Any of you guys have F-150?

[04FXSTS]

My 2004 F-150 Heritage has the 4.6 and has 219,000 miles and runs good. The 2004 Heritage is really a 2003 they kept building into 2004. Just basic wear items have been replaced such as alternator, brakes, brake lines and pretty much rebuilt the front end. Had the bed pretty much rust away so bought a Texas rust free bed painted it and the rest of the truck Massy Furgeson grey. Still need to do the door bottoms and rocker panels then repaint. Very happy with it. Jim.

 

[BE Mike]

The 3.5 Ecoboost engine seems to have it all over the 5.0.

 

[Ingomike]

The 3.5 Ecoboost engine seems to have it all over the 5.0.

Big cubic inch power is almost always more reliable than small boosted…

 

[Ingomike]

Man, I am going to have to break down and buy a new truck. I really wanted another 3/4 ton....but I have a chance to get a 2019 F-150 SuperCrew cab, 4x4, XLT with Sport package. It is a nice truck, 60,000 miles and a pretty decent price. The draw back to me is 1/2 ton......and it has that twin turbo 2.7L V-6.

I am getting to the point though where I hardly ever haul huge loads, and my dump trailer usually never exceeds 9,000 pounds and I don't plan on plowing snow with it.....so I am wondering if I would be happy with 22 MPG and a 1/2 ton. I mean, I would still have my old F250 for trash runs and going to the dump.

What say you guys.....all opinions welcome. Just wondering if any of you have this truck/engine combination?

Thanks!

At the end of the day on this question I would never buy a truck that wouldn’t pull my trailer loaded. I like redundancy, especially for business. Sounds like you might want to consider a vehicle to run errands and do estimates from.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

My 2012 Ram with the 5.7/6 speed had a 10,500 tow rating. In Indiana on the flats I think it would have been fine but I doubt I would have wanted to be at that weight for longer distances or in a more mountainous region. I would guess the F-150 is similar.

After test driving all the domestics I came pretty close to an F-150 Tremor, but ultimately went with a Ram 2500 Power Wagon for my use case. Probably useless info for you, since your use is quite different. The new Fords are nice and they've stepped up their interior, but the Ram is still nicer inside and has a better ride. I liked the 3.5EB, but wasn't as in love with the 10 speed it was mated to. Both the Ram 8 speed and Chevy 10 speed (which is the same physical transmission as the Ford, but each has their own programming) felt better on mid-range acceleration and on deceleration. The Ford just felt like it hunted a lot and was grabby. The Ford is *faster*, but it takes longer to spool up and to downshift and then feels clunky when you let off it, comparatively.

I've been quite satisfied with my last two Rams. My son has my old 2012 1500 Express now and it's still running strong. I bought it new and the only repair has been one coil pack got weak. I love my Power Wagon, but it's a niche vehicle for sure.

 

[Brad69]

What no Chevy/GMC fans?

Wife has a 22 Z71 RST with the 3.0 inline 6 baby Duramax. It also has the 10 speed. It was way under 60k. Still has all the gadgets.

Gets 28-30 mpg around town about 32 on the hwy. It's the most quiet and best riding pick up I have experienced. Pulls way better than any 150 class truck.

And it's got a exhaust brake!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

What no Chevy/GMC fans?

It was my least favorite of the domestics for a variety of reasons, none of which are likely to bother most users. A clutch only transfer case without the option for full mechanical locking. Smallest gas tank for the thirstiest motor (I've no interest in diesel) resulting in less range. Skid plate package was the least robust. Factory "high end" stereo was easily the worst. I did not like the weird joystick style shifter. 6.2/10 speed combo was nice and the ZR2 ride was smooth and comfy, though, and I did like the horizontal screen and the HUD.

 

[bgcatty]

The fact remains: when it comes to work trucks; there is no replacement for displacement!

 

[WebSnyper]

My 2004 F-150 Heritage has the 4.6 and has 219,000 miles and runs good. The 2004 Heritage is really a 2003 they kept building into 2004. Just basic wear items have been replaced such as alternator, brakes, brake lines and pretty much rebuilt the front end. Had the bed pretty much rust away so bought a Texas rust free bed painted it and the rest of the truck Massy Furgeson grey. Still need to do the door bottoms and rocker panels then repaint. Very happy with it. Jim.

My son has a 2004 but not the heritage. Believe it's a 4.6 as well. Think we bought it back in 2016. He took it down to college in Alabama and now it's with him in Atlanta. Similar, alternator, brake lines, some ball joints if I recall, etc.

 

[Hoosierdood]

Trucks have become a status symbol for yuppies who never plan on using them as a truck. They are pavement princesses for suburban soccer moms and neutered husbands who just want some semblance of manliness. No wonder manufacturers are slapping a small engine in them boosted with a turbo. I will run my vehicles out to 200k+ miles and have never known a gasoline turbo engine to go that long without some expen$ive maintenance. My 2 teenage boys talk all the time about the cool cars they would love to have. I'll give the same advice I give to them. Get yourself the biggest naturally aspirated engine option that you can get in the vehicle of your choice and drive the wheels off of it.

 

[BE Mike]

Big cubic inch power is almost always more reliable than small boosted…

Some folks just aren't new technology people. I like to drink V8, but don't like it in my engine compartment!

 

[Bugzilla]

Flatbed Ed in a Ford truck forum had 412,000 on his 6.2 when the cam lost a lobe. He hauls pipe in Texas so figure half that mileage is with a loaded truck. Threw a crate engine in and keeps piling up the mileage on the old chassis. I do believe that enough time has passed to say the bugs have been worked out of the ecoboost engines for normal use, but how many miles heavy towing have they seen? It’s a bit frustrating that the smaller ecoboost has more torque and hp than the 6.2 in my 350, but I know I have a reliable engine that won’t leave me stranded. Again, very happy with the 2.0 ecoboost in my Fusion.

 

[Ingomike]

Trucks have become a status symbol for yuppies who never plan on using them as a truck. They are pavement princesses for suburban soccer moms and neutered husbands who just want some semblance of manliness.

This was not market based, it was forced down our throats by government edict. The CAFE, fleet gas mileage and emissions standards coupled with the definition of what is a car, SUV, light truck, and truck took vehicle’s away that were safe and better suited for the masses.

There still is a market for Crown Vic’s and other nice cars but they just can’t build them with the government specs…

 

[BehindBlueI's]

This was not market based, it was forced down our throats by government edict. The CAFE, fleet gas mileage and emissions standards coupled with the definition of what is a car, SUV, light truck, and truck took vehicle’s away that were safe and better suited for the masses.

There still is a market for Crown Vic’s and other nice cars but they just can’t build them with the government specs…

Yes and no. I completely agree trucks and SUVs are today's modern sedan replacement, but let's not pretend consumer preference didn't influence that for decades as well as tightening CAFE standards more recently. SUVs and trucks are higher profit margin and were marketed *heavily* to consumers who bit on it when gas was cheap. Think back to when the Ford Expedition was launched. It immediately out sold the Crown Vic by 2:1 to 3:1 over the first few years until sales crashed due to the tire blowout/rollover concern. Even then much of the CV's sales was to fleets. Consumer preference 20-ish years ago wasn't due to CAFE standards, those things got some 8-10 mpg while the CV was 20-25-ish. Gas was just cheap and people wanted the massive vehicle to have a massive vehicle.

The market for large sedans is there but tiny. Compare Toyota Camry to Avalon sales. 300k-450k a year vs 18k-60k a year. That's not CAFE standards, that's just people don't want large sedans any more. Smaller sedans still do alright, the Camry isn't far behind the Rav-4, for example, but the foreign car makers own that segment. Despite some really good cars like the Fusion, for whatever reason they just didn't sell as well. Consumer Reports or consumer preference, dunno. But the big sedan lives on, just not so much in the lower end domestic market.

I can't think of a time in my life time trucks weren't "cool" and, at least in more rural and suburban areas, popular. I think CAFE standards have done more to promote the crossover SUV then the truck. Nobody thinks a Ford Ecosport is cool, but it exists because CAFE. Vans were sorta cool for a minute, but they died off to the SUV as well and the mini-van is the absolute opposite of cool. Station wagons, were they ever cool other than maybe the Nomad?