Turbo_Bimmer

A vehicle is not an investment.
It will loose money over the years.
I don't buy in the hope to have the highest resale value, I buy what makes me happy. That means, if I don't like the higher trim options or gizmos that a company offers, I will buy a lower trim, and modify it to my taste.

A higher trim will worth more on the use market, but not a lot more.
Just look at a used M3 and compare it to a used 325 with a LS1 swap. The 325 will sell for more, because it is more unique.
That's what I've seen with many cars, unless you have a futur collectable car but our trucks aren't.

Mizzou.Mike

iTrader: (1)

I am not talking about mods that are 500 bucks or less. We all do those kind of mods to personalize our vehicles. I am talking thousands of dollar mods that in the end if you do you get close to the price of the a higher trim with it already installed

SilverSurfer15

some of these are WILDLY high. Amps are 1200 full price with plug and play, so 800 dollar install? 2500 nav? LOLOLOL. 1k dollar cluster swap? 3500 dollar lights?

sounds like he rolled into the local truck accessories store and handed them a credit card. it appears he overpaid by like 40% on all these mods, except maybe the leather.

rival

I feel sort of the same way... If my truck came with LED lights, then whatever, that's fine... but I don't think I've ever spent one second thinking about headlights other than, "Is mine out?" or "I gotta stop at the store on the way home and grab a new bulb".

I'm old school (or simpler) than most, and an XL level truck fit my needs perfectly.

I do enjoy seeing some of the mods that people do (others make me shake my head), but in the end, to each their own. If you want to make your truck look like some futuristic transformer, than do it. It's your money, not mine

J15

Not everyone wants to take on that kind of debt if financing, and sometimes your needs change after the time of purchase. I bought a 300A XLT and ended up having a loan under $20k all said and done. The monthly payment is only $300 - low enough that I can cover the payments even if I find myself in financial distress. Sure, I could have been approved for a KR or a Lariat, but that doesn't mean I would have been smart to take it. Even after upgrading my headlights, stereo, towing equipment, and quite a few other lackluster components, I still spent less money than I would have going up a trim level. At my age that money is far better spent loading up my 401k or saving up for a house. As far as resale goes, I don't buy into the logic of buying higher trims at all. That pitch is for suckers trying to justify a truck they don't need. Trucks depreciate. The more money you put in, the more money you lose. If you feel the higher trims depreciate disproportionately less than lower trims, go right ahead and buy what you want. It's your money.

BoozeDaily

iTrader: (2)

In this case, I see your concern.

1. He grossly overpaid.
2. It helps having a little know-how when it comes to cost of some things (installation)
3. In your friend's case, he wanted more "extras" thus making it feasible that maybe he should have bought a higher optioned truck.

I also agree with the statement that some people have the cash to do upgrades and don't want to finance a lot.

Sysop

Agreed. I call them Christmas lights (to be nice). Only an idiot would want Christmas lights on their vehicle all year. If I'm not looking to be nice, I say it looks like stripper/hooker eye-glitter.

I like Ford's LEDs, I'm VERY happy they didn't use Christmas lights inside the F150 headlights even though they are on other vehicles like the new Escapes.

Only thing I don't like about the F150 LEDs is the price. There is nothing in those LEDs that justifies the prices Ford is asking. What I can't get over is all these guys saying they paid $36-$38k for their XLTs... I paid $38,900 for my Lariat and had my choice of a dozen XLTs for under $34k.

doomgazer

Here's my thought (keep in mind, I purchased a Lariat 502A I have no intentions of "modding"):

If I had any inkling to change out things like wheels, stereo, grille, etc I'd probably go for a lower level trim as well. My thinking is the less "gadgets" the thing has from the factory, the less messing around you have to do with adapters and what not to defeat or disable annoying warnings and sensors. With as complex as these trucks are on the computer/electrical side, I think less is more in terms of buying something to mod.

Aside from that, many of the aftermarket accessories you'd add to a lower trim to make it more like a higher trim are of much higher quality that one Ford sends out the doors. Better value for your money sort of thing.

RVerz

I had to spend over a grand finishing the construction of my truck, and making safe to drive and ready to tow, even though I bought a tow package.

Tires.. replaced the mini-van tires it came with on a tow vehicle. (Disgraceful)

LED replacement headlights and fogs... I couldn't see half as well at night asbI could in my 02 f250. Was just a matter of time until I hit a deer or something at night in the highway.

Shocks... Fox2.0 cured the dangerous side hop. Shame on Ford engineering for letting these trucks hit the road with this suspension characteristic.

Mudflaps and wheel wells were always included in my prior Ford trucks...but not this one.

Most if these upgrades would have to be done even with the higher packages. As a poster above stated, is wouldn't want to add to the cost of already overpriced options by paying interest on them as well.

TexasFording

iTrader: (14)

He waaay waaay overpaid for everything. Clusters are running 400-500 used (and in perfect condition). 2K for Kicker audio? He could have gotten high end JL audio or even entry-level Focal for that price.

1500 for leather? I got mine, custom made and installed for 1200. 2500 for navigation? 300 for a used APIM with navigation already on there.

I got a 302A, which was a good starting platform. I have done about 5400 in mods, and except for cooled seats and push start, I have a 502A and some other stuff not available on that trim level.

Entry price for a 502A is 7999.99 MSRP. I have saved about 5K by doing everything myself (except the seats), you just gotta shop around and be willing to learn how to tear up and fix your truck. Half the fun in modding is learning and working on your rig.

Just my $0.02