I just sold my '99 F150. What do you guys think about buying a new truck relatively late in the model year? My brother is a used car dealer, and I could get a loaner from him for a few months if needed. I could order a new F150 now, or wait until the '05s come out. In August? I'm planning on an Fx4 Screw.

Has anyone heard of any changed/improvements slated for the next model year? I'm always a little leary buying any new vehicle in it's first model year after a major revision - bugs to be worked out.

Thanks.

 

Part of my justification to "she who must be obeyed" is that prices keep going up, and interest rates are bound to increase, making now a good time to buy. You're right though that you might wish to consider any pending product improvements. Since the 150 just went through a major re-do for '04, I would be surprised at any major changes, but I'm not in the loop on what's in store for '05. I think that your answer depends upon how soon you'll be changing out of the new vehicle; if you'll be switching in only a few years, you might take a hit on the book value of the '04 Vs. an '05; but if you plan to keep it for a while that's a non-issue. You'd have to compare the cost of the interim vehicle against the expected additional depreciation cost on the '04. That's my $0.02; it's easier for me to spend your money than mine!

 

Crownie hit the nail on the head- you'll take a bath in the '04 if you trade it in early. As for features, if history is any indication, Ford has a reputation of bringing out nice models with all the goodies, then they start taking them away as a cost-cutting device. If you wait till '05, don't be surprised when you see some stuff "missing."

 

I'm still leaning toward waiting for an '05 model - I can get a loaner from my brother for the summer - but there's no use waiting if there aren't any improvements. Anyone know when features/options of the new model year are made public?

 

i think the previous posters missed the point of the question. The question was whether to buy an 04, or wait a while longer and get an 05. (question wasnt whether to get an 04 and trade it in on an 05). I have heard the 05 4.6 will get 3valve/cylinder technology but not for sure. I have decided to wait on an 05 cause i want a factory satellite radio.

 

The only threat out there is that steel prices are gonna effect car prices.PERIOD> Say what you want, ford will raise their product cost when materials they purchase to build them increase in price. Thats just simple math. Some people on this forum disagree with me on this. Maybe ford won't raise their prices because they love their customers and don't care if they make a profit or not. BUY NOW!!!!!! or pay more later.

 

I have to disagree. Wait. There are some major problems out there that Ford has yet to resolve. Some of them make owning this highly acclaimed $vehicle$ a bummer. Vibrations, limp mode, etc. I wish I had waited another year. Any small increase in cost could be made up with incentives, X-plan purchase, etc.

 

I just sold my '99 F150 too - to buy a Super Duty. They gave me a '04 F140 SCrew Lariat to drive for a couple of days while they got mine ready, so I've got a couple of observations.

The new F150 rides very smooth. Very car-like. The dash (at least in the Lariat) is excellent, especially at night.

Some things I didn't like:

The b-pillar's position (too far forward in relation to the seat) creates a major blind spot to the driver's left.

The throttle response (is this a drive-by-wire?) is absolutely horrible. I could not own one of these new F150's if they all drove like the one I was loaned. My brother-in-law said he experienced similar throttle response on separate test drives, so I don't know what the deal is - I just know I couldn't live with it. If there's something I would look for them to improve between '04 and '05 models, that would be it.

FWIW, although I got exactly what I wanted in the SD, in many ways I miss my '99. That was a darn good truck. I hope the next guy takes care of it.

 

After reading about all the vibration--AC--throttle response complaints
I would wait until 06
Maybe by then Ford will figure out how to get Motor Trend's Truck of The Year to work right

These problems are WORSE than the 97s intro

I was thinking new F150 to replace my 93 but not this year

 

I have to believe the majority of people buying the '04s are getting excellent performing trucks with no problems. If not, it would be plastered all over the newspapers. All you see in the media is how great this truck is. I've never heard about the vibration problem in the news, so it has to be the minority that has it, otherwise the media would love to shoot down something...it's in their blood. It's too bad that there are people with problems with their trucks. You really do pay too much for them for it to be this way. But I don't think buying an '04 is really a big risk that you're going to get a lemon for a truck. I have 3,000 miles on mine and I love it!

 

Hey tpetty...you wouldn't by any chance be a very famous rock singer would you?

(Tom?)

 

Well the 97s had piston slap problems--Door cracks --V6 had gasket leaks--Crews had drive line alignment problems

You didn't see any headlines about that or magazine articles either

BUT they were REAL

I would wait at least until Feb March of 05

Or until Ford has fixes for the current problems

OTHERWISE you are playing Russian ( Ford ) Roulette

 

If you're looking for objective information, the newspapers, media, mags, press, etc is the last place to look.

 

It' just common sense that there will be some differences in the 2005 model year - some new options, maybe new colors, maybe even new wheels. Mostly superficial stuff.

The question you need to answer is, how bad do you want to be driving the best truck ever made, and are the new options, colors, etc. important enough to be missing out on the months of pleasure you won't have if you wait?

Don't let the few problems you read about here give you the wrong impression. The vast majority of these trucks have few or no problems to speak of.

If you really want a new F150, go for it. You won't be sorry.

 

As a Ford Tech I can say I see almost none of these for the typical warranty repairs of the past. They seem very sound vehicles right now. But the problems with power train are still up in the air and I would recommend waiting. You can either get a great end of year buy on an 04 or get the latest in 05 features at that time. If gas prices continue to soar there may be oodles of them avaliable at large rebate pricing. We have hundreds of trucks going nowhere right at the moment.