as the title says I may be in the market for one of these f-150's. is one year more desirable than another? What about engine choice? what kind of mileage can I expect to be getting with particular engine choice. I have a budget of $10,000 dollars. any suggestions are appreciated.

 

well with a budget of 10,000 you are likely limited to a 04 or 05, unless you find a cherry deal. The 04's are the first model year and have their share of bugs. I have an 04 and it has been pretty good, just rolled over to 100,000 couple weeks ago. I assume you know about the spark plug issue? if you dont search this forum you will learn quick. Also the 5.4 does have some problems that are common with the cam phasers. My engine has been nothing but solid, has a little noise, but never used a drop of oil and been reliable(knock on wood). But I know the 5.4's have had their share of problems. The 4.6 they put in these trucks was a very reliable engine, but it is harder to find. Most of them do have the 5.4. Overall I would suggest trying to find one that you can research its history a little bit and if it has been well cared for and the previous owner can vouch for that I wouldn't be scared of it. Most dealers will let you contact the previous owner to ask about the vehicle.

 

Kind of depends on what kind of truck you want. A fancy 4x4 crew cab or a bare bones 4x2 XL.

Last week I bought an 06 XL with 4.2 V-6 auto, with the small halfdoors for $3400. It does have a few miles on it, but seems to run fine. I have no idea the mileage, I just got tags on it today; although the seller claimed he got 23, and we all know that no one selling a used vehicle has ever uttered an untruth, right?

I doubt you will find one much cheaper than mine; I was looking for a daily driver, and have a 88 ranger 4x4 for snowy roads.

Robert

 

I would not expect 23 MPG on the 4.2L unless everything is perfect and you take a long road trip on straight, level roads at 55 MPH. I get 16 to 17 in combined driving, and mine's a 5-speed manual. Its possible that an automatic driven with a light foot might actually beat the mileage of the 5-speed because of steadier throttle pressure (you're constantly working the throttle as you shift gears). I've heard that the 4.6 V8/auto gets better mileage than the 4.2 V6/man, all things being equal. I didn't care about that when I bought it and still don't. It's a light-use truck and I fill it up about every 45 days on average. I bought it because I had been looking at mid-size trucks but couldn't make a deal anywhere. Then one of my local Ford dealers offered the base model F-150 for $12,888, so I looked at it and loved it. By the time I got out of there they had managed to add $2000 (transportation, taxes, title, tags and a bed liner), but it was still less than any decent mid-size offer I got.

 

I never said I believed him when he said 23. In fact the only truck I have gotten that high consistently with was my 91 Ranger Supercab 4.0/5sp on cross country trips on the interstates.

I will be satisfied with high teens for the driving I do.

It will be interesting to see, how it does on gas. I am still getting used to having an automatic in a truck again, I still find myself stepping on the clutch to start it.

Robert