http://www.mustangmods.com/data/3056/2004f150.jpg


So after being disgusted with the 15mpg of my 2002 Ranger Edge, I broke down and sold it and bought a new F-150 rather than something practical...

Anyway, it's an STX, regular cab, shortbed. No options other than auto, A/C, tow package, CD, bedliner, and 3.55 limited slip.

First thoughts are:

Ride: at 65+ mph it feels like a Cadillac. Smooth ride even over the inevitable New England potholes. The engine is phenomenally quiet - even with the lack of sound dampning and rug you can barely tell it's running even while accelerating. There's a little windnoise that I was surprised with as it's touted to be such a quiet ride. The seats are a little uncomfortable, but the spacioius cab more than makes up for it. The extra 6" behind the seat is a welcome addition and should be capable of transporting groceries or tools.

Performance: this thing brakes on a dime! Great handling for a truck of it's size, probably this one benefits from a length that is only 1.3" greater than my Ranger extra cab. The accelaration of the 4.6 auto is less than impressive with the 3.55 rear, but it's enough to get out of it's own way.

Complaints: You guys aren't kidding about that vibration. At 65+ mph it's smooth as silk, but from 40-60 there is a definite vibration that increases as you give it gas. Hopefully there is a TSB on this soon, as I can see it getting really annoying really fast...especially every 16th of the month when I send a payment in.

 

Congrats on your new ride and welcome to the board! There's lots of info here. If there ever is a TSB on the vibration, trust me, these guys will know before Ford ever puts it out.

Nice pix!

 

day two.

- a rattle has developed somewhere in the rear window area (yes, the window is latched properly).

- There probably aren't many of you that own these and have to parallel park, but consider yourself fortunate. The size of the tailgate makes this nearly impossible.

- Having a hard time getting comfortable on the highway. Unless you drive at 10 and 2 (who does?), the arm rest on the door is not large enough. I can't seem to get comfortable driving.

- snow. Even in two-wheel drive, the truck is suprisingly capable in the snow, especially when compared to the lighter weight Ranger.

- the vibration is almost unbearable when driving at 50mph for more than a few minutes.

I love looking at it, but I don't reallly care for driving it.

I think I want my Ranger back.

 

I find it hard to back into parking spaces....can't see the car behind. I should have got the reverse sensor.
I think I will solve the problem by spending big $$ on this http://www.avicn1.com/
It has an optional camera that will turn on when the shifter goes into R.

I hope our vibration problem gets fixed... I too agree with your last point...
I love to look at it, but I either have to drive too slow or I have to speed.
Will the cops accept the vibration excuse?

What truck do you have 86? Mine was built 02/05 in Norfolk, perhaps we got the same bogus parts installed

*EDIT*... Whoops...I see what truck you have now...missed that part.

 

Congrats on you new truck. I'm pretty well in the same boat as you. I currently have a 93 Ranger 4x4, and not that impressed with the gas mileage, and find the cab a bit small. So, I decided to upgrade to the F150. Its bigger, more power, and it looks like I'll be getting about the same gas mileage. I ordered pretty well the same thing you have. But different color. I'm very glad to see your happy with yours. Can't wait till mine shows up. It's supposed to be built next week.

 

Maybe I spoke to fast. Here is the thread on the Service bulliten, you may want to have a look.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...hreadid=150252

I still can't wait to get mine.

 

I'm not

My Ranger got aweful gas mileage. It was a 2002 4-door 4.0 4x4 auto and got about 14.5 mpg. Unacceptable. This was the main reason I sold it. I ended up falling in love with the F150 and got a great deal and bought with my eyes rather than my head.

My Ranger was more practical, more comfortable, more ergonomic (everything was at arm's reach), easier to park, and didn't vibrate at all

I'm probably going to drive the f150 until this fall when truck prices go up and try to sell it...sooner if I get a buyer.

Were it not for the vibration and the amount of time I spend in it, it would be a great truck. It's just not suited for me, or anyone else that drives 70-80 miles a day like I do and many of those miles being at "vibration speed" in my opinion.

 

Interesting to see how you went from thinking it was a great truck to wanting to sell it in one day.

If you have problems with it, why dont you try taking it back to the dealer instead of just wanting to sell it? Seems logical to me

 

where did I say it was a great truck? I tried to be objective about everything I liked and disliked about it to let people draw their own conclusions. Besides, now I've had a day to drive it, not just a couple of hours.

The problem is I got it for "D" plan and I'm going to feel a little guitly complaining about it. Anyway, if the vibration is cured I'd be willing to keep it for awhile.

 

I have the exact same truck except 3:73 gears, and traded in nearly the exact same truck you did, and I could not feel more completely opposite about the two vehicles.

That vibe must be way obvious, so I guess I will surely know if/when it developes.

 

What kind of driving do you do?

I would not hesitate to recommend the F150 to someone who does limited driving and doesn't have to park in tight spaces.

The Ranger was just better suited to me and I found it more comfortable, although I wish it handled the potholes as well as the F150 does.

 

Good thing i test drove mine which included looking in the rear view mirror and noticing the tall bed sides, how comfortable the seats are, not only did i drive it on surface streets, i also drove it on the freeway, no vibration here.
Before i purchase a vehicle, i check everything.
Bought it in Jan. 04, and have had absolutly no problems.
Note: I also test drove the Dodge 1500 Quad cab, and it had "bed hop" at freeway speeds.
F-150 Supercab 4 x 2
3.55LS, fog lamps, tow package

 

you think I didn't test drive mine?

When I hopped on the highway I was only at "vibration speed" for a few seconds and didn't notice the vibration or probbly thought it was part of the road surface.

I even asked if I could drive it to my house to make sure it fit in my driveway. I suppose I could have asked if I could drive the 40 miles to work to "make sure it's comfortable for my commute", but Im pretty sure they wouldnt have gone for it.

If not taking the truck downtown to see how easy/difficult it was to parallel park makes me a fool or deserving of a truck I am disatisifed with in your opinion than so be it.

 

Is it's really gonna screw you financially, jumping from one brand new vehicle to another so frequently, unless you're paying cash every time. Seems like you make somewhat spur of the moment decisiosn when buying vehicles. Maybe you need a more extended test drive next time around so you're more sure of your choice. REnting what you're interested in first might help.

 

problem is, I put a ton of mileage on (25k/year) during the week, I need a truck on weekends, I can't bring myself to buy Japanese and yet I dont really trust American anymore...and to top it off I am a Ford loyalist even though I don't want to be.

So it was either another Ranger or the F150, although I considered everything from a new Mach I to a Mini Cooper S and then buying a used older F250 to have as a truck.

I'm definitely guilty of falling for the looks of the F150, not to mention the engineering and the impressive suspension...but if I was at all practical I would have went ahead and bought the 04 reg cab Edge 4x4 5-speed 3.0 that I went to buy in the first place. But when a "cheapy" truck has a 21k sticker, and the F150 youre drooling over has a 27.5k sticker, you start thinking "well, for just a little more money..."