Hi all - first time poster, long time (unregistered) lurker.

Long story short, I have a 2003 F150 that is getting pretty long in the tooth. It needs quite a bit of work to pass inspection, so I have decided to part ways with it and to move on to a nicer newer truck. I would like a 2015 or newer F150 because I live in New Hampshire (aka - the rust belt).

My budget for the new vehicle is $40,000. I have a trade (2011 Acura TSX with 45,000 miles on it). At that budget I have found that I am either in the used market, or I am looking at a new truck in the XLT trim level.

Features I need in the truck are:
- 4x4
-Crew Cab
- Short bed (5.5'-6')
- Backup camera
- Heated seats (yes, they are a need up here)
- Towing capacity > 5000lbs (I have a 22' boat)
- Trailer brake controller
- Bed liner
- Tonneau cover
- Reasonable gas mileage (highway > 20).

Wants that I would like but I can live without:
- Prefer smaller ecoboost engine
- Strongly prefer leather seats (easier to clean with small kids)
- remote start
- power sliding rear panel and rear defrost
- bed lighting
- Moonroof (way down on the list)

So here is my quandry - heated seats are a must in this new vehicle for me. However, it seems to be impossible to find them in an XLT trim (or any trim with cloth seats). To get them, I seems I need to step up to a lariat, which is generally outside my budget.

Am I understanding the build out options correctly? Or is it possible to have heated seats in an XLT without resorting to an aftermarket solution?

Also - can someone shed light on the current deals ford is running (e.g., for memorial day) that might be relevant to my circumstances? I cannot make heads or tails of them.

 

501A Lariat sounds like the winner.

 

302A covers your needs and all wants but the leather

 

Just add Katzkin aftermarket leather....the fact that it is better than factory leather is a bonus.

 

... and then Katzkin (sp?) makes great-looking aftermarket leather seats, and from the forum posts, they'll cost you about $1,200 installed.

Personally, I'd go for the XLT. It should be well within your budget and satisfy your needs. like 9'er said, 302A FTW

That said, I have a 502A Lariat ... and love it! Depending on the value of your TSX, you could get a 2016 Lariat down close to your 40k budget.

-John

 

You mention a couple of features that I'm going to challenge.

- Leather seats "easier to clean with small kids" - We have two boys now in their 20s. I've never had leather seats in a vehicle. When they were in car seats, we had a rubber pad that went under the carseat and up the back that protected the seat. Every 2-3 years we rented a machine to shampoo our house carpets and did the vehicles with the upholstery attachment (not that they needed it). Every vehicle I've sold/traded (9 - 13 years old) looked brand new on the inside.

- Heated seats are a must - if you have cloth instead of leather, I'd argue that point. We've lived in Massachusetts, PA, Michigan and never needed heated seats. Are they nice? Sure. But they are a want, not a need.

Knock off leather and heated seats and you're in an XLT. And XLT's have the most rebates.

Some other comments:

- your choice of bed is 5.5 or 6.5'. No 6' options.

- do the math on gas mileage vs. cost. Make sure you know what the difference in cost for an engine option is vs. the true expected savings and how many miles you'll need to do to breakeven.

- Determine the trade value of your car. I expect you have about $50k to work with, plus rebates, given that. That's not "the used market".

- Bed liner and tonneau cover can be added after if you need to delay spending. Bed lighting is very inexpensive if done yourself. Remote start kills your gas mileage, so good you can live without.

 

should easily be able to get what you want in that price point. I just picked up a new 2016 xlt supercrew sport with the 302A package for under your price point. It has sport cloth with heated seats. Like everyone else said, the 302A package will have everything you need except the trailer brake. Someone correct me if I am wrong but you should easily be able to add it on if you are ordering. Walking onto a lot it might be a little more difficult to find. I got mine with the 5.0 and 3.55 gears which will tow up to 10100 lbs. You will not get 20+ mpg though. I have been getting 17 in mixed driving conditions. I am not sure that any of the motors except for maybe the 2.7 will get 20 in the real world. My calculations are done by hand too. The dash has said I get 20 at times but is always way off when I hand calculate.

 

According to the 2016 Order Guide, heated seats are included in the 302A package, so an XLT will get you exactly where you want to be. You can follow the previous suggestion of aftermarket leather seats.

-John

 

I've seen several crew cab xlt's listed on my local dealership's website for under $40k (with the current rebates) with all the options you listed except for leather. Like other's have said, the 302A package is what you want, and you can add leather (and a bed liner, and a tonneau cover) later. Those are for 4x4 trucks, you didn't mention if that's a requirement but a 2wd would be even cheaper.

 

Thanks for the reply (to you and everyone else - wow - what a great forum).

I should clarify that $40,000 is the total amount I want to pay for the truck, including value of my trade. I've been receiving trade offers of 13-14k for my trade and I only owe 9 on it, so I am not upside down.

Will definitely look into the 302a package. Was not aware that it comes with heated seats.