I have a 1998 F150 and have been kicking around the idea of an 05 but after reading all the posts that talk about problems like engine knocks and other serious issues I'm thinking twice about this. Problem is my 17yr old daughter keeps hinting about a pickup truck and I was thinking about giving her mine but now I think I might want to hold on to mine until the 06's come out. Any thoughts on this. Thanks in advance.

 

What you read on here and every other site, are the people who have problems. Every model year will have problems from every manufature. There are 90 plus percent of us who have 04 and 05 trucks that never experience a problem with them. I say get what you want check it over and enjoy your new truck. To many people on hear look for the smallest thing to complain about.

 

Yeah, what JDaddy said.
Make sure you test drive the one you buy. I love my truck. I bet a lot of the complaints here would have been resolved if they had test drove first. Granted, I had an issue that surfaced after a few hundred miles (rear window rattle) but the dealer fixed it.
Give your daughter your old truck and buy a new one for yourself. Or, better yet, trade in your old one and get two new F150's!

oh, and after re-reading your title... I plan to keep my truck for many years. I bought the 7yr/100k mile warranty just in case.

 

I had all the same concerns after reading some of the posts here. I even considered buying a Toyota but I took the plunge and bought an 05 Lariat. So far after about 700 miles I am extremely happy, I know its soon but no vibration, squeaks, rattles, or any other problems to speak of. I wouldn't trade my Lariat for anything and I'm sure I made the right decision. I installed the Retrax toneau and am very pleased with that also (thanks FTE members). I am now in the process of installing a kick *** stereo upgrade (Alpine, XM, MB Quart, iPod interface) and I know with the quiet ride of the F-150 it will rock.

 

I plan on keeping my truck as long as it does'nt give me anymore issues besides the vibration which is common for most of us, yes most not all. I did test drive the truck, had the engine failure lights i have had come on i would've steered clear that day, the vibration did'nt appear at first. Try test driving in phoenix arizona when your dealer is in the middle of the city and the only drive you can get is red light to red light. I have been looking at the magnum with the hemi, i'll wait till that is out longer though. Personally i'd keep the 98 for myself and give the daughter the new one, she's a female. if she takes it in for service at least she can work what god gave her and get it fixed lol

 

Ditto, buy the truck. I'm at 2100 miles, and love it.
My biggest gripe was the gas mileage. Since the new reflash, my mileage is good.
14.7, in 200 miles of 100% local driving, all cold starts and short hops,
then 21.1 in 180 miles with the cruise at 70, over hills and up long inclines.

Truck handles so tight that I keep having MG Midget flashbacks on the highway...
Chris

 

Not too impressed with the 04, but I'm hoping they fixed these on the 05 as they will be getting my 04 back. I get a kick out of the posts which claim there's really no problems and that others are just a select few. It's not fun to hear the real feedback, I know, but these issues all have Technical Service Bulletins due to "real" issues which are repeated throughout the country. Sorry guys, the stuff is real and something to be aware of.

I can't say I wouldn't recomend the truck, just sharing my experience as it's helpful to actually know what's going on if you actually get these issues.

Haven't seen too many problems yet with the 05, but then it was this time last year that there weren't too many I could find with the 04.
I test drove quite a bit, but would recomend putting a good 50-60 miles on the truck if possible.

 

Gparcels,
My 04 is awsome, at 5800 miles, no problems here. My only suggestion is to check out the truck you want to buy and REALLY test drive it. I've mention in other posts but dealerships will let you test drive a vehicle for a day or two. Not ALL F150's have problems. I test drove mine and didn't notice anything wrong and even then, after reading some vib threads I got all paranoid. Even though I never felt any vibrations, nibbles, shimmy, rebounce, etc. I still can't believe how smooth the ride is. More smooth than most sedans I've been in. I plan to keep this truck for a while, this is my second vehicle, I kept the first for 4 1/2 years. XLT 4.6L, the smaller engine, but its still awesome. Hope this helps.

 

MX2004 is right about the test drive

I bought a 2005 King Ranch but did not test drive the one I purchased. There was one with a few miles on it equipped the same as the one I wanted so I test drove that one. Big mistake!

The King Ranch I bought had just been off-loaded that day and had not gone through PID (Pre Inspection Delivery). Long story short, mine had a cracked plug and coil pack due to an assembly problem that affected a "few" 2005 5.4 F-150's first builds (mine was built 09/27/04). No big deal, but it should not have been delivered to me without first being checked through the service department. When I took the truck back the next morning it was first in line and got the royal treatment. It just so happened that the Ford Rep was on site and learned that my truck was delivered before going through PID. He told the new car sales manager to comp my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and to offer his car for my use until mine was completely ready to go. I did not have to say a word. My King Ranch was in Service ALL DAY until 5PM.

Do I have any complaints? Heck no!

 

Buy it!! I had a few "new car kinks" But nothing major, and dealer fixed it. I love my truck, And you will love yours too. Just take it for a nice long test drive, city and highway.

 

WAIT WAIT WAIT

Spending $25000-$35000 for any thing and then having grief as an accessory ain't fun

Preople telling you to buy are just plain WRONG

You will be entering a Crap Shoot and hoping you win

For that kind of $$$$ you want assured performance not a Crap Shoot

even 1% ( and it ain't 1%) of trucks with problems is TOO DAMN HIGH

When and IF Ford admits the problem and states unequivocally the fix was made then reconsider

This is not a $100 dollar throw away electrionic toy you are considering and people giving you this advice to BUY BUY wouldn't be willing to take it off your hands if you get a lemon

I have a 93 F150 SC with 115,000 miles on it that has just been great but I have New Truckitis and was waiting on the 2004s BUT NO WAY I am getting one now

 

I would really like to know ANY car or truck Chevy, Ford, Dodge ect.. that has not had problems. 1% chance of a problem will keep you from buying?? My dealer has taken care of me with my minor problems, even a loaner overnight once. IMO if there is a problem, It will be takin care of. There always is a small chance that any new car or truck will have major problems. ANYTHING you buy could have problems. 95 percent + of people that have the new Fords are happy, IMO.

 

I'll give you my two cents, for what it is worth.

We are talking about machinery built by humans. To top it off, there are tens of thousands of these trucks made every year; therefore, ther are obviously going to be problems with a certain percentage, thats just a fact.

I have had my 2004 5.4 Screw 4x4 for just over a month, 1,000 miles, and other than terrible gas mileage (12.8 mpg - I drive fast), which I expected, I love the truck. A few minor issues, but nothing that I do not consider reasonable.

I spent $40,000 on my wifes 2002 Suburban and had to invoke the Lemon Law in Texas and won. The Suburban was that bad! We bought two other same model Suburbans at the same time, on the same day, and those two have run flawlessly.

Bottom line for me was, and I recommend this, drive the truck, look at it, inspect it, if you like it, buy it.

This site is helpful, but remember, most of the posts on this site are people looking for answers to problems. Rarely will you have a post simply state, "My truck is driving great, anyone else having a good time in their truck?"

Good luck on your purchase.

Steve

 

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I think I'm going to be a little cautious and wait until spring and look at the 05's then, besides that way I won't have to drive a new truck in all the winter crap, wouldn't want to get a new 4x4 all dirty and full of salt, lol. Thanks again.

 

i've got a 04 xlt supercab with 3,000 miles. Son has 04 STX reg cab with 5,000 miles. Both trucks are quiet and no problems at all.

AC seems weak for Houston weather but otherwise it is a far better truck than my 97 F150 XLT supercab. My 97 with 4.6 went 180,000 with nearly zero problems. Time will tell but my 04's are so far just about perfect.