Equipment & Gear > Power Equipment & RV
Used truck advice
dreadi:
In 2017 I bought a used 2013 F-150 XLT 3.5 liter Ecoboost 4x4 SuperCrew standard sized bed with max tow package, 3.73 gear ratio, and 36 gallon fuel tank. Here's what I like about it.
It hasn't let me down. It picks up and goes with pep. I can haul my whole elk camp without a trailer in one trip. It has plenty of space inside. 36 gallon tank is great for trips. Adding my HAM radio was easy. Adding a light bar in the engine bay was easy, along with additional lights by the cab and additional reverse lights. All the things I like about it are strictly utilitarian.
Here's what I don't like.
* The fuel economy is no better than my previous truck of 17 years, a 2000 Chevy Silverado LT V8 2wd.
*The buttons and knobs on the dash are too small and not placed with ergonomics and the least driver distraction in mind. Think, gloved hands or big fingers, and having to spot check what you are about to press. The Chevy had big knobs to climate control.
*The length of the wheel base lends to the truck having a bit of shudder when accelerating from a stop, loaded with a yard of soil or loaded for elk camp.
*SYNC is a garbage. It works most of the time. When it doesn't work, I have to pull over, shut the truck off, take the key out, open the door, shut the door, lock the vehicle, unlock the vehicle, crank up. It's pretty much rebooting a computer.
*Waiting for the turbos to spool up.
In 2019 I took it in for body work (thanks valet parking). I was offered a loaner truck and I accepted the 2018 F-150 V8 they offered. It had A LOT MORE GIDDY UP off the line from a dead start. No waiting for the turbos to spool up. It was at that time I felt buyer's remorse. However, I do not plan on getting a new truck until this truck has given up the ghost. It has been reliable.
I saw that Canadian trucks was mentioned earlier. I took some notes when I was shopping and here's what I noted. There was a lot of used F-150s on the market brought in from Canada. The easy ways to tell they were imported was to look at the front of the truck for a engine block heater plug. ALL of the Canadian imports had this accessory. Also, ALL of them were programmed to have Day Time Running Lights on ALL THE TIME. Some people don't like that. Personally, I didn't care and they can be programmed at home with free software, a OBD to USB adapter and a computer.
If I had not been in a rush to get a replacement truck, I likely would haven't bought a different truck. My Chevy had 275,000 miles on it and it needed a $1500 service on the heads. I was not going to pay that amount of money for a service on a vehicle of equal cash value. One reason I choose Ford was that I wanted "something different". The Chevy was my first and only truck and I thought why not mix it up a bit. All my friends that I hunt with drove 4x4 Fords up in the Colockum and elsewhere during elk season and I knew from experience that I needed to get a 4 wheel drive truck if I was going to go places in typical foul weather or foul road conditions found up there, IF I was going to drive in it. My first time setting my own camp up there, I had my Chevy, and smartly did not drive a lot of places other did. In fact, I once drove all the way down Colockum Rd and hung a left just to the windfarm because I was not trusting that the roads up there would allow me to pass in 2wd. It worked out and I shot an elk 60 yards from the paved windfarm road. :) OK, I'll get back on track.
When I was shopping, I took particular note that the F-250 trucks did not have features that I didn't want to pay for. Their packages were much more inline with what I paid for when I bought the Chevy. I didn't have to pay for trim, when all I really wanted to pay for was utility. The F-250 truck packages were much more utilitarian and that's what I desired. I talked myself out of a 250 due to cost of ownership. What I do not remember is if there really would have been a significant cost of ownership difference. Perhaps the 250 would have been a couple dollars more and perhaps it would have a comparatively higher re-sale value, knowing that I'm likely to keep the truck well past a 1/4 million miles and I've been driving about 12,000 miles a year for the past 6-7 years.
Surely that would all depend on the truck and it's condition. Example: My dad bought a 1999 F-350 Dually diesel, used, from a private party in '99 or '00. Last week he sold it for $12,000 with 110,000 miles on it. It has the 7.3 motor made by International and is supposed to be a 400,000 mile motor. The buyer came from three states away to get it.
Stein:
Ford went to aluminum bodies in 2015 I believe, so that is a big difference. I think it's something like 700 pounds lighter which noticeably helps in both mileage and acceleration as well as rust.
BULLBLASTER:
--- Quote from: KFhunter on January 28, 2020, 09:59:01 AM ---
--- Quote from: jackelope on January 27, 2020, 03:52:01 PM ---
--- Quote from: KFhunter on January 27, 2020, 01:46:28 PM ---I'm going to have to buy these things by the case, about to install my 3rd as I have a CEL on again :bash:
2016 Colorado
whatever you buy, get a code reader tool, save a bunch of $
--- End quote ---
There are lots of reasons you'd get an evap leak code. Are you sure that's what's wrong with it?
What fault code are you getting?
--- End quote ---
The same one for gas cap not being tight, or this canister, or a micro fuel leak.
It's for like 3-4 things, but I wipe the code, check my gas cap and assume a fuel line isn't leaking.
Last two times have given me about 20K miles after this purge valve change.
So ya it's an educated shot in the dark that this same purge valve has went bad again, but I can test it with a vacuum pump.
--- End quote ---
Do you top off your gas tank when you fill up?
Pnwrider:
--- Quote from: KFhunter on January 28, 2020, 09:59:01 AM ---
--- Quote from: jackelope on January 27, 2020, 03:52:01 PM ---
--- Quote from: KFhunter on January 27, 2020, 01:46:28 PM ---I'm going to have to buy these things by the case, about to install my 3rd as I have a CEL on again :bash:
2016 Colorado
whatever you buy, get a code reader tool, save a bunch of $
--- End quote ---
There are lots of reasons you'd get an evap leak code. Are you sure that's what's wrong with it?
What fault code are you getting?
--- End quote ---
The same one for gas cap not being tight, or this canister, or a micro fuel leak.
It's for like 3-4 things, but I wipe the code, check my gas cap and assume a fuel line isn't leaking.
Last two times have given me about 20K miles after this purge valve change.
So ya it's an educated shot in the dark that this same purge valve has went bad again, but I can test it with a vacuum pump.
--- End quote ---
Newer fords don’t have a gas cap 🤷♂️
Pnwrider:
--- Quote from: nutntoit on January 28, 2020, 10:45:34 AM ---I am going to play the devils advocate here and ask why not stick with a Toyota? I have a 2017 Tundra and it has been a great truck, tows awesome, has a ton of power and a LOT more room than a Tacoma inside. I get 15-16 mpg in town and 17-18 on the highway. 10-12 when towing, but I have only ever towed trailers over 5K pounds. MPG would probably be better with a 3500 lb trailer. My dad has a 2007 Tacoma and gets 16-17 mpg driving city/highway and about 7 mpg when towing his 5000 lb camper. So what I'm saying is MPG are basically the same. Without going on and bashing on he big 3 I will just say don't rule out Toyota. MPG is everything when you consider, initial investment, reliability and resale value. I have two family members with Tundras one of which has 250K miles and the other has 120K miles. Both have never had a single mechanical or electrical issue. Just normal maintenance. My FIL has a new Ram and it's been back at the dealer multiple times already for various issues. It's already had to be towed twice...
--- End quote ---
I tried really hard to buy a tundra crew max. They’re so down on features in the upper trim levels compared to the competition and so outdated, I just couldn’t do it. Resale is amazing though and I tend to upgrade my truck before the warranty runs out so it was still tempting. FWIW my truck has spent significant time at the dealer so I’m looking forward to shop for a new one soon!
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