I hope that question gets a lot of responses. I have never owned a truck and have decided to finally make the switch. I admit that I don't know a lot about trucks. I need a better reason than picking the best-selling truck to invest in an F-150. So please tell me why! What makes the F-150s so different from other trucks? What is the best part of owning one - the toughness, the lack of break-downs, etc.?
I appreciate all responses - sell me on it, I need to be convinced before I throw down all this $.

 

In March, I traded in an 02 Silverado that I really liked. It had been a good truck, just getting too many miles on it. I decided to go with the Ford as it ihas better materials, better engineering, put together better and more truck. Also, I think it has better styling at the moment. I do not regret my decision one bit.

 

You're a good candidate for The Truth.

Beyond that, just test drive them all, Ddoge, GM, Nissan, Toyota, even the Ridgeline. If you are not towing 3000+ pounds, they all have unique attributes. One of them should stand out as just being right for you.

 

I have owned a Chevy, Dodge, and now a Ford. I would rate the Chevy the best because I had it the longest. The Dodge the worst due to an unexplained tap in the motor that started at bout 50K. My F150 has been great and if it holds up as long as the Chevy at 118k then it will be the winner. My neighbor has an F150 with 180K on it. The modular engines are built to last awhile. My Ford is the most pleasureable to drive out of the other trucks I have had. Overall, I like the F150 the best. This is versus a 91 Chevy Silverado Stepside and a 99 Dodge Ram Quad Cab.

 

My personal reason was the ride and number of options.

Drive the F150, round town and also at 80mph on the Istate. Drive the competitors. If you are just getting into a truck and have always driven a car, you'll appreciate the differences all the more.

As for the options, I liked the looks of Dodge Rams, but after I checked out Ford F-Series that (and the slightly longer bed) was all there was to like-- no bucket seat option, less room in the crew cabs (which from the forum I found this post in-- I'm assuming is what you are interested in), worse fuel mileage, only three trim levels to the F150's six.

 

I chose the Ford F-150 because of several things: 1) Hands down the best and freshest looking of the major 3 trucks, 2) The F-150's reputation for toughness and the fact it has been the best selling truck 27 yrs straight (even against Chevy & GMC combined), 3) in the '04 makeover, the F-150 received more than new skin - (coilover front suspension, larger frame, awesome interior styling, outboard mounted shocks, 3V V8 engine, etc.) and, 4) this is my 1st truck and it rides like a car - quiet, smooth yet firm, etc.

The only area I feel where Ford dropped the ball is the powertrain management area - for a 300hp engine - it is pretty lethargic, and it has the occaisional "thunk", rough idle, burp, etc......just too many computers talking to each other and way too conservatevly tuned IMO.....nothing an aftermarket exhaust, intake and tuner won't cure - but I shouldn't have to spend an extra 1500 to optimize the powertrain and get it running smoothly....and don't even get me started on that nasty "throttle by wire" nonsense.......

Now, having said that - I would definitly buy the F-150 again!!

 

I have just personally had much better luck with Ford products as far as reliability.

 

Before I bought my 2005 F-150, I test drove everything else that was out there before trying out the Ford. Honestly, the Ford has the most comfortable interior and offers an astounding number of options the other companies just don't do. If your dealer has the F-150 frame section, bed retaining bolt and quiet steel display out... you'll instantly see why the Ford has the reputation for being tough.

Chevy/GMC make a good truck. Their transmissions shift smooth as silk. What steered me away from them is the "cheap" or "work truck" style interiors found on the high end (high dollar) models. I couldn't find one GM truck with an electric rear window.

Dodge... well eveyone I know that owns a Dodge truck told me to steer clear of them. Most common problem... they don't like to start and go through starter motors like candy.

Nissan/Toyota... Not quite a full sized truck and the interiors are cramped. Electric windows and such are not standard.

 

This new 3 valve motor has done something the others havent. Everyones truck does perform better when reprogrammed with a tuner such as the superchips, hypertech or xcal. When I say everyone I mean Chevy, Dodge, Ford, etc. Well, Fords new 3 valve motor is the only one to be making significant gains with high octane fuel and tuning from these programmers. The others are really not making much improvement running high octane. You really need a higher compression engine to see benefits of high octane fuel in most cases. Well, Fords new 3 valve motor makes significant gains with 87 fuel and tuning as well as again with 91 octane and tuning. Personally, I find that A LOT more exciting than the hemi.

 

I stayed with Ford because every Ford that I have had in the past has gone over 150K miles.

1970 F250 - 225000 miles - traded in
1986 Mustang - 185000 miles - sold it
1995 Ranger 4x4 - 155000 miles - traded in
1997 Explorer 5.0 AWD - 120000 miles - still have and running strong
2001 F150 S'Crew - 48000 miles - my wife lets me drive it when I behave

None of these vehicles ever needed anything other than routine maintenance.

 

I totally agree with APT. Once you test drive these trucks, I am sure you will be able to understand why the F-series is the best selling truck. My dealer didn't go with me on my test drive, he said that he doesn't need to try to sell this truck, because it sells itself, and he was right. Good luck!

 

no matter what your needs, FORD makes the best trucks period!

 

Hadn't seen "The Truth". Makes me want to run out and trade up! Kind of hard though since this one is paid off. Think I will keep saving up for my M coupe or Lotus Elise! After you see that though, why would you even bother with any other truck. Almost everything in that website is just cold hard engineering facts. Damn I love my truck!

 

I got an f150 just so i could join this forum! No really this is my second f150 and i love it! very dependable and easy maintenance( besides spark plugs). These trucks are built to last.

 

The F150 supercrew is my first pickup truck and first brand new vehicle since 1982. I test drove Ram and Silverado too, crawled around underneath, examined the frames, chassis and interiors, read numerous reviews, and finally read the crash test results. At the end of the day (metaphorically speaking), it really was a simple decision; I headed straight for the nearest Ford dealer with a handful of Internet price quotes to bargain with. I don't have time to list all the numerous innovations and really heavy duty features in this truck, but the Ford dealer I visited had a showroom display that included items like cutaway frame sections and front suspension pieces. I already knew about that stuff after seeing the undercarriage for myself, but I'm mentioning it because it might save you the trouble. Do your homework and I think you'll come to the same conclusion I did. Man, I love this thing!