Hello, I purchased My F-150 V6 manual last june because my old 89 straight 6 manual , saw its last days after 350,000 hard kilometeres (no rebuilds or major work). So being so pleased with my previous vehicle I walked in to my Ford dealer after a long period of comparison shopping, and plunked down a chunk of change for the most similar truck to replace my old love. Well heres my ranting beef. I bought a reg cab with a V6 manual tranny and 8 foot box. But the damn problem is that the thing is more car than truck. First and most the tranny is a undersized piece of Jap junk, okay its smoother than the old tractor tranny, but what the ******** can I tow with that. I think payload has been sacrificed in favor of ride quality. And the motor feels like an oversized civic motor. Listen people the base model 89 that I had was twice the truck that I have now. Remember that you could buy the cheapest full size ford truck on the lot, that was designed to be worked.

I doubt the new V6 will have the long term durabilaty that the old straight 6 did. The new V6 certainly does not have the low end grunt or pulling power the old one had.

Do I have to buy an automatic to get decent towing power that costs me 1000 bucks up front and probably more than a manual down the road.

Do I have to pay extra to get a payload package to match what my old base model had.

In short to match the capabilities of my old truck I would have to buy one with the 4.6 V8 and an automatic. ( The exact opposite of what I wanted being a bone stock truck).

Please dont get me wrong the truck is good I just dont think that this truck is as tough as my old and I dont feel as confident with
it. I understand that the demand for trucks as personal vehicles is on the rise and they want to make them more car like. But I beleive that Ford should stay true to its roots of making toughness there first priority. Anyway I learned my lesson that you cant trust a loved brand by past experience anymore and to read every stat in the booklet before you buy. Bottom line is that I beleive that you have to pay alot extra on a truck to get what you got standard on a truck before.

If anyone was able to tolerate this letter and is reading this feel free to respond to this letter.

 

Let me say one thing, the 4.2l is no 300. Theres nothing like the old straight 6.
I think you should have gotten the auto, and the 4.6l v8. You have more power, and more towing power. Many have complained about the weak manual. The body of the truck is rugged, theres no worry there.

Go test drive a 4.6l V8 auto and see what ya think.

 

Go Ford
I hear Ya.
I used to have a 93 F150, and now have a 99 F150. I also think the 93 was beefier, but I like the new truck better all around.Both of my trucks are V8's, but I had a old Bronco with a in line six, and those sixes, had great low end power.
The handling of the new truck blows away the older F150's and there is much more room in the cab.
Good luck with your truck, drive, and enjoy it for a few years, and then get one with a V8 and a automatic

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1999 F150 4x4 4.6V8 regcab/shortbed
Oxford White with Wedgewood Blue two tone, with Blue Captains chairs
Bassani Cat Back, Superchip,Modified intake with modified K&N filter.

 

Yeah that's pretty sick that any full size truck can only pull 2,500 lbs.
My old Nissan could do 3,500lbs, and it was 2.4L 4cyl.
My 98 Honda minivan (1.6L 4cyl) is good for 3,500 also.
It's pretty sad when a 4cyl minivan can out-tow a full size truck.

 

First, the main reason ford is doing this is because, more people are replacing cars for trucks i.e. the F-150's...My neighbor down the road, has never owned a truck in his life, and usually borrowed one of ours, and now has a 2wd Supercab with the V6 and auto...Its a great truck, looks good and everything...But its designed for comfort, (replaced a honda Accord)...The interior on these new trucks are superior to old interiors, I hope the wind noise on these newer trucks is better than mine!More room than my 93, but I didn't seem to be much more than my 89, upfront...He claims he can pull our stock trailer and our 16' car hauler with out a problem...Which he probably can with it empty, otherwise he may not be able to get up the hills...And he made a mistake not getting a 4x4...

Think about how Ford sold so many F-150s in the latest several years...Dealers around here have just small cars and minivans...I can't find a single used F-150 anywhere...The dealers I've talked too, keep trying to sell me a Superduty, which I have absolutely no problem with, but I need a economic vehicle in school...When I get out of school...PSD here I come1!

[This message has been edited by Pastmaster (edited 01-31-2000).]

 

Yeah, I hear ya!
Used F150s are very hard to find, and when you do find them they are only a little cheaper than new ones.
Here's anthoner example of how Ford is trying to appeal to the "truck as a personal vehicle" crowd:
https://www.f150online.com/f150board...ML/000288.html

It's also odd that an F250 is not much more $$$ than a F150.

 

I disagree on the 4.2L durability. When Ford brought these out four years ago, I was VERY skeptical. They have since shaken down to be a fairly reliable engine (I'll miss the 300 c.i.d. six though). All I can say about the transmission is it's stronger than the GM SM318 three speed GM was putting in Chevrolet pickups in the sixties, it was MUCH weaker than the M5OD. If Ford was concerned with giving everyone a smooth shifting transmission, what about the old Warner T10? They were used in trucks, its modern cousin is the Doug Nash 5 speed, we'd still have the fuel economy plus durability.

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'98 F150 XL Regular Cab, LWB, 4.2L V6, 5 Spd, 3.55 LS, Rhino Lining, factory heavy duty suspension, K&N filter, Oxford White minus the two tone garbage. BIG TIME FoMoCo p/u fan, not some fair weather hammerhead.