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Comments
Did I read you correctly? Your ST will be here in June with the tonneau cover? I ordered my ST late November and still no build date. You mean there may be a light at the end on the tunnel after all.
any comments????
That makes sense about the power seats holding up everything. I ordered my ST without the Cloth Pkg and it arrived 5 1/2 weeks later, right on schedule. I think the cloth package is not a good deal anyway---an overhead console and a driver's power seat for $950?? Please. I like the Captain's chair's that I got better than the buckets anyway.
I never hear a mettallic noise from my ST at any speed either.
I got the standard passive alarm that comes with the Sport Trac--repeatedly sounds the horn. Keyless entry comes with the Conv. pkg. There's a panic but on the FOB to sound the alarm.
Pat Johnson
I have a couple of questions for the great people on this newsgroup, does anyone have any suggestions on the best place to get a bug deflector/ nose protector for the Sport Trac? Also, when you drive down the street, is everyone looking at you? I've had this vehicle for two weeks and am starting to get paranoid.
Robb.
I just read a review in the Toronto Star newspaper that describes the ride as follows:
"The Sport Trac's slightly longer frame is, however, sprung differently. Combined with with gigantic 255/70R16 Firestone Wilderness all-terrain tires, this machine bounced and bounded all over Toronto's under-maintained roads.
Stomping on the mushy brake pedal makes this beast pitch forward ferociously.
At least the four discs with ABS stop well.
The regular Explorer is much more poised.
Although the rack-and-pinion steering is weighted just right, this machine hated to change direction. Its tires would howl in protest and the body would heel over even in mild cornering."
I am seriously looking at ordering an ST in the near future, but until the finances are right, I keep my eye out on owner comments to make sure this is what I'm looking for.
The entire Toronto Star article can be read at:
http://www.thestar.com/thestar/editorial/wheels/20000513AUT13_WH-SPTRK.html
I hope they find a fix for the hinge leak & delivery for the tonneau cover, I'm sold on the design.
I've only seen pictures of the tonneau cover, the most detailed ones in the March issue of Car & Driver. This article shows the familiar closed position but also shows the back of the lid open, folded back onto the front, with the optional SMC divider across the wheel wells to create (2) 4'wide x 2'long locker compartments. I expect to leave the cargo cage in the forward position to act as a divider & storage for the unit but we'll see.
The C&D picture shows/suggests the following about the tonneau cover:
* The bed has (4) fixed door jamb type pins that protrude in by an inch or two.
* The cover has (4) door type latches facing down, the rear two appear to be connected by a cable & actuated by twisting the center rear handle.
* The front two latches I suspect are independently controlled by the front left & right handles.
* I'm not sure where the locking mechanism interfaces but I suspect it's part of the tailgate lock.
The folding design would allow it to be on full time & stashed in the bed when required. At 70lbs, folded in half would be much easier to move & store. I'll be looking at the feasibility of adding bike mounting cleats & strap points to the top of the cover. It would not only be convenient & out of harms way from overpasses etc, but look bitchin too.
ALSO..I have seen salesmen driving the 2 st's here, to and from work..and one guy lives in the boonies...call me silly BUT I don't want anyone bit ME driving my car...
ALSO ..ROBB...next time someone stares..take a peek in the mirror and check areas in and around the nostrils...hope I was of help to you...Peace
Hope this helps. Robb.
PS. My nose is clean, it must be my rugged good looks!
Regards to all out there for the great advice.
I belong to a large Credit Union (Motorola) and to Sam's club and they both offer buying services, but many dealers say those plans are also not being honored on the HOT selling SUV.
Here is the tonneau cover removal procedure described in the owner's manual.
1. Unlock the front and rear panels
2. Fold the rear panel on top of the front panel.
3. Pull the release levers on the underside of the tonneau cover from the pickup box and remove the cover.
Simple as that.
Accessories---for those who were asking about accessories specifically, bug deflector/ nose
protector and splash/mud guards, Ford has all of these items in the catalog that I received with my director's chairs. I'm listing the part numbers below in case you or your dealer do not have a catalog:
Sport Hood Cover: 19A414
Full Front End Cover: 19A414
Wraparound Bug Shield: 16C900
Molded Splash Guards: 16A550 (Late availability for Sport Trac)
I will be towing a boat and would like to hear how the ST is doing in this arena. If you have any real time data please respond.
Thanx
Don't worry, that day will be here sooner than you think! Dealers are mostly repair shops today anyway, but they still want to gouge the uninformed public on hot vehicles like the ST, F-150 Supercrew, and the Dodge PT.
Wedgewood Blue w/ Graphite interior
Leather
Moonroof
Sports Pkg
Radio Pkg
Cargo Cage
Limited Slip
Convenience Grp
$28 for gas
$65 for doc
$575 for Dest & Delivery
My total (w/o tt&l) $24,962
I worked with Colin Moultis at Lief Johnson Ford in Austin, TX via e-mails (ljford@mail.io.com www.liefjohnsonford.com)
The ST radio is a full double din.
Cruthfield offers the 6 disc upgrade under the Visteon brand name.
http://www.crutchfield.COM/cgi-bin/S-7lJUbPhar8c/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=3&g=300&I=576CD6&o=M&a=0
Can you or anyone else explain the dimensional differences between the two seats?
Thanks
Cargo cage and molded mudflaps on order. Traded in an F-150 4 x4 XLT supercab. After the first visual contact with the S T I knew I was hooked and not getting another F-150. Been watching this site for the past month and really enjoy all the comments, they do help with what to watch out for. My observations so far: wind noise is a bit
louder than I'm accustomed to at 55 + mph but really not that bad; so far didn't spot any leaks from the moonroof and it's been pouring here in NE Pa off and on since the S T was taken home; ride on some roads is a bit, "quirky" but not bad.
I think the F-150 may have rode better but I consider the longer wheelbase and width. I found the ride similiar or better than a 2000 four door Explorer; handles great, I think it's responsive; single play CD sounds much better than the sound system I had in my F-150 and in our Volvo; seats, comfortable and I really like the cloth, glad I didn't pursue the leather; like the floor mats a ton; DON'T LIKE the fact than when you engage drive and move out, all doors lock automatically. When you get out only the drivers door unlocks so I have to get in the habit of hitting the unlock button; engine is noisier than my 4.6 ltr V8, will live with that; unless I missed it somewhere, we wish we had a switch-off for the passenger air bag; I think it got titled as a truck (hmmm, I have to look into this). Will probably order lockable tonneau cover
and cross bars for roof rack. Wanted to order skid plates as code 87K read for the 4 x 4 but the dealer parts guy said he has no listing. The stainless plates from the Ranger may fit, looking into it. Anyway, we like it and glad we got it.
Some friends at work think it's as "ugly" as my '60 Ford (full-size). Gee, I didn't think it was ugly either. Keep you all posted on it....m
I'm not a big fan of automatic door locks either. I asked the dealer in February about that function & he claimed that it could be dissabled by reprogramming with the remote key fob. Could there be any truth there?
Anybody know how my last response got hidden?
It read fine at first.
If the vehicle has a full size rear seat, (not Jumper seats, ect) it is against the law to have a disable switch.
the A-plan meant you paid $50 over dealer's cost, no if, ands, or butts....and it was limited to grandson, son, (person) father, grandfather
(same in female gender)
No other relatives qualified...
I like the ST...in my rearview mirror where it inevitably belongs...The ST is slower, worse handling, hauls less, worse gas mileage, costlier and uglier than the Dakota QC...pay a few k more and get a Supercrew....
I don't know the exact dimensions of the two different seats, but do know that the cloth seats are lower than the captains chairs and offer a moving head rest. I sat in both and felt that the cloth seats were more comfortable and wider than the captain's chairs. But that is only my opinion.
It is a Black/Graphite 4x2 with Comfort/Sport/Limited Slip/Cargo cage/6 disc.
The ride is great compared to the 4 door Explorer and much better than the Ranger in my opinion.
Gonna try out the CD-ROM that came with it now......
http://www.ownerconnection.com/
you might get something free in the mail
Thanks for the A-Plan response.
I won't waste much time convincing such a proud Dakota Quad Cab owner like yourself that other options exist.
PS. Your oil filter is calling for you.
Other Readers:
To get in on the joke check Quark's 169 & 290 posts on the Dodge Dakota Crew Cab - III forum.
A-plan is supposed to be 3% under invoive. No
dealer fees or ad ons. I just got my st last
week. The MSRP was $27,980. I paid $24,108+tax
($1446)and license($30).
PS. I work at the Kentucky Truck plant were we make the super duty and excursion. My dad works at Louisville Assembly were they make the ST.
GO FORD!
See ya,
Jim
A-plan is supposed to be 3% under invoive. No
dealer fees or ad ons. I just got my st last
week. The MSRP was $27,980. I paid $24,108+tax
($1446)and license($30).
PS. I work at the Kentucky Truck plant were we make the super duty and excursion. My dad works at Louisville Assembly were they make the ST.
GO FORD!
See ya,
Jim
That's quite a wide range of vehicle choices you've owned/own.
The Dakota QC & ST match up tight for bragging rights of best in class, truth is, depending on your application & option package they're both top dawgs. GM's entry with the 2001 S-10/Sonoma CC may prove to be a contender, but for me love starts with beauty & the previews of these don't get my heart pumping.
Chevy's 2001 Avalanche looks like a hot little, I mean big number with more than enough styling flair (they're bound to settle down the look a bit for production). Gas prices being what they are, the Avalanche lost some appeal with me when its lineage was revealed, the Suburban, a great vehicle in its class, but way too big for what I want to drive & feed.
The standard equipment list of the ST was a huge factor in my choice over other vehicles, including the 4 door Explorer I almost bought last year. Following up with your Ranger 4.0 engine note, the SOHC engine & automatic (required for that engine) were must a have (50 HP gain for no loss of gas mileage over the pushrod V6) but added about $1500 to the price of last year's Explorer. Similarly though most Dakota owners will likely opt for the 4.7 V8 over the standard 175 HP pushrod V6.
The base price of the QC is lower than the ST but if you add all the ST's standard equipment to the QC it's neck & neck. I'm sure they'll both be great vehicles.
Happy Motoring
Radio Options besides Ford's (or Crutchfield's) optional 6 disc changer: Pioneer & others have some very interesting options for a double din system without or with less outboard devices. Pioneer offers two cassette/Radio/single CD/Amp integrated options with pre-outs for a sub woofer (FH-P404 & FH-P8800).
Pioneer's HOT setup includes:
(1) CDX-PD6 Single Din in dash 6 disc CD changer
(1) Standard Pioneer Cassette or CD Receiver (with CD control)
(1) CD-VC60 Voice Commander (no cassette models are listed as voice controllable)
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/car/cd-vc60.htm
I'll most likely transplant my current system into the ST when I get it.
Kenwood cassette head unit
Kenwood 10 disc changer
Sound Control plate EQ
Soundstream 5 channel amp
Boston Pro series component speakers
Which leads me to loving Ford for the design of the folding rear seats. The ST's back seat backrests folding down rather than the Dakota QC's cushion folding up should work better for me.
The ST's seat cushion drops a bit when folded but still leaves some room for stereo stuff without getting in the way of cargo.
Other advantages to me include the nifty storage lockers behind the seat & a wider cargo platform than if the cushions were to fold up.
General Cargo Comments:
Ford's marketing of the ST as an Explorer rather than a Ranger QC was smart, upscale standard option pack & more like an Explorer with something more rather than a Ranger with a cheated bed.
Maximizing the bed on any pick-up, SUV or anything in between can be done with a Class III receiver hitch & the right type of accessories.
Several companies including JC Whitney & http://www.hitchhand.com/features.html
offer an extension arms that not only stretch the usable length of the bed but provide a securing point as well. Anyone who read my kayak post can see how dear that is to me. I'm lucky no one got hurt in that mishap. At $75 to $200 these devices would be good peace of mind that you're ready for anything.
I never tried 4WL until now it and the Tec at Ford had the dash open when they installed the alarm so he may have caused a loose wire.
Anyone else have 4WL problems?
http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/reviews/2001/ford/est.html
This guy took the 4X4 version off-road and has some comments about that experience as well. I think that's the only first-hand review of the ST's off-road characteristics that I've read.