hi to everyone this is my first post, and i already have a question for the experts, i am planing to get a new for me but used truck i just want to see whats the best year that you recomend me to get including engine,suspension, etc. I didnt know where to post it so just did it here, thanks in advance for your help i will really apreciated any comment

 

Well it all depands what you want. Regular Cab, Super Cap or Super Crew. 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive. What do you need the truck to do for you? How much do you want to spend on a truck. If you tell us what you want I'm sure you will get several good choices.

 

i want a super cab 4x2 or 4x4 the model from 97-2003

 

youll see that the 97 & newer trucks are highly reccomended for quality and reliability, especially with the 4.6 V-8. Great all purpose motors in half ton trucks. I highly reccomened any truck wtih this motor, and pretty much everyone else does too.

 

Gee..... 6 years worth of model years and you want to know the best????

Well, going through all the posts on this site, you will find complaints from every model year. You can even check posts for the newest '04 and '05's and find negative posts on them too.....

Bottom line is when buying anything, you have to check it out for yourself first...... Have a trusted mechanic check it out if you can't.... Then, hope for the best......

Buying ANY vehicle is as much of a crap shoot as life is itself IMO.... You don't know what your future entails. You have as much of a chance that you are going to cross your own threshold tonight as you do about your car bringing you back home, so how can you predict what the future of a mechanical thing that was built by humans is going to do???

Lots of folks have "bad luck" with first year run models..... I have a 1997 F150 (first year) and it's got 131,000 miles on it now. Might throw a rod on the way home tonight, or it might go on forever.... Who knows???

Lots of folks have had engine issues with the 1999 5.4's..... Others have had no problems at all.... You will find MORE negative comments then you will positive ones for anything....

What's the saying..... One dissatisfied customer will tell ten people where one satisfied customer will only tell one.....

Dunno.... If you could get the answer to this, I'd ask that same person for the next Lotto numbers too!!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

A lot of what to buy depends on how much you want to spend. I would watch buying a 97, but that is more because Ford came out with the 97 in the fall of 95. They actually sold the 96 and 97 model years during the same time frame.

For the supercab models they started to have 4 doors instead of 3 in 99 (I think) so that is another consideration.

To see general years that have been the best, go to your local bookstore and look at the Consumer Reports books.

 

I've owned a 97 Expedition and a 99 F150 both with the 5.4L motor. The 97 knocked like crazy unless you fed it 93 octane at about $2.35 a gallon in these parts. Had done some research online to find that Ford finally admitted that there was a problem with the 5.4 and fixed it for 98 model year. With that I felt safe buying a 99 last year only to find that it knocks sometimes as well.

Here's something else to consider ... how much will it cost per month to own that vehicle. I got rid of my $42,000 Expedition with 91k miles a couple of weeks ago for $5,500 on trade. When I figured initial sales price plus cost of repairs less what I go on trade I was amazed to find that it cost me about $520/month to own and operate. I traded it for a loaded 04 Honda Pilot that doubles the fuel efficiency of the Expedition for only $259/month on a 3 year lease.

Putting emotions like "I've always been a Ford ma!" asided and doing some research at places like www.intellichoice.com can save you plenty of grief and green in the long run.

 

To answer your question: The last year of a model is usually the best year. So 2003 would be the one, if you wan't the old body style.

 

get a 1997 4.6V8 that has been well maintained. Mine was manufactured June 97 so not an early production version (ford made 97's starting in 1996).

Choose wisely and you won't regret it.

Do not buy a 97 4.2V6.

nearly 180,000 miles on my 4r70W auto 4.6 97 xlt F150 supercab and it is bullet proof, inside and out. From new it is well maintained tho

 

My 97 was manufactured in mid 96, and besides all of the recalls and the premature tranny failure at 50k (1500 bucks - ouch!) I have not had any problems with it. Of course it only has 70k miles on it now, though.

 

Get an 04. They are the best.

 

This is kind of a rebuttal to brown0617’s post (nothing personal).
I bought my truck new in August of 1996. It was paid off in 4 years and now has 171,000+ miles on it (1997 Supercab 4.6L). I did the same calculation and given the initial purchase price of $20,000 (high at the time) and the replacement of the transmission last year for approx $3000 (high performance replacement) the total monthly cost to me so far is $227 a month. Most of that investment was up front in payments so each month the cost goes lower. This does not count high performance upgrades I have made or $500 I paid for a NEW shortblock that now sits in my garage waiting for the day I need it.
I think this has been a GREAT TRUCK and I plan to keep it for many years to come.
The only downfall is the 16 MPG average I get and the high cost of Super fuel.

 

WLF -

Rebuttal not taken as personal.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bashing Fords. I still love my 99 F150. Rather I was trying to encourage herreraxto to do some research beyond just asking guy's on an F150 forum what he should buy. My guess would be that he wouldn't have a single response suggesting that he should by an 02 Tundra!

Moreso I was just sharing my recent mentallity change that will have me buying my next car based on factual data rather than simply liking the way a car rides, looks, sounds, etc. during my test drive.

 

Isn't ride, looks, and sound important in buying a vehicle? So, you would buy a vehicle on "factual data" even if the vehicle rode, looked, and sounded like crap? Man, that's screwed up! When I spend money on a vehicle I want it to be something I like to drive, not something that fares better in factual data........That's my opinion of course.

 

oldnew -

I didn't mean to say just factual data.

Just saying that I would no longer buy a vehicle soley based on the way it rides, looks, sounds, etc but factor in reliabilty ratings, cost of ownership, resale value etc. By doing so I might get off the pace of getting a new car every 2 years.