Gerrard155

I have gotten very serious about purchasing a truck and will be making a decision in the next few days. I took a Ram 1500 Big Horn and a couple of F150's out for a test drive (one 302 XLT and one 502 Lariat).

I was this close to signing on the Lariat, but chose to take the weekend to think it over. Overall, I am trying to wrap my brain around the idea that I will be spending $51k on a truck. These things are f***ing expensive.

Whats troubling me is not my ability to afford it (I can), but rather that I think that the Ram is a pretty nice truck and will run me about $38k OTD. While an apples to oranges comparison (the big horn and Lariat are totally different levels of truck), the Ram has all the comfort and functional features that I am looking for (heated seats, steering wheel, auto 4wd) at a fraction of the cost. This seems like the logical choice.

With all that said, my emotional choice is the lariat. I loved the feel of it and genuinely appreciated things like the amazing sunroof and fantastic LED lights.

My fiance encouraged me to get the Lariat, saying that it was clear that it was the truck I wanted. She also said, and I quote, "I will ****ing stab you in your sleep if we do not keep this vehicle for at least 5 years" (indicating that I trade vehicles too often lol). So she said we should spend a bit to make sure I am happy.

I am gonna keep wrestling with this over the next couple of days, why cant Ford just send me one for free !

AK49FordTruck

RAM has been selling like hot cakes the last few years, mainly due to price. I work with the big three on a daily basis since i'm in the upfitting business so we work on everything. My Ford dealers have more 1-3 year old RAMs coming in for trade with the owners saying they were cheap for a reason, what will it take to get back into a real truck?

Funny part of this is one of them is next door to the dodge dealer, so you see the Ford dealer with a bunch of 1-3 year old RAMs out front on the used line...makes you wonder.

Gerrard155

Yeah, that part of my apprehension. Gene's here in Fairbanks is also an absolutely awful service dealership-definitely weighing heavily into my decision.

DC4MVP

Why don't you take a more serious look at the 302A XLT if you don't want to spend $51k and are having a hard time deciding? Heated seats, 8" touchscreen w/ Sync, LED bed lights, remote start, auto-locking tailgate, two sets of 110v/400w plug ins, etc.

For a loaded 302A XLT w/ moonroof...you're looking at about $46,000 MSRP. Dealer will probably take off another $3-5,000 so $43,000 for a truck that's pretty much decked out in it's own right. Sure, you're not getting a heated steering wheel or leather seats but are both those things worth another $9,000? You can get your LED headlights aftermarket for about $1,500.

Perhaps go build a XLT and Lariat on the Ford site. You'd be surprised what you can order in an XLT and NOT have to pay for the Lariat name because that's exactly what you're doing.

If you're dead set on the Lariat...build one of those to exactly how you want it and see what the price is. Maybe the exact truck you want would be less than the truck at the lot. Sure, you'll have to wait 8 weeks but at least you're not paying for a $1,000 feature that you'll never use.

Good luck!!!

Gerrard155

I seriously considered a 302A-but the lack of auto 4wd is a dealbreaker for me personally. With 6 months of winter and relatively remote highways here, its a safety feature that I just do not want to go without. Plenty of guys do, dont get me wrong-but I am to the point where I feel it is necessary for me.

Its also worth noting that a loaded 4wd XLT is about $51k MSRP-appx $5k difference from the lariat I am considering.

I thought about ordering, but I have been oggling over these things since they were revealed 14 mos ago. I dont think I have the patience to wait another 2-3 mos.

So, I have completely put myself in this position lol. I will likely buy the Lariat, I just wanted to take a few more nights to be sure before I dropped that kind of change.

I appreciate the positive feedback!

DocBach

With the lack of auto 4WD, have you considered setting your 4WD manually on the XLT for roads that are remote or in poor weather conditions to save a couple grand?

Cowboy Rob

If you can afford it, get the truck you really want. I've been in your shoes, and I've always regretted when I settled for something (truck, car, or motorcycle).

GatorMedic

Get the exact truck you want the first time. I can't emphasize this point enough. You see so many people on this forum and in life that settle on something not quite what they want and within a few months or a couple years they finally get fed up with kicking themselves that they buy what they wanted in the first place. They've now lost more money and wasted time being unhappy with their vehicle choice. Get it right the first time and you'll be content with your choice for several years.

tdarmy81

What gator and cowboy said...I was in your shoes and went with the lariat over the ram for other reasons (better HP and torque numbers vs ram gas, bigger back seat, and the feel). I've also "settled" for the cheaper option with other vehicle purchases and regretted it. My wife said the same thing when I was choosing between the ram and f150...get the one you really want.

Gerrard155

The problem here is that you can have pretty dry patches of highway and then hit a black ice patch without much of a warning. So if I drive around with the 4wd lock I would burn up the transfer case/diff, but if I leave it off I might not get it turned on before I hit the ice.

Its worth the peace of mind for me.