thatguyjeff

I'll try not to be too wordy here.

tl;dr traded a 2012 Toyota Rav4 with 55k miles + $6k cash for a 2009 King Ranch 5.4L short box with 89k miles. Came with a tonneau cover, bedrug, and weather tech floor mats plus an aftermarket brake controller. edit to add: brand new tires too. Reputable Ford dealer in my area that's been around a long time.

I've never "needed" a truck before (never had one before). My parents live on a lake in northern MN and my father passed away a year ago this month. My mom already had to sell this beautiful 20ft pontoon boat because there's no one there to take care of it (there's more details, I'll spare you). There's still another boat, jet ski, riding mower, quad, etc.

I go up as often as I can and help her out, many times going up without the wife or kids just for the weekend.

Her riding mower crapped out on her. No way to get it in for repair. Took her a couple weeks to get a neighbor with a truck and a trailer to haul it into town for her and then haul it back.

And then she got a recall notice on the jetski - fuel line issue. See where this is going?

Yeah, so, I need a truck and something with a super crew cab to carry the wife and two kids.

And now I'm realizing I traded a newer car with fewer miles for an older truck with more miles on it and I had to throw in cash on top of it. It looks ridiculously big in my driveway. I don't know how I'm going to (if ever) fit it into my garage. And I hope the tranny doesn't crap out on me in about 4 months or something. I did not (yet) get the extended warranty. Never bought one before.

I haven't had the truck 24 hours and am starting to think I made a terrible decision. Talk me off the ledge? Tell me how great these '09 model year trucks really are, please.

marshallr

I need a truck and use one often so not having one isn't an option. In your case I think a better plan would have been to keep the Toyota and buy an older truck. For $6K-$10K you could have gotten a good basic truck without all the bells and whistles of the King Ranch. It would have probably been a little older.

But the truck you have will probably serve you well. Once you get used to the room and comfort you may never want anything but a truck. Give it time before you panic and make a huge financial mistake.

Former Toyota Dude

Enjoy your new ride and welcome to the world of Ford trucks. Hers is the deal....With your King Ranch comes the respect from all of the men/women in F150's that boys and girls in the yotas don't git. Soon you will notice that F150 drivers let you into traffic sooner from a parking lot, your ride gets admired at the feed store, lumberyard, marina etc, the list goes on and on. Enjoy.

thatguyjeff

Coming from a former Toyota guy... thanks for that. It is big and roomy, and has that "saddle" leather in it. I've NEVER been a fan of Toyota. They last forever, sure. But they are the most boring, vanilla driving cars around IMHO. And until very recently we had 2 of them in the garage. Still have the 2007 Camry.

thatguyjeff

A third vehicle really wasn't an option, but thanks for that anyway.

Just about everyone needs to haul something sooner or later. I've borrowed a friend's pick-up no less than a couple times per year for the past several years. A truck can be very handy for any homeowner, especially with a wife who gardens avidly. She already commented about how it will be so much easier for her and her annual mulch buying. Her exact words, "you know I'm gonna fill it with mulch." In the past she would grab 4-5 bags per trip in her trunk.

digitaltrucker

If you can buy the extended Ford warranty, get it. As far as feelings, you will get over that when you realize how much room you have and how safe you are once you hit the road. Mine only gets used as a real truck, maybe 5%! Now you will certainly notice a difference in your gas bill! My truck turned out to be the family go to vehicle, it has 54K on it compared to my wife's Edge with 40K and I am catching my daughter's Honda with 60K.

scottydog

Jeff you traded a mid level compact suv for a top end luxury truck that cost 2-3 times new what the toyo did. Your family will be comfortable and safe, and when you need towing for boats, trailers etc it will be there for you. Yea it may not fit in the garage, and it takes some practice parking. But gas is cheap now so relax and enjoy the tricked out rig. Don't worry about the tranny. Keep up with the maintenance and you should be good for another 100k plus miles.

I wonder every now and then if I might be better off with a grand cherokee. I then remind myself how awkward the jeep was hauling stuff in the back, and that I blew a jeep engine towing the boat.

Sammy77

Holy crap. Calm down, the world isn't going to end because you bought a truck

First off, I'm sorry to hear about your father passing away. The first thing I would, and always do, is get all the fluids changed. Have someone you trust look over the truck real well and take care of anything it needs. Peace of mind.

Obviously your needs changed now, and you need a truck, so you did what you had to do. Some of us don't need a truck, and that's all we'll ever buy! I hope I'm never without a truck. Garage... what's that? I have never ever parked any of my trucks in a garage.

Steelhead 6.2

You didn't make a big mistake!
I have only, ever, driven Ford Pick ups and I did own a 09' FX4 and it was an absolute pleasure to drive. In the long run you won't regret it.

thatguyjeff

Thanks everyone for the reassurance. Really appreciate it.

Wasn't that great of a regret or anything. I knew there would be an f150 forum out there where I could go whining for a pat on the back.

I'm determined to get it in my garage if at all possible. But that has to wait until spring. It's been below zero (high temps) here all week and I'm not about to go rearranging everything in there now. I'll maybe measure today at least.