Hello all, I have been a Chevrolet man all my life. (Please, no sticks and stones yet...) and I will be in the market for a new(er) truck in about a year. While I LOVE GM trucks, the designs of the current models are nothing short of UGLY! I have a 2000 model Chevy that I really like a lot, but as I said before, in about a year I plan on replacing it. I have never owned a Ford, but I do like the look of the Super Duty trucks.

I want a F250 or F350, crew cab, single wheel, 8 ft. bed, diesel with the upscale leather trim. I found this forum via a search and I have been reading a little bit and it seems like a great group of people here. I have been on a couple GM boards for years and a lot can be learned and friendships made via these boards.

I have a lot to learn about these trucks as I have discovered they are quite different from what I am used to. Thanks for sharing your information and I will keep reading and from time to time even ask a question to two.

 

I am not a moderator or administrator, but welcome to the board. I have only been a member of this board for a few weeks and there is a real since of pride. I have learned a lot from my fellow SD owners

 

Welcome aboard. Although not a Ford owner yet, you are definitely on the right site. There is a lot of tribal knowledge from the old timers and many of us new guys. Enjoy and good luck on your purchase.

 

Elwood,

Hey, Jake here! Just kidding... Welcome to FTE! I've bounced from Chevy to Ford myself and I have to agree with you: the new Chevy "look" isn't that great. I do like up to your year style though.

Anyway, the PSD's are really something. Avoid the early year 2003's though. An occasional lemon came through that bunch. Bad injectors. Ford has since fixed the matter and since then a-ok.

Friends at work that have the Chevy 2500 Crew cabs get inside my F-250 Crew cab and are amazed at how much more room there is in comparison. Ford's, as you likely know from being a former Chevy/GM man yourself, are noted as "the working man's truck" whereas Chevy/GM have kind of gone the way of concerning themselves with looks and speed. The speed is definitely there with the Chevy's, but they suffer on looks. Ford has the hp, torque and durability... 3 outta 3 ain't bad

What exactly are you looking at getting? Some big differences b/t the '99-'04 models vs. the '05 models, so if we can help, fire away with the questions.

Take care and welcome aboard, "bow-bow-bow"...
Daryl

PS- first thing you do after you get your truck is to go for a Cooley Water sandwich and a Sunday go-to-meetin' bun!!!

 

Welcome! There is soooo much great information on this site and helpful people. I have a 06 on order and with all the information gathered here, I KNOW I made the right choices. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I want an F350 or F250 (not sure what is so different really, at this point), 4x4, single wheel, crew cab, 8 ft. bed, leather, diesel, auto, TV, stuartess, 60" plasma screen, bar, Filet Mignon..........well, you get the picture! LOL

I really like the GM interiors and the seats are very hard to beat for comfort! I agree GM has more "goodies" inside than Ford or Dodge, but some really are not necessary either. GM has always made a very nice riding and driving truck too, but the exterior styling is leaving me very disappointed to say the least. I have a 2000 model Chevy and it looks like a sharp truck, but the "art and science" look that GM is raving about turns me off quite a bit. I have seen spy pictures of the new SUV and Truck for '07 and '08 and they look like a Trailblazer on steroids and I don't like that either. These current Fords are VERY attractive looking, but Ford does things a lot different than what I know to be common (GM).

I want a truck that can haul the family comfortably, be a daily driver, a hot rod, tow and haul occasionally, look cool and be very comfortable to drive. I firmly believe that you can not have too much power, but I want respectable milage as well. Of course, I need to get 16x10's and 33x12.50s as soon as I get one!

Just little things I need to get figured out. I see some trucks in the parking lot with automatic hubs, some with lockouts? Why? Is the 4x4 shift on the fly with some and not others or at all? What is the real difference between a 250 and 350? Just a spring or real driveline components? I will be looking for used (no offense, but I can't justify $45k for a truck and I still like to have money left over to invest) but is the new suspension on the '05+ models worth the wait? Are there any common problems with this generation of trucks? Is the "Torqueshift" supposed to be the equivilant to the Allison tranny? You know, simple questions that I need to research and understand how FoMoCo does things.

Like I said before, thanks for sharing information and I will keep reading!

If anyone has any GM questions (Doubt it on this site, but) feel free to ask. I have them figured out from bumper to bumper and cab lights to oil pan!

 

Elwood... Last year, I made the switch from GM to Ford. I had always had GM until I bought my F350. This is a whole new world for me and will be for you too. I'm still feeling my way along and haven't done any mods to my V10 yet.
As a comparison, the 2002 GMC I traded for the Ford I had put a lot of myself into. It was a 2500HD stripped with vinyl seats, a rubber floor and am/fm radio. I put Hummer wheels with MTRs on it, cranked the t-bars, true duals with Flowmaster 40 series, and replaced the PCM with one from Wester's Garage.
The people here have been very helpful and they are extremely knowledgable. Welcome to the Blue Oval Family!

 

elwood... I made the switch 11 yrs ago. This is my 3rd Ford. I was more concerned with function than form. It'll be tough for me to go back to GM. (I still like the Buicks) BTW my new '06 F-250 is quieter than my wife's Buick LeSabre when driving on the I-state. The 05-06 ride is much smoother than earlier models.

 

Elwood,

I was a four time Chevy truck owner up until a year ago. Bought my first SD
and will never go back to Chevy.
Welcome aboard!

Jack

2004 SD CC V10 Lariat

 

Welcome aboard man. If you want all the good stuff on the truck, check out the FAQ sections in the forumns. Especially this one, the V10, and the 6.0. They should be very helpful in assisting you in making the right decision on your truck.

If you want some ideas of what these things can really look like when you let the creative juices flow, check out some of the galleries of the guys in here. There are some beautiful trucks floating around and will give you some great ideas. Most of the stuff I've done on mine has been through advice and comments from members in this forumn. Great group of folks and a lot of good info.

Good luck on your purchase, welcome, and look forward to seeing you in the forumns.

BFR

 

welcome to FTE the best ford truck web site on the net. please take some time and read the guide lines ans each areas reads first to help guide you properly though our site.
the trim level you will want is a lariat. the captains chairs "no cost option" are large and soft. do a post in our new buyer section and ask away . jeff and ernie are great down to earth no bull sales people

 

Elwood, I was a loyal GM owner for years. My last GMC 2500HD 6.0L was nothing but problems. I had enough with GM. I look only to the Ford Super Duty. I found one I liked in 2003. I absolutely love this truck. A tad over 2 years old and 50K miles, it has been awesome. I got the V10 engine and am very happy with it. The Ford did take some getting used to. The biggest thing was riding in a truck with a solid front axel with only leaf springs. The GMC had tortion bars. I love how this truck looks and it has a great stance on the road. Not too many things look down on the Super Duty. At 50k I have don nothing to this truck other than regular maint.

When the time is right, crawl under the Super Duty and look how oversized and well built all the components are compared to the compitition.

Here is a pre-welcome to the club welcome