I'm in the process of looking for a new truck. I've been looking long and far and have had very little luck. I'm looking for a 1997 extended cab regular or short bed pickup. There are many of these but i have had a lot of trouble finding them with a manual transmission.

Does anyone know if they are rare or if i have just been unlucky. I've found plenty of regular cab 5 speeds, just no extended cabs with stick.

Also, can anyone shed any light on the quality of the 1997 year in general (this will my first ford) and whether i need 4x4 or not. I live in the northeast and have never driven a rear wheel drive only vehicle on snowy roads.

Thanks for any and all insight to this newcomer.

Tim

 

First I would highly recommend you stay away from any 1997 V6. AjRagno (member of F150online) has a lot of information on the subject of the 97 and I believe 98 V6 motors and the problems they had with gasket failures.

Other then that I don’t know of any specific quality issues related to 1997 F150, not there are not some, but I don’t know of any specific.

Others will be along to give you some better advice…

Welcome to F150online…

 

First off welcome to the site.
I have to agree with 01, it probley in your best interest to stay away from the V-6 in the 97 and 98 trucks. I'm not saying every V-6 is going to have the head gasket failure. It seams that a lot of them do, but I have heard of many going well over 100,000 with no leaks and no problems.
Don't know if you know this or not, so i will say it anyway. The 5.4 liter V-8's only come with the auto. The auto is also rated higher for towing over the 5-speed. So if you really have to have a 5-speed, then the 4.6 V-8 will be your best bet. I have the 4.6 in my 97 and it is a great motor. It's small enough to give you dicent gas milage, but big enough to have good power with plenty of torque.
IMO that might be a preaty hard combo to find. When i was looking for my truck I never found one with the V-8 and 5-speed, so i settled for an auto. Its not bad but I still wish I had a 5-speed.
Hope this helps
Travis

 

Given the performance problems and space requirements of a manual, why in the world would you want one? Seriously, if you ever plan on towing anything, you will need the automatic. Look up the towing ratings to see how drastic the difference is. I would spring the extra $ for the auto everytime. The manuals are pathetic.

 

In general, the stick is going to be much harder to find, especially behind the V8. Not a lot of these trucks are sold with a stick anymore, namely because of the towing limitations, as pointed out before. If you are going to tow anything, get the auto. Its that simple.

As far as a '97 being a bad year, I'd disagree. First year off the line, yes - but remember that '97s were effectively made for two years, since the first came off the line in early '96. So you should find a lot of these trucks out there. Check the build date (its on the sticker in the door frame). If it was a very early build, I'd be squeamish, but later than about mid year I'd have no problems. My '97 has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned, bar none. I've had unscheduled maintinence twice - a tie rod at 112,000 miles, and an alternator at 160,400 miles. I'll take that record any day!

Do you need a 4x4? I'll be in the minority here, but I do know what I am talking about since I own both. My answer is no, you don't need 4x4. I load my 2wd with 300 lbs of sand in the bed and a good set of tires, and I've never been stuck in snow. Am I slow off the line? Yes, but I don't care. My 4x4 gives me more confidence to get into bad situations that I avoid in the 2wd, but like I said, I always got where I wanted to go in the 2wd, just had to be a little more careful about my line and think ahead. The 4x4 gives me 1.5 mpg worse fuel mileage and makes the truck feel a bit doggy compared to the 2wd. Nothing has broken in the 4wd system yet, but it will someday which will cost extra to maintain.

If I did it again, I'd probably just get a 2wd truck.

 

I have an automatic 98 V6 and have not had any problems. Its actually not a bad engine. If you find one pick it up. I havent seen a lot of manuals around so I guess they may be harder to find. www.autotrader.com
www.showauto.com
www.dealernet.com
www.cars.com

Have fun

 

I just sold a 98 F150 with the 4.6 L engine and auto
tranny. It was still plenty strong although it had
over 114,000 miles on it. The gas mileage was great
and the torque was also more than adequate for
any job I needed to do. My only complaint about
the 98 was the spooky-a$$ interior lights and
door locks...both only worked when they wanted.

 

(forgive me if you saw my similar post a while back)

I'm an inch away from buying a 97 XL with the 4.6L and auto. I made an offer a little lower than what the guy was asking and told him I want my mechanic to get the truck on a lift to take a look.

The truck is gorgeous! But I'm a little worried about the milage. WOULD YOU GUYS BUY a 97 F150 with 95,000 miles on it???
It's so clean I want to grab it before someone else does.

Thanks.

 

hey,there is a f150 super cab 4x4 where i live that a guy is selling. it has a 4.6 with 5 speed tranny. its maroon with new tires. i dont know how many miles but he only wants 7800. its in louisville,ky. i dont know where you live,but i guess they are out there. good luck with your search.

 

i forgot to mention that i have a 97 with the 4.6 with auto trans. ive never had a minutes trouble out of it.