I am new to this board and have a new 2001 f150 supercrew. It is a great truck and I am really enjoying it.

Anyway my question is what the owners of the leer caps and the owners of the are caps think of them. Strong points and weak points.

I live in a small town and there is a leer dealer and I like the guy and his prices are the same as the closest big dealer in a big city.

I am looking at either the leer 100 XL or the ARE Z series.

I am probably going to go with the leer, because I like to buy local and I really like the look.

What I was wondering is if you own a leer what do you like about it and what are your dislikes.

Also if you have an ARE what are your likes and dislikes about that brand.


Any info and pictures would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

pgio...I ordered the A.R.E. "Z" Series. I reviewed Leer and Snugtop and found I liked the A.R.E. better. It has a metal rail bottom in lieu of the fiberglas on the others. I was not to impressed by the quality and construction of the Leer and Snugtop caps.

The A.R.E. will probably cost a little more but I personally think the construction is better. If you can visit as many different distributors as possible or others who may have one, do it. That's the only way you'll convince yourself which is the better product.

Check this board and do a search for "Caps". There are a lot of guys who have different ones. I got a good deal and free installation, although this was not the selling point for me.

Good Luck...


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T.Ray

My Ride:
2001 Lariat Screw, Dk. Highland Green/Arizona Beige, 5.4L 4x4,Tow Package, Off Road, 3.55 LS, Captain's Chairs, Slider, 6-Disc CD, Bed Extender

MODS:
K&N FIPK, Lund "Trident" Bug Shield, Lund "Solar" Visor, Catch-All Floor Liners, Stull Black Billet Grille, Westin Black Nerf Bars, Westin 1-Piece "Sportsman Grille Guard, Husky Splash Guards, V-Tech Slotted Tail Light Covers, Ventshade Vent Visors, Bedrug, A.R.E. Z-Series Top, Hellwig Rear Anti-Sway Bar, Dashmat Dash Cover.

Soon:
Superchip,
Gibson or Ravin Exhaust.

 

About a week after I got my ARE Z cap mounted on the Truck, my wife and I went out to lunch and happened to park right along side an identically colored Arizona Beige SCrew with a LEER cap on it. I'd have to say there was no comparison as to which cap looked better. The Windows on the LEER were much smaller and had black plastic trim that surrounded the windows. The LEER cap also covered the bed rails, but it didn't have the same quality fit as the ARE. The lock mechanism and the hinges are great. I only have ARE and LEER dealers locally and I'm very happy I chose the ARE 'Z'.

See for yourself...







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Gen III 2001 Screw 4x4 XLT
Arizona Beige/Wedgewood Blue Tu-Tone
Captains Chairs w/Power Drivers Seat & Autolamp
6 Disc CD Changer, 4.6L, 3.55 LSD, Moonroof
Cab Steps, 17" 10 Spoke Wheels, Skid Plates, Trailer Tow Group, Sliding Rear Window

Mods:
ARE Z Series Cap
BedRug
VentVisors
Catch-all Floor Mats
Lund Interceptor Hood Deflector (Painted to Match)
Ford Mud Flaps
***Truck Pictures***

 

I have an ARE Z series cap. I look at Leer and Snugtop. In my opinion, the Leer cap is almost a joke compared to the ARE Z cap. The ARE Z cap looks about as OEM as you can get. I didn't think there is any comparision - the ARE Z cap is the best.



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Jono
2001 F150 4x4 Supercrew Lariat. 5.4L, 3.55 LS, Skid Plates, Sliding Rear Window, Class III Towing pkg, Bed Extender, 6-Disc CD, White/Silver, ARE Z Cap, Yakima racks.

 

I put a raider canopy on ... love it .. its a raider nomad II..

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2001 S'Crew,5.4, 4x4, dk wedgy blue,silver trim, Captain chairs, 6 disk
-Raider canopy
-Manik front bar
-Warn driving lites
-Lund moon visor
-Deflectashield front hood gard and window shades
-Superchip
-3" Gibson exhaust
-K&N gen II intake

Cheers Les

 

I got A.R.E. Z-series on mine. The reason I got it mostly because of the way it looks and the way it was made. You may want to view the pictures of my truck with the cap on my web site.
I got the Nomadic Sports Rack installed on the cap thru A.R.E. but now I have to replace it with Yakima rack. My advise is don't get the Nomadic Rack if you plan to use it for hauling cargo box or canoe or some heavy stuff.



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<A HREF="http://www.olg.com/meadowsmr/screw" TARGET=_blank> 2001 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew</A> (Gen.III), Dark Highland Green, 4.6L, 3.55 Limited Slip Diff., Towing Pkg., cab steps, Line-X bedliner, A.R.E. Z-series cap w/ nomadic sports rack

 

Hey, the ARE Z looks good. What's the cost on those bad boys?

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2001 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat (on order)
2000 Suburban LT
2000 Honda RC51
1999 Mustang GT Convertable

 

Hey guys thanks for the reply's sounds like the ARE is the favorite and thanks for the pics they look great.

How hard is it to clean your back windows with the cap on. I guess it must be possible, but do you have to break your arm to do it?

Again thanks for the responses and any more info would be great.

Also what is a decent price. I have an ARE dealer a couple of hours away and have talked to him on the phone and his regular price is about $1365 and included installation and a headliner, dome light, front slider window and probably something else that I can't remember. He was recently having a promotion and I beleive the price was right around $1200. I will call and see if I can still get that price.

Thanks again

 

A thing you have to consider before buying any cap, is its effect on visibility. I had a cap on my old Ranger, and although it looked great and was convenient for storage and such, from the moment I got in after installation, I regretted it. I like a clear view of what's behind me, and it took some time to get used to.

I've got a new S'Crew on order, and I'm going with the hard lid rather than a cap. I figure if you're gonna get a cap, you might as well get an Expedition..... at least that way you can defrost the windows without pulling over.

 

I've thought about a lid too and if I get anything it will have to taken on and off at times. I haul motorcycles, huntin' dogs, mulch, etc. and sometimes a want a cover, sometimes I don't. I haven't decided yet but it's way down my list of things to do to the truck.

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2001 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat (on order)
2000 Suburban LT
2000 Honda RC51
1999 Mustang GT Convertable

 

bought the LEER..liked the ARE better...but after costs and other mods to go i will be happy with the LEER..it looks fine ...cleaning window is hard cuz i dont have slider...oh well...

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2001 lariat supercrew
black...factory running boards/moonroof/k&n filter/duraliner/leer top/sheepskins/bed extender
future mods...
superchip/exhaust?//WMS intake//cobra cowl hood//
stull grill//

 

Cleaning the rear window with the ARE Z is not hard providing you have the sliding rear window option in the ARE. The only drawbacks that I've noticed are:
1. Bed extender will catch on the lock latches on the sides so you can't flip it out. When I use my bed extender I put it in the truck in stow position and then attach it - then when I need to extend it, I have to take it out and put it in the extend position. Really isn't that bad though.

2. You do lose visibility esp. out the back. Get used to using the side view mirrors.

I would definitely buy the ARE Z again though. With 2 large (and I mean LARGE) dogs, plus all the obligatory baby stuff the wife insists on when travelling (incl. the bath tub!), having a large enclosed area is great.


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Jono
2001 F150 4x4 Supercrew Lariat. 5.4L, 3.55 LS, Skid Plates, Sliding Rear Window, Class III Towing pkg, Bed Extender, 6-Disc CD, White/Silver, ARE Z Cap, Yakima racks.