My Truck Is Talking To Me

[Haoleguy]

My 1998 F150 is starting to tell me the end is near. I've had this since new and I'm up to 146K miles with it. Most recently I discovered a small leak in the coolant system, the column gear selector is off by one place.....drive is when I select 2nd, and it feels like I'm losing coolness in the ac system. Previously noticed is the rust is starting to hit the door panels, the headliner is coming down, the rear window seal is leaking, and there is a rattling underneath that's taking place. Also my 4.6L V8 is sooo under powered for towing and we need to do 10K trailering periodically during the year.

So yesterday we took a day off to test drive 2 Fords as the incentives are hard to pass on at this point. First up was an 2016 F350 crew with 6.5ft bed and the 6.2L gas engine. Both my spouse and I needed a ladder to get in it. This is a very nice truck and drives well and is comfortable with the split bench front seats. It is a bit snappy on bumps but nothing I would consider harsh. Getting onto the freeway at 65mph with a relatively short onramp was okay but not as quick as I would expect. Maybe I should not have expected more as this is a heavy truck. The only other thing I noticed is that my long torso placed my road view up towards the top of the windshield. The electric seat platform elevates the seats a bit and contributes to the view. The second drive was a 2016 F150 supercrew with the 6.5ft bed and 3.5 ecoboost. Much easier to get in and the back was very roomy. This is one comfortable truck but I felt like the driving was a bit soft with much less road feel than I was expecting. When getting onto the freeway and up to 65mph the ecoboost delivered nicely. In comparison of the 2 trucks I felt the F150 was a real nice overall performer. We did not tow anything with either truck but from this forum and others I sense both would handle a 10K load with the F150 probably squatting a bit.

For comparison to other manufacturers we will visit a local GMC dealer later today to test drive their 2500HD with the 6.0L. At the moment GMC does not have similar incentives to Ford's but it's just a matter of time when they do. Hopefully, my current F150 hangs in there long enough so that my hand is not forced.

 

[Farmer2750]

My opinion is get the Eco boost. I have never been a ford guy but I'm blown away with the power that they have!

 

[Diamondpilot]

I agree on the 150 Eco Boost. I have one and now there are 6 more in my family. Be sure to get the Max Tow Package and 3.55 gears and you will have twice as much truck as your current 150.

Chris

 

[coobie]

I have 2 ford products F150 2006 super crew(5.4 triton) 2008 taurus & 2016 Ram 2500 sitting in my driveway.I am still not a fan of the echo boost engine.I would also drive the 5.0 liter V-8 if I were you.When we bought a new truck last march we test drove Ford F-150 super crew (5.0) F-250,Chevy and Ram.We settled on the Ram 2500 crew cab with the 6.4 hemi.Happy so far.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I guess to me it really depends on how many times towing 10k periodically really is, if it's just a couple of times a month for short hauls you could probably get by with a 1/2 ton and get better gas mileage the rest of the time, if it's more than that you are going to feel a lot better towing and stopping that kind of weight with a 3/4 ton, but your gas mileage will suffer. I bought a 2015 Chevrolet 2500 HD 4x4 with the 6.0 gas motor and I absolutely love it as I use it a good bit around the farm and hauling a tractor 100+ miles over to my hunting camp, but if it was my one and only 10 to 14 mpg would hurt.

 

[Haoleguy]

Thank you for the replies. This afternoon my spouse and I traveled over to a local GMC dealer that had a 2500 SLE gas and a 2500 SLT diesel trucks on the lot. We drove both and really liked the seat comfort of both. With the SLT I was able to get the seat low enough to get terrific visibility out the front windshield. When driving these trucks it was a completely different route than the Fords went through as there is a 25 mile difference between dealers. So this is not completely apples to apples. What I did find was that the GMC 2500 SLE 6.0L merged onto the freeway quickly with less effort than the F350 6.2L and it is probably related to weight difference and rear end ratios. It was not as speedy as the F150 Ecoboost. For typical roads the GMC 2500 sits in the middle of road feel between the F350 and the F150 which you would expect. The cloth seats of the SLE were very comfortable but because of the simple seat adjustments did not give me the best ride height and it did not come with telescoping steering. The 2500 Duramax merged onto the freeway with no effort at all and was clearly the best at it of all the trucks. The road feel was even better with the 2500 Duramax SLT package as I think the truck is heavier than the SLE gas version and the seating was slightly better with the electrically controlled leather seating which allowed me to get terrific visibility...the best of all the trucks. The Duramax went up a steep grade effortlessly compared to the 6.0L gas but it was no slouch and both made my current F150 seem like a self propelled Flintstones cartoon. Both my spouse and myself are glad we tried the GMCs for comparison.

 

[MossRoad]

Have you asked about getting different trim packages in the GMC's that might get you the seats you like in the other truck?

 

[Diamondpilot]

If you like the DuraMax you need to go back and try the Ford 6.7 diesel, it's a monster.

The reality is the Superduty Ford is just a heavier built truck than the HD GMs. Like you said it falls right in the middle between the a Ecoboost F150 and a Superduty Ford. For this reason they are popular but have a lot of drawbacks like the front suspension, ground clearance, and GVWR. The positive side is the tame ride.

At the end of the day thought it seems like this may just be the truck that fits your needs.

Chris

 

[The Fred]

Stay away from the Diesels if you plan on keeping it 10 years. You WON'T be able to afford the emissions repairs that start at 60K.

My good friend is a manager at a decent sized Frod dealer. He says the 5.0 is just not enough grunt for a 3/4 ton truck. If you tow at all you might consider something else. Wife has a 15 Mudstain convertible with a 5.0 and it rips it up pretty well 430hp.

Regards, Fred

 

[Qapla]

Have you considered trying Toyota - the Tundra is a nice truck with towing ability.

My brother has a 2007 Tundra with the 5.7 gas and a full 8' bed. It still looks almost new and he does not have any rust, strange noises, bad A/C or other problems (well, one of the air pressure sensors in a tire has gone bad) and he has well over 150,000 miles.

I would mention Nissan but I have not seen their new diesel Titan nor do I know how well it tows. I have a 2007 Titan 5.6 gas with 280,000 and am/was well pleased. I am currently having to replace the motor, but that is partly my fault.

Just a thought