Well, after looking around for a while I finally managed to find a supercab longbed 4x4 w/the 8200 GVW package - at a dealer perhaps 45 miles away. A month or two ago I said I was going to withhold my final judgment of the '04s until I drove one of the 8200-GVW models, so tonight I'm going to head out there and check it out.

If I do decide to buy it (unlikely, but possible), it actually has all the options I want...though I still think the '04s are overpriced. This one has a sticker (including destination) of $35,195 - though with my discounts it'd cost me $30,070. I wish they'd start to offer better incentives...I'm sure if I do buy it they'll offer new incentives the next day.

LK

 

What's the low down on this truck? XL? XLT?

 

It's an XLT, w/these options:

- 5.4L V8
- 4.10 gears w/limited slip
- Electronic shift (which I didn't want)
- Skid plates
- Sliding rear window
- Trailer tow
- AM/FM w/both cassette & CD
- Keyless Entry
- Deluxe mirror package
- Payoad group (8,200 gvw)
- Snow plow prep
- 35.7 gallon fuel tank
- Power driver's seat

In all, it's fairly close to what I was looking for - though personally I wouldn't get the power seat, keyless entry, or the electronic shift. In general I really prefer the XL trucks over the XLTs, but the resale on XLs is terrible - my last two trucks were XLs, and nobody seems to want them. My guess is that XLs are normally bought by businesses, and for tax reasons a business will usually just buy a new truck instead of a used one. So, if I'm only going to keep a truck a couple years it ends up actually being cheaper to get an XLT (strange, but true).

I'll post some general driving impressions & such when I get the chance. I really haven't decided yet what I'm going to do...I have the money saved up to get a new truck this year, so now I have to decide if I'm going with the F150 or the superduty. It's tough to figure out which makes more sense financially, since I have no clue how well the '04s will hold their value - especially an unusual truck like this particular one (the only longbed supercab 8200gvw I've ever seen).

LK

 

I hope you've got a half acre to turn it around in. That's a long truck.

 

Could ya get some pics so I could see how well I did on my phtotchopped scab 8'

clicky

 

I'd get some pics for you, but I don't have a digital camera or a scanner - so getting them online would be difficult.

Actually, it's looking like I'm not going to get that truck - tonight I'm looking at (and probably buying) an F250 XLT crewcab V10 4x4 that I've looked at a couple times previously. The F250 costs less than $1,000 more than the F150, and around here the crewcab Superduties (V10 or diesel) hold their resale value a lot better then the supercab F150s (at 2 or 3 years old, the SD is worth $4k-$5k more).

However, I did have to budget an extra $100 a month for gasoline. Actually, I'm only getting 14mpg now - so 10 or 12mpg won't be that bad in comparison.

I'm going out of town until Monday, but next week I'll be able to report on whatever I decided to do and why I made the decision I did.

LK

 

Just wanted to let folks know that I ended up buying the '04 Superduty instead of the '04 F150 - I simply couldn't justify paying $30k for a supercab F150 4x4 when I could get a similarly-equipped crewcab F250 4x4 for $31k.

While some seem to think that the '04 F150 is some sort of revolutionary change in pickups, personally I don't see any kind of night-and-day difference between the '04 and the '03s. It handles a little better, it's a little quieter, and ride is a bit more controlled...but it's also lower, has less off-road ability, and it's pretty obvious that they cut costs wherever they could. Basically, they made the F150 a little more car-like to appeal to a broader range of buyers - just like they did back in '97.

However, personally I prefer a more truck-like vehicle, and don't mind the louder interior or less precise handling - and I would rather have a firm suspension over the Lincoln-on-stilts suspension on most half-ton trucks nowadays. Last time I bought a truck I compromised and got a 7700 - while more like a car, the 7700 package made it 'truckish' enough for my tastes. But, now even the 8,200 gvw package F150 is too much like a car...luckily Ford still makes the Superduty, otherwise I would have to buy another brand.

I do think Ford really needs to work on the seats - like other posters have mentioned, I simply could not get comfortable in the driver's seat no matter how I adjusted it. The seats in my '02 weren't great, but the seats in the '04 are miserable. Also, the back seat in the supercab is still extremely uncomfortable - supposedly the cab is 6" longer, but it doesn't seem like it. Maybe this won't be as big a deal once they get a decent-sized bed on the Supercrew...but for now if you want a real backseat and a real bed you have to get a Superduty.

LK