Day Two! Truck Search. Please Shoot Me. Oh And It’s Header Day!
The ifrst dealer I went into. BAM! lift kit, nice big shoes, knobies, bed cover. Very cool. $55,000 DEAR GOD! Do you have one with hub caps and no radio please?
Yesterday started out at around 8:30 AM and ended at 7 PM, no lunch, just going from dealer to dealer. And yes I have been online for weeks doing research. But nothing replaces actually seeing the truck. I did see, Ford, f150, f250, Both fuels, I looked at the 2013, 2014 Chevys, HD and 1500, GMC, even a hybrid GMC, and Dodge, all of them. The Cadillac died very fast thanks to Rabbit, first comment of the day. I know he would like that. I literally was living and doing what the comments suggested. The comment regarding gear ratio was a mind blower and game changer. But, as we all know, its a game. Options, packages, wheels, inventory, unsold 2013’s vs 2014’s? Leases, Track commercial lease? Finance, Cash? So..
2013 Fully loaded F150 Lariat, leather, adjustable accelerator, etc.. 40,500 on the web, somehow 44,000 at the dealer. Darn rebates.. I think.. Kodiak Brown, I do like the blue now. Thats helped.
Blue Jean Blue, Super Crew Cab. Dont need the nav, dont need the AC seats, or adjustable acelerator and but washer. Wait, the but washer is a good idea. Those are some loooong drives..
What have we decided on? Ford! The f150, ecoboost V6 with tow package. Has more horse power than the V8 and gets around 21 MPG.. Ya right.. But it is the latest thing. I won’t be towing anything more than 7,000 lbs, and the tow capacity is 11,000 lbs, and I tow about 20% of the time I use the truck. Lots of miles to stories.. No Dodge, Chevy, I did like GMC.. alot.. Yea, same truck, but …ahh hell, maybe it was the salesman.. So, once Ford was picked, around 3 pm yesterday, the drill down.. Which one? Do I really need air conditioned seats? NO.. What is the real discount? What factory rebates do i qualify for.. So I have today to search more dealers. I have one dealer that I like, one vehicle that I like, but there is about a 5,000 difference in price.. Today, I dig, find out where the real numbers are.. And ya never know, my A.D.D could kick in and I will find a nice chevy? AHHHHHH. In the mean time, please enjoy clicking on anything, and you will get a different header each time.
DARN you Smith!
I was going to get sooooo much done today, now all I will do is sit at my computer hitting “refresh”!
At least I don’t have to do math to “refresh”.
Yes Troy… It’s my way of driving you all as crazy as I am right now. Darn arm! Obscure reference… I swaer, even I keep clicking on the headers. Ahhhhhh!
My real opinion on the truck is “Go find a good used one for less than half the price and use the difference to by that ’61 Continental you have been lusting after!”
I agree. I bought a 2010 F-150 small V-8 2×4 crew cab with 36000 miles on it, in Sept 2012, for $16,000.00. Same truck in Sept 2012 NEW (a 2012 model) was $36,000.00
Now I put 16,000 miles in her in 2013 and not one thing wrong with it. Still under drive train warranty till 60.000.
I will invest in a set of new tires this spring, and maybe brakes, and that’s it. Smoother riding than Ronnie’ 2010 Taurus.
I will run her up to around 80,000 miles, and get something newer, and still get around $6 to 7K trade in.
Header day! Woo-Hoo! Now I can kill an hour this morning. Nice truck but left off one bit of news, COLOR! Hot pink? Orange? Wash me again black? Hi Ho Silver? Orange? Hello hiway patrol red?
Stripes?
Polka dots?
Don’t poo-poo the AC seats, I thought they were stupid until I got it with a on-the-lot truck. When driving looooong summer distances its a nice extra. The salesmen must read WoodyBoater as it looks like they have trucks with the logo ready and waiting in the showrooms for you. OOOO Squirrel, I mean new header. Honey, I be right there, just one more header.
Now that you picked Ford look at http://www.bullvalleyford.com/ $10K off sticker. Maybe a local dealer will match it.
Matt you never buy a new vehicle at the beginning of the month. Your timing is terrible since you need it for the run down to mt Dora. Watch your email today I’m going to send you a link that will help you buy that truck right. I used it when I bought my new Jeep last month and it was very helpful.
I still like the diesel but have only heard good things about the Eco boost Fords, good luck.
Whatever flavor of F150 you end up with should be a big step up from the Volt. Just don’t expect to get close to the quoted mileage when towing.
Make sure if you get an f150, get the tow mirrors. They make a big difference and usually are included with the max tow package. Also, the gas milage will drop to middle teens when towing. I am picking up my 3rd eco boost truck in 2 weeks and wouldn’t buy another. The rearview mirror is a must.
Matt, the biggest single cost of owning a vehicle is depreciation. Buying a low mileage lease return allows the first guy to take care of a lot of that expense for you. Certified pre-owned can take care of the unknown of previous use.
it’s clear from yesterday that everyone has a strong opinion on cars. I am sure that whatever you end up with with serve you well.
Here is another reason I love “Header Days”!
This has to be one of the coolest looking boats I’ve ever seen. Never saw the header before today, searched the story, and even found out that the Alan Jackson’s CC (that was donated last year) has twin MCL’s. Makes me love that boat even more.
I think I need to own a black sided something.
This thing sounds like a good package to me. However – why by a large heavy truck if you only tow 20% of the time, and with boats 7000 lbs. or less? Unless you are a contractor, you probably don’t need the cargo carrying capacity and many smaller, more economical vehicles will easily tow the loads you pull. I think our MB gets mid to high 30’s on the highway and low to mid 20’s in the city for fuel consumption, far more than a truck. That power train is available in other, cheaper vehicles as well.
Someone posted about Toyota Tundra’s – I have never owned a modern Toyota but I know folks with the trucks who absolutely love them. Did you look at anything but Big 3 trucks? Toyota’s are built in the US, right? Like MB, Volkswagen, etc.
One last thing, my favorite in this whole 2-day thread is the ’58 or whatever year it is Chev that was in the header yesterday……you could resto-mod one of those, you know.
Your ADD “kicks in?”
Meaning sometimes it isn’t kicking?
Dang. I came with full-time ADD. Very inefficient.
Matt has a switch on his iPhone that connects wirelessly to his ADD on/off switch. You don’t have one?
No switches. Just buttons. Lots of buttons. My kids have become experts pressing them.
CONSPIRACY!!!
Ok, how about those of us that don’t have big trailer boats?
And we are not even big people?
Once upon a time, last time being 2012, Americans could opt for a “mid-size”truck….NOT NOW….NOT FOR A YEAR +!
All the American auto makers conspired (o yes they did!) to force us to buy the big bubba trucks. None made a small truck.
NONE OF THEM….zero.
Now GM says late 2014 or early 15 they will bring them back anew???? Maybe. They only accounted for 20 some % of the market.
I bought a new small truck, for small people, with small needs, EVERY TWO YEARS……no more…….no coincidence either. Rant over…
see ya at Tavares in a 2011 Canyon with `100k……
John in Va.
There are tons of small and mid size CUV/SUV’s that can tow a 3000lb boat. It is only the small pickups that disappeared.
But, can they pull them up a slime covered boat ramp.
The AWD and 4WD ones can pull up a ramp as well as a light pickup.
Yeah John, Before my 150 I had a Ford Sport trac, a smaller 4×4. It was the BEST truck and hauler I have ever had. Stopped making them. Much better engineered than the King Ranch and Suburban I have now.
Wait, I got THE truck for you. Union driver, pretty girls and an accordion player (opps, I think that’s Texx).
Tommy – I can play “In a Gadda Da Vida” on the accordion… (but don’t tell anybody – I don’t do weddings)
I too have the top of the line 150, great truck. BUT DAMN POOR SERVICE.
Needed a power steering pump, the Ford dealer took 4 days and $1,800. (with insurance they still got me for $300. cash). They didn’t have the part in stock, a common part for the most popular vehicle.
So part of auto buying is where you can get the best proper
service.
Next year’s revolutionary F-150 will be all-aluminum construction (a-la Audi & Jaguar) for equal strength and increased efficiency…good things on the horizon!
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/2015/
Did someone say “Orange” ??
It’s getting late, dying to know what you bought. Don’t leave us hanging. Pleaze.
maybe he wandered into illinois were you cannot buy a vehicle from a dealer on a sunday, why? who knows its illinois.
mike (from illinois)
ps. also inhabitable from nov to mar.
OUCH!
The day has come to an end. Snowmagedin is coming. Right now, in a strange twist.. Its a Dodge. Hemi! Amazing truck! Now need to regroup and research..
Forget the truck, try this with the suburban.
Might be tough at the launch ramp.
Matt, don’t forget to contact me if you buy or lease that Dodge.
ny times today says the dodge got the top pick up award from consumer reports auto issue just coming out now. for what that’s worth.
Now we’re talkin’
Matt, I think you would be very disappointed pulling Suzy with the Ford Eco V6. I’m sure it’s fine on the flat, but it will hate hills.
It actually tows up hill better than the 5 liter V8, and at higher altitudes, much better. I have a friend who took a large camper through West Virginia with his and was very pleased with how it handled some pretty steep grades. More torque and power plus lots of gears gets the job done. Only issue was he said it got the same 10 or so mpg as the old v8. Mileage drops off fast with a big load hooked up to it.
Late to the game,
I have a 2013 4X4 Ford F-150 super cab with the 5.0. I just returned from Monterey, CA to Granite Bay, CA over Pacheco Pass (steep 2,500 ft grade) towing a trailer with +/- 5,000 load. I had no problems keeping speed and I got 15.2 mpg, this mornings commute (2/3 freeway, remainder stop & go I got 19.1 mpg.
I love this truck…
My mistake, Matt. I was looking at the specs for the non-turbo 3.7 Ford F-150 engine. The EcoBoost 3.5 has solid numbers. More torque than than a 454 Chevy from 20 years ago!
get the ford, at least they didn’t take the gov. bail out and stick a lot of investors. i’ve been trying to trade my chevy for a year or more. i drove the eco boost and loved it.
Hold out for more clean diesels in the near future.
Ahh yes I too thought the AC seats were a bit over the top and yes just plain trifling, Till the last two summers we have had with record Looonnnggg 90 degree days’s in Va. have you forggotten so soon Matt. Now I keep a cool a$% and would not live without them. I recently was at a M/B dealer with a friend trying to get his POS fixed for the fourth time and I was killing time with the salesman. He wanted to sell me a new M/B POS and I told him I had found my perfect NON BAIL OUT USA MADE dream vehicle and All I needed was the massage seat option to be in heaven. He proceeded to have me set in this new M/B sports car and hit the ignition and the another button that gave my back something I felt I should have been arrested for and needed to pay $200.00 for:). I came home and went to my Ford dealer and spoke to the manager, who is trying to get me to trade my 11 for a 14 and told him to get on the phone to Ford and put the M/B massage seats in the 2015 F250 D and call me when mine arrives:) And don’t forget to get the niffty tailgate step, you’r not to far behind me and you will love the ease of getting up in the bed.
Another vote to wait for the 2015 Fords built of aluminum, coupled with the new (hopefully) small diesel.
Dodge transmissions suck, let Paul buy one stick with Ford.
Hey Paul I have been known to also pull a 32′ gooseneck with a 14,000# backhoe with mine also at 85 mph so the Ford impressed the Hell out of me. All my Dodges after 1952 sucked.
Phil, the only Dodge truck I have ever owned was a 1974 3/4 ton 4×4 power wagon back in 1983. It was in great shape but got the worst fuel economy of any terrestrial vehicle I have ever owned, and that is saying something. That said, the 3 spd. Torqueflite was an excellent transmission for the time. I do not know where you developed the misapprehension that I am a Dodge acolyte. I tend to try to buy good and purposeful vehicles, and don’t have a great many innate biases.
I bought my GMC Duramax without really considering the Dodge. My truck is fine for what it does but any HD 3/4 ton is a crappy daily driver, unless you are pulling loads like the one you mention. These HD trucks ALL have capabilities, power and economy would have been unthinkable even 10 years ago. It is too bad the designers style them all to look like juiced-up Tonka toys. I bought mine to do a job, in spite of the appearance. Function over form, I guess.
I don’t know about other Mercedes, but mine was built in Alabama at a non-uniuonized plant owned by a global conglomerate that needed no bailout, and it is staffed by proud Americans. This buy US stuff is an illusion when it comes to cars – the automotive business is truly global and any major manufacturer has operations all over the world. I believe Honda has had plants in the US since 1982 (I have never owned one of those – well, one motorcyle). I did not get massage seats or cooled seats in our MB – don’t need it where I live. Passed on it when I had the ‘slade as well. I think Alex has the massage seats in his MB’s.
where you gonna get parts for your M/B or toyota or whatever in some little town in the corner of nowhere. thats the idea of buying american. i ll stick with my GM or my bro’s FORD. nothing wrong with dodge just prefer the other two.
When the drive shaft sheared in half on my 2 month old $65k 2011 GMC in a town with a GM dealer, it took 10 days to get a new one and a fight to have it covered by warranty. Only loaner offered was a little POS econo car, which is obviously not a useful substitute when a person has a truck for a reason. Very piss-poor display on the part of GM. Meanwhile, when an emission system screw up on my wife’s Mini caused it to be limited to low speed, Mini (BMW) picked it up and flat-decked it 350 miles from our summer place to be repaired – cost $0. Rental offered but I didn’t need it. You can get parts anywhere in the world within 48 hours for any car. Doesn’t matter who made the vehicle.
Perhaps you didn’t read my post – MB, Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda – they all build in the US, using US workers. Made in America, is it not? What is the difference between these builders and GM or any of the others? I bought a GM once that was built in Mexico. If parts and other things were such a problem, why would people for the last 40 years be buying all these cars? If they were crappy cars or one could not buy parts, they would not be buying them- that is simple. Your definition of the term “buy American” appears more related to the domicile of the manufacturer’s corporate office, as opposed to the labor that built it or likely most of the components went into it. Frankly, it makes no sense to me. In the last 20 years I have bought about 11 new automobiles, and I think 8 have been so called “domestic”. A mixed bag quality, experience amd service wise. Have not bought Japanese so can’t compare, but the Mini and the Jag were both very good. MB too new to know, and BMW motorcycles have been excellent. One cannot generalize about car manufacturers – they are all competititive within the vehicle classes they build. If they weren’t they would not exist.
Was referring to your many unfortunate breakdowns as a good tester:) don’t really have the time to keep up with all the vehicles that broke on you.
Latest Update! 2013 USED Limited Ford f150 Eco boost and LOADED, Cool vintage colors, BLACK and Red leather Intiror, add some woodyness and BAM.. For the price of a new one.
THIS YOU! Go for it Woody!
NICE
I’ve heard that the gas mileage is overstated and don’t do as well as the diesel , but have not owed one. For 2015 everything but the cab will be made out of a new very light weight material recently developed at Ford and will considerably increase fuel mileage in full size and 250s
It gets pretty depressing when I try to recount the breakdowns and strandings over the past 5 years, and there have been so many I keep forgetting some of them. Only two last year, fortunately. Finally the newer truck is performing as expected with no trouble. But, with separate road trips to Texas, Georgia, Tahoe and NY State there will be plenty of opportunity for trouble this year.
I love the idea of Ford using lightweight material. The weight of my 2500HD is 7500 pounds – just ridiculous. If Ford does it at a realistic price, others will follow.
i’d love to be able to buy a half-ton with a smaller diesel. Not every truck owner needs or wants 400+ HP and 800ft lbs. of torque (especially in a half-ton), but would still like a diesel. Sadly, diesel fuel is now more costly than gasoline and that might obviate the cost benefits of the greater economy these engines provide.
Gas price is a non issue . It all comes down to the color. Most if not all truck decisions are finally decided by color. And that’s why I drive a “wild cherry” 4×4. Who knows the brand or hp, I look marlevous and the babes ride with me! Of course, I ride a Thoroughbred. Alas!