Hi, I have a question and I hope this is the right section to be asking it. First off, let me explain- this is Robw1999's girlfriend sneaking onto his PC and typing this, as I know he frequently reads these forums anytime he wants to do something to his truck, I figured this would be the best place to get advice without blowing the surprise.

So anyways, here goes-

We live in New England where the weather is anything but predictable and the winter's are always as cold as a witch's t*t. I'd like to surprise him as part of his Christmas present to get him a remote starter/alarm for his truck, which is a 1999 F-150. Without actually asking him myself, I have no idea how to go about buying one. No clue if what I've been googling will do what I want it to, or if it's even compatible with his truck. So yeah, he's got a 1999 Ford F-150 automatic, without power windows (not that I think it matters, but just incase... Hey I'm a chick, I don't know much about cars :P ), and it's got 2-wheel drive.

Any suggestions on where to go, what to look for, what to buy, and how much I should be looking at price-wise so I don't get ripped off will be greatly appreciated. I'll check this site for updates whenever he's not looking Thanks in advance for the help fellas! Just trying to make my baby's truck a lil more cozy this winter for him.

 

First be careful, his profile will email him with every new thread or reply to this thread, so that might blow the surprise.

There are a ton of options from simple starters that don't replace the factory fob, to fancy all in one units that communicate two-way to tell you when your truck starts and if your alarm goes off. Those are nice if you have the cash, and some can even be configured with a touch pad on the window, so if someone is supposed to meet you at your truck (i.e. for carpoolers), they tap your window and it lets you know they are there.

The biggest concern is that some factory anti-theft devices are not compatible with starters without significant add-ons to bypass the security system. I would reccomend you either give him a gift certificate to a major installer in your city, or go and talk to an electronic's installer for confirmation of the specific system on his truck.

I'm sure the others here know better. I have a command start on my old Bronco (very easy), but have not had time to put one in my new F150 yet.

 

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Aye with the above. There's a large variety of what you can get, ranging from $80 on up to hundreds. I'm assuming you aren't gonna install it ( I kid I kid ) so pending on how you want to do it, you could buy the kit and let him install it ( if he's into that / capable ) or take the truck to a electronics dealer and get it done professionally.
I've installed a few over the years and Bully seems to be a pretty good brand albiet lil more technical on install. If you give us your zip code, I can check to see what stores in your area carry them and what the prices are and see if reasonable for purchase and install.

 

Thanks so much for the help Sog and Mcaldwell!

Sog- our zipcode is 01960. He should be able to install it himself, he just recently gave an overhaul to a few things in his truck, including his heatercore, so I'm hoping that the remote starter won't give him any issues If it does though, my brother can probably install it for him, as he did mine in my car years ago. (I'd bother him about brands and whatnot, but I know he's real busy and his wife is about to have a baby so I don't want to bug him unless it's absolutely necessary ie; after Christmas installing it in if Rob can't )

If it's any help, I'm hoping to not spend anything more than $150-200 tops. If you can find one for less, extra brownie points for you! So we don't need anything super crazy like the secret agent touch pad on the window

 

Compustar is a decent brand and just for a good basic remote start, lil cheaper then the rest.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Compustar-CS600S...1%7C240%3A1318

Viper is really good, I've installed these one's before and they work well for a long time, Viper is more heavily into car alarm but their remotes starts work well, generally they retail for $250 up.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/Viper-2-Way-LED-...1%7C240%3A1318

Just a couple examples I found after browsing ebay for a couple mins....

 

Keep in mind, when I went to by one for my 99 ford-150 XLT they were about $150 to $200. But when I talked to the guy he said I had an anti theft chip in my key. By the time he finished with the quote it was $400 plus tax. But, I live in Canada, so half the price in tax.

 

Paul- Yikes! That's quite an estimate :O Hopefully he doesn't have that chip. I forgot to mention, his car doesn't have power locks or windows, do you think it's moot to get a car alarm because of this? If so, I guess I'll just be looking for a remote starter.

Thanks for the links Sog, those both look nice The Viper sounds real nice, and not too expensive either, and the Compustar sounds like it's exactly what I was originally looking for at an insanely cheaper price than I was expecting So now my only worry is about the non-power locks affecting the system kits since it's keyless entry.