Hello Guys,

I am seriously in the process of buying a 2002 F-150 Super Crew 4x4 with 4.6L V8 Lariat. I have no experience with this truck or any other truck for that matter. I presently drive a Suzuki Sidekick. I would like to know what you guys LIKE and DON'T LIKE about your trucks.

I am thinking of buying this to be used as a family car. I just got married and have 2 huge dogs and am about to have a baby soon. I do a lot of out of town road trips and would like to bring the "whole family" along.

I also carry a lot of outdoor gear when travelling ie. dive gear, camping gear, wind surf gear.

Is this a good truck for my needs? Are there better choices out there?

Thanks for your help guys.

 

It will certainly fill your needs, just don't expect great mpg. You can search this board and find a lot of people who would like to get more mpg, but this is a HUGE vehicle. You will get better mpg with the 4.6. Overall, most here are very satisfied with their ride. At least I know I am. You may want to consider a topper or lid for hauling your luggage and 'stuff' in the back when making trips. Wife and baby may take up all the interior room.

 

You may want to look for a Supercrew with a 5.4L engine if you are going to need power-on-demand when you load up your rig, otherwise it should do great. Are you going to be driving in the hills or mountains much? If so, again, you might want a 5.4L. I see the rig you are looking at is a 4x4; again, this is more weight to push around which will affect your power-to-weight ratio. From what I can see by reading this forum; there is very little difference in gas mileage between the 4.6 and 5.4 engines.

The thing to remember about gas mileage is the harder an engine needs to work the worse your gas mileage is going to be. That and how you have your rig set up. I've gotten as much as 20 mpg (Highway) and as little as 14 mpg (City). Simply putting a K&N air filter, cat back exhaust, and a Micro Tuner helped my rig a bunch in both gas mileage (top end) and power. I only gained .5 mpg during city driving but I gained approximately 3 mpg highway. I could probably pick up another 1 mpg by putting the electric fans on it.

I think Supercrew's make an excellent "family car". It's full sized with 4 regular doors as you know and you can put a bed lid, tonneau, or camper shell on the back if you like. Then again you could go ahead and get the Expedition which is built on an F150 frame if you don't have a need for an open bed.

Anyway this just my $.02. I can add that these Triton engines (both 4.6 and 5.4) have proven themselves to be long lasting engines as long as they are maintained right. As with anything, there are going to be a few bad apples in the bushel. Best of luck in your search!

 

Lots of good information in the last two posts. I would like to second the motion on the 5.4 engine. This is a heavy vehicle, and the 4.6 is marginal in power in this application. I have the 5.4, and it is OK on power, but definitely not overpowered. Otherwise, I think it will make a great family vehicle for you.

 

A couple thoughts regarding 4.6L vs. 5.4L:

If you are not pulling a trailer 4.6L is acceptable, but if you are going to pull a trailer, I wouldn't even consider the 4.6L.

The 4.6L will get better MPG.

New the 4.6L is about $800 cheaper to buy, but since the 4.6L is not desired by many you should be able to buy one for $1,000 - $2,000 less second-hand.

I pull a 6x12 enclosed trailer loaded its about 2,300 lbs x-way driving my truck hardly ever shifts out of high gear, Michigan is relatively flat though.

Good Luck!

 

I have three young children (ages 6mos, 2, 5), and I've had my supercrew for about two months. I gotta say I couldn't be happier - one of the reasons I bought it was because all three car seats fit in the back - and it really works great. We use it on the weekend on short family trips, but if we were going to be gone longer, I'd want a tonneau or shell to haul all the stuff that come with the kids.

I also have the 4.6 in mine, and I haven't done any mods to the engine - yet. It would work to tow with in a pinch, but if I was going to tow all the time, I'd want more. The flip side is, if I had more power, I'd probably get more tickets as well.

They're great vehicles!

 

Hi again, Bosero. After re-reading your post I see you are in the Philippines and was wondering how a full sized vehicle will do, as in drivability, on the roads there. When I was there in 1980 the city streets were pretty tight but the open roads weren’t bad.

I’m also guessing you don’t have the choices in vehicles we have in the USA. I also see you’re a diving instructor and have a couple of dogs to bring along as well as your family. If the dogs can ride in the bed of the truck you should do ok. If security isn’t an issue for your gear in the bed of the truck you should do ok. If not, an Expedition may fit your needs better, overall. A roof rack should take care of the windsurf gear and rest could go inside.

I too have a couple of dogs and really like putting the back seats down to make a perfect platform for them. Then again I don’t have kids that would need that space. I’ve never been comfortable putting my dogs in the bed of the truck; even with them leashed in.

Just some added thoughts for you to consider before making your buy.

Quick question for you; how’re things in the PI now that the military has pulled out?

 

I'll second ed753- if you are towing, you might want to look at the 5.4 If not, it should be fine. I have the 5.4, have 2 dogs and 2 kids (a 3rd on the way). The only set back I've discovered is the cap I'm looking for, the A.R.E with the plexiglass rear door, is about $1000 more that for a supercab. And its shorter! I guess its special made, and blah blah blah. Oh Well, I prefer this set up because if I had the expy, I wouldnt put things in the back of that like I've put in the bed of my truck. And with the split rear window, I've got the access I'd need. I put indoor-outdoor carpet over a 4' x 5.5' 3/4 plywood board and the Labs are happy. My only wish is that I got the darker grey interior- the light grey gets a little dingy. Good luck!

 

I have a 02 4.6L SC I bought for a family truck 2 kids now 11 and 7. I had a boat and then sold it didn't like towing with the truck but bought jetskis instead. Still want the boat again, should have got the 5.4L from the jump now I wouldn't be looking at the 05 KR SC or the 05 KR SC F250.

It is a good truck and will do some light towing/hauling when needed but I would go up never know what the future holds for us. Good luck

 

Thanks to all who have replied. It was all really enlightening. Made me firm up on my decision to buy it.

Netbob928,
Yes. I am located in the Philippines. Regarding the size of the Super Crew and the relatively smaller roads here... I will not have a problems since my usual routine has big wide roads (fortunately).

Regarding Choices of American Trucks... I am sure it is not as plenty at in the US, but there are a lot more choices here now compared to 5 years ago. Some Chevy's is already here. So are some Dodge's. But out of all of them I prefer the Ford F150 Super Crew because it is a full size pick up. I can bring my whole house in it and still separate the frigile cargo (family) from the more durable items (dive gear, windsurf gear, kite surfing gear, road and mountian bikes, climbing gear, etc.)

I agree that dogs should never be leashed on the bed. I intend to buy 2 portable kennels (the ones that can be used in airplanes) and keep my dogs in them while in transit. This still leaves enough space for my other gear.

Regarding the 5.4L vs 4.6L. I agree that the 5.4L will be better choice (assuming minimal difference in consumption) but the only one being sold to me is the 4.6L. I do not see myself towing anything in the near future. Most of my activity's gear, actually all of them can be loaded at the back all at same time. All I need to to is arrange them properly.

Again, thanks to all who have posted. If there is anything else you would like to share to enlighten me some more, please do so.

 

You are very welcome, Bosero; hope you like your new truck as much as I do! I just got my new-to-me truck in April. It's easily the best 4-wheeled vehicle I've ever owned. It's my hope to get a new King Ranch SC someday but until then the one I have will do nicely.

 

You'll be fine with the 4.6L. It has plenty of torque for quick acceleration when you need it. Just maintain the engine properly and it'll deliver great performance. Congrats!