Hi,
I am looking into purchasing an f150 this weekend as my wife will be selling here sedan. One thing we have agreed on is leather seats, told her we can replace cloth for ~1k with katskins
She wants the piano roof, I have read a ton of problems with them, but I did go searching for them.
I'd like the 3.5, but might consider the 3.0 diesel as I expect to keep this truck 10 years.
And would prefer a white truck.
One thing I am wanting is year 17 and up for the mpg increase sync 3 and 10sp trans. It looks like we are looking at a lariat being the sweet spot for package. We test drove a nice 15 with 47k on it. It had everything 360 camera center console, headlined with a flipback on it. Had every thing we wanted except it was an older 6pd model. Looked at the service history and sure enough the piano sunroof was on there as well. Priced at 36k before taxes which I feel is a few thousand high but it does have a lot of additions most lariats I see don't have. But I have seen even year 18 with 3.0 diesel selling for 35k with only 27k on the od.
Can anyone lend some buying advice as I am an extremely hard to make a decision like this when I only have a few days. I know I should spend the money and get the truck I want but it's a little difficult for me to navigate all of these wants vs needs. We need a truck to have a way to haul things on the weekend for house projects, go up to the snow, go hunting on the weekends. Larger Towing capacity would be nice in the future but currently would only be hauling a dump run trailer or smaller boat. Haven't really considered the 2.7 for this reason and maybe I should be. Please let me know if you have any insight into this position we have taken. Thank you kindly.

 

Personally, I'd avoid the pano roof. Is this going to be primarily driven by her? I know my wife would still pick the damn moonroof if it was going to be her vehicle.

Owning 10 years doesn't in and of itself seem like a reason to get the diesel. The diesel is more expensive for less performance and often more expensive fuel. The other engines have great longevity, and proven longevity, vs the diesel that just came out basically 1 year ago. If you want the most reliable, durable, lowest failure rate engine, I'd say that's the 2.7 liter, hands down, done deal. Ford hit a grand slam with that thing. And you are interested in mileage? Get the 2.7 on a 10 speed. The base engine, naturally aspirated 3.3, should do the job too. And the 3.5 will just give you the most power and performance available. The 5.0 for a 2015-2017 is also a great choice. And the diesel wouldn't be bad if it was the price you want on a truck optioned the way you want, it's just likely to be more expensive for what, IDK, in return. Decisions, decisions.

I would personally never pay $36 for a 4 year old truck, that's getting close to what you can get a brand new truck for, and with better APR if financing. Granted it's a big step down in tech and stuff from 502A to XLT or STX, but, you know...new. And Sync 3. And 10 speed.

Trying to figure out this much in just a few days is going to be, well, good luck.



FIRST QUESTION: Are you set on a Lariat, or would an XLT with aftermarket leather be okay? You need to decide if you're going for a Lariat, or for an XLT. New or used? If you're talking $36k shopping range already, a new XLT or an STX.


Second question: Not a question. Make the 2.7 your default engine choice and don't change to something else unless you have a good, articuable reason. Get a truck with a trailer tow package and the 2.7 will be all you need and then some for your uses.



What options or features are a must have?

 

If I were you I would go on one of the search sites like CarGurus or Autotrader, Limit your search to the must have options and price range. I would venture to guess that a number of trucks will fit your criteria. You will find one or two dealers willing to deal on a late model used or new truck.

 

So, while we await your answer to "what options or features are a must have", I'll suggest that, for what you've said so far, you want

-Any engine, I'd default to the 2.7 followed by the 3.3 and then the 3.5 if 2018+ or equal between 5.0 and 3.5 if 2015-2017
-Trailer tow package
-4x4
-Electronic locking rear axle
-2017 or newer for Sync 3 and the 10 speed, both are very nice
-Convince your wife against the pano roof


This is a big one. When you say larger towing capacity would be nice in the future...what do you mean by that? Is that a buying criteria and can you specify trailer weight for future capability? This may be the biggest factor determining what you 'need' from the truck other than personal preference stuff like colors or creature comforts. Like, are you talking 5,000 lbs? 7, or 8k? What would you have in the truck when towing the heavier trailer in the future? Like, people, how many, dogs, luggage, gear, etc?

 

Since z28 has done such a good job, I'm just going to say "ditto."

DEF fluid and fuel filters are the other reasons to skip the diesel. I don't think it comes out ahead financially with everything considered and has much less hp. Totally different than if shopping SD's and looking to tow often.

I also want to emphasize that, if not needing to tow heavy and not planning to tune/modify, the 2.7EB/10 speed combo is the best drivetrain.

 

You could get a brand new 302A XLT for not much more than that. I don't think the panoroof is available on the XLT (I may be wrong) leather and a center console is in the 302A package. Personally, I wouldn't buy the diesel because of the increased fuel costs. In my area, I have seen diesel at times go for almost $1/gal more.

 

Pano is available in XLT. No XLT has leather unless it's dealer installed aftermarket. At one time for a short time, maybe 2009?, there was such thing as a leather option for the XLT.

I like the 302a trucks, but the Lariat package does add a TON of features beyond just leather.

 

You can get panoroof on XLT, and if you mean leather seats when you said leather and center console, leather seats are not available on an XLT in any configuration unless done by the dealer.

I have skipped the pano in both my trucks even though I added about every other option. Too many reports of issues on here, and my friend had a 2015 Lariat and it rattled the whole time he owned it, even after an attempted fix. I know many get them and they are fine, but I don't need it enough for the cost and while I have been fine with sunroofs in general, that super large piece of glass hanging overhead is concerning. My boss has a 2019 Expedition with the pano roof, and while driving on the freeway had the roof glass "explode". They heard a huge bang and couldn't figure out what it was at first because they had the sun shade closed. They opened the shade and just saw a spiderweb.

It was a very expensive fix since they couldn't find an impact point or anything, seems like either a stress or resonance break, but glass isn't a warranty item and it's essentially impossible to prove something wasn't dropped on it.

Just not worth it for me, and I am not typically risk averse at all on stuff for vehicles.

 

You cannot get leather from the factory on any XLT. You must get Lariat or higher for factory leather. There are aftermarket options just as good as if not better than Lariat leather, though.

You can get the pano roof in an XLT.

 

While we're here OP, here is a short list of the major differences between XLT and Lariat.

These options are standard on every Lariat, and not available on any factory XLT
-Leather (ventilated)
-Intelligent access, keyless ignition, push button start
-Power folding side mirrors
-Dual zone climate control. Electronic climate control
-4-Auto drive selection on 4x4's
-8" productivity display (instrument cluster) vs 4" (top four gauges are digitial, can swap trans temp with turbo boost, looks nicer, guys spend like like $600++ swapping these things)

Those are the big ones. There's more. Interior ambient lighting, remote release tailgate that lowers slowly, standard box lighting, interior trim/carpet to go with the leather, and more. Then there are options you can start adding to Lariats that you can't add to XLT.

But you can still get an XLT with any engine, the 10 speed, heated seats, remote start, Sync 3, backup camera, reverse sensing, BLIS, cross traffic alert, if a new 2019 every single F150 gets automatic emergency braking (prior years it's a 502A and up thing IIRC). The 502A gets you the LED lights as the biggest single difference, but other things too.

You can also get an XL STX and still have the same engines, 10 speed, and Sync 3.


Again, making these decisions in a few days is asking a lot.



What options or features are a must have? That's your first decision really, to figure out what trim level you need, and if new is feasible or if it has to be used, and what options you must have. You can weed out a LOT of trucks with just a few features required.