News in

Just curious why others chose the F150 over the other truck offerings. I'm in the market now...sort of. Still trying to stockpile a little money first. I bought a 2013 F150 and have since traded it so my wife would have the nicer ride. I chose Ford then mainly because of price (rebates were great) and I wanted a V8 without cylinder deactivation due to a bad experience with an 08 GMC with the 5.3.

Fast forward to 2015. If I buy a new truck now, Ford isn't necessarily going to be the lowest price. So I thought I'd pose the original question. Did you guys choose Ford because you're just Ford or nothing, because of the styling, features, EB motor, or what?

One thing I don't want to get into is a debate over the government bailout and all that. That's all kind of said and done anyway at this point.

pb65stang

My family has always had great luck with our F-series trucks, so Ford was my natural starting spot. But, I drove them all except the Titan (not even competitive IMO). Ford had the best combination of comfort, space, features, tech, and styling for me. I liked individual things about each of the brands, but the Ford was the clear winner for me. And I gave up employee pricing at both RAM and GM for the Ford (fiancee's family works at both). Don't regret my decision at all. Even she, who is a GM/Chrysler lean, likes it the best of all the half tons on the market.

EDIT: Specific things I like best about the Ford - flat rear floor (HUGE bonus with 2 big dogs), interior room/layout, King Ranch interior trim (especially leather - miles above the other makes), and the 5.0 V8 without the direct injection or cylinder deactivation. I still am not sold on DI from a reliability standpoint.

gonefishin776

I'm not allowed to park at my families house driving anything else

pb65stang

I spot a Buick there, hiding in the corner...

gonefishin776

yeah just ignore that one

That was just the start of the cookout. at least twice as many F-series trucks by the end of the night.

I used to drive a dodge, i never heard the end of it.

News in

I think I see Cousin Eddie's Buick in the far right lol.

I'm not a brand loyal guy myself. I don't think before 2004 you could go wrong with either Ford or GM. But I don't know anyone that owns a 5.4 3 valve who hasn't had issues or anyone that owns a GM 5.3 with cylinder deactivation that likes it better than the old 5.3. Hence the debate in my head over what will be most reliable long term these days, 5.0, 3.5, GM 5.3. Reliability (150k miles plus) concerns me more than anything.

AbitaPro

Built right product, best dealer service, after the sale.

vulnox

My parents work at Ford WHQ. Ford has been responsible for me being able to go to college, have a good job, etc. I do feel that Ford has taken care of my parents, which allowed them to take care of me and my sister, so there is a level of loyalty there which will be tough to break.

But even besides that, I just tend to like their vehicles best. I test drive the vehicles that interest me from other brands almost every year. Most recently I test drove a Ram EcoDiesel, GMC Canyon (Chevy Colorado), and still find that both my wife and I prefer the F-150.

In what may just be coincidence, Ford just tends to make the vehicles I find myself happiest driving, and in some cases, they are the only ones that make the vehicle that fits our needs. We have a 2014 Ford Flex with the 3.5 Ecoboost, and the Flex isn't everyone's favorite vehicle to look at, but we test drove the competition from Dodge/Jeep/Buick/GMC in the same class, and the Flex was hands-down the winner. It had the best ride, the best interior room, and the best performance (3.5 Eco for Life). The Flex is longer than the Explorer, and has nearly unmatched interior space.

But we did try the others, which is what everyone SHOULD do. We have family that works for Chrysler and GMC, so we can get family discounts from any of the big 3. Ford just keeps making vehicles that make us most happy, which is what I think my real answer is.

cowpix

I'm involved in the cattle business, and see what the farmers/ranchers use to pull their trailers. Their trucks get a lot of hard use. Ford outnumbers the others by a wide margin. Followed by Dodge, then Chevy. Toyota is non existent.

I had a 2004 F150 that was a great truck, 235k. Never considered another brand when I bought my 2015.

pb65stang

I like to think, for the most part, all these engines will make it 150k without any major problems if taken care of. Each one will have its weaknesses and strengths, it's just finding the one that makes you feel the most comfortable. Because of my previously-mentioned aversion to DI and the fact that I don't tow the max rating, I went 5.0 because it felt like the best choice for me. 385 hp/387 tq is way more than I need on a daily basis anyway. I LOVE the motor in my truck. People with the EB LOVE their motor too, because of the power it makes. The only thing I'll say is the MPG seems to be more consistent in the 5.0 than the 3.5EB.

I know the 5.4 gets a bad rap, but the ones I've been around personally were great motors. My buddy has a 2009 w/ the 5.4 and 140k miles. The thing's never been touched outside of oil, filters, and spark plugs. Still runs great. My family had a 2000 F-250 5.4 that towed about 90% of the time, has over 200k miles on it and a family friend bought it from us and uses it exclusively as a hauler/boat tow vehicle. It's never been in the shop for any motor work of any kind (still wish we had that truck back). I'm not knowledgable enough to know if one of those motors was supposedly better than the other, but they both have been fantastic. I seen no reason why my 5.0 won't be the same as long as I maintain it.

Sorry for the long rant!