Looks like ill be gettin an f150 soon! thank god... probably waiting just another month or so, because im waiting for the 04's to drop in price for the upcoming 05s.

can anyone tell me the differences of the XLT and Lariat? i want a screw for sure... boy i do love that leather though on the lariat... but my wallet says i can only afford a xlt...anyone?

 

In my area, Vancouver, BC, The few Lariats are going pretty cheap. Got mine for about 41,000 CDN. It's fully loaded everything except DVD (opted for the sunroof). Included Ford Racing Bedliner, Bed Extender power rear sliding, reverse beep beep thing, Audiophile et all.

I have never had a vehicle with so much freakin luxury. I vacuum it every other day!

I think the deal I got included my companies fleet rate and a discount from ford.

Happy hunting!

 

I could have bought any model I wanted .... but I bought what I wanted and needed. The XLT serves my needs just fine. I like the basic style and I'm enjoying it to the max. You get what you pay for....GG

 

Yeah, I love my XLT. It's got more than enough creature comforts for me. There is only a few things I liked on the Lariat (gauge message center, auto HVAC, backup sensor option, 18" wheels), the rest is gagetry and luxury crap that I can do without on a truck. The wood trim is a joke, and I hear the leather isn't anything too special either, and that chrome honeycomb grill...ouch. If anything, I'd say look at the FX4 (skid plates, the best gauge cluster, bigger tires, good looking stock grill) over the Lariat. It's just a matter of how many little electronic gizmos you want, the basics and performance all stay the same.

Some of your other needs/wants may come into play on the price too, like 4x2 or 4x4, engine size (no 4.6L on FX4 or Lariat), LS rear, audio package, wheels/tires, etc.

To each his own. Cheers on getting an F150, btw.

 

I lot of people put the Lariat down just because of this or that or something, etc. (maybe they are jealous, I don’t know) I think all the 2004 F150’s are great, even the XLT. I’m sure you will find something to fit your needs. Good Luck shoping!

 

You hit the nail on the head!! Get what makes you smile the biggest and your wallet can handle!! You really can't go wrong either way.

I personally opted for the lariat since on A Plan the prices where only a few thousand difference, so it made sense.

 

If you're talking base model for the trim line you want, the XLT is cheaper by far, but once you start adding options, it can be as expensive as a Lariat. Just depends on the mix of options you want and of course the looks and how much you can spend.

 

I opted for the full loaded XLT, I am pretty sure I could have swung the FX4 or the Lariat, but the Lariat was a little too much Lexus like and not Ford. I wanted a truck that was going to be lifted, taken off road and still had power options and the 5.4L. I chose the XLT over the Lariat because the full loaded XLT is the same thing as the FX4 pretty much except for the price (the little difference with skid plates and leather didnt matter because one would have to come off and the other would get messed up).
Its really like dzervit said, you cant go wrong. But go with what you are going to use the truck for and if you really need a reverse sensing system in the middle of the woods. And its not about jealously its about your use and is this worth that.

 

You'll be happy with either truck... if other people will be driving your truck on a regual basis, the memory seating and pedals sure are nice to have. On the other hand, like you said, you listen to your wallet and get what you can afford, the Lariat won't do you much good if the repo-man pays you a visit..... You can always upgrade with real leather seatcovers down the road.....

 

I agree with pretty much everyone else. This truck is YOURS, so YOU decide on what YOU want.

I wanted the XLT. I have had 4 others and new I wanted this trim package. I looked at the FX4 and never considered the Lariat. I am happy with my decision. I have always had grey interior but got tan this time. Tan shows EVERYTHING. The interior choice is about all I would change, but I still LOVE this truck. The interior satisfies me 98% of the time...it just gets so dang dirty so quickly (I guess 'shows' more quickly would be the correct term to use...it obviously doesn't get any dirtier because it's tan!).

 

I bought the XLT Scab (options 5.4L and tow package) b/c it was at the edge of what I could afford (I would have bought the STX, but no 5.4 in it ) and basically had everyhting I required. If you like leather and can't swing the Lariat, check out the FX4, its a lot like the XLT with some options included in the FX4 package and it looks better than the XLT in my opinion. The FX4 package is going to include the 3.55 LS, the 5.4L engine, and the "push button" 4WD, in addition to skid plates and off road suspension. If you are looking at a 4WD XLT with 5.4L engine, LS and "push button" 4WD take a hard look at the FX4, it might be close to the upgraded XLT. I love my XLT but it might have been worth a little more to me to go with the FX4 in it would look even better! Everyone is right, you can't go wrong with any of the F-150's!

 

Just a quick clarification, the FX4 does not have any different suspension system than any of the other models. As far as I know, the FX4 come with upgraded "Rancho" look-alike shocks, that's it. And I believe that once you step up to the LS rear diff. I think the price is the same for the 3.55 or the 3.73... I would think the FX4 would come with the 3.73 by default because of the larger tires and "high performance" theme.

 

FX4 does not have "larger tires" by default. The FX4 comes with 17" tires and 3.55 LS rear end. 18" tires and 3.73 rear end are options. That's the way the defaults go on the "Build Your Own Ford" web site.

 

Am I wrong here but arent the only differences appearance-wise between an FX4 and an XLT or any other F150 are the grilles, bumpers and fender trim? Same body, same look, right?

 

Yes, for the most part... though you can get the flareside bed that also sports a different tailgate. Not sure if that is only available on the FX4, or the STX too. I don't think you can get it on the XLT or Lariat.

There is also the interior, which obviously comes in different trim packages and different steering wheels and gauge clusters. But the functional part of the trucks are all exactly alike. It's just skin deep changes.

- Justin