Ok, I will try to make this short. I have a 2012 FX4 That I am considering spending the money for Amp Research retractable running boards. With F150 trade in value being what it is, I am considering trading the FX4 for a 13 or 14 Platinum which comes with the aforementioned. I almost always have a truck payment, but if I could save the 1200 bucks for the mod and keep the same payment for a new Platinum, could this be a better option? I don't go off roading and bought the FX4 to deal with winter road conditions but it doesn't have the auto 4wd that the platinum has. Is the auto 4wd a better setting than constantly shifting into 4wd for changing road conditions? Originally I wanted the Platinum but settled for the FX4 because my dealer couldn't find the exact truck I wanted. The FX4 arrived for dealer stock and I took it. Don't get me wrong , its a great truck, but I have had this truck for two years and have plenty of equity so keeping a $300 paymentis the key. So, keep my cash and trade up?

 

WFO,

Started once on a reply and then gave up. Where to start with the Plat except to say that I bought one last year and it wasn't enough. So, I bought another. Both are 5.0 with 3.55 gears. One a 6.5 box and the other 5.5. Both leveled at the home base of Auto-Spring at 1.5" ... and some other stuff.

Hope you can swing it, because you won't regret it if you do. The power boards are what everyone eventually will have ... and nobody talks about the rain-sensing wipers on the Plat (which work great). Those two things help make it a ridiculous truck/limo. The Bridgestone Duelers are really nice as factory offerings (smooth, but not ATs).

ps - get rear wheel-well liners to make it an easy hose-down

 

I would do the trade up for both the boards and the auto 4wd. You could even factory order one exactly the way you want it instead of taking something off the lot. You should have done that to begin with!

 

You are right but I didn't want the gut wrenching wait for a factory order. My sales manager assured me they should be able to find the truck I wanted and do a dealer trade. Six weeks later I settled for the FX$4. Not this time. If they cant find what I want , I will order the boards.

 

I went in to buy a Lariat and ended up with a Platinum...love it so far!

 

Why not wait for a factory order now? It's not like you need to get rid of what you have right away.

 

I can't say enough great things about my Platinum. I got lucky - the Dealership had one with 4wd and a 6.2l that no one wanted (gas mileage I guess), and ended up getting a great deal! She's aweful thirsty, but I love her!

 

I thought you went in for an oil change!

 

No deal. They weren't even close. Guess I keep the FX4 and buy some fancy running boards.

 

To me, and monetarily, it wouldn't have made sense to trade. You'd be losing a solid $3k on the trade-in, even with how well they're holding their value. Not to mention the premium to get a platinum. You still would have been tacking on a lot of extra time to the loan. Wanting to keep a $300 payment means very little, to me at least, when it's an 8 year loan.

Buying those running boards is the better option anyway. Having auto 4wd sounds like a completely unnecessary pretty-boy option. You saved money, be happy! Plus, you can get a 2015+ model in a few years instead of having a last-year-of-the-old-model truck.

 

Used to be able to trade every two years and build equity on top of that. Not any more. I'm not disappointed. I still have a great truck with low miles.

 

You're right...that's how it started taking my son in law's Lariat in for it's first oil change. Guess I had a little too much time to look at the new ones!

 

Paying straight cash has a few advantages . . . Painful the first time, but not so much each time after when trading in every year or two.

 

A Platinum with an FX4 tailgate would be perfect.

 

$300 a MONTH for a 2012 FX4? How'd you swing that...