Posted on 07/20/2005 3:17:05 PM PDT by Alberta's Child
I've been spending the last few months mulling over a new vehicle purchase, and I'm hoping to get some input from Freepers who may have purchased a full-sized pickup truck in the last couple of years.
I currently drive a 1994 Ford Explorer, and I rented a 2005 model for a weekend this spring while mine was having some work done on it. I'm not thrilled with the current generation of Explorers, mainly because the driver's seat feels more cramped due to some of the safety features that have been added over the years (airbags in particular). I looked into the next larger size of SUV (the Expedition), but they cost quite a bit more than the Explorers.
A while back I became very impressed with the Ford F-150 pickup truck, which provides Expedition-like size for a lot less money. I've done extensive research on the vehicle and found that it may not have the best track record in terms of reliability, though it appears that some of the problems with the 2004 model year have been corrected in 2005. I decided to wait until the 2006 model year comes out, since I figure the truck will only get better as some potential problems are worked out, but after doing some more research I'm wondering if this wouldn't be a great time to buy a 2005. With the Family Discount that GM and Ford are offering on their vehicles, the prices I'm seeing are incredibly low (I've priced a well-equipped F-150 for just a couple of thousand dollars more than I paid for my Explorer in 1994).
I'm looking for help on a couple of things:
1. Does anyone out there own a 2004 or 2005 Ford F-150 4x4? Is there any wisdom you can offer on the vehicle?
2. I'm pretty much a Ford guy when it comes to trucks (for one big reason you'll see below), but I'm not totally sold on the F-150. Is there anyone out there who has owned multiple full-sized pickup trucks in the last few years who can offer some positive/negative points on several different brands?
3. Any other comments/suggestions that truck owners can provide?
My Explorer has about 270,000 miles on it, and it still runs very well so I'm looking to keep it until it dies. This is the kind of use I can expect for a vehicle -- 20,000 to 25,000 miles per year, and I intend to keep it for at least ten years.
I've got some specific technical questions that I'd like to run past someone who knows these trucks very well (particularly the Ford). I'll post them below as replies after I get some input here.
LOL!...I'm the only driver for that car. I told our shop guys about it and they're conclusion was that it's a minor defect and won't replace the tranny until it won't go into reverse at all. It hasn't gotten any worse over the year so it's been consistent. I sometimes need to get into revrse real quick like but I have the u-turn down to an art form 8>)
I am shocked Toyota not mention on the thread.
Yeah, I meant the shop guys. ;O) There's got to be some warranty on it...someone who's credentialed to do Ford warranty work should strip it down and rebuild it. Waiting for it to fail is silly. The fault is probably something very simple like a broken spring or a torn o-ring, something like that.
But what the hell do I know? I consider automatic transmissions to be only slightly less mystical than witchcraft.
Amen. Chevy was good about this kind of stuff when we had Caprices. It was always off to the dealership before when these types of problems came up.
I was going to mention the Toyota Tundra 4 door 4x4, but he appears to be a Ford guy so I figured I'd just stay out of it.
LOL
The Chevrolet SilveradoHD has been reported to be the most dependable truck in its segment during 3 years of ownership by JD Power & Associates. In an SUV check out the Chevy Equinox AWD or FWD. Short track record, but it offers fuel economy and room. The GMC Yukon has recieved the same accolades as the Silverado HD in the large SUV segment.
You may want to rethink that Ford thing.
I 'still' have an 89 F150 as well as a 97...The 89 is about shot but the 97 is going strong...I have the Triton 5.4 litre engine which they say is the old 351 c.i.
I'm told there is a low end torque problem with the Fords but I can smoke the tires and don't have any problem pulling a 27 foot wooden travel trailer with a slide-out...
I've had trouble with tie-rod ends and have been told that was a Ford problem up into the '00's...
But then the Dodge's have a notoriously bad transmission reputation...Dodge does now have a 7 year 70,000 drive train warranty but that ends this model year...
I won't buy another new...The novelty of owning new has finally worn off...Get a 3 year old coming off a lease...Cost half the price of new...Will have 36,000 on it and for a small amount you can get an extended warranty for another 36,000 miles...At that stage, it's just broken in...
Me too.I am driving a 2005 Tacoma 4x4 which replaced a 1996 Tacoma 4x2(sold to a fellow in Rhode Island),which replaced a 1982 Tercel.
Hard to go wrong with Toyota in my experience.
Don't believe everything you read. JD Power only say what the boss wants.
The new Tacoma is nice! The ride is very nice and I hear it has horsepower. For once Toyota put some power behind the wheel.
Nice!
Ping to read later.
Thanks for posting this little item. What exactly do you mean by "weak on low-RPM"? How would this problem show itself?
TRiton engines, per the reviews I have read, and the experiences I have heard, need to be revved up pretty high to get decent performance from them. If you are travelling slow, particularly off-road, or in town, the trucks tend to feel underpowered.
My Explorer is definitely under-powered with the 4.0-liter V-6 (it's most apparent when accelerating on highway entrance ramps), but as long as this doesn't result in excessive wear and tear it's really not a big problem.
That is the kind of thing I was referring to. The triton engines, at least the smaller one, will feel the same on on-ramps as that v-6 did in your Explorer. That ability to accelerate is a function of the torque the motor produces.
The best way to explain it is that torque helps you get up to speed and determines how fast you can get to that speed, and horsepower helps you maintain that speed and determines what the maximum speed is.
My Explorer performs even more poorly under those conditions than usual, because of the gear package it has in it (I think they're 3.55s, whereas the "performance" axle has a 4.10 gear ratio). This makes the vehicle a real slug as far as acceleration is concerned, but because I'm usually using it for longer trips I get very good fuel efficiency out of it.
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