it's good that you are doing your research and keeping an open mind

fwiw, i drive a supercrew xlt 4X4, and i traded in an almost new '06 Z71avalanche to buy this one...my main reason for getting rid of the avalanche is i made the mistake of buying one with the 3.42 gears--it would downshift if a fly flapped its wings in front of the windshield (exaggeration, but the transmission was constantly downshifting on even the slightest grades, going down to 2nd often at highway speeds to pull slight inclines...i'd skip straight to the 4.10 gears if i did it over again, and even then might put smaller tires on it)

my breakdown:

avalanche pros
1. saddle bag compartments
2. integrated bed cover
3. onstar
4. 49/51 weight distribution
5. great ride

avalanche cons
1. 5.3 engine lacks torque at low rpms
2. no auxiliary transmission oil cooler despite advertising that Z71 includes one
3. cramped driver seat
4. wind noise at speed
5. too much plastic, even on wbh option
6. putting midgate down necessitates losing back seat and pushing front seats too far forward to clear the back seat headrests
7. gas mileage never above 15/18

f150 pros

1. 5.4L makes lots of torque at low rpms
2. quiet ride
3. interior fit/finish
4. comfortable driver seat
5. larger back seat
6. higher cargo and towing capacity
7. good gas mileage (16 city/19.5 hiway)

f150 cons
1. no integrated bed cover
2. no onstar
3.rougher ride (but this equals better off-road, in my experience)


the new avalanche has a better frame, and there is the option for the 6.0L, but the fuel efficiency isn't anywhere close to advertised (according to everyone i've spoken with) and i've heard rumor that the 6.0L in the avalanche is only available with the all-wheel drive option, but i cannot confirm or deny this

as for the titan, i test drove them too, and yes, they are fast, but the looks are pitiful and the interior is cheap feeling...i don't like the frame on the titan as well and i've heard accounts of issues with the rear axle on more than a few

bottom line, if i were to buy an avalanche, i'd skip right over to the 4.10 gearing no question...if i were going gm though, i'd get a gmc crew cab with the 6.0L z71 over the avalanche ...the avalanche seemed very practical until i owned it a while, and then i realized that a pickup suited my needs much better

 

What would be an early 05? Mine was built in 11/04

 

here's my 2 cents worth from a newby: i looked at chevy and fords. needed a crewcab or extended cab for the 2 teenage boys i have. i had a 2004 S-10 crewcab. i drove the chevy and ford CC's.. ford impressed me a lot. and ford gave me a much better deal. after driving my Screw for two weeks now......i glad ford gave me a better deal!!!!

 

If memory serves (for me, it's only part time ), I believe that vehicles with a production date sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter of any given year are "labeled" as the following year's model. For some reason the month of September and on, seems to stand out in my mind. Someone may want to correct me on this however.

Anyhow back to the thread at hand, you may want to visit the Titan and Chevy forums for more comparisons. What the heck, post the same questions and see what type of responses you receive.

One of the considerations I took in buying my '05 Screw was a DVD which was given to me by the dealer. The DVD was about the F150 and how much better it's design, materials and safety was over similar trucks. Narrated by Rick Titus, I believe. The comparison in features were against Chevy and Toyota. Maybe Dodge was included. Perhaps it was clever marketing, but in the end, I was rather surprised at how inferior the other makes were (if indeed true).

 

All of your input has been really helpful and I've been considering all of your replies while making the decision. I've posted the same question on Titan and Avalanche forums to hopefully get their opions too. We're going out test driving tonight to hopefully widdle the options down to one. There are some awesome deals to be had here in Central Iowa on F-150s. Thanks for all your input so far.

 

I'm on my 2nd F150 and love it! Never owned an Avalanche but I did drive my father inlaws Titan around for about three weeks, good looking truck, but holy crap that thing was a GAS HOG!!!!

 

I bought new a 01 Supercrew 4X4 with the 5.4L loaded and love it. It has about 60K miles on it now with no problems. I plan to keep it a long time

 

It's now between the F-150 and the Avalanche. We test drove Avalanches last night and I was very impressed. We looked at two 05s and the truck is very smooth and lots of creature comforts, plus the seats were very comfortable. However, from what you're all saying you can buy an F-150 for a steel these days. If we can get a brand new F-150 for the same monthly payment of a 2 year old used Avalanche with 50K on it, then we're definetely going with an F-150. My questions:

1) Is Ford offering 0% APR on their trucks?
2) How much can I realistically expect to take off the sticker price on an F-150?
3) How do I negotiate that price with the dealership. I'm young (23) but a pretty straight shooter and can usually hold my own with a salesman. How do you guys drive the price down when you buy your trucks? Thanks

 

hi, vgl with your Purchase.

all i can say is i have been a chevy type person all my life,
buttttt
since the purchase or a new f150.

i would want no other vehicle lol

cant believe how fast my mind changed!!!!!!!

this truck is well worth the money and when covered with a warranty
theres no reason to buy anything else its got it all.

vgl with your new purchase , Hope its a ford truck.

 

I found that there is no haggling if you go in with an X-Plan PIN.. There are guys out there that can help you out with that.. May want to look into the Lightning forums for that.. You get a great price, that is preset from Ford and you see it all up front.. Then you get to take any rebates off of it.. With the X-Plan you can get a nice truck (2006 XLT 4 door, 5.4l, 4x4) for mid $26,000.. That includes rebates of $4500.. You can even get an 06 Lariat for less than $30,000.. The other nice thing about X-Plan is that if you let your salesman know you are wanting to buy from them if they work with you, they should sit down with you and basicly look in other dealers inventory on their system to see if they can get something D-Xed for you.. Good luck!
If you have questions.. Please ask...

 

Hi there... thanks for the reply. I'm intrigued by the X-plan. I've never heard of it and so I'm not sure what it is or how it works. However, I like the idea of being able to buy a new truck for essentially the same price as used so I'd be willing to go that route. Thanks!

 

What are your guys' thoughts of buying through fleet? Apparently it's a good way to buy a new vehicle without the hassels at a good price. Anyone know anything about this? Looks like Saturday we'll be going to purchase an F-150. Thanks

 

I got my 06 Screw last December and LOVE IT! I have had a couple supercab F150's but now that I have had a Screw I will never go back to the supercab. My husband and I love the interior room and it is great for the carseat in the back! This one is just a lease, the previous ones we bought but when this lease is up we are ordering a King Ranch. Ford makes one heck of a truck and I wouldn't drive anything else. We have had every model except Ranger and have had a Taurus and and Explorer too. This is a FORD FAMILY!!

 

do you mind me asking about details about your lease,i am looking into leasing a 07 screw4x4 in the near future,but no nothing about the lease,can you tell me how your s went?thanks for the help

 

I'm not sure I follow what you are asking.. Fleet vehicle, or fleet bank or something?