I have a 97 with a 4.6 Romeo, and I couldn't be happier with another truck.
Performance: This truck runs great, fast enough and strong enough for my needs, I have towed a lot and been in some tight spots with this truck, and I don't think I have pushed it to the limit yet.
Ride: The ride is great, it is one of the most comfortable trucks I have ever ridden in, especially when cruising at highway speeds. As for mine, it is very smooth.
Maintenance problems: Closing in on 118,000 miles, and I have never touched it except for routine maintenance, not counting the radio head unit. This has gone out twice, but it has been my only problem so far. I hope it stays that way.
Quality of construction: I think this truck is very well-built. I mean, it has it's problems (door cracks, door rust), but I think it has held up VERY well.
Highly recommend the 97!

 

On a scale of 1 thru 10, My beast scores a "8.75"....

Only problems were
1. blower motor noise (not bad at this point)
2. flexing 4.5'' drive shaft at high speeds (replaced with new 5" driveshaft (warranty part)

 

My '01 Supercrew is the best truck I've ever owned. It rides and runs like a champ. The build quality is outstanding, and I'm keeping it forever.

 

My dad has a '97 4.6 4x4 with about 73000 miles on it. This truck in used to tow his camper for vacations, as a daily driver, for his hunting lease in south texas (moderate mud), and for elk hunting in west Colorado (sloppy deep mud and that truck gets abused). He's considering getting a new truck, but there is absolutly nothing wrong with his. He loves it. No major problems yet! I bought a '02 because of how good his was and my brother bought a '98. These trucks are just built to last.

 

Owned 3 trucks since 1996:

1996 F-150: Give it a 10!! Had a few minor electrical problems and trim would come loose, but it was bulletproof reliable and always got me home. Unfortunately it was totalled April last year... Got me a new...

2001 Chevy Silverado 1500: Good motor, but tranny would slip and had rattles galore. Traded it off after only 7 months of ownership and 16100 miles for...

2002 F-150 (sig) 5200 miles on the odo, ZERO PROBLEMS!! Gets about 18 MPG and has a comfy interior. I have learned my lesson and will be Ford forever!!

 

The only F 150 Ive ever owned was a 2WD reg cab short box solid black with a fuel injected 302. I loved that truck got it right out of high school only had 22,000 miles on it. It was great. Thats one truck I truly miss.

 

Ok, I have been A plan eligible since 1996. Bought a 97 XL SC 4x4 4.6. Loved this truck, only problem was seat material tore at seam. The stock wheels/tires were a joke. Traded for a 98 XLT SC ORP 4x4 4.6L. Again, no problems at all, beautiful truck. Traded it in 98 for current truck 99 XLT SC ORP 4x4 full loaded sans Lariat package. Problems include: coolant hose leaked and shorted out #4 coil. Piston Slap replacement at 15K. Y2K engine now has slap. Tons of power, great ride, love the 3.73 rear diff. All three trucks were excellent but I have a soft spot in my heart for the 97 XL probably because of the vynil floors.

 

I think I have the best year goin. The 98s rule the roost. 97 had weaker tranny, 99 and up have piston slap issues in a few of the trucks and cylinder head oil leaks in others. I swear I give my truck an honest 9 out of 10. I dont think it would be possible to build a better all around package in a truck, it will do it all. It does'nt do anything particularly well but it does all things very good. I've pulled a 15k pound trailer, hauled 4k pounds of wet top soil, pulled my aunts 28 ft boat to the lake, etc... Ford has always made a work horse truck. I have 44k on mine and other than the door crack which Ford fixed the first time I mentioned it and did a fine job on it as well, I have had NO problems, not even a burnt out light bulb. You guys stop bitchin about the gas mileage, its a honest to God full sized 5k pound, 330 cu V8, 4wd truck with a towing package and for all that 15.5 MPG is pretty dang good in my book. My brothers Dog with all that gets single digit gas mileage and it wont do half the stuff mine will.

 

i have not had any problems with my truck,my father worked for GM and i was raised with there products my Lightning is the first Ford ive ever owned and wont be the last in fact this summer i am trading in my Nissan for a new Explorer,My mother drives a 2001 Blazer and that thing is a rattle box

 

I've owned three F-150's and I would rate them as follows:

1997- Supercab w/ V-6 and 5 speed: No troubles at all; fit and finish were flawless. Wanted more power and less gear rowing so I traded for..

1999-Supercab w/4.6 and auto: Had to have instrument cluster replaced when new because the tach was bad. Also had rear main seal leak @ 14,000 miles. The doors didn't fit right and the rear of the truck sat 1/2 inch lower on the drivers side which made it corner terribly. This truck was totaled and replaced with..

2001-Supercab w/5.4 and auto: So far this truck has been pretty reliable. The only trouble that I've had is a bad howl/whine in the rear end @ 45-50 mph that Ford says is normal for this set up(Heavy Duty Differential with LS)

 

You guys make me think I should keep my 97 with 135K. I am having a little trouble with a vibration and once heard a loud tap on startup that quit once truck was warm.
At this point I can either take a loss and trade to get a newer, lower mileage truck or just replace and repair what may break on mine.
After reading this thread I think my best thing to do is to keep my 97 and avoid the newer ones like the plague. I mean whats the chance that I will get this lucky again and get such a great truck. Of course I have had to do the maintence ( 1 set of plugs, two sets of wires) the only othing was I had a front bearing hub assembly to go out. Changed out both sides, did the brakes and truck is great. Truck had 120,000 and the factory shocks were not that bad. Truck is not perfect but for 135K on motor I can't beat it. I shock people all the time when I tell them it's a 97, they just say "Wow, I thought it was like a brand new one or a 99 or something to that effect". My rating on this truck would be a solid 7 maybe an 8, they could be easier to work on.

Last truck was a bare model 88 S10 2.5L. Truck was not that comfortable and no extra's but you couldn't kill that truck. Original motor had over 200K and sound like a diesel. I abused and used that truck, I would dump 10w40 in it then dump the thickest oil treatment in to stop the rattle. Engine quit and I replaced it with another 2.5L with 40K for 500 including new clutch. This one is super quit but rear main leaks, leak was slowed by additives. Dealer was only going to give 300 for this truck so we kept it, and dad drives it to work sometimes. I got ran off the rode, right before I bought mine so there is a vibration from something. Might be a bent wheel or axle but tihs truck will not let anything stop it. It's now just a beater but it's a damn good one. Rating 7.

I feel so lucky to get two great trucks from the two top manufacturers that I just can't see how everyone badmouths each other.

 

I have a 2000 F150 4x2 5.4/auto.
1)Engine is strong, quiet and idles so smoothly that my wife grinded the starter motor a couple of times trying to start a running engine.
2)Handling.....Best handling pickup I've ever had but had problems with a couple of Goodyear 255/70/16 AP tires out of round.
3) Braking..........safe, but I haven't had to stand on them yet.
4)Reliability........Both passenger and driver's side doors had the dreaded cracks. Both doors replaced by dealer. Bad rear slider window seal, leaked water. Bad O2 sensor, check engine light.
5)Fit and Finish.....No problems other than the cracks and rear slider leak. I was surprised to find that Ford is using aluminum hoods on the Rangers and F series.
6)Would I buy another one.........These trucks with the decent options are getting a little expensive. I drive 20,000 miles a year so I'll have this truck up to at least 2010.

 

Same thing is happening to my '02 supercab. Had the drivers door aligned and touched up at 350 miles, soon after doors started hitting again and scuffed the paint. Now the doors don't touch but the drivers door is not as easy to close as pass. side. Take it in and try again.

 

those 1989 f-150's are the best

 

here's my expereinces with trucks:

1981 F-250 w/ 400 ci and tow package (back when it was more than just a transmission cooler)
awesome truck - this thing was a beater!!!!
my Dad used it as a farm truck, and when I turned 16 I used it to get back and forth to school, and whenever I couldn't use one of my parents cars that got more than 5 or 6 mpg
truck was bought used, and mostly sat around until I started driving it (reading between the lines, the oil never got changed until I started driving it)
Eventually the right bank wasn't getting oil = reconditioned engine
I got it stuck (no LS), overheated engine and transmission = crystallized rear main seal, and then didn't have to worry about changing the oil becasue I was adding at least a quart every week or so (cheaper than getting it fixed!)

Dad sold it and bought my Grandpa's 1980 Chevy 2500 :-(
what a piece of crap!!!!!! I expected it to be similiar the '81 F250, but it couldn't hold a candle to it in any manor (towing, hauling, comfort)!!!!
Dad blew the engine driving down the interstate at 60 MPH
he bought a used engine and transmission and got rid of the POS

He then bought a 94 F250
This is a solid truck I used it quite a bit until a bought my own. It has the 351, and it's the torqueiest feeling pick-up I've ever driven (don't know the rear end ratio)
only problems he had was the rotors needed turning and the weather stripping of the door needed replacing when he bought it(34K mi). this truck was owned by Ford and used at the plant in Indianapolis for year and Dad bought it from them (he retired from Ford), so it was run hard and put up wet. It now has around 90K on it, and it is for sale - Dad just bought a 2002 F350 and is very pleased w/ it so far.

My truck:
2000 F150 XLT 4x4 ORP extended cab
AWESOME TRUCK!!!!!
had to have the brakes turned and a speaker replaced at 24K, and I've had problems w/ the POS Goodyears AT/S on it (which going bye-bye this weekend)
I rate my truck at 8.25 out of 10 - the only reason that it's that low is becasue I'm used to a heavier duty truck, and I can tell it when I'm towing and/or hauling