I've special ordered a vehicle before, a 2015 Chevy SS sedan, that took 7 months from order to delivery, but it came from Australia. Buying a truck is because it is going from daily driver to garage queen. I don't mind waiting to get exactly what I want when I'm spending 10s of thousands. I am a bit nervous that they would drop the 5.0 for the XL in 2024, and I think I like the appearance of 2023 more. I'll go talk to my dealer Monday.

 

Picked up my truck today. Surprised how quick it came through. I ordered a bed tray and unfortunately that didn't ship for some reason. So that will need to be put in at a later date. But I was a bit surprised to see I have the tailgate step. This is an XL, and I didn't think that came on XLs. I thought it was optional on XLTs and standard at higher trim.

 

Not sure how I missed this thread for so long. Anyways, I bought this off the lot. The 2.7 was my preferred engine, but I was pleased with the performance of the 3.3L. The e-locker was a must have for boat ramps and the well beaten offroad paths I use for hunting.
I put weights in the bed over the rear axle from November till about mid March. Surprisingly there's no noticeable impact to mileage of about 22.5 mpg around town.
Took me a few months but I found XLT sport rims with BFG AT2 tires.
Door keypad was a must have and an easy add on.
Backrack, tonneu, tints and running boards.
Reg cabs are my preferred truck and I was very happy to be back in one.





Ended up like this(no tints yet in this pic)

 

I need to sell my old 4runner then I am buying some mods. First mods I am thinking:

Wrap steering wheel in leather
Tint
Morimoto LED headlights and grille

Still trying to decide if I want to level it or do front suspension lift and put 33's on 17s or 18s or or lower it like 6" rear and 4" font and keep basically stock tire size but with 20" wheels.
Also trying to decide which / how much of the black trim bits I want to color match race red. I think I need the wheels and tires on before I decide that though.

 

I did those on mine. Nice looking truck. Click on my Avatar and see my truck.

 

Did you do the steering wheel wrap yourself? That looks great, OEM quality. Do you remember what brand you used?

 

Okay, here is mine, purchased new in November 2022. It is not as nice as most everyone’s here, (see wheels and tires for starters) but all that I could now afford - Retired Navy and just had to move, after 50 years in San Diego to Florida. New house, new air conditioner, new roof… nothing left to get what I really wanted.

This is my 5th new Ford truck – a New 1990 F-150XL, New 1994 F-150XL, New 1996 F-150XL, and a New 2000 F250 5.4L. The 2000 F250 (see below) was 23 years old, (91,000 miles) and was in like new condition, (garage parked) it ran like it did on day one.

I had to let it go as it developed an electrical issue and no one here could say what it would take to repair it – I know my guys back in San Diego could repair it, but I did not have a dealership here that would/could help – one said it "could be" $4,000 to try and no guarantee that they would be able to repair it, but I would still owe $4000.00.

So, sadly, out of fear of maybe being stranded somewhere here, (the closest person I know here is 2400 miles away) I traded it in last year. That was a great truck.

- Nick

My new truck:
2022 F-150 XL Single Cab
Body Type Standard Bed
Body Regular Cab Pickup - 8 foot Standard Bed
Engine: 3.3L V6 PFDI
70-Amp/Hr 610CCA Maintenance-Free Battery w/Run Down Protection
200 Amp Alternator

My 2000 F250XL 5.4L (trade in)

My 2000 F250XL

 

Thats how mine started out(see above). I bought it knowing I would change out the tires and wheels. Even doing just that is a huge improvement.

I plan to drive it 13 more years.

 

Yes, I did see yours in this thread - it looks just like mine. I wish I would have had more funds to swap-out for better wheels when I got the truck - I fear now that I will never be able too. Thats okay I guess, my first truck had the stock wheels. I said never again but I was in a rush and running low on funds. Better wheels do dress it up though and it makes a world of difference in the looks department!

-Nick

 

There are not any good wheels available for XL's from the factory. I had to look for XLT and above rims. I found them on facebook marketplace, people buy nicer trucks and sell their factory rims.