Hey fellas,

I am currently a Ford Ranger owner and looking at stepping up into a F-150. There are just a few questions/concerns that I have and hoped you could give me some feedback.

1.) Are there any options that you didnt get on your F-150 that you wish you did and vise-versa. This includes everything from engines to carpet, but only factory equipment.

2.) I am currently having trouble on deciding on a color that I like the best. What are your favorite XLT colors or XLT color combos with 2-tone? I personally do not like the 2-tone on the XLTs as both bumpers are chrome and do not match the 2-tone, which brings up another question: How much are replacement painted bumpers?

3.) I recently saw a new XLT on a dealers lot with the same black grille that the FX4's and the STX's have. How is that possible?

4.) Ive always liked the look of the flareside trucks. How do you feel about them and do you feel they take away too much bed space? Coming from a Ranger (very small bed) I dont think I will be disappointed.

5.) Between 3.55 and 3.73, which gear do you recommend? I am not concerned about winning any drag races but I do tow an aluminum boat often. I will be getting the 5.4 V-8.

6.) Is the 2009 F-150 worth waiting for?

Thanks and I will greatly appreciate any feedback!

 

1 - Options I wish I would have got but didn't: audiophile stereo upgrade. The base stereo isn't bad but it's not great. Options I couldn't personally do without: powered rear slider, integrated sirius radio, and the chrome package. Black and chrome just looks right together and after I saw my truck on the lot, I didn't need to look at any others.

2 - Black. Black. Black. or red. I'm extremely biased here. Yeah I'm washing my truck every few days but I enjoy it. Black is definitely not for low maintenance. No idea on the painted replacement bumpers.

3 - Good question. Could be someone wanted to swap with another on the lot though just a guess.

4 - Not a fan of the flareside so I didn't get the flareside. Can't really offer much info here.

5 - That's a good question. I needed a new vehicle now so I went with a 2007 XLT but did so on a 3 year lease so I'm setup nicely to upgrade to the next style. Depends on your needs, can you slide by for a few years or do you need to upgrade now. I couldn't wait so my decision was really simple.

Hope some of this is helpful though it mostly just shows my own personal bias. Good luck!

 

I would opt for the audiophile sound for sure. The difference is amazing. For my truck I went with silver because I run through a lot of dust and the silver hides it well. Also the little rock chips don't show too much with the grey primer under the paint. As far as the 2009, it depends on what you are going to do with the truck in the future. With the coming of a 150 diesel it will be hard for me to pass up. Good luck with your search, and enjoy your new truck.

 

I wish mine had the reverse sense system. The bed walls are tall and it's difficult to judge distance to objects behind the vehicle. I've got a rear camera, but the reverse sensor is better in my opinion.

 

1. one thing i wish i had was the center shifter vs the colum.....gives you a nice center section and looks better too...

2. get a solid color but get the Chrome package.....with the 18's and 3.73's....thts what i have...and it works great

4. I owned a flareside before my new styleside and i love the styleside...lots more room in the bed....go that route...trust me...

5. get the 3.73's.....much better for towing and from what i read not to much if any difference in MPG also....

6. with all new things i'm sure they will have some quirks to work out...my suggestion would be to get a leftover 07 or a 08 or wait until 2010

 

1. I wish I had gotten the power sliding rear window with defroster

2. solid black, or solid white. I don't like how the painted bumpers hold up though. they chip really easily.

3. ???...maybe someone installed it by accident and you're the only one to notice

4. they're nice, but you're buying a fullsize truck. get the full size bed (well at least the widest one)...I personally like the 5.5 ft bed

5. 3.73 they will not noticeably affect your MPG, and you will get better acceleration and towing

6. no. never buy the first year vehicle. look at the problems 04 guys have had. besides, that is 2 years from now

 

1) I wish that the Auxillary Audio jack on the dash in the new ones came standard in the '05s, so I didn't get it...might wanna scotch-gard the seats if you get cloth seats...

2) Simple...Red...or like me...Red and Silver...

3) There can be some weird things that come out of the plants...one guy had a powered heated mirror on one side, and I think an XL mirror on the other side...

4) I too have the 5 1/2 foot bed, though some people think its too small, it fits most things, my 4 wheeler fit in the back of it...so no stepside...

5) I don't have the 5.4, but I do have a 3.73LS out back...drove one with a 3.55 and a 3.73...definitely get a 3.73...you'll have about 200 more rpms at highway speed, but it also won't downshift as much through the hills...and it is a big difference when pulling a trailer...don't be disappointed when you can't outrun hemi's or GMs 5.3 unloaded...put a 6K lb trailer behind it and see who has a better take off...

 

Thanks alot for the responses. I plan on having the truck ordered with only the options I want. I definately will considers what yall have said.

 

You may want to consider the heated mirrors, I didn't and now wish I did, as the unheated mirrors stay fogged up for a while on cold, foggy mornings.

 

1.) I have 05 screw xlt and I wish I had: fog lights and power sliding rear window.

2 I like silver.

3 don't know

4 Style side is for me..

5 3.73

 

1) I would have liked to get power windows and locks
2) Get white it is the easiest to clean no joke, no water spots whatever, and i dont have to wash my truck every 4 days either.
3) just the option the truck had, not all xlt's have the honeycomb grille.
4)I think you'll be please with the flareside, i personally like the look more it makes it look different from all the F150's you see on the road, and coming from a ranger i doubt you'll be hard up for space in the flareside.
5)i'm not sure of which gears i have, anybody know how i can find out?
6) Well the 2009 might be worth waiting for but since no one has the slightest idea of what its gonna be like its difficult to recommend. I have a 2004 and i had no problems with my 04 so i dunno about what that other guy is talking about.

 

Hey fordtruckman- Just curious, where did you get that chrome rocker panel trim? Does it apply with the 3M tape, or is it attached with screws?

 

Well i like black and silver blue red or white dont matter to me im not picky on the colors i would get the chrome package painted bumpers dont look good in my opinion 3.55 or 3.73 dont know really not much difference i dont think anyways

 

You know, I wander if your best bet would be to go to Fords build website. Take your time and build the truck that you would like to have. They list all the options, packages and colors and that would give you a better idea of what is out there. I did that and it really helped me to narrow down what I wanted.

1) I like the FX4 Package because it came with several options that I liked. I have the power rear slider, the adjustable pedals, the reverse sensing and the captains chairs with the center console and I really like it.
2) I like white and the 2 tone with the painted bumpers.
3) ?
4) I like the styleside with the 6.5' bed. There is plenty of room and when Ford started making this bed an option in '06 that is when I started looking at the Super Crew's. Originally I was going to get an extended cab.
5) Baton Rouge doesn't have alot of hills, I don't imagine, so the rear diff. will probably not make to much difference. I would stick with the 3.73 if I had the choice just in case I were to ever pull anything, that would help. The FX4 only comes with the 3.73LS rear which was another option that I liked.
6) If the '09 ends up being the first year of a new design then I would either wait a little longer or go ahead and get one now. I'm not much on first year vehicles, there seems to be more difficulties with them than something that has been around a couple years.

I'm sure that I left some things out but I hope this helps with your decision.

 

I wish I had got the power moonroof.

And I really wish I got the Audiofile system