Dan, not that I don't think your ins salesman is top drawer but, I was just curious, my fifth position is an 'F' and I have a Lariat.
What's yours?

I just didn't see trim line in this link:

https://www.f150online.com/resources/vindecode.cfm

 

Just to put my fifth digit into the mix. It's an "X" and I have a 97 XLT.

 

mine's an X and i have an XLT. There's about 5 diferent letters that can go there for the different body styles, and cabs, and trim lines.

 

And yes the XL's do have a badge. At least mine does.

 

Just hate to see somebody get snowed. I still say there is no particular digit in the VIN that defines trim line. The VIN as a whole can be used to access another database to get more info on a particular vehicle and the ins companies may not want you to know that they have access to this data. Which is why they may say something like,
"Oh, i knew it was an XLT because of the fifth position..."

5th position of the VIN:
F = Regular Cab
X = Super Cab
W = Super Crew Cab

6th position:
0 = Flareside
1 = Styleside

7th position:
7 = 2wd
8 = 4wd

8th position:
Engine

9th position:
I don't recall (but not trimline GRrrrrrrrrr!!!

10th position:
Year

11th position:
Plant

12th position:
check digit

13 thru 17 :
Sequence number

You can test this theory by not giving them the whole number, just the first 12 or any part of the first 12 they desire.

If you don't give them the whole number, I don't think they can't tell you trim line.

 

I own an XL. Its a 98 though. It does say XL on the fenders and as you can tell the mirrors are the cheap plastic ones.

 

I don't disagree with you Raoul. I don't know for certain, i'm just a messenger.

 

I had a 97 XL SC 4X4 and it had the XL under the F150 badge. It had steel rims and vynil floors, no cruise control either. I believe what you are being offered is a Work Series.

 

Hey Dan I didn't want to come across as disagreeing with you either. I have no doubt that your ins co, and Pickup Man's ins co. knew what you had before you told them. I just wonder how much more they know once they have the VIN.

Besides, we haven't heard from bar reyes again. He probably won't even get the truck. If I was him I'd go back and tell the salesman, "Too bad, this truck had everything I wanted but, I just don't want an XL. If it had been the "Work Series" I would have paid top dollar for it."

 

I checked the vin with carfax comes back as F150 styleside 4X2 PU. Found out my friend has a 97 with a XL on the fender with crome bumpers and different style rims than this one. I ran the vin with AutoCheck and this is what came back:
Year: 1997
Make: Ford Truck
Model: F-150 STD
Style/Body: 3 Passenger 2 Dr Truck
Engine: 4.2L V 6 NA OHV Gas EFI
Country Mfg.: United States

Could the STD mean its a work series or base model?. Dealer said a cloth seat makes it a XL. Easy enough to put in a cloth seat.
Low - high book on a base model $6700-9285
Low - high book on a XL model $8075-11500 big price diference.

Dealer wants $8400 for the truck.
Truck has: 62K, vinyl floor, cloth seat, air, amfm, pwr brakes & steering, no tilt, no cruise.
I now think it's not an XL.

 

It may be an XL. But it could have been a wrecked XL that someone fixed up and forgot to put the XL badges back on the fender's. I would shy away from that one. These day's you just can't tell what your gettin' into!

 

My 5th digit is an X and mine is a Lariat. Hmmmmmmmm.

 

Boy, it's been a while, but as I recall, the most obvious outside appearance difference between the Work Series and the XL was the rims. The Work Series had painted steel wheels with small (round?) openings (no "spokes"). The XL also had painted steel wheels, but they had the large openings which gave it the 5 spoke look and was the steel version of the cast aluminum wheels found on the XLT series.

You could easily add options to a Work Series to bring it up to the trim and option level of the XL.

 

Dennis, so the wheels on the XL look like our spares? It has been a very long time since I have seen an XL, mind you. I am not downing anyone's truck in any way, power to all F-150s, I am just asking because I don't know. Is that the kind of wheels that they have? Someone post pics of an XL and someone post pics of a Work Series, the only way we are going to point out obvious differences. Preferably 97s, please.

 

My 98 is a work series, not an XL. It is as stripped as you can get on the outside, grey painted bumpers, grey plastic grill and the "argent" steel wheels with the little holes with the plastic grey center caps. The interior has the plastic floor, but I do have the cloth seat (bench, not split bench), tilt steering, cruise control, A/C and AM/FM/Cassette.

My work series has all of the options that the standard XL had, but it doesn't have the chrome (or painted color matched) bumpers that the 98 XL's on the dealer lot had. The only difference that I could find in my work series and the XL I looked at was the 1500 bucks on the sticker and the chrome bumpers and chrome grill. The interior was exactly the same.

I would say you are looking at a work series, especially since you don't have tilt or cruise.