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Pilot, great information. So, I searched the Ford database, and a local dealer had a stripped F250 XL 4x2 Scab 6.2 gas with 8' box (164" wb) sitting on their lot. I headed on over to get a look at the door jamb ratings. Yes, that reads 3,859 lbs. Even better, the price was $37.5k.
So, here's the conundrum: The F150 HDPP requires a special order, which means the dealer isn't going to want to negotiate. Ford lists the price @ $46k, which is what I think it would actually end up costing. Of course, forget ever trying to find one of these used - that's unicorn territory. The plus side is it's a F150 - no dispute about the much better ride. Plus, the 3.5 EB, 10 spd, etc. are all modern tech.
The F250 is, well it's a truck and rides like one. The 6.2 gas, 6 spd gets what, 10-12 mpg? OTOH, Ford blows out these stripped work trucks for a fair price, and dealers who have them sitting on their lots should be willing to deal. Last, but not least, this would be a 3rd vehicle, used for house projects and of course ** towing a 7,000 lbs travel trailer **.
As you described, and I have experienced in my current motor home, it just doesn't pay having a tiring, nervous experience when you're suppose to be relaxing.
You can absolutely find HDPP trucks used if you look. I had a 2017 HDPP up on cars.com the other day.
11-14's are really easy to spot because of the 7-lug axles, the 2015+ trucks are harder. You gotta look at the 18" HDPP wheel on the Ford build and price because it looks similar to a non-hdpp wheel on XLT's. There are some differences though.
You can absolutely find HDPP trucks used if you look. I had a 2017 HDPP up on cars.com the other day.
11-14's are really easy to spot because of the 7-lug axles, the 2015+ trucks are harder. You gotta look at the 18" HDPP wheel on the Ford build and price because it looks similar to a non-hdpp wheel on XLT's. There are some differences though.
I'm beginning to get a feel for what options to look for on the car listing sites. (They seem to be mostly generic and don't closely match actual Ford ordering detail.)
Interestingly, I found that "36 gallon" used as a secondary search filter nets some max tow equipped trucks. However, since I'm restricting my search to 2017 or newer (since the big re-model), so far it has produced -0- actual HDPP hits. I'll have to check out the truck you spotted on cars.com - thanks for the lead.
As far as I've determined, the HDPP only comes with one wheel design in the XLT and Lariat trim, and the fourth overload springs are a giveaway without having to drag a salesman all over the lot.
As for dealers pricing, very few salesmen knew anything about the HDPP trucks, and kept referring to all their Max Tows on the lot with chrome packages.
With the HDPP, few dealers i came across view them like potential owners view them, and I don't think marking them up as some type of special item is on their RADAR. Ordering the HDPP was just profit they would not have gotten had you not brought it to them.
As for pricing versus an equal trim F-250, the HDPP options spec out very close to the HD, although a got close to $8,000 off the build price with my only offer, the HDPP had a big advantage in power in both towing and non towing, much better handling and braking when not towing, and to me was worth the slight disadvantage in ultimate capabilities in more adverse conditions than with the HD.
If anyone is looking for a pure towing machine in 2WD, dealers in certain states cannot give them away. That's because everyone and their brother insists on having 4x4. (I've got a new JLU Wrangler Rubicon, so I get the appeal, but towing isn't off-roading.)
There's a couple of dozen brand new 2018 Screw F150s with max tow (but not HDPP), 3.5L EcoBoost, 3.55 e-locker, 5.5' (and some 6.5') box trucks ready to go. The pricing is very near to break-even or even loss - around $35-36k (MSRP $48k+-). A bunch were built in fall 2018 and have been on dealer lots for 160-180 days.
So, how come I know this and haven't acted on the information? Because I'm in Calif, and new cars/trucks w/o CA smog certification from OK, TX, FL, etc cannot be registered here. Used cars with over 7,500 miles can, but it's also illegal in CA to buy a non-cert truck in TX, drive it around the country until you're over 7,500 miles, and show up back home.
Now, I have found 2-3 in NV and AZ which are CA smog certified (border states order the cert cars since so many people from CA are visiting, wandering around, etc). That's still 250-300 miles from LA, but it is tempting. For all you guys not subject to smog restrictions (other than fed.gov EPA), you might want to check it out.
That's a beautiful truck. Can you post the door jamb labels (payload & GVWR)? Also, would it be possible for you to post a pic of the window sticker (or attach the .pdf)?
For anyone else who is interested, here's a window sticker from a late 2018 (note Sept build date) that is most closely configured w/o HDPP. Of interest is that it has both the 3.5L ecoboost upgrade, as well as the max tow package.
However, since it's a dealer truck still stuck in inventory, you can see they can't resist adding bling (302a package), as well as some other bells and whistles.
02-25-2019, 06:00 PM
