All right Ford people, time for you to take off the gloves and tell the truth abought your F-150..

I'm a die hard chevy guy, time has come to get a new pick up, my loyality means nothing, how ever, I;m leaning towards a new Z71, but I;m waiting on Ford to get the 09 F-150 out on the road.

I'm in the truck market hard core, in my line of work, owners drive them all, Toyotas, Nissan, Dodge Ford, and chevy...

Dodge owners love thier trucks, but most admit the rear diff on the 1500 is a real POS and thiers not a lot of owners I talk to that like MDS, I don't like Body style of the Ram, But I like the power in the 5.7

Its rummerd Nissan and Dodge are bed buddies in 09, Titan is ugly and I don't like the ride, or handling, but the 5.6 is gives my moded out 5.3 a run.

As for Ford, I admit thier built like a tank, but I like my chevy's ride, power and MPG, It seams thiers a = number of good F-150's in porportion to those who have had issues from battery's, axel seals, timming chains.

The tranmisson in my truck has issues, I'm on my third rebuild, and I don't tow, my truck is paid off, so its not all doom and gloom when it breaks...

 

Well, I've got a 2007 F-150 and to be perfectly honest, its everything I expected it to be. (Have had it like 20 months, 20k Miles)

I've kept up on regular maintenance and havent had a single problem thus far.

I backed into a moving Honda Civic and caused 5k worth of Damage.....My truck had a tiny (2 inches long, barely through the clear coat) scratch in the paint on the bumper.

Then a Mercedes drove into my bumper in a parking lot and caused a few thousand more in damages to her car, not even a scratch on my bumper.

I know its a steel bumper and all.....But I was still impressed by it.

As far as Whats so good about it?

Nothing In particular, I just love the looks and the ride. Extremely comfortable ride for a full sized truck.

My advice; Go take one for a test drive and see how you like it.

For reference, There have been about 8 F-150s in my family in the past 10 years. We love em.

 

I work at an auto repair shop. Honestly we work on alot more Chevy trucks then ford. I personally dont like much about the chevy except the gauges.

My womans dad owns a Titan, badass truck honestly. I like everything about it.

Toyota, although they are fast, Ive heard they have problems although I dunno anyone who owns one, but I wont comment on them.

Dodge, well I aint a dodge guy, and honestly dont follow their trucks. Dont work on a whole lot of dodge trucks, but a **** load of jeeps and other dodge products.

 

Wait and check out the new F150. My uncle is VP at one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the area and Ford sent him to Dearborn to check out the new F150's, and they took him to the proving grounds and put it up against the Silverado and the Tundra in every category and the new F150 came out on top.

I always owned GM's too, until I got this Ford, and unless I was looking for another SUV, I would never look anywhere else.

 

I'll break it down the way I see the truck/SUV market.

Want a good high HP vehicle: Chevy
Want a durable tough work vehicle: Ford
Want a decent work vehicle with some power: Dodge
Want a high HP, tough work machine: Doesn't exist...gotta build one...I recommend you SuperCharge a F-150

Each brand has it's niche. There is no true truck for everything. Looks are subjective as we all know. I actually like the look of every truck on the market except the Tundra.

In terms of using a truck as a work truck: I would steer wide and clear of the Chevy. We use the F-150/Silverado/Dakota/Ranger at work (Military Bases). All of the vehicles are the baseline models with base engines (V-8 with big trucks, I-4 with small ones). The F-150's aren't fun to drive, but they are worlds better than the 06+ Chevy trucks. Those things suck. Surprisingly, the Dakota is a decent little work truck.

Tundra: high HP, lots of growing pains. is trying to edge into the market, but honestly Toyota needs to refine that POS and fix it up.

Titan: high HP, and nothing else. rated as the least reliable truck on the road 4 yrs running

Silverado: soft ride, decent power, horrible driving characteristics when loaded down....the term wishy washy comes to mind when I have to drive one with a load in the bed. dash is the same one from 1990

Ram: 5.7 Hemi is just pure fun (I've got one in the driveway). otherwise, plagued with drivetrain issues and cheap interiors. you can pick one up for cheap though compared to everybody else

F-150: "underpowered" compared to the rest of the competition. last for a pretty long time, and the 06+ yrs are essentially trouble free. millions are made, so you hear more about the problems than the other brands. the 09+ model is essentially the same truck with a few extra goodies. Ford has learned that people are wanting more creature comforts, so the ride is smoother and you get better amenities.


I'm obviously biased. IMO, Chevy hasn't produced a decent truck since 1971. You can see the # of Ford Trucks I've had in my signature. Bit of a die hard. I was willing to jump ship to the new Chevy platform when I bought my truck in fall 2006, but I couldn't get into a 1500 for under $45,000. I bought my truck for $31k with a sticker price of $44k. After my experiences at work, I'm glad the dealerships didn't want to play ball. I'm extremely happy with my newest Ford

 

Yeah I dont know what kind of work you do but I work on petroleum pipeline for a small company that subcontracts for BP, Citgo, Colonial etc. 90% of trucks I see are Fords, Not only their durability but cost of "up keep". I tell you to drive what makes you happy but where I work, The entire East Coast depends on us and we depend on Ford. Your Call...

 

I love my F150. I beat the hell out of if and it still run great. I have 86,000 miles on her with 37s and the only thing that has broke on it was my hubs. Tug-a-war isn't the best thing for hubs. The real test I have done with my truck is taking it to the landfill when one of our trucks break. The landfill is a truck killer. The owner of the landfill has a F150 and he takes it all over the landfill. My brother has gone for Chevy to Ford and has a Chevy right now and has been regretting getting rid of his F150. If I was you I would go Ford, but if you don't go Ford go Chevy.
I have also pulled this truck out of the mud. (smoking all 4 on the concrete)

 

Some very valid points and I second them. I have friends and family throughout the automotive industry. The best advice I have ever been given is this. "Never buy the first year model of a new generation or model". I have lived by this and never regretted it. If your not going to get an 08, wait for the 2010 model.

 

IMO, the Ford is the best built pickup on the market.

It all comes down to the slogan "Built Ford Tough."

Currently, I drive a Nissan Titan because I work for Nissan and we had no used F-150's on the lot. Had I waited a few months, I could have had a previously-enjoyed F-150. However, after owning three and not being very fond of the lack of power, I decided I'd wait until the 2nd or 3rd year of the diesel 1/2 ton F-150.

As soon as one comes out, I'll be back in a Ford. I too subscribe to the belief that you should never buy the first year of a new bodystyle, or significant re-design. I bleed Ford blue when you boil it all down. I can't wait to be back in a Ford.

 

I started out with a 97 4x4 Limited Toyota Forerunner... Drove it a year, and hated it. It roadwalked so bad, I ditched it because the brake pads needed to be replaced. Just too damn small, could tow nothing...blah blah blah.

Traded Yota in for a 98 Loaded Tahoe. Put 85k on it. Replaced the brakes 5 times, and the rotors twice. Power steering went out at 5k. Replaced the ***** transmission at 40k, along with the master cylinder. At 50k replaced the Idler Arm. At 85k the air conditioning compressor was about to go Kaput... I had never owned a Ford. What the hell, lets see how that worked out.

Bought a 00' 4x4 Lariat F150, just as the 01's came out. Put 175k on it. Changed the oil every 3k, and replaced the upper and lower front suspension arms at around 110k. Around that time, I also learned to replace ALL of COP's (spark plug coils) at once, and not do it one by one as they went bad. I sold it after 7 1/2 years. I wanted a new truck, and did not feel like changing the spark plugs. The engine was missing, and the plugs were ORIGINAL.

Love my new 07 King Ranch, miss my old truck, and thank God that I have never owned an 04-05 F150.

Side Note: There are guys who have had good luck with there 04-05's. My buddies did not.

Hope this helps.

 

ive got an 04, whats potentially so bad about it? Should i be looking to trade up a couple years?!

 

the new chevy/GMC is a decent truck...why? because they copied almost everything from the F150. almost everything they claim is an "industry first" has been on the F150 since 2004. the only thing the gm has we dont is a rear locker and a 5speed trans. we get a locker and a 6 speed next year. thats my opinion.

also spend 500 bucks in mods(intake, exhaust, tuning) and you will walk all over a 5.3 even if it has the same mods.

 

I love my 5.4, but lets be honest, the 5.3 is a better motor in terms of HP...aka performance. the 5.4 is better in terms of towing/work

 

The F-150 is a well built, comfortable, reliable, and hard-working truck that can get the job done that would require a 3/4 ton from some other manufacturers. The F-150 has a whisper quiet interior compared to a lot of other pickups on the road, and the fit and finish seems a notch above most of the others. Power-wise, the F-150 leaves a bit to be desired if you are seeking out and out acceleration; if you tow or haul a great deal you will really appreciate the low RPM torque that the 5.4L triton produces. The 2009 F-150 is essentially the same motor as the 04-08 F-150, but with a 6spd transmission and an overall lighter pickup. I doubt that these chages are going to make the F-150 a rocket, but they will likely built upon its already good qualities.

If you are going for a 4x4, it's tough to argue with the strength of Ford's 9.75" rear axle; the 8.8" up front is also a tick beefier than the other 1/2 ton IFS units out there (many guys running 37's with no issues). A plus for me, is that the F-150 is still available with a manual shift transfer case... not that it is a huge deal to most people, but it means a lot to me. There are a number of us on here that take our trucks off road, tow heavy loads and generally use the truck as a truck. I've had my truck on 2 wheels while off-roading. Creeping down a steep hill in 4-low, on the brakes (which worked like a charm, didn't fade or over heat) the rear end of the truck decided to lift off the ground a good 4 or 5 feet; my passengers all puckered a little bit, but the truck never flinched. Ford builds a tough pickup.

Ask yourself what you want in a truck, and buy accordingly... I did.

 

My family is pretty much a die hard ford family but we have thrown in a chevy (GMC) from time to time. always to have more problems with the GM products. I have beat on all my trucks and cars. My LS wore out it my 98 F150 with the 4.6 rather quickly but I was younger and much more careless. With my 05 I have not had one hickup of a problem and absolutely love how it pulls and handles weight. I have the edge, intake and exhaust and it is like a whole different truck and a lot more fun to drive.

I filled the bed completely up with shingles and nails and that truck drove so smooth! should have used our dump truck though when it came time to unload! There are plenty of people who have good stories and bad stories about their F150s but you have to look at the sheer numbers of them that are produced, of course some are going to have problems. and I am sure some are from misuse and neglect.