ford f150

[Mhannink]

this is gonna be a bit long winded, first off even though its not diesel i am turning to tdr for help since it seems that this is about the best forum i have ever been a part of.



so here is the deal, i am thinking about selling the truck in my sig and buy an 04-08 ford f-150. my reasons are that i am going to be going to school in the fall and will be doing 15 to 20 minute short hops, in town, and a diesel just doesnt do well in that situation. since i will not be hauling large loads and little long highway trips, i just cant justify the cost of operating a diesel, also since i am in a city and not the country a big long truck is just not as convient as a smaller one.



anyways i am wanting to hear what everyone here has heard or maybe experienced with these trucks. what sort of problems, the degree of the problem and the fixes for them. good experiences are welcomed too, im really just trying to get a feel for these trucks.

 

[mwilson]

What age are you shopping for???



First issues that come to mind are spark plugs taking the threads out when removed, a little NEVER SEEZ on the plugs when you buy it will help that.

They use the spark plug mounted coil packs, those can be troublesome and hard to pin down. The consensus here is when one goes bad, the rest are not far behind. About 45. 00 to 60. 00 each depending on where you buy them and quality.



They are not a bad truck, just have trouble spots like anything does.

They do sit and ride well, brought a customers F150 Lariat down here one day and it set nice. had the full floor console, etc.



Like a T-Bird with a pick-up body on it.



We just purchased a 2012 F-150 4x4 with the EcoBoost engine in it for the General Manager, so far it is quite a truck and is pulling about 17mpg, if he keeps his foot out of it. He is having a little trouble with that so far... . :-laf





Mike.

 

[rscurtis]

As I've said before, Ford gas engines are excessively complicated. It's a pickup, not a GT 40. I'd take a Hemi in a 1500 Ram any day over a Ford.

 

[Mhannink]

What age are you shopping for???



First issues that come to mind are spark plugs taking the threads out when removed, a little NEVER SEEZ on the plugs when you buy it will help that.

They use the spark plug mounted coil packs, those can be troublesome and hard to pin down. The consensus here is when one goes bad, the rest are not far behind. About 45. 00 to 60. 00 each depending on where you buy them and quality.



They are not a bad truck, just have trouble spots like anything does.

They do sit and ride well, brought a customers F150 Lariat down here one day and it set nice. had the full floor console, etc.



Like a T-Bird with a pick-up body on it.



We just purchased a 2012 F-150 4x4 with the EcoBoost engine in it for the General Manager, so far it is quite a truck and is pulling about 17mpg, if he keeps his foot out of it. He is having a little trouble with that so far... . :-laf





Mike.

thanks mike, that is generally the consensus i am reading about. im looking for 2004-2008.



as for overly complicated, i would say there is some truth to that. look at the cam phaser issue (crossing fingers i dont run into that problem). there is a fix for it that im looking into. anyways keep the info coming.

 

[AHarris]

Get a Ram 1500 Hemi--screw the Furd

 

[Nyoest]

Hannick we had a "rare" 01 f150. Bought it with 27k on it, 4. 6 5spd 4x4 vinyl floor and manual windows I was pickled tink that we found a "real" truck. is was the wife's daily driver. She averaged 14 mpg, and she is NOT a lead footed driver. The truck struggled to pull a 16' trailer with a parts tractor (farmall M carcass) 60 mph on hilly ground.

The heads on these newer fords are specially designed to funnel water directly towards those single cylinder coils. After I replaced the 6th coil in 20,000 miles we traded it for her '01 2500. I always got the coils from ford, and at the time they were over $100 each.

I don't know about the newer f 150s but the 250s you have to pull the cab to change head gaskets. Not a typical deal but a major pita.

New trucks are nice, by all means get yourself one. The years you are looking at i have not owned. I had always owned fords previous but that was our last.

Two questions before you go though:
Will you be saving enough money in fuel mileage on the gas rig to outrun the no payment(?) diesel?

How many times have you had to hook a scan tool to your '97?

 

[Mhannink]

Hannick we had a "rare" 01 f150. Bought it with 27k on it, 4. 6 5spd 4x4 vinyl floor and manual windows I was pickled tink that we found a "real" truck. is was the wife's daily driver. She averaged 14 mpg, and she is NOT a lead footed driver. The truck struggled to pull a 16' trailer with a parts tractor (farmall M carcass) 60 mph on hilly ground.



The heads on these newer fords are specially designed to funnel water directly towards those single cylinder coils. After I replaced the 6th coil in 20,000 miles we traded it for her '01 2500. I always got the coils from ford, and at the time they were over $100 each.



I don't know about the newer f 150s but the 250s you have to pull the cab to change head gaskets. Not a typical deal but a major pita.



New trucks are nice, by all means get yourself one. The years you are looking at i have not owned. I had always owned fords previous but that was our last.



Two questions before you go though:

Will you be saving enough money in fuel mileage on the gas rig to outrun the no payment(?) diesel?



How many times have you had to hook a scan tool to your '97?

Thanks for the info. The newer ones seem to have fewer problems. The big reasons for considering it are smaller easier truck for around town. Cheaper parts in general. Fuel mileage will be better for the most part. I get about 18 at best which is the epa rating on the 150. In town the 150 is going to do much better plus the gasser does short hops better than the cummins. Things are changing for me and I just don't need a diesel anymore (as bad as I might want one).



I am having a real hard time with this though, I love my truck, I've had it 4the years and 100k miles. She's been the best truck I have ever had by a long shot and I will miss her.



As for hooking up the scan tool I've done it quiet a number of times, though it was for kicks and giggles. I've never had to hook it up. :-laf

 

[EDankievitch]

You'll be very sorry getting rid of your Diesel. I had done the same thing, I let my first wife talk me into selling my 89 W250 when I sold my buisness. Felt that we didn't need a full size truck that a Dakota would fit our needs. Two years late and one divorce and I was back in a W2500. That smaller truck ended up costing me almost twice what the Diesel cost to run each week. Keep your diesel, take it out for a good run once a week. With the wife, it will save you money in the long run and might even save your marrage... ... .

 

[BSeyler]

I agree you will miss your CTD, but that's a choice only you can make. Mine does a lot of sitting, but I still find use for it.

On to the Ford. My wife has a 2006 SuperCrew 4X4, her second one. She loves it for its ease to drive, being a smaller package than my Clubcab long box. I call it a girly rig. The thing really has given us good service with very little in repairs in 98,000 miles. It has all the bells and whistles, so I'm a little worried about electrical problems as it ages. On the highway, I can get 18 to 19 MPG pretty consistently. She has a heavy foot and usually gets 3 MPG less. I am over 6 feet and often hit my head when I get in - it's built for shorter people. My wife is 5'2" and it fits her well. With my height, I can't reach over the side of the bed and touch the bottom of the box - I hate the way Ford designed that. I can stand flat-footed by my 4X4 Dodge and reach things in the bed. Overall, it's not a bad rig. I just wouldn't trade my CTD for it. But, I have a little car to drive to work and so my pickup does not see short trips.

 

[rscurtis]

Don't forget about the "$3,000 tune-up", where you go in for new plugs and come out with two new heads.

 

[Mhannink]

You'll be very sorry getting rid of your Diesel. I had done the same thing, I let my first wife talk me into selling my 89 W250 when I sold my buisness. Felt that we didn't need a full size truck that a Dakota would fit our needs. Two years late and one divorce and I was back in a W2500. That smaller truck ended up costing me almost twice what the Diesel cost to run each week. Keep your diesel, take it out for a good run once a week. With the wife, it will save you money in the long run and might even save your marrage... ... .

not married so no worries there.



my big thing is that a 15 or 20 minute in town drive is just too hard on these trucks especially in winter temps of teens and twentys. not to mention like bseyler its smaller and gets around town easier.

I agree you will miss your CTD, but that's a choice only you can make. Mine does a lot of sitting, but I still find use for it.



On to the Ford. My wife has a 2006 SuperCrew 4X4, her second one. She loves it for its ease to drive, being a smaller package than my Clubcab long box. I call it a girly rig. The thing really has given us good service with very little in repairs in 98,000 miles. It has all the bells and whistles, so I'm a little worried about electrical problems as it ages. On the highway, I can get 18 to 19 MPG pretty consistently. She has a heavy foot and usually gets 3 MPG less. I am over 6 feet and often hit my head when I get in - it's built for shorter people. My wife is 5'2" and it fits her well. With my height, I can't reach over the side of the bed and touch the bottom of the box - I hate the way Ford designed that. I can stand flat-footed by my 4X4 Dodge and reach things in the bed. Overall, it's not a bad rig. I just wouldn't trade my CTD for it. But, I have a little car to drive to work and so my pickup does not see short trips.

yes this is my decision, but i dont want to go into something blind. im already stirring things up on a ford forum and it wasnt even a bad comment. they are REALLY biased about their trucks and an honest opinion seems to be hard to find. thats why im turning to tdr, ya'll look at things a little more squarly then most people and your experiences good or bad will help me out.

Don't forget about the "$3,000 tune-up", where you go in for new plugs and come out with two new heads.

yeah, this makes me nervous. i think the first thing i am going to do if i get one of these trucks is very carefully change them out and add never seize. the sooner the better is probably a good addage here.



im still up in the air about things. the truck is listed in a few adds but i can always pull them. im not in a hurry and im asking a premium for her so maybe it just wont sell and then ill just keep driving it.

 

[S.Morris]

I have a friend who is maintenance manager of a large fleet of hydro trucks.

Some of them are F150's. When they get them brand new they remove plugs and never seize and replace with different brand. (I am not sure what?)

Apparently the factory plugs threaded section is spot welded to the body of plug(I have never seen them)and is much easier than you would think to twist off and leave the threads in the block. Some of the brand new ones have broken during the never sieze process.



My friend has been a FORD guy since high school and does not recommend his beloved Ford trucks anymore.



I have only his experience to go from, but he finally convinced his higher ups to never buy another Ford diesel from a cost of operation/maintenance standpoint.



Ford must really have the best price in the fleet market, as they still seem to be the #1 choice by his unit.

 

[jgillott]

I can't comment specifically about the F-150 since I have never owned one. I have however owned a 1/2 4x4 truck along with our diesels as long as I can remember. Our current one is a 2010 Ram 1500 Crew Cab and before that we had a 2005 Silverado 1500 extended cab. They are great for everything you described, short trips, cold weather operation etc. The only thing that I can say that is a negative is the amount of fuel they use in anything other than all highway operation. You may hit close to 20 mpg strictly on the highway, but 14-15 is what I've seen over the years in mixed driving. Towing/hauling mpg #'s are just plain lousy, but of course, that's what we use the diesels for here.

 

[Tractorat]

Assuming you have the diesel because it is the best choice for your needs, why dont you just keep it and buy a small car for the short hops ? It doesnt have to be even close to new. In fact, if you can find something from the 90's, you can probably get a pretty good deal on a car that runs well, and gets as good if not better gas mileage than something from the 2000's.



When I first bought the house Im in now, I needed to build a fence. And I didnt have a pickup at the time (nor one I could borrow). So I found an old 69 chev half ton for a few hundred bucks that was mostly rusted away, I had to bypass the heater, and it looked like crap. (Oh, and I did have to replace the water pump) But it worked well enough to haul fencing, cement, and a few other things I needed to haul at the time. I wouldn't have trusted it to drive on the freeway. But it served my needs. When I was done for it, I sold it for what I paid for it (In fact, I think I actually sold it for more than I bought it for)

 

[Mhannink]

I can't comment specifically about the F-150 since I have never owned one. I have however owned a 1/2 4x4 truck along with our diesels as long as I can remember. Our current one is a 2010 Ram 1500 Crew Cab and before that we had a 2005 Silverado 1500 extended cab. They are great for everything you described, short trips, cold weather operation etc. The only thing that I can say that is a negative is the amount of fuel they use in anything other than all highway operation. You may hit close to 20 mpg strictly on the highway, but 14-15 is what I've seen over the years in mixed driving. Towing/hauling mpg #'s are just plain lousy, but of course, that's what we use the diesels for here.

that is about what i am expecting for mileage, all of which is slightly better than my diesel. add on top of that the lower cost of fuel and it is cheaper to run. not to mention half the amount of oil that needs to be changed.

Assuming you have the diesel because it is the best choice for your needs, why dont you just keep it and buy a small car for the short hops ? It doesnt have to be even close to new. In fact, if you can find something from the 90's, you can probably get a pretty good deal on a car that runs well, and gets as good if not better gas mileage than something from the 2000's.



When I first bought the house Im in now, I needed to build a fence. And I didnt have a pickup at the time (nor one I could borrow). So I found an old 69 chev half ton for a few hundred bucks that was mostly rusted away, I had to bypass the heater, and it looked like crap. (Oh, and I did have to replace the water pump) But it worked well enough to haul fencing, cement, and a few other things I needed to haul at the time. I wouldn't have trusted it to drive on the freeway. But it served my needs. When I was done for it, I sold it for what I paid for it (In fact, I think I actually sold it for more than I bought it for)

ive thought about that, however that means insurance, registration, and maintenence on 2 vehicales instead of one. i dont know if i am really going to be saving anything. keep in mind im going to be in school living off my parents. im trying to keep my costs down so that the can more easily afford it.

 

[AABEN]

Get a truck get a ram

 

[ata]

I don't know, if I had a good looking good running 97 it would be the last thing I would let go. OH I do have one and it's not going anywhere. I would never be able to replace it with anything close to it down the road. And yes the newer Ford F150 will pick-up alot more GIRLS then an old rattle box. Good luck with what ever gasser you get.

 

[jakprince]

Im sure someone on here would love to take it off your hands if your set on gettin rid of it.

 

[Mhannink]

Im sure someone on here would love to take it off your hands if your set on gettin rid of it.

i have no doubt about that, and i would actually prefer it since i know she would be going to a good home. however i am not set on it yet. i do have some adds up with it but i can back out of them if i want.



i have always been a diesel nut, i live, breath, eat, sleep diesels and i just dont know if i can bring my self to have a gasser. however as i have mentioned my forseeable future is going to be hard on it (at least the next 4 years). after that a diesel would be possible again. someone else mentioned that i wont find another one good one in a few years and i know they are right (another reason this is difficult for me), but i keep telling myself once i am done with school i will be making enough money that i can buy any truck and make it nice at any price. im just not sure what to do yet. this post is really just trying to get a feel of what i might be getting into if i do get a ford.

 

[jakprince]

well those short trips arent goin to hurt a 12 valve too much but it would flat out kill a new 6. 7