Well, on our December trip to Florida our 95 F-150 developed several mechanical issues. None disabled the truck, but need to be fixed for me to feel comfortable towing with it. The repairs are around $2,000.
Looking at it, I think the $2,000 would be better spent going to a new TV rather than fixing a 9 year old truck.
Looking at F-250s in case we want to upgrade to a caravan :eek:
So, its off to look at trucks.
Take a look at the new dodge durango or the Ram quad cabs and by all means get a HEMI!!! :cool:
Or Nissan's new full-size Titan with a 9500# towing capacity! I know if I were in your shoes, I would be looking at them!
Some people may be afraid of a model's first year out, but I have the Nissan Frontier 4x4, loaded (demo model) in its first year (1998), and have had very little problem with it. I grew up in a GM family, and even bought a nice S10 myself, but I traded it in on the Nissan. Boy, am I a Nissan fan now!
BTW, they are MADE IN TENNESSEE, and even engineered by Americans. The Titans are made in Mississippi. (I have 3 friends who are Nissan engineers.)
Anyway, Tim, have fun looking for a new TV!!!
Larry
Have fun looking. :)
I know I have written this many times before, but we love our Ford E150. If I were to get a pickup I would stay with ford and get a 250. Isn't spending money fun?
Here's the latest review of full sized four door pickups: http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=7692&page_number=1 Nissan took first place! It's also walking away from the Hemi boys. You should read the crying in the various forums! :D Oh, and it comes with that monster motor for only $24K!
As for the E-150, you're VERY lucky that you've not had problems. I bought a 94 chassis, 95 model conversion van. Consumer reports later reported it was a "worst buy". I only discovered that detail after owning it. It was an awesome TV, but the nagging mechanical issues finally caused me to trade it in at 69K. Tranny had to be repaired, two ABS computers, warped rotors twice, bad tire wear, rain gutters rusted out, power steering gearbox seal failed... etc. :( :mad:
Hey Tim, are you going to get one of those 4 door truck cars? Or, is it a car truck. Just kidding. They look nice. I'm checking out a silverado, Tahoe or Yukon since I can use the 4 door vehicle in business and if it weighs right, it's another big deduction. The only thing that bothers me is the fuel economy.
I love my Dodge Durango...even if it doesn't have a Hemi! LOL!! Seriously, the Durango has great towing capacity, lots of room, and a smooth ride. Mine has the smaller V8 (with full towing package), and you can barely tell the PU is back there--even with three women and all our stuff!
I have heard that about the 150. Ours is not a conversion. We won't keep it after the warranty expires. But it has been much better than our Dodge 250. The Japenese have been salivating over the U.S. truck market for years. As they have done with Toyota, they will introduce a model very cheaply and boost the price per unit sky high once they think they have you hooked.......
Good luck Tim.
IMHO you can't beat the Suburban. It's not because it is a poorly built vehicle that large numbers of mid-80's models are still in service in Baghdad. The current body style is the SUV of choice in Kuwait. In one parking area I counted nearly 50 vehicles, 34 of them were Suburbans, the rest were mostly Caprice Classics. Wonder why Ford has not done better in the Mid East?
Partly as a result of what I saw last year in Kuwait and Iraq and partly because, well, I just like GM better, I bought a 2001 K2500 Suburban to tow our little PU. It's an awesome truck and a lot of fun to drive. Now if GM would just make OnStar a little more reasonable priced........
To be honest, the DW's company car is a Durango and I drive a Suburban at work a lot. Both are nice vehicles but do not fit our lifestyle.
For those of you who have camped with us, you know the amount of "stuff" we carry in the back of the pick up.
Here is a photo of the back: REar of tow vehicle with firewood (http://www.title-3.com/images/WoodSlide.jpg)
As you can see, an SUV just won't work.
Larry, thanks for the heads up on the Nissan. I never even thought of them :rolleyes:
Robert, thanks for the C&D link, it was helpful.
I'll keep you all posted
Quote from: DiplomatWonder why Ford has not done better in the Mid East?
If I recall correctly, they had a factory in Israel for parts or cars, I am not sure ...... Or was that Coca Cola ? ....
If that's the case I bet they don't use Purolator fuel filters then either. The majority of the ones I sell are made in Israel.
We went truck shopping after T-day. It just made a lot of sense to buy the 250/2500, the price wasn't much if any more than a 150/1500 after adding all the tow goodies. After 2 trips with our 2500HD Silverado I love it! Our Jayco is weighing right at the 2700# GVW limit (or was last year when I scaled it), with a load of firewood I have no problems driving a fast as I want. Of course we do plan on moving on away from the popup some time soon, that had a lot to do with the choice of the 2500. It's rated at 10600#, so we are looking at units that we can load out under 8000#
Well, it looks like we are getting close. We wanted an F-250 XLT but found a dealer that has an F-350 Lariat on the lot that he wants to ge rid of. His first offer was $200 over invoice. Then we get a $1,500 rebate.
So far we have not been able to find the exact truck we want, so to get it we would have to special order, which removes all rebates.
Sounds like a good deal. :)
I don't know Tim.
Do you think this truck is capable of pulling your Santa Fe?
Have you run the numbers on GVWR and GCVWR and UVW and tongue weight and the 75% rule and the wheelbase and everything else we have taught you???
Remember, that trailer rating is only with a 150 lb driver!! ;)
Hey,
sounds like a great truck, especially as we know you intend on getting something bigger.
You can never have too much truck, and it sure makes climbing an 8% grade (like we did a few weeks ago) seem effortless.
Best of luck with it.
Kevin
Quote from: 6QuigsI don't know Tim.
Do you think this truck is capable of pulling your Santa Fe?
Have you run the numbers on GVWR and GCVWR and UVW and tongue weight and the 75% rule and the wheelbase and everything else we have taught you???
Remember, that trailer rating is only with a 150 lb driver!! ;)
Kevin
Kevin,
It's probably going to be close
GCVR = 20,000 lbs
Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight = 12,500 lbs
:J
Well, with a little luck the old TV sells tomorrow and we pick up the new one on Tuesday.
The deal on the F-350 fell through (the dealer tried to pull a fast one so we walked away) but we found an F-250 that we liked better.
The tow specs stay the same so the biggest pop up should not be a problem :D
I'll take some pictures and update the tow vehicle web page as soon as I can.
Woohoo!! New Tow vehicle!!!!!
:W :D :D
Larry
Good luck Tim! Sounds wonderful!
Congrat's Tim !!!
Earl is gonna be SOOOOOO jealous...when we bought our new F150 last Winter, he kept looking at the 250's....with longing in his eyes! I think he is holding out for a 250 Diesel for the business, but it may be a while before that happens. He has an old Ford full size van he has been using for the carpentry trim business that he doesn't use much - now that we have an enclosed trailer for the Dakota. Our plans are to trade it in for another business truck, or a smaller more efficient van.
Looking forward to seeing the new TV in July! By the way, has the third member of your family put her approval on this purchase? After all - it will be her "den" too!!!!!
Louise
Quote from: stateparkgrlCongrat's Tim !!!
Earl is gonna be SOOOOOO jealous...when we bought our new F150 last Winter, he kept looking at the 250's....with longing in his eyes! I think he is holding out for a 250 Diesel for the business, but it may be a while before that happens. He has an old Ford full size van he has been using for the carpentry trim business that he doesn't use much - now that we have an enclosed trailer for the Dakota. Our plans are to trade it in for another business truck, or a smaller more efficient van.
Looking forward to seeing the new TV in July! By the way, has the third member of your family put her approval on this purchase? After all - it will be her "den" too!!!!!
Louise
Thanks Louise,
No - Natasha will see it Tuesday for the first time! She should be happy that the rear seat area is larger for her :D
OK, I thought I'd put what I learned during our latest pruchase here, hoping it helps others.
If you are thinking about a new vehicle - Do your homework. It will save you money.
Here are the sites I used:
FordDirect.com (http://www.forddirect.com)
You can research not only prices but availabliity of vehicles at individual dealerships. When you find a vehicle you like you can veiw a copy of the windoow sticker that also shows Dealer Invoice (cost) Price
Edmunds.com (http://edmunds.com/)
You can research just about everything on cars here. pay particular atention to the incentives area. This will tell you not only customer incentives available (like rebates and 0% financing) but Dealer incentives. many people are unaware that at times dealers are provided with cash incentives to move certain model vehicles. if there is a $1,00 dealer incentive make sure you get partof it when you haggle over pricing.
NADA Guides.com (http://www3.nadaguides.com/)
Make sure you know the value of your trade before you talk to the dealer about pricing.
CarMax.com (http://www.carmax.com/)
If you have one in your area, this is a great source of nice cars. The hidden gem with the is that they not only sell cars, they buy them. Drive in and they will give you an offer on your car valid for 7 days/300 miles. Again, know what your trade is worth before you deal with a car dealer.
Motley Fool Car Buying Guide (http://www.fool.com/car/car.htm?source=PFinAg)
Take an hour or so and read this. Follow their steps. You will be glad you did!
Now for our experience:
We built or dream truck using ForDirect. This told us what the sticker price and dealer invoice price. The first thig I discovered is that you will never find an exact match in stock. Be ready to give up some features or accept an option you may not have otherwise wanted.
We visited a local dealer and looked at truck to make sure we really like the options we selected when we saw them in person.
With this "dream truck" I began searching dealer inventory in the DC area. I sent a quote request to about 10 dealers who had trucks close to what we wanted. Most responded by e-mail and/or called. About 75% of thoes who responded were willing to talk prices over the phone. I suggest using the dealer invoice as a starting point. The range in this area is $100 below to around $500 over invoice Don't talk trade unitl you have a firm price for the new vehicle.
Once you have a firm price, make an appointment to test drive the one you like. Demand that vehicle. You don't want to drive a similar one, you want to drive the one you want to buy! When you arrive for the test drive, bring your trade. Ask that they evaluate your trade while you take the test drive.
When you get back from the test drive you will know if you like the vehicle and they should be able to give you a trade price. Now, this is where we walked away from a dealer. From our on-line research we understood what our trade was worth. The dealer offered us half of it's value!
Actually, this was a blessing in disguise. I expaned my search area and found a truck much closer to what we wanted. The dealer din't jerk us around and was more than willing to e-mail prices.
Well, tomorrow is the day :D
Hopefully the snow won't keep them from getting the correct bedliner in.