

The crew cab short bed is becoming more and more popular, at least around here. If you do go with the Ford, I'd get the V10 -- similar mileage, more power, and the V8 may really hurt your resale values. Chevy and Ford both do this configuration.

stanford

You're quibbling over $12.50? Take the deal.

Note that in most states all autos are just done with state sales tax -- no city or county fees.

pworange

Airwolf - the FDAF is a nation wide advertising fee thats allowable anywhere from $75 to $150 which is added to the invoice but not shown on the window sticker. Same with the gasoline/diesel fillup charge. I don't remember where but either KBB or Edmunds explains that. Hold back is also explained via the Edmunds home page. It varies from company to company but virtually all American manufactures are 3% of total MSRP. That means that regardless of what the dealer sells you the vehcile for the dealer will get 3% of the bottom line window sticker. Thats why in an earlier post I recommended not to deal with a salesperson. Most dealers are pretty tight with the holdback. The salespersons work on commission which is derived from the amount over invoice they can get.

If you deal with the manager, fleet, sales or dealership you are more likely to get a price nearer or below invoice depending on the popularity of the vehicle.

The $5000 markup above MSRP that "curiouser" mentioned is not uncommon for popular vehicles. When I was looking at Corvettes years ago in San Francisco there was a $8000 "Bay Area Markup" above MSRP -- Why?? "Because we can" was the reply. Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, the F250 Super Duties fall into that popular category.

As I said earlier I was able to get 4 quotes from various dealers all below 2% over invoice. Two dealers were in Denver, one in Montana and one in Canon City CO.

I would recommend that anyone handle trade ins separately. When you mix trade ins and sticker prices things get cloudy very quick. Settle on the price at, below or over invoice and then do the trade in. I'll bet you a dollar against a donut that the trade in value of any vehicle will drop dramatically if the sale price of the vehicle is determined before the trade in issue is brought up.

For example after I arrived at a deal of 1.5% above invoice I took my 1991 Aerostar in a few weeks later to determine how much they would give me. KBB and Edmunds both rated the Aerostar at around $6500. It had low mileage so it was worth a bit more. The dealer offered me $3500!!. I put it up for sale two weeks ago asking $7500 and it sold within 3 days for $7200.

I can't stress my point enough that to get a good deal you have to stay away from salespeople. Start on the phone or by fax and deal only with management. Usually the fleet manager.

It might be worth a few hours drive to pick up your new vehicle if you can save $100's or even $1000's of dollars.

Brutus

If you have two dealers within $100 of each other, go with the one that is most convenient for you. I'm all for getting the best deal, but it sounds like you win in either case. The prices you mention sound great.

I am buying my truck from Isbell Ford in Oklahoma. I only did that because all of the dealers in Dallas that I talked to were wanting at least $1,000 over invoice, whereas Isbell would sell me one for $99 below. There are two additional costs that I will incur by going out of state. The first is the oneway airplane ticket to get the truck, which will run me just under $100. The other is a $46 documentation fee so I do not have to pay Oklahoma sales tax. I'm not counting gas for the return trip, because I likely would have driven my truck a couple hundred miles locally anyway after I get it.

Rounding off, those two additional charges will add $150 to the cost of the vehicle, so basically the Isbell offer is $50 over invoice. If I could have found a local dealer to sell me the truck for $500 over invoice, I would have done it. In other words, I was willing to leave $450 on the table for the convenience of buying locally. I wasn't willing to leave close to a grand, though.

There are a couple of advantages to buying locally. Obviously, you can establish a rapport with the dealership. You can also drop in on them while waiting for your order to get pulled and bug them in person. There is also the hassle of registering the vehicle and paying the sales tax. I'm getting a waiver from paying Oklahoma sales tax. However, I will have to go to my local DMV, register the truck and pay my local tax. It will be a hassle compared to walking out of the dealership and being done with it. This won't impact you since both dealers are in the same state, but it is something to consider.

I'm not completely sure how the tax situation works, but I was pretty sure it was the local sales tax that mattered. My dad is a resident of Alaska where there is no sales tax. When he was on an extended work detail in Chicago (over a year), he bought his 97 F-350 PSD. Although he bought the truck from a dealer in Illinios and took delivery of it there, he paid no sales tax. The Credit Union even took care of registering the truck in Alaska and sent him the Alaska plates to put on the truck. From my experience, you register the truck in your state of residence. You pay taxes based on where you register your truck when you buy it.

Since both of your dealers are in Florida, you may not have a choice. State law may dictate that you have to pay sales tax of the city you buy it in or the city of your residence. If you're lucky, you might have a choice. How much is the difference? On a $30,000 purchase, 1% more is $300. Factor in your travel cost and the added hassle and determine whether it is worth the savings to buy out of the area. Remember that there are advantages to buying locally, not the least of which is establishing a rapport with a local dealer.

By the way, I went to college for four years at Central Florida in Orlando in the mid 80s. I also lived in Fort Walton Beach for four years in the early 70s.

stanford

In Texas, at any rate, the tax is 6 1/4 percent of the difference between the sale price of the truck and your trade in. It was done this way in part to stop city folk from just heading out 50 miles and purchasing vehicles in areas of lower sales tax. I don't know if this is the same in every state though.

Brutus,

One good thing -- you're going to be saving yourself the $50 documentary fee. Not that you won't be doing more than $50 of legwork, but...

Here's hoping our orders both get picked up today (not that I'm too optimistic).

tom18

I am truly impressed with all the info on this site and #144. You folks are writing a book for the future purchaser of this great looking machine. Keep up the feedback for those of us who are saving up the down payment for the future purchase. I look forward to coming home each day and checking your comments. I have whittled away at most of my questions but I eagerly wait for your messages about vibrations. My heart tells me to go for esof, but my head says wait and watch for feedback. I'm the guy who wants the snowplow pkg. It is a lot of money for me, unlike the skier, and it will be my first truck and probably my last personal vehicle so I want to feel really sure. All of you keep my focus clear and I want to say thank you and keep talking! This experience is my first with a chat site and I like the topic and all the info.

mje

Have always been a gmc owner until now. I'm about to order sd 250 4x4 lariat. I'm wondering what the problem is with the esof. Does everybody recommend going without? What is the advantage anyway? Thanks for any input.

dmule03

mje,

ESOF gives you two things. It allows you to shift into 4 wheel without having to get out and lock the hubs. It also means you just push a button instead of pulling the shift lever into 4 wheel.

I have always had GM's too, and I now have an 87 GMC Jimmy (full size blazer) and it had the automatic locking hubs where you just pulled the lever into 4 wheel, and then had to back up 10' to release them when you were done. I didnt like them, and when they went bad, I replaced then with real locking hubs.

When I decided to go with the Ford SD, I saw the ESOF option and figured I didnt want it. But while researching, I found, from what I understand, that this looks like a good deal. Apparently you are freewheeling normally in 2 wheel drive and then when you push the button, it automatically shifts the tranfer case into 4 wheel putting power to the front axle, and at the same time engages the front hubs. When you are done, push the button again, and you are back in normal 2 wheel.

Plus I guess the hubs can manually be locked in, in case the ESOF fails? I dont get this part as - if the ESOF fails, it wont shift the transfer case into 4 wheel anyway. Maybe it is so if you are muddin or in some nasty stuff and the hubs get jammed and the automatic vacuum device cant funtion properly, or it fails, you can still manually lock them in and pull out of the mess. Maybe we have an ESOF engineer around here who can explain that one...

I really like the sounds of the new ESOF, and it would be nice for my honey sittin next to me to not have a 4 wheel drive lever jammed into her leg. I have been back and forth on whether to get it or not. On one hand, it is convenient, and I would love to have it. On the other hand, it is just more stuff to go bad, and I like the old fashion mechanical dependable shift lever and manual locking hubs. Today, I am still not getting it, and a big reason is because of what I have read on these boards about the problems. Might change my mind after more people get their trucks that were made more recently, and see if there are still problems.

And thanks to all for typing out your experiences here.