Hey Guys - long time member but have only been sporadicly on site for a while now. Just going to give an update on my situation for no other reason than I love to read about other guy's experiences with these trucks.

Bought a 5.4 FX4 new back in 2006. Did some light mods (Bilstein leveling shocks, rims, 33" Duratracs, Line-X, rear diff cover) until I had about 75k on truck. Then I drove her down to Mike Troyer in WV. Put on CAI, ceramic headers, magna flow cutback exhaust, electric fans, underdrive pulleys, Troyer tunes. Turned out to be a great decision. Mike did an incredible job. Added power, mpg and improved shift points. I now have 167k on truck. Just got 17.6 mpg on 180m highway trip running at 75mph. Going to drive 55 next time just to see how high I can get the mpg. Getting 16 mpg overall. The exhaust sounds awesome too. No real issues over the years. Had 2 tune ups. All plugs came out without breaking. Had to replace ignition coils about 10k ago. Was able to do that myself for about 1/3 cost my mechanic wanted. Hope I am not jinxing myself by saying this truck has treated me very well for the last 10 yrs and I still get a smile on my face when I step on it. I also seem to be in the minority absolutely loving the 4-speed transmission.

So that is my story. Where I go from here is a bit undecided. I had planned on running it for another 5 yrs trying to get around 250k out of her. There is no body rust either. Then I had a scare when the connection on the electric fans failed and I almost overheated. It was a $50 fix but my buddy was like, fix the fan then you should put a for sale sign on it and get rid of it before everything starts to go. I always lusted after a SD and it started me thinking that I would probably be able to get some killer deals on a 2016 when the 2017 redesigns hit the lot. And I was right. There are some AWESOME deals on 2016 SDs. The problem is the 2017 are even nicer.

Going to go to dealer soon and drive a 2016 / 2017 back to back and see. If I like the 2016 I think I will sell the 5.4. If I like the 2017 better by enough to offset the price diff, then I will roll the dice and drive my 150 for another year so I can get a better deal on a 2017 this time next year. Also not crazy about buying the first year of a redesign. Something I have never done. Although shouldn't be that much of an issue since no real changes to the drivetrain.

Another factor in pushing me to act is the speculation that the new 10 speed transmission on the 150 is going to make its way to the SD. I absolutely detest auto trans with so many gears. I wish I could still get a manual tranny but given that I can't, there is no way I want 10 gears that are going to be shifting every 5 mph. I realize the MPG is better with a 10-spd. But for me, its not worth it b/c I find the ride so unenjoyable. Don't want to be in 3rd gear going 15mph.

Anyway, that's my story. Hope people can get some value out of some aspect of it. This forum has provided me loads of info and ideas over the years and just wanted to try to give something back.

P.S. That is my old truck in the signature.

 

pic of 2006 FX4

 

Hey guys - so as much as I loved the 2017 F250, it is just too much truck for me living in suburban NJ. My 2006 F150 with 170k miles has treated me very well and it is time to buy my next truck. My 2001 4Runner has treated me very well also AND, in my opinion, the Tundra TRD Pro is one of the best looking pickup on the market. I've test driven the 2016 F150 and some Tundras. I am going to give my opinion of the two. I want a full 4-door crew cab and 6.5" bed. Can't get that in a Tundra. But what i can get is a truck comes leveled with MUCH better shocks. Has basically an aftermarket exhaust stock. And has better rims/tires. All things I would upgrade if I bought another F150. Gear ratio also better, for me, in the Tundra with 4.30 rear. Gas mileage better in Ford. Both ford 5.0 and Toyota 5.7 are excellent engines with very similar hp/torque ratings. Both have 6 speed trans. What the Ford does have is a much better interior with much more comfortably seats.

So after driving each truck a couple more times I decided on the F150. Found a couple with 3.73 rears that drove really well. Def drives smoother than the Tundra. Much nicer interior and more comfortable seat. Also, was getting full back seat AND 6.5' bed. Then I try to actually buy it. Negotiated 3 diff deals with 3 diff scumbag dealerships. None of which actually were able to produce the vehicle at the price we agreed upon. So as I am going through the hassle of negotiating and arguing over the last couple weeks....I am also reading all the blogposts of problems with 2015-16 trucks. Holy crap. I get it that Ford sells 800,000 vs 100,000 Tundras but Jesus. 2015 - four recalls and 48 TSBs. 2016 - two recalls and another 17 TSBs already. Lots of guys complaining about doors not fitting correctly and wind noise in the cabin. Adaptive cruise control slamming brakes on the highway as 150's pass semis. Then yesterday news about another possible recall regarding brake failures.

Soo....I called Toyota dealer and ordered my 2017 TRD Pro. If and when the third Ford dealer calls me back with the truck they are supposedly sourcing for me (they would be the first out of the three dealers to actually deliver promised truck) I will tell them they can keep it.

Don't get me wrong, the Ford is a beautiful truck that drives extremely well. And I am sure I would have been happy with either vehicle, if they were both trouble free. I just feel that my chances of that are better with the Tundra. And since I like to keep my trucks for 10+ yrs, that is important to me.

Ron

 

Enjoy the new truck! Pics or it didn't happen!

 

The thing with Ford trucks is people will buy them knowing they will tear up, case in point the 6.0 PSD. Grandpa drove fords, daddy drove fords, so I'll drive fords! See it everyday where I live.

 

Thank you. And I will post when it comes in. I know the drill. Going to be a couple months till its here though.

 

Here you go. [img]webkit-fake-url://b2f441a3-dc0b-4692-97fc-d43038c2c799/imagejpeg[/img]

 

Sounds like my father-in-law. He was happy with Fords blowing head gaskets and burning out electronic ignitions, but would never consider a GM because back in the 60s a Buick had a tendency to overheat.

 

 

Congrats that is a very nice truck, hope you enjoy it.

 

Thanks Sam. The ride isn't as plush as the F150. But the 5.7L with the 4.30 rear is really fun to drive.