Hey guys, 6 months ago I got rid of my 2000 Expedition and bought a tiny 2011 Toyota RAV4. To say the least, I miss my big Ford. I saw a nice looking 2008 F150 at a used car dealership this morning. I pulled in, took it on a test drive and fell in love. It drove great, but felt way down on power with the smaller 4.6 L V8. I had the 5.4 in my Expy and it seamed much faster (could be my bad memory playing tricks on me).

I looked around the truck as best as I could and it was in fairly good shape for having 80,000 miles on it. The only problem I spotted was the air-conditioner would only work on max fan speed setting. It drove straight, braked straight, trans shifted well, no strange noises or vibrations.

Is there anything particular I should look into before starting negotiations? What type of gas mileage can I expect around town with the 4.6L?

One quick question, is this an XLT or XL? There is no carpet on the floor, I thought that was on the XL's. Here is a link to the truck Cars And Credit Of Florida: 2008 Ford F150 | Used Cars | Buy Here Pay Here | Hollywood, FL

Thank you

 

Looks like an STX to me. If it was an XL or XLT it would say it on the badge. An STX is between an XL and XLT.

 

I think it is actually an FX2. Is there a VIN site that I can put the VIN in and get the exact build of the truck?

 

I believe an FX2 would have carpet on the floor and a different instrument cluster and the center console with the shifter in it and the 5.4L engine. This truck has none of that.

 

Hmmm. I know they do running changes but there are some questions here. The wheels are different from an STX. You can opt for vinyl floors instead of carpet on the STX. As stated, the FX trim is supposed to have the 5.4L and floor shifter. It has a tachometer, which comes with FX but not on STX (at least through '06 models anyway). Looks like power windows & locks which come on FX and are an option for STX. The bumpers are color matched, which is correct for the FX and STX. Why are there no FX or STX decals on the bed sides? It kind of looks like an STX with a replaced instrument cluster (from an FX), changed wheels and the bedside decals removed. This bears some research before buying I think... Do they offer a "carfax" or something similar relating to the vehicle history?

As to the mpg, probably about the same for the 4.6 and the 5.4 in town. You would think the sacrifice of 60-70 lbs of torque would get you better mileage, but no.

Looking again, it has an aftermarket exhaust of some sort. Are those electric windows in the back half-doors?

 

The instument cluster would be consistent with an STX. I have the same cluster in my XL. I am thinking that somebody just took the STX decals off the box.

 

Thank you for the clarification, almost made a $2,000 mistake pricing it as an FX2. I ran a CarFax report, seams to be a clean one owner truck. The only odd thing is the report showed no dealership visits and only the initial 15 miles when the truck was purchased. I have seen other CarFax reports that included all dealership visits, and annual mileage when the owner re-registers the vehical yearly with the state.

 

My 08 has those too.

 

I have the exact body style that you do I think. And my acceleration sucks pretty bad too, doesn't seem to be a whole lot of low end torque. but its fine on the highwas and passing. Mileage is around 15-16, with city and highway.
Also there is a TSB on the blend door on my truck. Causes the temp **** to either be full ac or full heat, no in between.

 

I had no luck with the dealer, shopping around for another F150. I really want to get back in a full sized truck.

 

I used to get 19-20 mpg on the highway on my old 2004 super crew with the 4.6 engine. It was a good engine and never gave me any trouble. I don't have any complaints about it. That engine didnt have as much power as the 5.4, but since I didn't tow a heavy load, it was fine for what I needed.