koukla24

Haven't had to think about purchase in 11. I've got a 2001 F150 Supercew Lariat. I absolutely love Ford and want to buy a newer one. Any suggestions? I want the same truck, NO red. I'm looking to buy used but wonder if there is a certain year that sucked etc....

Sonic

The 97-03's (what you have) are great trucks. I have a bunch of friends that have that gen with hundreds of thousands of miles on them and their running strong.

They redesigned and completely revamped the truck in 04. From what I've gathered the 04-06's had a few issues. Cam phasers, driver side power window motors/slides, faulty airbags (05-06) and 2 piece spark plugs that were known to break off upon removal causing larger problems and a very large bill.

The plug issue is supposedly less of a concern as Ford made a tool specially designed for pulling the plugs, but I'd still be leary.

By 07 and 08, most of the problems were worked out. At least from the hours of research I did before buying found that this was the case. So I bought an 07 a couple months ago and haven't had any issues, but the truck only has 32k, so it's fairly fresh.

The 09-10's got the body refresh and some performance changes. The 4 spd auto was replaced by the 6 speed auto. I test drove a 2010 and it was much quicker and smoother when compared to the 4 spd auto in the previous F150's.

I've heard about problems with the fuel pumps in the 09-10's, but I haven't seen any offical recalls or talked to anyone who has had a problem.

I do believe Ford issued a recall for door handles on 09-10's built between Jan 08 and Nov 09. The return springs were weak and could open in the event of an accident.

There might be other issues/recalls on those 2 gens that others can comment on. Other than that the newer trucks are great. The +04's are huge and muscular looking compared to the 97-03's. They offer a ton of comfort options inside, especially the Lariat.

I guess your budget would determine the year/model you're able to buy.

koukla24

Wow! You pretty much said exactly what I was needing to hear! Real info broken down somewhat! Thanks a ton. I'm looking at 2010-2011! But only if I find exactly what I want! I'd go for a 2009 if it spoke to me!

Sonic

The 2010's were the last year before the new engine lineup. They did however have engine updates along with the 09's. The 4.6L was now available in 3v form in addition to the 2v, and the 5.4's got hp/tq bumps as well. I'd say the biggest difference between the 04-08's and 09-10's would be the 6R80E 6spd auto. The previous 4R75E 4spd auto was offered with the 2v 4.6L.

The 2011+ had the fresh new engines...3.7 VCT v6, 3.5 Ecoboost v6, 5.0 Coyote 4v, and the 6.2.

I haven't driven any of the new engines, but I've heard nothing but good things about them!

Lenn

Moved to the General Discussion section.

The "Suggestions/Comments" section is geared toward suggestions and comments about the site, not the trucks. LOL.

shortride

iTrader: (1)

The newer generation trucks are a lot more technical that older models. It would behoove you to ask a lot of question and do a lot of reading so there are aren’t any surprises. That's what the sales staff is there for. You should never drive a new vehicle home not knowing everything about it and how the systems work.

My salesman spent at least one hour on 2 different days going over my new trucks systems and features and I still had questions after that. Some people like to try figuring out how thing work themselves but unless you're very technically oriented and have done a lot of research you may need some tutoring.

As a foot note:
If you plan on doing any of the service work yourself it would be a good idea to buy a Ford F150 service manual.

Stratocaster

If you are planning to buy used or new from a dealer do it near the end of the month. If you see what you want show interest but hold off until the last day of the month, then call, but chances are they will call you first because in every dealership I've been around there is someone in sales or management that needs one more sale to hit his bonus. I held off and got a call the day before the books closed offering me another $500 off on top of their "already best deal" if I would pull the trigger then. It happens more often than you think, but unless you buy during the last week of the month nothing will ever be said.

natedogg624

what about buying a truck with some miles on it? say an 07 xlt 4x4 scab with 71k miles.

Sonic

It really depends on the history of the truck...whether the previous owner(s) maintained the truck and cared for it will really determine the overall condition.

Was the truck used as a dd on the highway or was it hauling heavy loads 5 days out the week.

If it was a trade in, a lot of times the dealerships will have the previous owner sign a form saying they would be okay with being contacted regarding their trade in. I did it with my old Ranger and contacted the prior owner of my 07.

zap

Newer trucks of course have many more electronics. Not a huge fan of electronics in vehicles and try to (unsuccessfully) avoid them like the plague as I have not had one vehicle with over 80K miles that has not showed electrical gremlins whether GM, Ford, or Dodge. I absolutely love my fathers Common Rail 5.9 in his 06 HD but even it gave some issues with the glow plugs/strips. Everything these days is controlled by electronics so it's kinda hard to avoid them. Haven't heard of any major malfunctions (things that could endanger you or strand you) with any of the late model F150's.