Ford Super duty - Continued III

hkeith

My cash outlay for my SD was $2,807 under dealer inv. including a 129 processing fee. This was bought under the Ford Z plan and I used $1,830 rebate from Ford Citibank card.

I purchased the v-10 but was wondering how the PSD buyers justified the extra $3,400 cost over the v-10. If you use an average of 12 mpg for the v-10 and an average of 16 mpg for the PSD and a cost of $1.16 per gal. I came up with the following.

If you drive 1,000 per month the fuel savings would be 24.16 per month. The monthly payment would be an extra 82.21 on 3,400 @7.5% for 48 mos.
The total extra cost would be 3,946 including interest. You would also have extra cost on insurance and on personal property taxes.

If you drive 12,000 a year it would take you 13.5 years to recoup the 3,946.

If you invested the 3400 in a mutual fund that returned 15%, you would have 5,946 after 4 yrs, over 22,000 in 13.5 yrs. I realize that if you sold in 4 yrs you would recoup from 40-45% of your investment-1,360 to 1530.

I have not towed with mine yet but according to carterw @ #349 the v-10 does quite well. So why not put that extra money on retirement or another toy such as an atv,pwc, or motorcycle.

gossamar

....greetings all, I do have the carpet in my XLT SC with captains chairs/center console. I ordered the husky floor liners for both the front and back of my truck. The black color matches my Medium Graphite interior real good. The husky liners have "cut-outs" for those of us that have the manual 4x4 shifter. I cut mine out with an exacto knife, looks good, works very well also. Yes, Husky does make the center hump liner, I just received mine last week. It also fits great and with a bit of trimming(pre-marked) for the manual 4x4 lever and the center console, all carpet is protected. I ordered the front and rear liners from Performance Products, and the center hump liner from Cabeleas(?). Phone numbers to follow later as I am at school right now. I will also relay price with the phone numbers.

connon

The window sticker on my 99 F250 Lariat4x4,v10 pretty much loaded to the gills, was $33165.My cost before tax and DMV was $27482.Great plan that, A-Z plan , for those that are eligible.Delivery was around 6/31 and still have yet to see my "blanket". Probably wont, having been an A plan buyer.How about you ,HKIETH, was yours a Lariat?

dave86

Name me a mutual fund that will deliver a GUARANTEED 15% yearly return. There isn't one. I can tell you the attraction of the PSD in one word... TORQUE- and lots of it. I also think that you understate the resale value of a PSD, and you fail to mention that a diesel engine, with proper care and maintenance, can outlast a gas engine by several hundred thousand miles.

Dave

jraske

If nut4scuba had left out the whineing part I would have conciderd it respectful and not said anything.

hkeith I have to agree with dave 86 their are no guarantees in mutual funds, Also most trucks with a PSD get better than 16 mpg when empty, more like about 16mpg and from what I have heard that doesnt change much when loaded.
I dont know about where some of you are located but here in So Cal gas prices are running about $1.55 and diesel fuel is about $1.35 so that helps with the extra cost.
My truck is a F350 XLT CC DRW 4X4 PSD 172 with every bell and whistle i could get except the lariat and two tone paint for $36.000 not counting tax and license. This was pretty good compered to other dealers prices.
John

jraske

I intended to say that the psd gets more like 18 mpg when empty rather than 16mpg.
John

handgunhunter

I've been reading the posts on this site for a few months and just wanted to thank everyone for sharing all their personal experiences/insights. I "broke" down and ordered a 00 F250 SD XLT CC SB 4X4 on 10/7, Got my DORA on 10/8, and now am in hurry up and wait mode like many of you. Thought long and hard about CC versus SC but the baby seat fit better in the crew cab!!! Checked with three dealers here in Alaska and ended up with $500 over invoice. Having a business license really helps cut through the sales hassle as you deal directly with fleet managers. One dealer, who will remain anonymous, wanted $2,500 over invoice!!! The other was $1,000 over invoice. Anyway, thanks again for all the info, it is greatly appreciated!!

tsgtrock

Does anyone have Ford's website to check on the status of a truck that is being built?

lewac

said it b4... we're all entitled to our opinions & the right to voice it. we've all got to be a little "thick-skinned" as it's human nature to take some things personal that weren't mean't to really "come out" that way from the author. even though I may agree with jraske (& others) we must still respect the rights of any voicing a difference in opinion. for example, my significant & I differ on many, many subjects. but we both respect this difference as it may (& often does) give a fresh "outlook" upon the subject. thus; one or both learn from the differences. besides, think of how awfully "boring" the world would become if we all thought identical thoughts.

Crazyelvis... fuel's been nailing us on this coast as well. but half the increase is due to taxes, the other, "imagined" shortages.

on the psd, v10 kick. these are expensive trucks any way you fly it. the psd is more $$$ & if you're purchasing to save $$$ over the long haul it will probably be a very long haul indeed. you purchase a psd because you really do need it. it's definitely warranted if your primary usage dictates hauling loads that are at or near GCWR. it's my personal belief that few people really need the psd (remember that there's not that great a diff between max torque ratings (15%)). if you're purchasing it for this reason alone, don't (just go for steep hills a little "easier" with big loads). the reasons we purchased the psd were multiple in nature. and of course, here they are: 1) pulling near GCWR for 75% of usage with 50% of that usage in unknown terrain 2) a lot more range while towing (will need in-bed addt'l fuel tank, though) 3) fuel is much less volatile (than gas in an in-bed addt'l fuel tank) 4) engine ought to be more reliable operating near design GCWR limits over extended periods of time. we're certainly not stating that the v10 wouldn't work under these conditions & work quite well (as has been indicated via many posts). it's just that diesel's are designed from the get-go to pull, pull, pull & because this is the case they're more apt to do a better job overall having at "it"... remember that big tractor rigs don't have diesel's for nothin'. they're expensive. they're noisy. they stink up the place. and there has to be a reason for "putting up" with all this. so purchase what YOU need, not what someone else THINKS you need. so unless you've won the lotto, examine those needs very carefully & in a practical, unbiased manner. and if you don't know something in regard to this very important decision making process DON'T be stupid by NOT asking (however; do NOT ask a salesperson because they are by nature, biased)! as Bruno mentioned sometime back, this is probably the 2nd most expensive item you will ever purchase (regardless of which "flavor"... v10 or psd).

oh, the mats. they're hot! (been that route). carpet's a pain to keep clean, though; especially if it's going to be a working beast. and if you're purchasing the psd expect a lot more noise from the thing to get into the cab with rubber floor matting (our guess is that Ford deletes more than just the carpet... some soundproofing stuff goes out-the-window along with it). we're going with carpet and aftermarket mats of some kind.

11/15 scheduled 11/29 eta... still waiting. but getting closer... CLOSER!

lewac

assume you're referencing a truck "ordered" thru a dealer & want to determine/follow it's status. don't think there's a url but everyone here uses the VOPC. read ALL the past posts in this forum as there are many references to same.

dave84

Not too stray off the topic Brutus , but...
Notice that (as dave86 in post #362) I didn't say there weren't any mutual funds that haven't averaged 15% over the past several years. I know there are many that have. I said that there is no mutual fund that is GUARANTEED to return 15% annually. The point I was making to hkeith was that his example is flawed; if money saved from buying a V10 instead of a PSD is invested in a mutual fund, there is absolutely no guarantee that that money will grow at 15 or any other percent, regardless of any fund's past performance. You could end up even losing principal. Now, if he had said take the savings and invest it in treasury bonds or CDs...

Dave

tom18

I visited another city dealer today - again told that with the v10 Lariat pkg SC 4X4 long box SRW I can expect a 6 to 8 month wait - I saw in an earlier post that someone got a short delivery wait for this configuration - I live in Wisconsin (Milwaukee area) and I could use a little help - will visit fourth dealer outside city later in week. I also heard first - price was dealer sticker and later maybe a thousand off - I have seen some very interesting posts lately about massive discounts - one with big money below invoice - anybody out there in the midwest with advice on dealers within my area - does anyone know what this truck depreciates each month? With an 8 month wait I would approach the 2001 model year and my truck would be close to a year old delivered new - should this be a factor in price configuring - so who's talking to me?

bess

Tom18: sounds like a difficult situation. My dealer was very conservative and even when I ordered the truck, he said it would be at least 12 weeks. The good news is he was a little mistaken and it appears it will be about 7 weeks. Of course I'm getting the 5.4L, whereas the V10 seems to be a few weeks longer wait.

As far as price, it seems the average is around $500 over invoice which is a fair price for both consumer and dealer.. This is still several thousand less than MSRP. Remember, when ordering a truck, the dealership, (not the salesman) will automatically make 3% profit via holdback. Any reputable dealer can stay in business if they get and additional 3% over invoice for every car on the lot, for a total of about 6% on every car.
Some folks will get $100 over invoice etc, others who get prices 'under invoice' usually have other factors in play such as factory->dealer and factory->consumer rebates/incentives.

As far as waiting for the 2001 model, the reason I'm buying a new truck, is because late model used trucks are so expensive.. It seems that trucks in general, have high resale values. I bet this will be true with SD's too. So, getting a y2k truck in May of 2000 (worst case for you) shouldn't be an issue.

Maybe you should use up some frequent flyer miles and take a trip to Gator ford in Flordia. j/k.

bess

Is this some type of fleet deal? I know that fleet sales can go under invoice pricing.

KEH4x4

No flames intended, but I wouldn't wish Gator Ford on my worst enemy. If I recall, Crazy"king"elvis had to do Gator Fords job for them when they didn't have the know how to get his truck released from the railroad yard. Also they didn't cash his check in time, causing him turmoil that may or may not be resolved by now. There is more to being a good dealership than a good price and promising (and maybe not delivering)a truck soon. Sure, those things are important, but other dealerships can do the same, PLUS give decent service.
I ordered my 99 through Five Star Ford in Scottsdale AZ because they had the best price of the dozen or so dealers that I checked. But in my opinion, their service stinks. They tried to fleece about an extra thousand dollars out of me at the signing even though I had a Zerox copy of our agreement signed by the sales manager when I placed the order. I had an "Out The Door" price and they said they couldn't sell it that cheap. It took about three hours to make the sale final because of them try to squeeze extra money out of me. It should have taken less than an hour. They also didn't return my calls, or give me ANY information about the status of my truck. Through information I used from this site, I knew it was coming, but they didn't have a clue when it would get here. I will never buy another vehicle from them no matter how cheap they are. From what I have read about Gator Ford, I wouldn't shop there either. I think when people get bad service from their dealer, they should post it so others can be warned.

porky

To all concerned. There was a great article about GAS VS DIESEL in the April 1999 issue of "Trailer Life". It would be worth a trip to the library to find and read. A lot of angles to factor in but I do believe they gave a pretty fair comparison. Both do a great job.

bess

Good point on dealer service.. I'm in Raleigh NC using Capital Ford, so far the salesman has been very professional and even knowledgable, but I'm reserving final judgement until after I receive the truck to verify that he keeps his word on the agreed price..

I mentioned Gator Ford as a joke to a desperate person who's looking for a dealer that has a decent SD allotment.. If the choice came down to good sales service, but waiting 6 months for a truck, vs. crappy sales service but getting the truck quickly, I'm not sure which I would choose..

tracyo

I to read the artical in trailer life, they did a great job in comparing. I really could have got by with my 95 f150, which I still have and love, as I only pull a 27't/t, 6000lbs. I just wanted a truck that would pull that load with ease under any condition, and this load was pushing my f150 at times. I am positive the v10 superduty could have met my needs with ease but I just fell in love with that psd the first time I test drove one and I wanted it. Sure it kind of stung a bit to fork over the extra $4000 but the way I looked at it, I don't blow money on a lot of other things, I wanted this, I had the money, I am going to splurge a bit. And I am glad I did. This truck brings me pleasure just hearing it fire up every morning before my trip to work! Can you put a price on that?

hkeith

Ford has an A plan for current employees, and a Z plan for retirees. Brothers and sisters and children of the employee or retiree can buy at the discount price. I believe you have to own the vehicle for at least a year or you could be charged for the discount.

bess- I will be visiting my son in cary, nc this weekend, so if you see a cc lariat, dk toreador red/black from va it will probably be me. it will give me a chance to check out highway milage.

chrispal- using your figues on fuel savings, you are not breaking even on cash flow for 5 yrs. This is not considering the extra sales tax on purchase, insurance, pp tax, extra cost of oil changes. if you deduct these items from your extra resale value at the end of 5 years i don't believe you will have a lot left over. For the people that don' like mutual funds-$69.72 invested @5% computed qtr for 5 yrs will be worth $4,988.

the trailer life article is using 99 models. the 2000 v-10 has a good performance increase.

It is hard to justify the cost of a new truck no matter which engine you get. If you buy a 30,000 truck and finance 25,000 for 4 years the total cost including interest(7.5%} will be 34,014. If you are self-employed and assume you take this money off your top income tax bracket, you will have to earn 66,695 in va to end up with the 34,014 after taxes. That is a lot of hard work. I
had enough money 3 yrs ago to buy a truck but i decided to buy a rental property instead. I will use the rental income to pay for the truck. I look at it as if someone else is buying my truck.
even while i am using the cash on the truck the property is increasing in value 4-5% a year. this is equal to what the people who are investing in cd,s are getting. The cd income is taxable every year, whereas the appreciation in the rental won't be taxed unless i sell it. Then it will be at lower capital gain rates. The us gov. will also contribute to my exp when business milage is written off. You end up with more of your rental income compared to wages because you don't pay SS or self-emp tax on rental income. Also depreciation offsets some of the rental income.

crazyelvis

Everything is peachey now.....Gator Ford....fixed my financing....actually got me a better rate by .5%. And my trade was payed off....the boneheads at the bank/lein holders computer was VERY late in posting the payoff. Really other than the mix up at the yard....which was not Gator's fault....was my only problem. Yes...Gator Ford could have found out and corrected the yard problem....but I am not a patient man....and I am VERY focused when a job is to be done.....so .....I just did it myself. I have ofter though of opening a business titled..."I will get the job done no matter what your problem is"....but don't know if it would be do-able. I am getting free oil changes for life...something they added on since I had the problem with the yard....plus when I changed out from the stock mirrors to the TT mirrors....they discounted them from the quote of $320 to $100 for the pair. So all in all....they have been very willing to make up for their mistakes...plus when I went in for the final deal there was no "bait and switch" tactic used. Plus I got the truck at approx. $400 less than what edmunds said the invoice was for my configuration.
Still VERY VERY happy with the BEAST!! alomost 2000 miles on it already and purring like a kitten.

lewac

Tom18, Keh4X4... see Crazyelvis's latest post. note that Crazyelvis still had only a 7 week wait from time of order til time of delivery (even with the 2 week yard wait). that's excellent delivery time on a v10, regardless of where the delays came from. we also ordered from Gator Ford (250 miles away... best deal in FL as we checked every dealer in every major city in the state) because of the excellent price/allocation element. we would not hesitate to fly 3,000 miles to pick up the truck from them & drive it back home. the entire ordering process can easily be negotiated via fax. and there's no bs or bait & switch over there (Ken English) both Crazyelvis's & our salesperson is a "straight up guy". Our beast is due about a month from now & we'll certainly post how the "closing" of the deal went. Those TT mirrors ARE $320 if you buy them aftermarket via the dealer (the only way to get them if they haven't been originally ordered)... a $100 a pair for "aggravation" is one hell of a deal any way you slice it. Tom18... no way we'd wait 6 months. there are PLENTY of dealers out there with excellent prices/allocation. some of them must be closer to you than the "Gator"... and EVERY one of those dealers you've contacted is blowing smoke, do doubt about it at all. they are not interested in ordering a truck that they have little allocation for & can sell at or above retail when they do get one. they are just plain GREEDY & you may just have to leave the state to find a decent deal. these things are expensive & as a result you can save thousands by giving up a little bit of convenience. plus. you'll get a truck b4 it becomes an antique. Tom18... do you have a trade? if so, selling it locally will give you the required mobility to look outside your area. just my .02.

lewac

you're probably aware that you really don't need the psd (& therefore it may not be the "practical" choice for your primary usage). but... there IS the human element here, too, that you mentioned. that's why we purchase what overall is the best for US. we can ALL look at "impractical" purchases all our lives & still realize that we're happier for having made many of them. and besides, usages in the future can always change (which happened to us... thus; the psd choice). besides, you didn't "blow" any money on anything. you'll get most of that money back at resale & have the added enjoyment in driving the "machine" you really wanted from the get-go.

halflife1

I just picked up my SD F350 crew cab long bed 4x2 w/7.3 power stroke diesel 6-speed w/3.73 limited slip.I ordered this truck 2 months ago. Dealer said it would take 2 months to get when i went in to order this truck. and now i have it ! and at only $200.00 over dealer invoice. yes it pays to do your home work on truck prices. so far this dealer has been a dream to work with ,hope this holds true with the service? also got free lifetime oil & filter changes ,every 4,000 miles. this dealer is Heritage Ford in Modesto , Ca Well it's time to go driving my new SD F350

deanwa

I ordered my F250 Lariat SD SC V10 5 Spd Longbed about 3 weeks ago thru the fleet department at a large local dealer. I was in the fleet rep's office when he entered the order on the computer and he printed out a sheet that says "Vehicle Order Confirmation", has all the listed options with ford codes and invoice prices(both invoice and msrp). It shows a real order number, priority 10, and a lot of other official information. I think this must be the Dora?? I think he was really on-line with Ford because when he entered unavailable option combinations, it would kick them back out, he even called ford once while entering the order.

Anyway, my question is, since I evidently have the Dora or order confirmation, does this mean that my dealer did not have any alotment problems and that I will hopefuly avoid the 6-8 month v10 lariat wait?

Is the alotment issue still a factor even though the order has been confirmed by Ford?

The fleet rep seems pretty confident it will be about at 10 week wait.

When I call the VOPC number I get "Clean and unscheduled" , but it at least recognizes that my order exists.

I am so concerned about the 6 - 8 month wait I have heard about, I have considered changing my order to the 5.4.

Your feedback Pleeeze...

deanwa

I ordered my F250 Lariat SD SC V10 5 Spd Longbed about 3 weeks ago thru the fleet department at a large local dealer. I was in the fleet rep's office when he entered the order on the computer and he printed out a sheet that says "Vehicle Order Confirmation", has all the listed options with ford codes and invoice prices(both invoice and msrp). It shows a real order number, priority 10, and a lot of other official information. I think this must be the Dora?? I think he was really on-line with Ford because when he entered unavailable option combinations, it would kick them back out, he even called ford once while entering the order.

Anyway, my question is, since I evidently have the Dora or order confirmation, does this mean that my dealer did not have any alotment problems and that I will hopefuly avoid the 6-8 month v10 lariat wait?

Is the alotment issue still a factor even though the order has been confirmed by Ford?

The fleet rep seems pretty confident it will be about at 10 week wait.

When I call the VOPC number I get "Clean and unscheduled" , but it at least recognizes that my order exists.

I am so concerned about the 6 - 8 month wait I have heard about, I have considered changing my order to the 5.4.

Your feedback Pleeeze...

bess

My dealer has the same setup where the computer spits back invalid combinations etc, all dealers have this computer. Its hard to say about the allotment as I've heard from others here that they've spent alot of time in the 'clean/unscheduled' mode. I'm pretty sure from what I've learned here that if you got the real DORA back, the dealer has allotment. I think your on your way to getting a V10..

qstjohn43551

I ordered an f-250 sd sc Lariat long bed 5.4l back in June and do not have a scheduled fab date. I don't believe that the engine is necessarilly the holdup. Am planning on going to my dealer this afternoon and discuss it with him in person.

goodwin

hello i'm new to the list, and i ordered a 2000 f250 sd sc lariat, v10, ltd slip, island blue cc with everything even a priority 10 from a dealer in framingham,mass. i have done business with this dealer for 10 years and always see the sales manager when i'm ordering new trucks. i placed my order on sept 9 and got a dora on sept 15, after checking this site over the last couple of months i called the vopc and kept getting "unscheduled clean". well last week i went to the dealer and asked if they had any info on my truck they punched a few numbers and came up with nothing. well it just happend to be that the rep was in having lunch with the owner and the manager would talk to the rep after they where done.

well i called the vopc today and it came up my truck will be built the week of nov-27 and est time of arrival dec-6.not to bad only 3 months of wait, when i ordered my 96 f350 back in 96 they told me a 12-20 week wait because the trucks where hard to come by, i got my f350 in 6 weeks. oh well i will just have to wait and see what happens.

Brutus

I just saw the J.D. Power & Associates '99 Initial Quality Study 2 in a magazine. The magazine says the study is based on 41,004 owners of '99 model year trucks and monitors the number of problems new-vehicle owners have in the first three months of ownership. It's measured in terms of problems per 100 vehicles and covers 135 specific problem areas across nine problem categories. The magazine showed the top 3 finishers in two categories of pickups (compact and fullsize) and four categories of SUVS (mini, compact, fullsize luxury). I don't put much stock in any study or polls, etc., but figured I'd list them provide some of the info since I read it.

The Ford F-Series Light Duty finished first in the fullsize pickup category. The Dodge Ram took 2nd and the Superduty took 3rd. The Ford Ranger took 3rd in the compact pickup category, 3rd in compact SUV with the Explorer and 3rd in the fullsize SUV with the Expedition. The Mazda B-series finished 2nd in compact pickups.

In addition to the Ram ranking, Dodge ranked first in compact pickups with the Dakota and 2nd in compact SUV with the Durango.

The Chevy Tahoe was the only GM product in any category finishing 2nd in fullsize SUVs.

Toyota didn't have any pickups in the top three, but they did quite well in the SUV with the RAV4 ranking 3rd in minis, the 4Runner ranking 1st in compacts and the Land Cruiser ranking 1st in fullsize. Lexus took a 1st and 3rd in the Luxury SUV category.

The only other vehicles ranked was a 1st in the mini-SUV by the Honda CR-V, a second in the same category by the Subaru Forester, and a 2nd by the Infiniti QX4 in the Luxury SUV category.

The magazine also had some "green" comments about the Excursion. They said that it will be classified as a LEV (Low Emissions Vehicle) with 45% lower emissions than required. 20% of it's parts are recyled and 85% of the truck can be recylcled. In their test drive, they got 18.1mpg with the diesel on flat hwy.

gthilton

Allocation doesn't hold up a dealer from ordering a vehicle from the factory, nor does it hold up or speed up the factory accepting the vehicle and issuing a DORA. Allocation holds up or speeds up the process once the order has been made. Some people in this forum ordered and had DORA's since July and are still Clean and Unscheduled last we heard. Others have received their trucks in 5 weeks. Allocation is based upon each dealerships past 3 months sales of specific vehicles, powertrains, transmissions and trim levels. (And any combination of those) If your dealer hasn't sold many your order could WAIT . The Ford regional reps supply each dealership with their allocation figures weekly. So your dealership should be able to SHOW you if their allocation provides for relatively reasonable delivery time frame. If they can't, or claim they can't, you should buy somewhere that can give you assurances of the waiting time they quote you with. Some dealerships want your business so they quote 8 weeks when they know it ain't happening!
The fact that the VOPC validates your order shows that the factory does indeed have your order and a DORA exists. Now go to your dealer and have him show you their latest weekly allotment report. Make him play his hand!

tilbury

I ordered a 2000 f-250 SD CC 4x4 5.4L 4.10 LS
and it took only 6 weeks to arrive. I live in
Corpus Christi, Tx. For those of you who are
concerned about fuel economy or power from the
5.4L, I am getting about 14-15 mpg and the engine
has plenty of power {more than my 97 460 V8} and
the engine is not yet broken in.
One option I ordered was the heavy duty suspension package which has heavy service front
springs. The truck sits perfectly level instead
of all the other SD that sag in the front. F-350
trucks are even worse because of the higher capacity rear springs.

paull1

So there I was all excited that I was going to get new status of my F250 SD V10 on 11/3. Well 11/3 has come and gone and still "As of 11/3 your unit is scheduled to be built week of 11/1....." Last week I was told it was in production and status would be updated on the 3rd. I assume the truck has been built??? (I hope) I won't be comfortable until I hear it though...

qstjohn43551

Just got back from my dealer over lunch. He pretty much confirms what gthilton just mentioned. Another factor is commodity mix, which basically means what is being fabricated at the time of the order. In other words, if diesels are being built when your order for a diesel truck comes in, you stand a better chance of getting a quick delivery. I personally think that you diesel buyers are hogging all the production from us 5.4 gassers;) I can't get too worked up, my order was placed on 6/24. The dealer showed me another f-250 sd order similar to mine that was placed on 5/27 and his is still clean an unscheduled also. Just anxious to play with my new toy!

qstjohn43551

Speaking of toys, if you go to Ford-Diesel.com there are a couple of .wav downloads that you can use. One is the sound of a PSD starting and idling. Use this as your start-up .wav file on your computer… You’re wife will love it!

bess

your message means that the truck is being built on 11/3. It will probably finish being build on 11/4.. I expect if you check VOPC on 11/5 or so, your message will say.. 'as of 11/4 your truck has been released from the plant'..

crazyelvis

I guess Zbad71 would be interested in that report...and how "BAD" the chevy/gm line did!!!!! Only wish I could find him and tell him!!!!!
6/24 and you have no truck ....and you aren't scheduled yet??? That SUCKS.....Seems to me something is WRONG! I might think about going somewhere else....especially the guy with the 5/27 order who is unschedled.....WOW!!!

dogwood

I was interested in your experience with the 5.4 V8. I'm looking at a couple of SDs on dealer's lots with that engine. I've rented Econoline vans with the 5.4, loaded them with over a ton of gear, beat 'em like a rented mule and gotten 15-16 mpg mixed driving, with plenty of power. Granted the vans are aerodynamically smoother and lighter than a SD 4x4, but I was impressed. Did you drive any '99 5.4's before you ordered, and can you feel a big difference in the 2000? Thanks for your help, and congrats on your truck.

bess

20 inches from bed floor to top of rail in the F250 SD bed. Got this from the specs on www.meadowlandford.com. All the specs you ever wanted to know..

bess

Crazyelvis is right, somethings weird.. I ordered my f250 sd xlt sc sb 5.4 5sp, 10/7 and it was built on 10/28.. Due to arrive via convoy carrier on 11/13. So 5.4L trucks are rolling off the line..

qstjohn43551

I guess I'm not totally surprised. This a small town dealer and does not have a lot of turnaround compared to the larger city located dealers. My understanding is that the allocations are based on normal sales volumes, so if he does not sell a lot of trucks, he doesn't get a lot. I did not reallize this when I placed my order and am finding out the hard way. However I do have a lot more confidence in the dealer, whom I've known a long time, so I'll just ride it out.

lewac

weekly VOPC check has us pushed back a week from 11/15 build ll/29 eta to ll/22 build 12/6 eta. not very heartening news at all as we've been scheduled for several weeks now. must be having trouble of some sort on the line.

Brutus

zbad is around. From what I can tell, he was booted from the site. I could be wrong. Regardless, he and his ego are still lurking. I guess he is a computer or engineer guy and can find ways to get on the site after getting booted off. He's using several different handles. One is Zbrent. Another is something like 2sly4u.

I posted the JD study in a two other topics. One response from a Chevy owner (it could have been him) was that the study was obviously using bad info since there is no credibility behind any quality study that ranks Dodge ahead of Chevy. Of course, that person went on to say that they take the "best resale" value claim more seriously. I couldn't help but mention that I believe (and I could be wrong) that the fine print on that claim is that it is based on a JD Power's study....you know, the guys with no credibility.

crazyelvis

I have seen the Zbrent thing....Its not too hard to get back in if you are booted....just open a hotmail account or something similar on a free site like hotmail.....oh well.....
Sorry to hear about the extra week lewac....like you said, must be something wrong on the line....or they just got behind or something....who knows ... maybe it will slip in a little sooner for ya....
I do like the diff. between my old 97 150 flareside bed and the one on the SD.....regular styleside bed..... it is just a little wider and easier for me to load a sign board into....does anyone know if there is such a thing as a pop in...and pop out cleat dohickey for the four holes on top of the side bed rails. I would like to be able to pop one in the hole when I carry a ladder so I can put a bungee cord between the cleat and the ladder....so the ladder won't slide....I know there are cleat like handles on the bed...but I have a bed rug installd and don't want to cut out part of the bedrug to access them.....plus it would be alot better to have the bungee tiedown up on top of the rails.....just wondering....thanks for any info out there!!

rflint

Called the vopc truck was supposed to be built nov3, eta to dealer 11/19.....Well today it was released from the factory,and should arrive within 2 weeks..Ordered sep6, lariet 5.4 s/c..Many weeks of waiting and reading these boards has been very helpful.The wait is almost over!!!!!!!!

gtvrdik

I am planning to buy a SD soon but I wanted to get ya'lls idea. The truck will be crew cab 4x4 lariat lwb but I'm not sure which engine to get. I have found 2 that I like: 2000 F250v10 new or a 2000 PSD used (demo) 6500 miles both about the same price ($31000).BTW current truck is 93 f350 cc dually 7.3 idi non-turbo 5 spd w/ 171,000. I have been happy w/ this one except cost of repairs ie: trans and clutch $4000, starter $625 etc. and fuel economy of 12 empty. I have seen posts of 18-22 in new diesels, but Idont know? Please help

ashewitt

Follow the instructions in post #18, enter 2000 for the model year, it responds with "you enter 0." Also, please don't talk to the online technicians.

trucks4me

I saw a recent MotorTrend TV show, and that
Chevrolet whipped that SD, whats the story on that one? Is it bunk or what?

rnewman

Yesterday's VOPC check has my build date of 11/29 pulled up to 11/22 for my 250sd, cc, 4x4, xlt, lwb. The only thing that is strange is the "as of date" is still Oct 28 on the VOPC message. This is the day my order changed from serialized to scheduled. Is this how it is for everyone? Does that "as of date" get updated anymore now that my truck is scheduled?

jraske

I dont know about other dealers but the one I ordered from gave me the dora with the vin no, two days after I ordered my beast on Oct 13, I checked with the vopc about one week later and got a build date for week of 11-1, del date for week of 11-22 about two weeks ago that was changed to build date for week of 11-8, del for week of 11-29 thats all thats changed. Nothing about ever being clean and unscheduled or any of that sort of thing.
I dont see any reason not to have a vin no, right after its orderd

todlake

Has anyone found and installed a power tailgate lock conversion on their SD yet? Just getting lazy in my old age (38). Actually, this is my wife's request. Thanks for any info...
To D Lake