1993 Ford F-150 - Best Truck of my Life
I own a F-150, to put it simply this is the best vehicle I have ever own. Trucks are made for a purpose that is, its a car when you need to move just a few people but its also a instrument or tool to complete tasks. I have had to truck for about 50,000 mile with almost no mechanical problems and just a few minor cosmetic injuries. The vehicle was purchased with standard light truck highway tires and I equipped my own off road mud tires. The wheel well gave plenty of clearance. All of the components of the truck are sturdy and rigid. The vehicle is made of complete metal no plastic. Even the interior door handles are solid aluminum, you never have to worry about accidentally breaking a door handle on your way out. Overall completely positive I will review most of my pro's and cons in th... (more)
I own a F-150, to put it simply this is the best vehicle I have ever own. Trucks are made for a purpose that is, its a car when you need to move just a few people but its also a instrument or tool to complete tasks. I have had to truck for about 50,000 mile with almost no mechanical problems and just a few minor cosmetic injuries. The vehicle was purchased with standard light truck highway tires and I equipped my own off road mud tires. The wheel well gave plenty of clearance. All of the components of the truck are sturdy and rigid. The vehicle is made of complete metal no plastic. Even the interior door handles are solid aluminum, you never have to worry about accidentally breaking a door handle on your way out. Overall completely positive I will review most of my pro's and cons in the following sections. As for my nugget. Ok might sound crazy but my hood was removed and used as a sled. We pulled it being another vehicle in the dirt and mounted it back in all honesty it didn't ruin it the event happened before I purchased it, because I bought it from my best friend.
Alright so one day after a huge rainstorm my friends and I took our trucks out to a local dirt area and began driving through all the mud. One of my friends yelled watch this as he drove through a puddle that seemed too deep. He made it to the other side so I did the same. The water came into my open window and got all over the floorboard. It was a blast.
Alright so one day after a huge rainstorm my friends and I took our trucks out to a local dirt area and began driving through all the mud. One of my friends yelled watch this as he drove through a puddle that seemed too deep. He made it to the other side so I did the same. The water came into my open window and got all over the floorboard. It was a blast.
My pros of my F-150 is the fact I have a short bed. I believe this is what a truck should be it fits a queen mattress perfectly with no room to spare. This is an ideal amount of bed space without becoming a burden when hauling slightly smaller items that tend to move around. Another pro is the ford 302 is a rather small motor in such a big vehicle. This allows for plenty of under the hood access which makes for maintenance times being a breeze. Another point as mentioned in my review is everything is metal. Nothing is plastic besides the cup holder and air vents. This makes for a long last... (more)
My pros of my F-150 is the fact I have a short bed. I believe this is what a truck should be it fits a queen mattress perfectly with no room to spare. This is an ideal amount of bed space without becoming a burden when hauling slightly smaller items that tend to move around. Another pro is the ford 302 is a rather small motor in such a big vehicle. This allows for plenty of under the hood access which makes for maintenance times being a breeze. Another point as mentioned in my review is everything is metal. Nothing is plastic besides the cup holder and air vents. This makes for a long lasting vehicle without ever having to worry about the plastic parts breaking down over time. Another huge pro is the amount of fuel space this lovely truck came equipped with not one fuel tank but two. That means you can use one tank for city miles and use standard 87 and for the highway flip over to the secondary tank and use premium gasoline. This way you get the most bang for your buck trying to save on fuel.
Cons of my F-150 are quite short. The biggest issue is the Ford 302 its the motor that came with my truck. It has been known to be one of the most inefficient motors of all time. The motor is quite small for the vehicle and it doesn't deliver power properly most of the energy is released as heat instead of being transferred into momentum. My vehicle averages around 9 miles to the gallon. This might seem completely ridiculous but I only have to commute a minute away from my house to get to all the places I need to be. Another huge con which falls back on fuel costs is the inability to drive... (more)
Cons of my F-150 are quite short. The biggest issue is the Ford 302 its the motor that came with my truck. It has been known to be one of the most inefficient motors of all time. The motor is quite small for the vehicle and it doesn't deliver power properly most of the energy is released as heat instead of being transferred into momentum. My vehicle averages around 9 miles to the gallon. This might seem completely ridiculous but I only have to commute a minute away from my house to get to all the places I need to be. Another huge con which falls back on fuel costs is the inability to drive it long distances. Taking a 100 mile trip would be 11 gallons of gasoline. That's right an hour and a half drive would cost me about 40 dollars. But I own two vehicles so I have a backup for trips. A final con would have to be the window motors. Ford did an excellent job making literally everything on this truck out of metal except for the gears in the window motor. This means if you roll your hand in the window the gears will break and not injure your hand. But for a old truck the window tracks have more restrictions from grim and oil that the window gears actually wear out quite quickly if you do not tend to the window tracks when replacing the motor.
2003 Ford F-150 - Great truck, a real work horse!
My Ford F150 is a 2003 blue crew cab truck with a 5.5 Foot bed. Automatic transmission and dealer installed tow hitch with trailer breaks. It pulls my utility trailer with ease. The truck as more than enough towing capacity and payload capacity to suit my needs. One thing I really like is how my F150 balances fuel efficiency with rugged power. When I'm towing my trailer, I can still pass slower motorists. I barely notice any loss of gas mileage when towing. I've had my truck for seven years and I've rarely had to put any money into the truck above routine maintenance. This truck runs great and remains dependable. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone. What I like best about Ford is that no matter what year truck you buy, you get a great truck with the same quality and attention to d... (more)
My Ford F150 is a 2003 blue crew cab truck with a 5.5 Foot bed. Automatic transmission and dealer installed tow hitch with trailer breaks. It pulls my utility trailer with ease. The truck as more than enough towing capacity and payload capacity to suit my needs. One thing I really like is how my F150 balances fuel efficiency with rugged power. When I'm towing my trailer, I can still pass slower motorists. I barely notice any loss of gas mileage when towing. I've had my truck for seven years and I've rarely had to put any money into the truck above routine maintenance. This truck runs great and remains dependable. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone. What I like best about Ford is that no matter what year truck you buy, you get a great truck with the same quality and attention to detail. They've been making trucks long enough that Ford understands the needs of their customers and puts out a vehicle with the versatility to meet all expectations.
I often use my F150 to go camping in Pikes Peak National Forrest, outside of Colorado Springs. One time I was loaded with the gear for our Boy scout troop on our way to a campsite when we encountered a flooded road, deep in the forest. We gauged the depth and felt that the truck could make it. I ferry all the equipment across the flooded road and made several trips to bring others across who w... (more)
I often use my F150 to go camping in Pikes Peak National Forrest, outside of Colorado Springs. One time I was loaded with the gear for our Boy scout troop on our way to a campsite when we encountered a flooded road, deep in the forest. We gauged the depth and felt that the truck could make it. I ferry all the equipment across the flooded road and made several trips to bring others across who were in cars with lower clearances. I ferried the entire troop across without incident... With the exception of 4 sleeping bags that slipped off the trailer.
The engine in top notch and has the durability to handle whatever you throw at it. The 8 cylinder engine has the power and strength to pull a trailer at it's upper towing capacity while at the same time carrying a significant payload in the bed. I never has to worry about strain on the engine or a loss of power because of the load. My favorite feature is the responsive trailer brakes that enable me to slow quickly without worry of my trailer destabilizing or putting pressure on the hitch. When the dealership installed the brakes they did a solid job welding the hitch to the frame. The hitc... (more)
The engine in top notch and has the durability to handle whatever you throw at it. The 8 cylinder engine has the power and strength to pull a trailer at it's upper towing capacity while at the same time carrying a significant payload in the bed. I never has to worry about strain on the engine or a loss of power because of the load. My favorite feature is the responsive trailer brakes that enable me to slow quickly without worry of my trailer destabilizing or putting pressure on the hitch. When the dealership installed the brakes they did a solid job welding the hitch to the frame. The hitch and brakes are strong enough to do the job every time without fail.
Its hard to come up with negatives. I think the only negative I can come up with is that if I wanted to tow a larger trailer I might begin to notice the limitations of my engine. If anyone were looking to tow a large trailer or motor home, they would have to purchase an F250 or F350 at least. The F150 is fine for towing utility trailers and hauling a bed full of mulch, but for the serious hauler, you're going to have to go bigger.
Its hard to come up with negatives. I think the only negative I can come up with is that if I wanted to tow a larger trailer I might begin to notice the limitations of my engine. If anyone were looking to tow a large trailer or motor home, they would have to purchase an F250 or F350 at least. The F150 is fine for towing utility trailers and hauling a bed full of mulch, but for the serious hauler, you're going to have to go bigger.
1984 Ford F-150 - Pickup Truck Personified
My 1984 Ford F150 is an excellent utilitarian vehicle. It is a full-size, with a bed about 6 feet wide, but a short bed so it is fairly easy to maneuver. This model has the well-known 300/4.9L straight 6, one of the most reliable engines Ford ever produced. It has as much or more torque than the V8 options for the same year, but gets notably better mileage - the 3.08 Differential gears and automatic overdrive transmission both help in this area.
This truck is the base model, without A/C or most power features - in a 30-year old truck, that means that everything works as it should. The interior is a two-tone vinyl that looks nice after all this time, is easy to clean, and matches the white/light blue (I think the interior blue is closer to a royal as are the interior plastics). It has... (more)
My 1984 Ford F150 is an excellent utilitarian vehicle. It is a full-size, with a bed about 6 feet wide, but a short bed so it is fairly easy to maneuver. This model has the well-known 300/4.9L straight 6, one of the most reliable engines Ford ever produced. It has as much or more torque than the V8 options for the same year, but gets notably better mileage - the 3.08 Differential gears and automatic overdrive transmission both help in this area.
This truck is the base model, without A/C or most power features - in a 30-year old truck, that means that everything works as it should. The interior is a two-tone vinyl that looks nice after all this time, is easy to clean, and matches the white/light blue (I think the interior blue is closer to a royal as are the interior plastics). It has real solid steel bumpers - the rear one has an integrated hitch/ball and I suspect that it will pull more than I'd ever try to (reports from other owners confirm this). It came with a nice factory bed liner that seems to hold up to fairly rough treatment and keeps water from collecting in the actual steel bed.
The equipment appears to all be original, aside from a plastic overlay for the dash which is frequently found on any vehicle that has lasted this long and sees sun on the plastics regularly. Everything seems to work as it would have straight from the factory and is getting right around factory mileage (~16 or so highway, a bit less in town) with no more than very basic maintenance (plugs, oil change). I regularly hear examples of these inline 6 engines going for many hundreds of thousands of miles, and it hasn't reached 100K yet (it will reset to 0 when it does, but the minimal wear on interior and pedals indicates that it is likely not to have reached such yet).
This F150 performs like a truck, as it should - I wouldn't expect it to win any races, but it gets up to and maintains at least all legal speed limits around here (I've probably gotten it up to 75 or 80 with no issues, and it would likely go at least a bit faster), and it will easily haul the half ton it is rated for without much loss of acceleration (all that torque really helps!) - The transmission shifts smoothly reliably. All lights and wipers function well (I had to replace a taillight from where it had been hit, but it is not hard to find a taillight for a common model like this at a parts yard). Braking is fine for an old truck - I am planning on doing the front brakes soon, as the current ones are noisy and a bit softer than I prefer, but there is no indication of leaks or performance issues. The foot-actuated emergency/parking brake is effective and will probably be even better once I adjust the rear brakes.
There are a lot of washboard and poorly maintained dirt roads around here, it's always fun taking something that isn't going to break easily on them!
There are a lot of washboard and poorly maintained dirt roads around here, it's always fun taking something that isn't going to break easily on them!
Price - I only paid 800 dollars for this and drove it home
size - it is maneuverable for a full-size, but can carry both a wider and heavier load than lighter-duty trucks without as big a hit on mileage as the V8s
reliability - the inline 6 is legendary, never seems to want for power, and this is probably the best selling model of truck for the last 40 years (if not in all of US market truck history), so parts and support are likely to be about as good as is plausible for a 30-year old truck.
Simplicity - no failure prone niceties like power features (other than steering and brakes which a... (more)
Price - I only paid 800 dollars for this and drove it home
size - it is maneuverable for a full-size, but can carry both a wider and heavier load than lighter-duty trucks without as big a hit on mileage as the V8s
reliability - the inline 6 is legendary, never seems to want for power, and this is probably the best selling model of truck for the last 40 years (if not in all of US market truck history), so parts and support are likely to be about as good as is plausible for a 30-year old truck.
Simplicity - no failure prone niceties like power features (other than steering and brakes which are important and work fine), easy to get to parts for maintenance or repair, and parts standard across many years and models of F-series trucks.
-Factory stereo is barely audible and will need at least stereo and speaker replacement to ever sound decent (may well need new wiring to speakers as well, not sure yet)
-some rust issues (by the door sills and some underneath and at rear wheel wells), no
-Factory stereo is barely audible and will need at least stereo and speaker replacement to ever sound decent (may well need new wiring to speakers as well, not sure yet)
-some rust issues (by the door sills and some underneath and at rear wheel wells), no
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