Found a couple at a used truck dealer that I'm thinking about getting as a second vehicle and for the winters. One is a 2005 with 105K miles and the other is a 2008 with 113K. They both are going for about $9500. They're extended cabs with 4 wheel drive, spotless interiors and bodies, and the dealer is offering 3 year powertrain warranties. I hear people talk trash about Fords but are they really that bad with a lot of problems? I would like to get a fullsize truck so my options are Ford, Dodge or Chevy.

 

There are some years of 5.4 in the Fords that it is very easy to strip out the sparkplug threads. I would stay clear of those used. They seem to hold together better if they had the towing package (trans cooler being the key extra with that).

 

Fords are not bad. IMO none of the truck makes of that vintage are really that much better or worse than their competition. Dodge doesn't understand electricity, Ford barely understands engines, and Chevy makes many things needlessly complex to fix. By the mid-2k's they're all pretty reliable though with a random issue here or there for specific engines or transmissions. Plus 1 for the towing package being a big bonus for longevity.

 

We use them in our fleet and the guys dog on them bad. Ford's are very reliable. I think the issues we deal with are mainly vibrations and suspension, but since they're used in construction and offroad a lot, that's to be expected.

 

I read about the spark plug threads. Something like that I would probably just leave to a professional to be safe than sorry. How do I know if the truck has a trans cooler? Not sure I would trust the dealer or salespeople to tell me if it has one since they probably wouldnt have a clue. I wont be towing anything with it. Just maybe throwing some stuff in the bed once in awhile that would equal around the same weight as having a couple of passengers inside. So nothing bad that Im sure the truck couldnt handle.



I called the dealer and I was able to get them to knock $500 off one and $750 off the other. So I'm thinking I might pull the trigger on one of them next week.

 

Check the previous owners and make sure they weren't in construction.

 

My dad has a 2007 F-150 FX4 Crew Cab with 190,000 miles on it. The thing still runs like it was brand new and he's never had a single problem with it other than wear and tear stuff. Original motor and transmission. Plus he tows 2 jet skis with it on a trailer.

 

http://researchmaniacs.com/VIN-Numbe...owSticker.html





It's not the fact you are towing; it just helps them live longer from what I have seen. I grew up around a bunch of truck people. Those with towing packages with Fords never seemed to need trans work. Those without seemed to need one after 100k miles. None of them towed anything... but they did tend to drive them pretty hard.

 

Yep. Even my '14, which I rarely tow with has the tow package. I got it because it comes with the bigger radiator, trans cooler and integrated trailer brake controller.