ggarrahan,

Do you have any regrets on getting the King Ranch? Does the conditioner take care of it well or is it too much of a pain? Like I was alluding to in my earlier emails, I was leaning now towards the cloth seats. But, if I can get an '04 F250 King Ranch 4x4 Crew Cab for the same price as an F150, why not?

Sinjin,

That's why I'm going back and forth from the 150 to the 250. They both have their advantages/disadvantages. The 250 King Ranch might be too hard to pass up, though. When I asked the dealer how in the world a King Ranch F250 could be the same price as the F150 Lariat, she told me the truth in that it's because the 250 has rebates and the 150 doesn't--due to the 150 being the 'new kid on the block'. Truth can be very refreshing. I like this one.

 

my $.02 for you mooner.

First of all, ANY leather or vinyl, if you want it to last and be nice SHOULD/must be regularly conditioned, and NO it's not difficult.....takes about 15 minutes every 4-8 mos or so.

I have leather in my 2 cars and have NEVER/ever known of these "too hot in summer/too cold in winter" issues (and it gets over 100 in summer and below 0 here in winter.......yup
Farenheit). Between the two cars, I have over 100k miles and guess what? It still looks brand new, and comfy as heck.
The stuff stays clean, and looks great, always. Yeah, I eat on it too! (we spill stuff, unfortunately, on occasion.......and yeah, NO STAINS~ like would have been on cloth)
If you plan to throw stuff inside and haul rough items inside (tools, boards, nails, etc......) they can both tear, but the vinyl/leather can scratch. The coloring on the surface, that is; but if you're just riding inside, and throwing those abrasives in the back.....it's a non-issue.

Honestly, I've wrassled over the same challenge you have. But be honest with yourself man.......there are a TON more features included in that $1100 you mentioned. When comparing the leather alone, after giving value to those other added options, I found the difference for the leather to be more like $400.
The leather in the King Ranch?? O my gosh....it looks like a baseball glove, or a saddle.........SURELY the nicest you'll find in a Ford.
But the leather/vinyl challenge you have......here's how it works in the Lariat: Front seat surface is ALL leather on the frontside, vinyl on the back (where you have minimal contact)......the rear bench seat (on the supercab atleast, it may be different for the crew cab) is mainly vinyl. The patches where your body touches are the parts that are leather.....but that is on the BACK seat, not the front, to the best of my knowlege.
Just in case you haven't found one yet, YES there will be much more roominess in the cab without the floor shifter.....so decide whether or not it is worth the tradeoff.

Hope that helps!

 

mooner8- No, I have no regrets, in fact the King Ranch interior is what sold me on this truck. I was looking at a Chevy until I saw the King Ranch, after that, it was all over. The leather conditioner takes about 20-30 minutes to apply, so it's no big deal. But- if you spill something on it, like blood, soft drinks, grease, oil, coffee, etc., the leather absorbs it, liquid does not "bead up" on King Ranch Castano leather, in other words, it will stain more easily than other treated leather. But it is thick, will resist tearing, and is softer to the touch. It seems to be warmer than other leather. I don't eat in my truck, and have no kids or pets, so for me its no issue. Your circumstances may be different. Plus, the King Ranch has the nice two tone paint, the wood look dash and door accents, really neat looking rims that are unique to the King Ranch, plus all the badging.

 

Is there anything you can put on the Castano leather (or any other leather) that will help it repel liquids? Yes, I do have kids--2 boys in fact, so that concerns me. But, I also think the Castano leather might work out better for me since it's tougher. The Lariat leather is quite a bit non-leather material (backs, sides, etc.)--which doesn't thrill me. I'm not going to abuse the truck, but I don't want to have to treat it like it's made out of crystal either. Again, like I said earlier, the King Ranch F250 may be too hard to pass up at that price.

 

The only thing I know of is the King Ranch leather conditioner. But, get the King Ranch anyway, it really makes a nice truck even nicer!

 

as for leather and "where the body touches" almost ALL vehicles are like this that have leather in them. Even high dollar imports. I used to work for a seating company where we made leather seating for a variety of vehicles(jag, viper to name a few) and this is the norm. I know when I found this out I was flabbergasted! I'm sure there are some out there that are almost entirely of leather but I bet they are VERY high dollar vehicles...I guess what I'm trying to say is that its not just Ford.....

Ron

 

mooner8...

I don't know what you need the truck for, but you did tell me it was mostly daily driving so I assume pulling a big trailer or camper isn't your daily thing. I don't know much about the prices of newer SD's but this King Ranch you've been quoted does it have the 5.4L, 6.8L, or 6.0L diesel? At the price you said I wouldn't think it was the diesel. If you're just concerned about cabin comfort and the quality of leather, IMHO, you'd be much better off to get the 40/20/40 cloth bench seat in the FX4 ( no additional cost) then have it covered with aftermarket leather. Check here for ideas www.classicsofttrim.com . I was quoted $350 per front CAPTIAN chair for my fx4 to have 2tone leather (black outters with red inserts). And for $125 per seat I could get seat warmers, if my math's correct thats about $950 + uncle sams part!

The reason I recommend this is my SD is now 3 yrs old with only 12,500 miles because it's to big and combursome to drive on a daily basis. As I'm a college student and trust me the SD isn't college town friendly, and landing in a parking space can sometimes be a challenge. Not to mention gas mileage and if it's a diesel the added cost of maintence with extra oil and filters. Again just my $.02 worth

Ultramax

 

Ultramax,

The truck was quoted as:
"2004 Ford F-250 CrewCab King Ranch, Premium Leather Interior, Front Captain's Chairs, Rear Bench Seat, Adjustable Pedals, Cab Steps with Lights, Power Moonroof, Power Sliding Rear Window, Trailer Hitch Receiver, Power Heated Seats, Power Telescoping Heated Mirrors, FX4 Package". -- GAS engine - $ 35,894

No, I won't be IN college, but I will be teaching at one. You're right about the size, however. I was just surprised that I could get an F250 4x4 King Ranch Crew for about the same price as a smaller F150 Lariat. But, it sounds like you'd advise against such a large vehicle UNLESS I'd be using it for major, regular hauling--which I will not.

Man, this is a hard decision.

 

Ultramax,

I almost forgot about the engine: It's a 5.4L V-8 Engine with Electronic 4-Speed Automatic Transmission. Get the F150 FX4, huh?.

 

Yep it looks as though you've got a hard decision. So you teach at a college huh? No offense but are you by chance an economic's professor?

 

I always go for the leather. Just my personal preference.

 

No, actually. I'm going to teach aerospace studies for the Air Force. "No offense...", why do you ask, was offense intended?

 

No offense intended at all, I just wanted to clarify I wasn't trying to be a smart a$$. All I study is Poultry Science, but hey everyone's gotta eat something, I just hope it's chicken!

The reason for asking about the economics was partly bc of the way I often evaluate things. Let me explain...

... If I was given the choice btwn 2 trucks, truck 1 was a 250 king ranch ( with all your mentioned options) and truck 2 was a 150 Lariat (also has ALL the same options of the KR, except special leather.) I can get either truck for the same price, from an economic stand point MY mind leads me to think I'm getting more truck for my buck if i choose the 250 KR, mainly due to its higher towing and hauling capabilities. Also, I would consider the uniqueness of the KR and its special leather to be an added incentive to choose the KR.

Its like flipping a coin, it could go either way. Each truck has its pros and cons. I've went through this in my mind 100's of times since I ordered my 04 (which i'm not commited to) bc I'll be giving up my SD. I don't HATE the SD, but at the same time I don't like it. My main dis-like is its MPG, and turning radius. Try to find out which gas engine this KR has. If it's got the V-10 I can tell you that your average MPG will be ~11-13, including both city and hwy. I've gotten 16 mpg while running ~75 on the interstate, but get off the interstate and get in stop and go traffic and you're down to around 10-12 (and most of my driving is short runs). Talk about economics, I've even considered the amount of gas I could buy for my V10 for the amount I'll be paying for the new 04. It comes down to what makes YOU happy. I could tell you all day long not to opt for the KR, but in the end you'll be the one making the purchase, and as long as you've got a clear consciene about it and feel you got a good deal that's all that really matters. Thats why I try to make it a point to never give the exact price I'll be paying for something bc when i make the purchase I feel like I've done adequate research and gotten a good deal. True with more effort I might find it a few $100 cheaper somewhere else, but then we'd have to calculate in oportunity cost's and the present value of money. I'll shut up now lol.

Ultramax

 

Ultramax,

Ooops. After looking at what I just posted, I realized my reply might seem a little defensive. Sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for your advice. You certainly seem to know a lot about Fords. I'm new to them and just want to make sure that I get exactly what I want--especially for this kind of money. I can't wait to see a King Ranch "up close and personal". So far, the only ones I've seen have been from photos on the internet. BTW, what do you think about the price ($35K) for the 04 250 King Ranch?

 

Honestly, the price of $35K does seem rather good for a KR, but its leading me to think it's got the 5.4L. However, I'm not familiar with all the engine options available for the KR.

Price aside, I strongly advice the f150. If it comes down to the leather issue, I would wait till the end of 2004 and F150 King Ranches should start popping up. What type of vehicle will you be coming out of when you get one of these trucks?

ultramax