Why I switched from a Tacoma to an F150

calicamper

Expedition Leader
Yup. It went up to 1.56 here yesterday. ? If this keeps up through the summer I'm thinking we won't be dragging our trailer to far from home. (2 hours max)

In April they are supposed to add another 3 cents per liter in carbon tax to fuel on top of the 8.8 cents they've already added...
View attachment 710207
I predict RV used market finally seeing a reality check on prices?
 

Grassland

Well-known member
$6.16 a gallon roughly at the moment. Expected to be $6.80 soon.

Glad our trailer is as light and small as it is. I have to go back to regular octane now I can't afford 91 @ over $6.80 a gallon right now and that's with my truck only driving like 6,000-7,000 miles a year average.
Our trip to Newfoundland and back is going to kill me.

I thought this forum was full of wealthy people before with 20k mods on 80k trucks, but never mind that, just driving them is a show of wealth :D
 

EMrider

Explorer
My 3.5 expedition 3.73 easily does 21mpg on long highway trips. Several buddies with the 2.7 f150’s definitely see trip averages in the 24+

24+ would be highway MPG under ideal conditions, not real world driving for most owners. Fuelly.com shows owners getting about 19mpg for the late model F-150 with the 2.7l eco boost. Still very good given the size and capabilities of the F-150.
 

phsycle

Adventurer
24+ would be highway MPG under ideal conditions, not real world driving for most owners. Fuelly.com shows owners getting about 19mpg for the late model F-150 with the 2.7l eco boost. Still very good given the size and capabilities of the F-150.

I don’t believe Fuelly has a filter for city or highway mpg. 19mpg is for combined, which is exactly what the EPA estimate is. Which means lots of folks are getting the EPA rating of 23mpg highway. I know I did.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I don’t believe Fuelly has a filter for city or highway mpg. 19mpg is for combined, which is exactly what the EPA estimate is. Which means lots of folks are getting the EPA rating of 23mpg highway. I know I did.
Yep 17-18mpg in town for my 3.5 fuelly no doubt is a combined mpg data point. Not to mention most who are heavy users also are heavy drivers ?
 

ricoisme26

Active member
24+ would be highway MPG under ideal conditions, not real world driving for most owners. Fuelly.com shows owners getting about 19mpg for the late model F-150 with the 2.7l eco boost. Still very good given the size and capabilities of the F-150.
I had a 2016 2.7 with the older 6 speed transmission, not the newer 10 speed. Not sure what gearing was, crew cab FX4 package, normal driving was 18 mpg, going to camp, two lane roads marked at 55, traveling through rolling hills or Pennsylvania it saw as high as 25mpg for a round trip. Never got to take that truck on a true highway trip/vacation/etc.
 

fsiegels727

Member
Nice setup, looking to do something similar for my F150 only make drawers below and a slide, as wide as the tailgate will allow, on top that can be easily removed. Attachment points could be used for tie down locations then if the slide wasn't needed. I'll probably bed liner everything to run with or without the cap on the truck, throw down a sleeping pad if I plan to sleep on it.

Nice haul with the geese as well! Just started goose hunting myself in the last two weeks of our season here in PA and I'm hooked, can't wait for next fall all ready
that sounds like a good setup! Im big on versatility and having something you can use with or without a cap is nice! your in the right state for goose hunting! Ive heard PA is awesome!
 

fsiegels727

Member
OK I was trying to figure out how you had 2 x 10's going across the bed and still had room for a slide out and then I realized you laid the boards flat across the bed - very interesting, I have to admit I never thought of that!

What supports the 2 x 10's? Is there a notch that the boards sit on? Or did you build "legs" to hold up the boards?

You don't have a bed liner, correct?
I had a plastic bed liner but pulled that out. The boards sit in the cut outs in the side of the bed, Ill snap a pic for you when I get a chance when its not freezing out! its essentially a little shelf right near the tie downs...I know Tacomas have them too and they are meant for wood to be laid across like that...im not sure if thats the idea on the F150s as well but it works...allows me to have no "feet" of any kind hanging down interfering with the bed slide.
It would work fine If you bed lined the bed too but you'd prolly need slightly shorter pieces of wood.
 

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
I’m getting old. Couldn’t care less about cool V8 noises in a truck. (Maybe when I get around to getting a Camaro SS). For long hauls, the last thing I want is the constant drone of a V8. Even the whistle of the turbo annoys me ?

Well, just wait a few more years…your hearing will be shot enough that you won’t be bothered by those louder engine noises. ?

And if the turbo whistle annoys you now, man, better brace yourself for that common old age tinnitus thing…?
 
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Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee

Well-known member
Very good article! I've been a lurker for some time and this article inspired me to click all the buttons and join in, so it's my first post.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread as I believe you have saved me tens of thousands of dollars. I have been looking at new and even newer trucks and this thread has convinced me to stick with what I have.

In '99 I bought a new F-150, extended cab, XLT, 4x4 with the towing package and the 4.6 Liter Triton. I ran a deal through my dealer to include running boards and a tenue cover with the matching Warm Sand paint to match the truck. At that time the truck was just bumping $29,000.00! That was 1999! Twenty years later you can pick up basically the same truck for 34/36000 now isn't bad at all, IMO.

As to reliability, in 2006, I replaced a battery. In 2015 I replaced the fuel pump in my driveway. I replaced the original OEM tires at about 60,000 miles, last year it got the second replacement of BFG, KO2's with the clock at 117,200 miles. One fuel pump and now on the third set of tires. Two months ago the thingy module went out because the windshield leaked, did that in the driveway and had the original windshield resealed just like a replacement. I can't believe I've gone all these years without a chip or crack in the windshield. Last week, the battery was dead and traced that down to the radio (probably from that leak on the windshield) so I pulled the radio. Now with a second new battery and a cutoff switch that I turn off when I'm not driving it, I just avoid any battery issues.

About 6 years ago, I bought a (INE Z928 HD) Alpine Stereo Multi Media Station Blah, blah, blah, with a big screen and GPS stuff, it's still in the box sitting beside me as I type this. So, my next project is trying to cram this Wizzard Of Oz thing into my original dash.

Actually, I don't need a stereo, I'm deaf as a door nail from my military service in Army Aviation, I have Bluetooth hearing aids that hook up to my phone for my music library, best music I've ever heard!

Then I decided to "fix up my truck" I had the whole front end replaced, steering, tie rods, blah, blah, blah, cost $2,000+ with new shocks, etc. I did that to tow my pontoon boat about 60 miles, LOL!

So, in just over twenty years my maintenance costs have been less than $3,600 0r about $180.00 a year, let's call that $15.00 a month! That's less than a night of beer drinking!

I've got 118,700 miles on this old truck! I've read about F-150's going to 300,000+ miles. When I bought this truck I was kidding about it carrying my casket to my grave, I just rolled past 70 and that will probably be a reality! Why would I spend 50K more for basically the same utility? The body shines, the chrome is all good, the glass is clear and good, no dents, no scratches bigger than my little fingernail. Clear coat on the bed cover is starting to chip, but it still shines up.

I was really looking at those Toyotas, they are cool looking, just ************** when built up, but hey, I'm retired, I only pick up the old lady because she's the only one who will get in, I don't go rock crawling or profiling down main street at midnight. I don't really need a new truck to do what I'm doing.

Make no bones about it, I'll leave in the morning to go anywhere in North America, it has never failed me and I'd bet the cost of a new one it won't fail me, well, not by much anyway.

Point is, this F150 has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned and I've had over a hundred in 50+ years.

So thank you guys, you saved me a ton of money and hope to see you out there, Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee out!
 
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Very good article! I've been a lurker for some time and this article inspired me to click all the buttons and join in, so it's my first post.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread as I believe you have saved me tens of thousands of dollars. I have been looking at new and even newer trucks and this thread has convinced me to stick with what I have.

In '99 I bought a new F-150, extended cab, XLT, 4x4 with the towing package and the 4.6 Liter Triton. I ran a deal through my dealer to include running boards and a tenue cover with the matching Warm Sand paint to match the truck. At that time the truck was just bumping $29,000.00! That was 1999! Twenty years later you can pick up basically the same truck for 34/36000 now isn't bad at all, IMO.

As to reliability, in 2006, I replaced a battery. In 2015 I replaced the fuel pump in my driveway. I replaced the original OEM tires at about 60,000 miles, last year it got the second replacement of BFG, KO2's with the clock at 117,200 miles. One fuel pump and now on the third set of tires. Two months ago the thingy module went out because the windshield leaked, did that in the driveway and had the original windshield resealed just like a replacement. I can't believe I've gone all these years without a chip or crack in the windshield. Last week, the battery was dead and traced that down to the radio (probably from that leak on the windshield) so I pulled the radio. Now with a second new battery and a cutoff switch that I turn off when I'm not driving it, I just avoid any battery issues.

About 6 years ago, I bought a (INE Z928 HD) Alpine Stereo Multi Media Station Blah, blah, blah, with a big screen and GPS stuff, it's still in the box sitting beside me as I type this. So, my next project is trying to cram this Wizzard Of Oz thing into my original dash.

Actually, I don't need a stereo, I'm deaf as a door nail from my military service in Army Aviation, I have Bluetooth hearing aids that hook up to my phone for my music library, best music I've ever heard!

Then I decided to "fix up my truck" I had the whole front end replaced, steering, tie rods, blah, blah, blah, cost $2,000+ with new shocks, etc. I did that to tow my pontoon boat about 60 miles, LOL!

So, in just over twenty years my maintenance costs have been less than $3,600 0r about $180.00 a year, let's call that $15.00 a month! That's less than a night of beer drinking!

I've got 118,700 miles on this old truck! I've read about F-150's going to 300,000+ miles. When I bought this truck I was kidding about it carrying my casket to my grave, I just rolled past 70 and that will probably be a reality! Why would I spend 50K more for basically the same utility? The body shines, the chrome is all good, the glass is clear and good, no dents, no scratches bigger than my little fingernail. Clear coat on the bed cover is starting to chip, but it still shines up.

I was really looking at those Toyotas, they are cool looking, just ************** when built up, but hey, I'm retired, I only pick up the old lady because she's the only one who will get in, I don't go rock crawling or profiling down main street at midnight. I don't really need a new truck to do what I'm doing.

Make no bones about it, I'll leave in the morning to go anywhere in North America, it has never failed me and I'd bet the cost of a new one it won't fail me, well, not by much anyway.

Point is, this F150 has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned and I've had over a hundred in 50+ years.

So thank you guys, you saved me a ton of money and hope to see you out there, Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee out!
Love it. I think if most people were honest with themselves, they would agree. A new truck is not a "need".

Older Fords like yours? All day long. Newer ones? No way I'd touch one. But I feel the same about the '22 Tundra as well. I too am happy with my '21 Tundra, which is largely a very much proven 15-year-old design. The plan is to get as many years and miles out of it as you have your truck.
 

phsycle

Adventurer
…Older Fords like yours? All day long. Newer ones? No way I'd touch one….

? Prisoner of the moment. A 1999 Ford was at one time, a relatively new tech, new gen truck. Folks scoffed at those as well. That goes for every gen in every make. There are always those “they don’t make’em like they used to” crowds.

Old trucks are cool. New ones are better in just about every which way. Efficiency, power, safety, etc. Reliability, too.
 

Oscar Mike Gulf Yankee

Well-known member
"
? Prisoner of the moment. A 1999 Ford was at one time, a relatively new tech, new gen truck. Folks scoffed at those as well. That goes for every gen in every make. There are always those “they don’t make’em like they used to” crowds.

Old trucks are cool. New ones are better in just about every which way. Efficiency, power, safety, etc. Reliability, too.

Most of the hillbilly's in my area really liked the "new" 10th gen, but didn't like the body changing, I agree, folks don't care for change in most anything.

I didn't mean to imply "they don't make them like they use to" I'd say it's a good thing they don't in most cases.

The only way to compare apples to apples is wait 21 years and see how the new ones fair, but obviously we can't do that.

Just saying, I decided to keep my cash in the bank, not have debt to own something nicer than what I already have, since what I have fills my utility needs.

In economics it's the "marginal propensity of consumption" at some point the cost exceeds the intrinsic value or utility of an additional widget or unit, like a truck. :)
 
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