When I ordered my 2024 I put some options on that I never plan on using myself, but were relatively cheap to add up front which might make it stand out when selling down the road like snow plow package and PTO. I also ordered a lot of what I want regardless of any future residual like a Platinum with vinyl floors. I tend to keep my vehicles for 8-10 years, so I would lean more towards buying for me vs buying for what the next person will be looking for. Who knows though, with the stupid high resale on 450s I may find myself enticed to upgrade sooner rather than later this time if Ford winds up announcing something exciting like a diesel electric hybrid.

 

I always order as I am very specific about what I want. For me, I look at the models and what they offer. Lariat seems to be the biggest bang for the buck if you want the basic bells and whistles over a work truck (though now no leather, no slide RW, no …). Then I make sure to get options I need for what I do, and for what I want it to look like (hell, you are spending a big hunk of change these days, may as well look like it). Where I trade every 5 years or so I also ask the dealer what options matter at resale, like who needs navigation when you have a phone. But for an HD truck, anything that aids hauling or towing can bring a return. And I am in the northeast, 4WD is a must. Lastly I look at cost vs. function. How often would I use a sun roof? Can I justify a $15K diesel engine? The formula seems to work for me. But that’s me. If you can afford it, none of this matters.

 

My thoughts, and this is coming from somebody who's owned 19 super duties since 1999. Since 21, I moved and don't need a super duty as often.

I buy for me, not for the next guy. I like to bounce around through various trim levels. Example I traded in my 2017 Platinum for a 2018 XLT that I ordered. From there I went to a 2019 lariat, to a 20 F150 raptor, then a 2021 lariat ultimate tremor, then back to a 22 F150 Raptor to a 22 Bronco Raptor, followed by a 23 Platinum Tremor, then a 24 lariat ultimate Tremor, to an 24 f-450 Platinum, now a 25 lariat ultimate Tremor. Bounce between 2 and 350's. I have not owned a King ranch in a long time, that might be my next.

My guys often tease me, they asked me what my mileage is because I usually trade before the first oil change.

I often delete within the first 500 mi, but I have not done it but the last couple of trucks. All of them prior to 21 had snow plows on them.

I buy for me, not worried about the next guy.

It helps buying A plan. Have not had a loan on a vehicle now in the last 10 years. Sometimes I'm ahead of money on trades sometimes not. My f-450 netted me a return of $13,000 as example. I look at it this way, and it's probably a low number but if the cost of ownership is $500 a month for a brand new vehicle, I'm good with that. Another words when I trade in and let's say I have a truck for a year, if my trade difference is $6,000 or less, I'm good with that.

For the life of me, I cannot fathom somebody going out and buying a super duty with a thousand or $1,500 month payment.

And my daily driver is F550, and I have a fleet of vehicles to choose from for daily if I wanted to try something else for the day or week.

 

I'm at the point where I am not using the truck as my only vehicle so bench seats is a must for me in the rare case I need to transport one of my kids on a trip or something along with the wifezilla. Since the gas RCLB has same fuel tank size as anything upto SCLB, I don't need the longer wheelbase when I have an 8 foot bed and a shell to transport stuff.

I also avoid cab roof lights and sun/moonroof like a plague. Ford seems to have never mastered the dark arts of keeping water out of their cabs.

STX is about as high I like to go, anything above that is just fluff to my way of driving and not a good value. The new STX's LED headlights is worth it over the base XLT for me.

 

I specifically wanted my XLT premium. Like Charlie98 said, there are certainly things I do NOT want;
- buckets (grandkids)
- sunroof (my truck lives outside and I don't want any increased chance of leaks)
- leather (I put on seat covers regardless so leather is a waste of money)
- painted bumpers (don't last)


I did want;
- camper package (future proofing)
- 5th wheel prep (future proofing)
- heated seats (hence the premium package)
- 360 deg cameras (helps getting a 176" WB dually into tight spots)
- adjustable pedals (short wife)
- tailgate step (bad knees)

I bought mine during the covid truck shortage but luckily managed to find almost exactly what I would have ordered. My only mild regret is the Carbonized Grey instead of the white I would have ordered - there are thousands of white boxes and tailgates for sale out there for relatively cheap in the event of damage.


2 cents,
Dave

 

I’m not a flipper, so I don’t give a crap about buying it just to resell it. I buy for me and what I want.

 

I buy a truck for me. I could not care less about future value to someone else.

I will only special order exactly what I want (within the bounds of the "experts" at Ford Corporate that think they know what people want). I have never had any pushback on special ordering, but I have only so far worked with RAM and Ford.

 

Unfortunately that's not very hard. I have yet to meet a salesperson that knew more than me, on any brand. The second more important thing is to find a salesperson that is willing to work with you and not try and snowblow you with useless/inaccurate facts/figures.

 

I would never (again) buy a white truck, but I would never compare it to vanilla.

I USED to think that vanilla ice cream was plain, unflavored, "forgot to paint". BUT if you get REAL, GOOD vanilla ice cream, you can taste the vanilla, and it's really good! And if you top it with (again, REAL) maple syrup it's even better. And it's not just the maple flavor, vanilla is a flavor all its own.

(I will still always choose something other than vanilla if available)

 

I had 2 Platinum trucks, the first I special ordered, I don't need 4WD, so ordered 2WD, never regretted it. I don't use the glass roof, so didn't order it. It was a Platinum, 2WD Ecoboost F150 with Max Tow. Magma Red, Marsala Interior. Perfect. If I didn't need a SD, i would still have it. Replaced it with a 2019 F450 Platinum, and discovered, the F150 was a nicer truck. Replaced the F450 with a F350 DRW Lariat Ultimate and discovered the only difference between it and a Platinum, the interior. What I didn't like much about the F450 interior was that it was black, so common, so ordinary, so, ugly. I like a lighter colored interior, it opens the cabin, doesn't absorb as much heat and isn't plain jane black like all the rest are. Its like having a Chevy for seats, almost every chevy I see is the same ugly grey metallic color, and every truck I see has a black interior.

I would also not want to have someone sitting next to me on a bench seat. I have been in two frontal wrecks and with no shoulder strap, sitting between two air bags, that middle person would be in a world of pain. Experience taught me that.

For me, if I special order again, Lariat Ultimate, no sunroof, block heater and supplemental heater, upfitters. I do use the lane keep assist and adaptive cruise, and power running boards are a must as regular ones are too high. I loved Tuxedo black hate Agate black, and like above, thought Ruby Red was a great color until I got one and found the paint not to be that great, it also did not have that look of Ruby Red, it was a terrible paint job and soured me for RR paint. Also had a Blue Fusion, awesome paint, Terrible car, soured me for Blue. I now have Star White and I just love that color, it reminds me a lot of Tuxedo Black when the light hits it just right, even when really dirty.

If Ford brought back Tuxedo Black, or Magma Red and I was in the market, either one of those would be my go to for color.

 

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do. My 2023 is paid off... but the wife's 2025 was one of those things that had to be done, no matter how bitter the pill is to swallow. Our payment is around $950/mo. Yes, I could have bought a 'better' truck for less money... but it would not have been exactly what I wanted, and would have likely invaded the Do Not Want list... mostly, it would have been 4WD, which I absolutely wished to avoid. We ordered the exact truck we wanted... within the retarded limits of Ford's ordering system at the time... and, yes, we paid the money.

You are correct, however. Back when I bought my first SuperDoody, my 1999 V-10 CC/LB... around $23000 if memory serves... I thought it was unfathomable to pay more than $25000 for a frikkin' pickup truck. Seriously! Yet... here we are, in 2025, where a 2WD XL is $50000. Do the math... a 'monthly payment' is only the answer at the bottom of the finance contract, the REAL issue is at the top: the sale price of the vehicle.

 

I was forced into the STX... it was, literally, the only truck that fit my basic requirements available at the time. At the end of the day, I like the STX package (minus the forced 4WD) but the real value is those LED headlights! I just assumed all the SuperDoodies came that way... until I was researching our XL... and then I found out the XL and XLT's had halogens. It will cost me about $1200 total to retrofit quality LED elements into the XL... but it will be worth every penny.

 

Colors are subjective but I like white.

Dave

 

It's very easy to justify, depending on the business plan. It could be paid off and generating income in less than a year.

Sure, if it's a grocery-getter, it's only "affordable" for someone with substantial disposble income. But there are MANY out there with a business plan that needs an SD. It CAN be done. And very profitably.

 

I bought a new compact sedan for the price difference between an STX and a King Ranch or something. Ironically that came with LED headlights stock. This way I have a truck for truck things and as a bonus a small 40mpg runabout for non truck things, plus whatever else I have at the moment in the garage.

Maybe when I'm driving my little compact, the bros in their SDs commuting will have choice words to say but I don't really care at my age.