This time instead of white, I got DSG. Love this color.

I'm going to keep the mods simple, just like I did on my '99, which never gave me a lick of trouble. This is, after all, my company/business-use vehicle, so nothing radical will be done to it.

But I already have the mods ordered. Driving a stock truck stinks once you've had a modded one for 4.5 years.

Mod list:
-2psi pulley
-air intake kit
-Factory Tech valve body
-Hotchkis front/rear lowering springs (man, these '04s sit HIGH)
-chip
-aftermarket wheels of some sort (haven't decided yet. I may just have some stock '04 wheels painted DSG...I had my wheels painted white on my '99)

I love these trucks!!

 

I think you made a good choice. Especialy since you get to wright off some of the company use stuff.

You get a lot of upgrades and most of the bugs are worked out.

Lot's of folks talk about the new 05 with the bigger horse power and stick shift. But I can't beleive it won't take some time to work out the bugs.

Ford is not going to step back and watch since we have been the leader for so long.

Even though your light on mods it is still a great ride.

What are your thoughts on wheels and tires?

 

Hi Wes
How do you like the new truck compared to the older one, what kind of little upgrades did Ford do. Ride? Suspension? Anything noticeable ?

I just helped talk a friend of mine out of buying a near new 99' and pointed him towards a newer truck.

I remember when I traded in my old 93' lightning for a 95'....I thought it was a completely different truck especially the ride quality and the shifting in the transmission.

Conagrats on the new truck.....great color choice
Dale

 

Congratulations ! I recently got a 2004 DSG as well. DSG is a good choice for several reasons. I wrote mine off as a 179 deduction and I could not be happier about it.

 

Differences in them? I don't think there's a lot. My '99 gave me ZERO problems. The only "bug" I had was the I/C leaking and it was fixed properly the first time under warranty. Otherwise I didn't have one issue. Dale, I think if someone can get a mint condition, super low-mile '99 for a song, then they should get it.

The only reason I sold it and bought a new one was b/c I found out the '03-04 trucks had a 6050lb GVWR which allowed me to write it off completely this year (thanks GW Bush).

I lowered my '99 two inches all the way around, and it had been like that for 3+ years, so it feels like I'm climbing into a 4x4, what with the '03-04 trucks that sit up substantially higher in the rear than a stock '99-02.

I like the overhead console of the newer truck (but that was changed in '00, I believe). I like the metal/stainless door handles on the inside. That is cool. The keyless entry is no big deal to me. We don't use it on our Expedition, so I won't use it on this truck.

I've only got 240 miles on the truck, and it seems like the suspension is a bit tauter than the '99, but that may be b/c the '99 had ~44k miles on it. I had swapped Bilstein shocks on it and had lowered it, so it handled well. I think maybe some of what I'm feeling is that the steering also seems more responsive. I would also say this has to do with "new" vs. 44k miles of use. I mean, I don't remember what my '99 felt like new.

The '04 is definitely quicker than the '99 was stock (my '99 ran 13.95). I would say this one certainly runs mid-13s in Texas. It's slower than my '99 was when I sold it, though... not for long! I don't think I feel the 15hp gain stock vs. stock, as much as I do the 3.73 gears vs. the 3.55s. Boost gauge reads only 6-7psi. I figure a good intake and 2psi pulley should put me above 10psi for sure.

Yes I'm light on mods, but want the thing to run to 100k+ miles. My son has 5-6 years til he starts driving and this would be an awesome vehicle for him. I maintain my vehicles in a most **** fashion, so it will be in great shape... just like my '99 was in. Also, my dealer will still warranty my truck with the small mod list I have, so I'm not going to push it. It should run high-12s on stock F1s. That's plenty quick enough for my "work truck".

EZGZ... not sure about wheels. I am not going to change tires. I have researched this ad nauseum before. I would like to get a 335-345mm wide rear tire, but you can't get them in the stock diameter (28"). It's all super low-profile stuff for Vipers, etc. I am not going to go 19s or 20" wheels on this truck, either. I have some nice Boyd Coddington billet wheels on my '69 Vette (Timeless 5's) that I really think would look great on this truck. They're also pretty reasonable as far as $$ goes. I considered HRE's, but that's just too much $$. I have some Fikse FM5's on my Z06, and would get those in a heartbeat, but Fikse does not make a wheel for trucks. Another option I like is having a set of '04 wheels painted the color of the truck (DSG). I had some '99 wheels painted white to match my old truck and it looked killer.

Also, I'm not going to diss the '06 L, but here's the way I looked at it: 1) 500hp vs. 380hp stock. We _know_ the '01-04 trucks often dyno at 340-350rwhp stock. That means they are closer to 405-410hp, not 380. Now, the 500hp truck could be underrated as well. But we don't _know_ that... yet. 2) the new truck is ~800lbs heavier, right? That negates a significant amount of that HP advantage. 3) We _know_ these trucks can be modded easily. I would guess the '06 will be too. 4) I like the current body-style. While I'm sure the new one will grow on me, too, I _know_ that I like THIS one. 5) I need an automatic b/c my wife does drive this truck occassionally, and she doesn't want to drive a stick, so the Vettes are out for her.

Even if the new truck was 6 months away, I _know_ I got a vehicle that suits my needs very well, and I got it for invoice (I don't qualify for X-plan, so I was happy with invoic) and I get to write it off NOW. In '06, the tax law will probably have changed.

<---this is the first time in my life I've bought the EXACT same model vehicle a second time around. That, my friends, says something about the L. My tastes are pretty darn descriminating, IMHO.