We're outgrowing our current truck, so I'm shopping for a new-to-us used Ford. Our current TT is a Jayco Jayfeather that tips the scales around 5500-6000 lbs, though we have plans to upgrade in a few years, inevitably to something a bit larger. Our current F-150 is only an extended cab and won't hold two car seats in back comfortably. It will be relegated to daily-driver status, so I'm not getting rid of a truck.
Our list of requirements is fairly short:
-4x4
-Heated and cooled (leather) seats
-Moon roof
-Must be able to seat five (or more)
-Towing capacity in the 9000+lb range.
I've found three used vehicles that are on the radar and need some opinions on the three from camping families since its primary use will be a camper tow vehicle...
First is a 2011 F-150 Ecoboost, crew cab, lariat, towing package (not heavy-duty, but still good for 9600lbs) integrated brake controller, less than 11,000 miles on it. This is virtually the one I would order if I ordered one new, with the exception of the max tow package. My only concern is the relative newness of the powertrain to that application makes me nervous, but the Select-Shift trans sounds pretty good.
Second is an Eddie Bauer Expedition EL, 2010 5.4, six-speed, towing package, heated/cooled seats, center row buckets, rear DVD, towing package (good for 9000 lbs) high mileage for a 2010 at 43,000 miles, but as a tow vehicle it's only going to see about 7-8k, so I'm not overly concerned with it. The biggest advantage it has over the truck is the third row gives us two extra seats. I'm leaning towards finding one with a center row bench so it seats 8, but that seems to be pretty rare in the Eddie Bauer/XLT-Plus/Limited trim packages. It's not going to set any land speed records, but the drivetrain is going to be pretty reliable, I'm sure.
The third one I stumbled across the other day is a 2008 F450 (yes 450) Lariat, crew cab duallie, 6.4 International motor, with just 47,000 miles on it. It doesn't appear to have ever had a 5th wheel in the bed as there are no holes for the hitch (or they patched over them really well). It appears to be fully loaded, though I haven't seen the interior yet. It's at least three times the truck we need right now, but could potentially be the last truck we need, and gives us the flexability of getting pretty much ANY trailer we want in the future. I have no intention of getting a 5th wheel or goose neck trailer in the near future, but it's an option with this truck. It *may* not have the cooled seats, but for the deal on the truck, I think I could live without them. My biggest concern with this one is the 6.4L motor. I know they are known to have issues, and most of those issues are well-known now, and can be dealt with, but my concern is that if I do have a problem, it's not going to happen in the driveway at home, it's going to happen several hundred miles away and good luck finding a competent, reasonably-priced tech to work on it in a hurry, not to mention the cost associated with those problems... I think it could be more hassle than it's worth in the long run.
All three trucks are priced within $4000 of each other, so the price is not a major issue.
With those three choices and bearing in mind it's going to be a tow rig, not a daily-driver, a penny for your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions?
Since you seem to be stuck on Ford, I would skip the F450. The 6.4L motor was OK, but very short lived and fuel economy sucks a big one with that motor from what I have read.
The F150 will leave you with limits IF you want to upgrade in the future. Same for the Expedition.
Depending on what your plans are in the future I would look at a F250 Crew Cab with a gas motor. Sadly Fords diesel motor reputation up till the 6.7 is not the greatest. Now, if you could find an Excursion with the 7.3L diesel and low miles, that would give you room to grow and be a good tow vehicle for any trailer up to about 10K GVWR.
Just curious, why not GM or Dodge??
Donn,Lorri,Max (The Rescued Lab)
Resident Know It All
For your needs, I would choose the F-150 Ecoboost. Great truck, great power, great towing ability, very good gas mileage. The F-450 is way more than you need. Maintenance can also be expensive especially if you do not plan on doing it yourself. The 450 has 6 expensive tires, a pretty solid ruff ride, may cost quite a bit more to register and insure depending on where you live. I am not a fan of large SUVs so I would not choose the Expedition. My Son in Law has a 150 Ecoboost and I love it. By far the nicest F-150 ever built and just a great half ton truck.
Capt Skup
AD-1(AW)USNRet.
Wonderful Wife,3 Daughters,2Goldens Gus&Riley
"Never get in a battle of wits with an unarmed man"
Thanks for those quick replies... I'll address them later tonight when I can get back to my computer, but I forgot to mention... Yes, Ford and only Ford products are on the table. After 16 years with the company myself as a 4th generation Ford employee, I'm a little brand loyal.
Have you though about an F250 gas? Might be hard to find but with the Lariat package in a non HD F150 you may be low on the payload rating. With the F250 you will gain some payload and have a truck for the upgrade you talk about maybe doing down the road.
I think you are going to get close to the total GVW for either the F150 or Ex once you load it up with family, gear, and tongue weight, but you really need to check the numbers. Have you looked at E350 V10 vans? You can get the comfort, and lots of capacity, but I am not sure about a moon roof, but I don't know why you could not have one installed .....
The Quigley 4x4's aren't that common, but they are around - check the Quigley website and eBay ....
Bill & Kate - Stone Harbor, NJ
w/ Sunny (parti poodle) & Molson (goldendoodle)
2005 Ford/Quigley 4x4 E-350 Chateau Super Duty Van with 6.0L PSD ("Moby")
2012 Outback Super Light 277RL - 10th Anniversary Edition ("Salty Dog House II")
because:
the Expedition is likely to run seriously low on tongue weight capacity once loaded up, especially if you decide to upgrade trailers anytime soon. Also the 5.4 was last place in performance vs. the competitors.
The Diesels just seem like a potential pain in the wallet (repairs, maintaince, fuel). And I'm not just picking on Ford. If I was going to go diesel, and was sticking with Ford, I'd probably get a 6.0, save a bunch on the purchase price, then spend the 3 or 4 grand to do all the fixes, and end up with a very nice tow beast.
02 Ford Explorer 4.6 V8 4x4, prodigy and equalizer
07 Crossroads Sunset Trail ST19CK
and no payments
If it were me of COURSE I would choose the Ecoboost F 150 but, in the "for what it's worth" department, I towed my Rockwood over 50,000 miles with the old 5.4 Triton and 4R100 transmission and it NEVER required a repair (that's over 140,000 total miles. My trailer and cargo when traveling total about 9,000 lb. It will CERTAINLY do the job for you but the EB will do it a whole lot easier. Good luck with your decision.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
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