Hey guys I'm a newbie here. My wife and I are looking at purchasing a different vehicle. We currently have a 06 Trailblazer SS. It's a blast to drive, but is killing us in the fuel cost area. We have been looking at a F150 SuperCrew. My youngest daughter is currently 13, and is pretty set in stone that she wants a truck when she turns 16. So we have been thinking about buying a 01-03 F150 SuperCrew for my wife to drive for a few years, and then let my daughter drive it when she turns 16.

Here is where some of my questions come in. I haven't had a F150 since my first truck. My dad is a diehard Ford man, and I guess I'm a little late coming to the corral. He had a 81 F100 that I learned to drive in, and then a 96 F150. He put over 350,000 miles on that one before buying a new 09 F150.

What are some things to look for in the F150's?
What kind of mpg's can I expect to get on average?
Which motor would be better 4.6 or 5.4?
*We're not going to be towing any with this truck.*
How many miles are too many when looking for a truck?
Would this be a truck you would be comfortable letting your 16 yr old daughter drive?

These are just a few of the questions I have. I consider myself a car nut, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about what to look or in general, but was just wanting some first hand knowledge from some of you current F150 owners.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing input from everyone.

 

an f150 supercrew is not going to be economical as far as fuel goes no mater how you look at it. If you got a 2wd one you would get maybe 20-22 tops driving super nice. 100k is just getting broke in with these truck if there taken care of.
The 97-03 trucks are not the safest in accidents an 04+ is much better but they would be much safer then a Honda civic..
Either engine is good. Might get a tiny bit better MPG out of a 4.6 a 5.4 is going to move that big truck better of course..

 

yeah going downhill with the engine off

If you wont be towing at all, find a 4.6L. The 5.4Ls have more power, but they are less reliable, something about throwing spark plugs or spark plugs breaking when you try to change them. Realistically, a 4.6L should get around 15 city/18 highway, about the same as your Trailblazer. If I hyper mile like a sonofabitch, my tiny V6 is lucky to see 22 mpg. If you teach your daughter how to drive, yes these trucks are perfect.

As far as I know, a 4.6L Supercrew is the best 10th gen combo out there. The only thing I can think of is pre-2001 trucks have a metal fatigue problem on the door. Its not really a problem, a hairline crack forms where the window goes vertical. Nothing major, just a point-out. If your lucky you can find one that was grandpa'd and oil changed often. 100K is still young so dont be afraid to see one in the 150K range. Unless it was a killer deal, 200K is pushing it.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I know I'm not going to be getting any mid to high 20's in mpg's. Our SS is supposed to be getting around 14/18, but is more like 12/16, but it's a fun 12/16 . The biggest issue with the mpg's now is the hefty loan payment that goes along with it. That is why we are looking at the 01-03 F150's. I actually like the styling of the 04-08 trucks better, but like I mentioned earlier we're looking at this being a first vehicle as well. So I need it paid off in 3yrs. I have seen a few 04 & 05's dipping into a good price range, but they start getting pretty high miles with them too. We have found a couple of 03 SuperCrews with around 70-80K on them and they are both around or a little under the $10K mark.

 

As the owner of a 03 Supercrew (since new) with 110,000 miles 4.6 3.55 gears I can tell you that unless you drive very conservative, (not fun to drive) your mileage will be no better than the trailblazer. It has been flawless as far as reliability. You have to decide what to get for your daughter howevever. I got my daughter a car that gets 32 mpg hiighway. A teen can't enjoy driving an auto that they can not afford to keep fuel in.

 

since any of the 2 valve motors, including V-10's can spit plugs if they are torqued improperly the 4.6 has to work harder to move a super crew, I hardly say the 4.6 is a better choice UNLESS the 4.6 truck has 3.73 gears and has every other option the OP wants in a truck...

 

I understand that the trucks aren't going to get much, if any, better mpg than the trailblazer. The big factor is that I'm not saving any money in fuel, but quite a bit in the payment each month. I know our SS is "EPA estimated" to get upwards of 19mpg highway, but it doesn't even get close to that. It's 400hp of pure fun, but it is coming at a bigger cost than I anticipated.

I guess our search continues. I appreciate all the input, and hopefully will get some more.

 

well the SS is also AWD and has a corvette engine in it!!

believing what a 13 Y.O. wants is rediculous! i cant tell you how many different cars i wanted when i was younger! haha!

 

I'd avoid the year models you are looking at. The engines were prone to spitting spark plugs out and repairs can be a head replacement. Buying used means you have no idea if the head has been patched. Fuel mileage on these trucks is determined by how much grey matter is in the drivers head. My 02 4.6 SCrew got 17-18 town and 21 hiway over the 78,000 miles I put on it. I even got a little over 18 mpg on a trip from South Carolina to South Texas and very few of those miles were under 100 mph. My current 04 SCrew is a 4.6 and I get 18-19 town and 22-24.5 hiway driving 65 mph. I only have the Gotts mod on mine, otherwise, completely stock with over 100,000 on the speedo. I'd avoid any 3 valve engine unless you just like spending money on repairs. Cam phasers, broken multi-piece spark plugs, VCT failures, seal failures, etc just make these a pain to deal with. Visit the V8 engine section, get a snack, and read about the problems with the 3 valve 5.4 that comes in the 2004 and newer trucks. The 4.6 is an able engine, gets decent fuel mileage, extremely reliable, and will scoot if you need it to. But it ain't gonna beat a GT Mustang in a race. If you want reliability and decent fuel mileage, look at a 2004 or newer F-150.

 

Not to forget the crash test results of the +04's are WAY better..

 

LOL my daughter wanted a red mustang! (no job no money). After I said no and let her ride the yellow bus, she decided that father knows best! Teen drivers are expensive!

 

Thanks again for the input guys. It's not that my daughter is running the show on this purchase. We are just taking that input, and future purchase into account in this one. My wife likes driving trucks as well so her final say on the vehicle that she drives is by far the deciding one. I know what you mean about changing your mind though I did it as well, and still do.

After talking about it this weekend we are still moving forward with looking for a F150. As to what we find is till up in the air. My wife likes the design of the 03's a little better than the 04's, but she said she likes both. Now whether my daughter drives it when she turns 16 is still 3 years away. Like stated above she can, and probably will change her mind before then. Our goal though is to have our car/truck paid off by that time.

Thanks again for the input guys, and I look forward to showing you all our F150 sometime soon.