F150 vs Tundra....I’ll make a decision tomorrow

cpabbey

New member
I’ve read all the threads on this most controversial question and I’ve got to make a decision. My current ride, a 2003 F150 with 216,000 miles, needs to be replaced or face substantial repairs. I’m better with a hammer than a wrench and I’m afraid the ROI for the repairs isn’t a good idea. Short distance Commuting and light off roading is all I do so I’m not concerned about towing capacity or MPG. I’ll test drive both tomorrow and report back. Thanks
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cdthiker

Meandering Idaho
The Tundra is tried and true. It is thirsty and outdated but if taken care of will go anywhere you need it to and easily hit the same miles your current ford has on it. The 5.7 is bullet proof. The ford 150 is a great truck but you pay for all the bells and whistles, and you get complexity in return.
We run fords at work and while good trucks I have not been impressed with all of the silly little sensor problems that end up costing a lot of money and down time. A place I used to work at in north utah had a fleet of tundras. Constantly overloaded and driven off road in the oil fields often by people who had no idea what they were doing. Never one time did they not get me where I needed to go. Even when snapping a front strut I was still able to limp out.
You can get into a tundra with 4x4 in the base trips for mid 30's if you are buying brand new if you look around. Finding a base model ford 150 seems to be a bit harder these days but others may have differing experiences.
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
You can get into a tundra with 4x4 in the base trips for mid 30's if you are buying brand new if you look around. Finding a base model ford 150 seems to be a bit harder these days but others may have differing experiences.

There is no shortage of XL F150s here in Florida....lol. Guess it just depends on where you live.
 

cdthiker

Meandering Idaho
I guess that would be true. Out here, not too hard to find a base model 250, but it seems like the base 150's end up going to fleet sales. I guess it really depends on what the OP is looking for. I would pull the trigger on a regular cab base F250 with the 6.2 in a second but even those have gotten a bit pricy. But then again, what hasent ?
 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
If you like the feel of your current truck, buy another one. You can't go wrong with either. I'd go test drive both, and then decide what feels more comfortable to you. Neither one is a bad truck.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
The Tundra is overdo for a rehabilitation but you can't beat them for reliability.
I'm trusting them to eke out better mpg with the redo.
My friend has the smaller V-8,factory pizza cutters and his eats gas around town but has achieved 19mpg on the freeway babying it.
The Ford cab is cavernous and well laid out. I'm not impressed with my friend's Tundra interior. Really cheap and some minor rattling. Never offroad. No fan of the high beltline of the Tundra either. Small windows with big doors.
 
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cpabbey

New member
Well, it's embarrassing to say but after driving all of them, even a F250, I was unable to make a decision. I was impressed with the F150 in the 3.5 motor however I'm not sure about those TwinTurbo's. We walked away without buying Anything I thought my wife was going to scream as I think I drove her crazy in the process of test driving so many. Maybe I'm just cheap or maybe I can't justify spending that kind of money on a truck. More to follow......
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Leave the wife at home, next time.

Tundra still not available with rear locker? Did you also drive a 5.0, 150?

I went 6.2l 250. Not sure what campers, trailers, or RTT'S are in my future. 250 has all of those bases covered.
 

larryqp

Full-time RVer
Check out Carvana. I just bought a 2016 F150, FX4, supercab XLT, 2.6 L twin turbo eco boost . We were able to look at lots of different F150 on line and found one with less than 7,000 miles on the odometer. Looks new inside and out. Carvana does a complete detail, gives you the carafe, a 7 day no questions asked return policy and then 100 days or 4000 miles whichever comes first 50 deductible warranty. First time I used carvana and I was impressed, they handled everything. The truck was in Baltimore and I took delivery in Houston. I have no affiliation with Carvana, my local Ford dealer really didn't seem interested in doing the leg work to find what I wanted.

The truck was past Ford's 3yr/30,000, but I still get the 5yr/50,000. I think after the 4000 mile Carvana warranty I'll consider buying an extended warranty, as some mentioned, I'm a bit concerned about all the technology.

By the way, the truck has incredible speed off the line, the 2.6 L V6 twin turbo is no slouch.

Good luck truck shopping
 
D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
Well, it's embarrassing to say but after driving all of them, even a F250, I was unable to make a decision. I was impressed with the F150 in the 3.5 motor however I'm not sure about those TwinTurbo's. We walked away without buying Anything I thought my wife was going to scream as I think I drove her crazy in the process of test driving so many. Maybe I'm just cheap or maybe I can't justify spending that kind of money on a truck. More to follow......


The turbos are absolutely nothing to worry about.

Also, unless you need the extra grunt for towing above the limits of a 2.7, go test drive a 2.7. It's hands down a better motor than the 3.5. It doesn't have the timing chain issues, it cost less, it uses less fuel, and offers the same performance.

As for cost, look at an XL with the STX package. It has many of the comforts of an XLT, for a few thousand less.
 

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