Hey Guys,

I want to see what you think about my situation and which course of action you would choose. Thank you for your help!

I've owned my 2005 Lariat Supercrew for 8 years and currently have about 128,000 miles. Its been an excellent truck with no real problems. That is until now.

Within the last three months, the 5.4 engine has started to display all the symptoms of low oil pressure, cam phaser issues. Its knocking, ticking and mechanic has recommended repairing the phasers and tensioners. I'm also experiencing a startup issue that seems to be a worn flex-plate.

I thinking about trading my truck in on a 12-14 F150 FX4. I've been offered $13,500 for my truck and most of the 12-14's I've looked at are priced around $36-39,000. i have some money saved as well, so let's say I would have to finance around $18-20,000 for a new or ford certified 12-14.

I love my truck and its been paid off for a long time, but maybe having to spend $6-8,000 on a 13,000 truck just doesn't seem like a good idea. Of course it could end up being that I replace the cam phasers and get 200,000 out of the truck or I could replace them and still end up having to buy a reman engine.

So,

Option 1= keep my 2005, spend maybe $2,000 to $8,000 to repair/replace engine and flexplate.

or

Option 2= trade my 2005 for $13,500 and get into a 12-14 F150 FX4 5.0 with extended powertrain warranty.

Share with me what you would do.

 

I'm not a good one to ask because I don't finance cars.......and I'm not rich; I just save up, what would have been a car payment and use that for my next purchase or for a major repair....that said, if I had the cash I would either 1) fix the 2005 or 2) sell the 05 for $10-13k privately (if the dealer is willing to give you that, it must be worth something; they're usually hard on trade ins unless they think they can make some up on a newer rig) spend another $5k on a newer/used rig with lower miles. I'd be leaning toward fixing the 05.

 

X2 on that! I usually pay cash for all my cars too. But if you have the cash, upgrade to an 07-12 model which doesn't have that issue. 8 grand is a lot to pay on repairs for something that should be on the recall list. Use that 8 grand to get into something a little more reliable. Its also not guaranteed the cam issue will go away after repair.

 

I love Fords. I hate 5.4 3 valves. Trade it in before it gets worse. Look for a deal on a NEW 2014.

 

Agreed. I love Fords too, but I would never own another 5.4. If they hadn't switched to the 5.0/Ecoboost options, I would probably be driving something else.

 

Note I said 3 valve. The 5.4 2 valve is one of the best engines ever built by anyone.

 

Thanks for the responses so far.

I just trying to be sure I'm not making a decision I will regret, either option I choose.

I've been trying to read up on any 11-14 F150 common problems and the biggest that I've come across is the transmission clunk. So they seem to be turning out to be more reliable than the 04-08's.

I also came across a nice 2012 F250 lariat with the 6.2 gas motor that was in the same price range. Really got me thinking about "upgrading" to a new truck. The extra payload and bed length would be very handy during family camping trips. But it might be a bit rough as a daily driver.

Decisions, decisions.

 

The only downside of the 6.2 in a SD is it's a gas hog. The new ones don't ride too bad.

 

I picked up my 2014 5.0 in July last year for 28,500

 

My question would be, do you want another truck? If you want another truck then go ahead and find the best deal on something used but you aren't really upgrading unless you get a 2015 model IMO.

I understand getting rid of your current truck before it takes a dump but that's kind of ****ty that someone might inherit a ton of your trucks problems. If anything sell it to Carmax that way the kid buying it will have a warranty option. You know that truck will be some kids first vehicle and that's kind of a jerk move in my opinion to have some teenage buy it and an unknown $$$$ bill but I'm no moral police.

I think if you are going to take out a loan then get something you want. If that something is a new truck then fine but say you want a 03-04 Cobra, then buy that and pay to have the F150 fixed so it can be a daily driver/beater. Depends on how much money you have I guess. But if it's another truck then get a 2015 if you can foot the bill.

 

Time for an update!

I've decided to sell my 2005 F150 and have found two possible replacements. One is a 2012 F250 Lariat 6.2L and the second is a 2014 F150 XF4.

Now I'm working on weighing the pros and cons of each. My cost is within $700 between them, so price isn't a deciding factor. Although taxes, insurance and fuel expenses might be.

MDK, while I appreciate your input for my decision, I take offense to the suggestion that I'm being a jerk and that my actions are ****ty. I have been honest and upfront with the dealerships that I am working with about the condition of my truck. I took my truck to both of them so that could could do a tech inspection before offering me a trade-in value. As a Ford dealership they are surely aware of the common issues that affect 5.4 F150s. Honestly, I believe it's crappy for Ford to stick all the 5.4 3v owners with the cost of repairing or replacing an engine that clearly has engineering issues that should be on a recall list.

As far keeping my truck, repairing it, and going out and buying whatever I want - - not going to happen. LOL. I'm middle class with a wife and three young children. Although I do love the Terminator Cobras, not much room in my budget for "wants" like unpractical sports cars.

Thanks for all the input guys. My wife is starting to think I'm a little OCD with all the spreadsheets I've created to compare the features and options on the different trucks!

 

The more I have thought about this one, I'd probably trade your truck in on a newer vehicle instead of dumping an unknown amount of money into repairs. I am also one of the guys who tends to pay cash for a vehicle, but in your case (young family to support) I think the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're not fixing an old truck just so it can break again might be worth the investment in a new truck -- even if you have to finance part of it. Sometimes the predictability of your finances is as important as the raw numbers month-to-month.

Of the two options you list, I'd do the F-150 unless you really need the Super Duty for towing. The cost of just about everything on the F-150 will be lower, and it's two years newer to boot!

 

Didn't mean to offend but I find it hard to believe a dealer would offer you $13.5k if you were upfront about the issues. That's over $2K KBB/NADA just for a truck in very good condition which means no mechanical issues let alone one with the issues. If they are offering that price you have to think rationally about their intentions and to me it sounds like you are going to get overcharged for this new vehicle you want, dealers always do that. Make you a crazy good price on your trade in but you'll pay for the new car. Just keep that in mind.

As far as the 250 or 150 I would say whichever has the best resale value. Typically the 150 is more accessible to a wider array of folks and its the last year of that generation so that's usually the best year to buy since most of the kinks are worked out. Sounds like with a good size family you might want to save some cash and I would bet that the f150 is cheaper to repair than a 6.2l and the gas savings between a much heavier 250 w/6.2l would be helpful. It's also safe to assume the 250 had a better chance of towing much more or heavier objects resulting in increased stress on all the expensive parts where as the 150 it could have had an easy life like mine with only towing once in 60k miles. For me its 150 all the way man.

I know what's its like trying to justify a vehicle so I'm just trying to give you a more educated insight especially if you don't have a lot of disposable income.

Do the math too. Your new vehicle is probably around $35k without taxes which are about $3K. Even if you take out a loan for $35k for 6yrs@4% interest (if your credit is good) then your payments are $550 a month. Add on an insurance increase cause it's a newer vehicle for at least $150/month for full coverage which is required by law on a vehicle with a lien and that is $700 a month if you are lucky. That's $8400 for just the first year! Don't forget the $$$$ for the initial taxes so that could be $11400 for one year of ownership.

 

What do you use the truck for? Is the fuel cost penalty of the F250 with 6.2 justified? What do you need a truck for? Maybe a Fusion would be better for a family.

 

Which engine is in the FX4?