This is a bit long but it does directly relate to me deciding to buy a 2010 F150 for its ability to tow a travel trailer...

Last summer we made a family decision to buy a 25-28 foot travel trailer so we could do some weekend getaways and one or two longer trips a year. We thought it'd be a good way for our kids (6 and 8) to have some neat experiences and spend some quality time together.

At the time we owned a Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD (my wife's) with a towing capacity of about 6,600 pounds and a 2004 Mustang GT (mine). The trailer size we wanted weighed between 5,000 and 7,000 pounds so we knew neither of our vehicles were up to the task. The Mustang was paid for and the Mountaineer would be paid for in January, 2010. So although we really did not want to have vehicle payments again, we figured we'd be able to afford to buy a used truck for towing the trailer and as an added bonus I'd no longer have to drive my Mustang during the northeast Wisconsin winters. Driving the Mustang through 7 inches of snow with 4 inches of ground clearance is not a fun experience, no matter how well the Bridgestone Blizzak tires my Mustang wore during the winter functioned! But I've driven Mustangs of 1973, 1987, 1995 and 2004 model years through probably 15 winters and knew what to expect and what it/I could reasonably handle.

So for a few months we looked for a good used 2005-2008 F150. I was really surprised how much money these used vehicles were getting. We ended up deciding it'd be worth it to pay a bit more and buy a new F150. We really liked the interior of the FX4 so we ended up making a good deal on a 2010 FX4 screw. It was a factory order and would arrive around the end of October. Perfect timing before winter.

A few weeks before the truck was to arrive the senior software engineering position I'd held for the past 5+ years was eliminated, along with scores of others positions, including most of the project team members on all new project work. That happens when a company contracts from 500 to 275 employees in a 6 month period. So, now I had a new truck coming and no job. I talked to the Ford dealership and explained what happened. They said they'd hold the truck for me until the end of November and if I was not able to take delivery of it by then they'd have to sell it. Very fair I thought. I told them that if before that date they had the opportunity to sell it to someone else to go ahead and do it so they would not lose out on a sale. They agreed to that too.

I was fortunate enough to find a new job within a few weeks at another I.T. consulting company. I thought about not taking delivery of the truck until I was sure the new job would work out but I decided life is too short to always be fearful of what might happen. I took delivery of the FX4 around the middle of November so we were back on track. I drove the FX4 through the winter and was very happy to be driving it instead of the Mustang! I was even able to help out a few stranded motorists along the way. The Mustang sat covered up in the third bay of our garage for the winter, hibernating and waiting for spring.

Over the winter I thought about it a lot and decided it was selfish of me to keep the Mustang for myself and only be able to drive it part of the year and have it sit there unused the rest of the time. It was a good chunk of money sitting there that could be used to pay for a good portion of a used travel trailer. I ended up selling the Mustang privately near the end of March for full asking price, which tells me I probably listed it too low.

I was now seriously looking for a used travel trailer and was ready to buy. However, once the search started in earnest I started picking up rumblings amongst some family members that they'd rather have a boat than a travel trailer. My wife and I had a boat before we had kids and did get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Hmmm, I thought we'd better make sure we're all still on the same page so a family meeting was called. I figured the USA is a democracy so our family should follow suit in this case and vote. There are four of us (the dog can't vote) and the vote ended up being 3-1... for the boat. I was the sole voter for the travel trailer. I asked for a re-count and the result was the same. Sometimes democracy sucks . I then told them to pretend we were in Venezuala and my name was Hugo... Silence. So the travel trailer was out. For now.

Ok, on to looking for a used boat. We figured a 18-19 foot bowrider would be a good size for the four of us plus our dog plus a friend or two of our daughters. We found a really nice 2005 Bayliner 195 with the 4.3L Mercruiser in nearly-new condition so we ended up buying it in mid-April.

At the end of April more than half of us working in the technology center of my new employer were "temporarily" laid off due to delays in the start date of a $4 million dollar project we should have started work on a month prior. I did not really believe the temporary part would be very temporary so decided to look around again. Luckily I had kept in touch with a few managers of a client I'd done a lot of work for over the past 10 years and within a week I was able to join this client as a full-time employee. It's a great place to work so I feel very fortunate.

In my 23 years in the I.T. job market I'd never been unemployed, laid off, fired, etc. It figures, I buy a truck my position is eliminated. I buy a boat I get laid off. Each time I've landed on my feet and I think I'm actually in a better place now professionally than I was last October. I wonder what fate is trying to tell me.

The final irony is that the boat we ended up buying only weighs 3,300 pounds and could EASILY have been towed by our Mercury Mountaineer.

I do really like the FX4 and think it's an awesome vehicle. It was just a roundabout way to end up with one.

What a long strange trip it's been.

 

HAHAHAHAHA thats funny. Glad to hear the truck is working out for you. did you get any sort of deal factory ording it? I have some specific wants for the truck we are planning on purchasing in the next few months.

 

Nice story! Glad it is all working out for you.

 

It is good you got he F-150 though. I have a Bayliner 185 and I had an Explorer Sport Trac when I bought it. It was a handful at best. The power wasn't the issue, it was the independent suspension. It did not tow the boat well at all, so I'm guessing your Mountaineer wouldn't have either. When I pull in with my 2010 F-150, I can barely tell it is back there.

 

I have a town home that I used to live in that is a rental now.
Three (3) days after I bought my F150 the current tenant gave notice to move out.

Sure is a wild ride ... gotta roll with the punches!