After owning the 2016 4Runner for a bit, I had come to the conclusion that maybe I should be looking at trucks instead of SUVs. After all I did tow a lot of cars, and trailers, and having more space to haul things in the back seemed to be a good fit. The problem is I have never owned one, or considered a Ford before. I knew that if I was going to look at trucks it would be a Ford because that is what my dad drove, and that is what his dad drove and what his dad drove. My dad always had a Ford F-150 for as long as I can remember, and I grew up in the back seat of one. When it came time to start looking, I decided to ask my dad a few pointers on what to get.
My dad at the time had a 2014 with the all steel body. I had come across this 2015 with the new aluminum body and was the first year for the redesign. Usually I would stay away from first year designs because it might take the manufacturer a few years to straighten out any defects that plague them. The truck though was too good of a deal to pass up. It was only a few years old with 27,000 miles on it, and belonged to an older gentleman. I went down to the small Ford dealer in Ozark, Arkansas, and bought it right on the spot. I found the previous owner’s number in some of the service records in the glove box. He was really nice, and told me that he loved that truck a lot, but got a Jeep to tow behind his RV.
This truck was Ford’s second highest trim model, the Platinum, right behind the Limited. It came jammed packed with features, most notable the massaging seats, and 360 degree camera. I was used to a lot of these things because my dad had them on his 2014 Platinum. My truck had the 5.0 V8 which was decent and had been around long enough to trust it. When I first saw the truck on the dealer’s website, I thought it was grey, but when I pulled up I saw it was a dark green, I really fell in love. This is a one year only (I think, but could be wrong) color called Guard Green. I really don’t know why they did not keep it around longer as I think it is pretty sharp looking.
It took some time getting used to driving such a larger car compared to the 4Runner. I had to park with no one around me for a while to make sure I got in the parking spot OK. The real test came not long after I bought it when I towed our 21ft boat from Table Rock Lake to Beaver Lake. You could feel the boat behind you for sure, but it seemed to pull it along the hills just fine. However, I noticed something alarming while towing.
When I would down shift the transmission from 6th gear to 4th gear, or 5th to 3rd, I heard a very load and noticeable “squawk” coming from under the car. I had towed several cars with it before this, but nothing this heavy, and nothing up hills like I was going through. Also, this was after a while of owning the truck, to clear up any confusion that this was the reason the seller traded the truck in. Eventually it got bad enough where this sound would start even while driving around town. I took it into the dealer, as I had a while left on the warranty, and I actually requested a service tech ride with me in the car so I could replicate the sound. The service tech knew exactly what it was, and said to bring it on back to the dealer. This is one thing I have noticed while owning a Ford. Every time I would bring it in for something, the advisors or techs knew exactly what it was because they had replaced or fixed this problem before.
Turns out it was the clutch plate within the transmission. I really did not stop to ask more about the issue, just what Ford was going to do to fix it. There was a TSB (technical service bulletin) out for this issue, and Ford basically just replaced the entire transmission. I had to leave my truck with the dealer for a few weeks for them to fix it, or rather replace it. I think it would have been a shorter wait time if it was for the dealer moving locations in the middle of all this, and moving all their tools and supplies into a new service center. They gave me a fantastic orange Ford EcoSport, but I was just grateful to be getting my truck fixed.
After this, the truck was great, no issues. I did have the famous Vista sunroof fail when the plastic tracks broke. Another issue the advisors knew of, because it is a $4,000 fix because they have to remove the front seats, replace the entire twin panel sunroof and power sunshade. Glad I had a warranty. Other than these issues, it never gave me trouble. I put a lot of miles on it, and a lot of those miles were with a car behind it. The truck drove nice, rode nice, and really was not bad. My wife even liked to drive it, but it made me just a little nervous.
The best part is I didn’t have to use any special hitch to tow or camper like I would have with the 4Runner. The truck had heavy duty springs in the rear so it wouldn’t sag. At the time the F-150 was really the only truck on the market with the type of tech it came with. GM or Ram was still pretty far behind, and in my opinion still is behind Ford in the truck segment. This is another reason I went with Ford instead of a Tundra or GM. For example, the other trucks on the market didn’t have the 360 camera option or even a keyless entry option. I could care less about the cooled seats or twin panel sunroof, but these things came as an option for the Lariat trim and above. I also like how you could configure these trucks anyway you wanted. Want a Lariat with LED headlights, twin panel sunroof, keyless entry, and power running boards? No problem. I have even seen the platinum trim come with vinyl floorboard instead of carpet.
I actually just traded in this truck this year after many miles. I could not pass up some of the COVID deals that were going on at dealers when it all started. After owning this truck, I really don’t think I could go back to another SUV. Having a truck has made me realize how handy they can be. I used to have to borrow my dad’s truck to tow something heavy or haul furniture, but now I just open up the garage door and go. I am glad this was the truck to get me started into the truck world. Hopefully many more to come.
Rather unusual, a truck owner that actually uses the truck features. I suspect for most it is a means of showing that they got their manhood back.
Most pickup owners I know do actually use their trucks as trucks. Maybe not all the time, but pretty frequently or at least on occasion when needed. They also use them as their everyday family vehicle.
That’s the point of these modern pickups and why they are the best selling vehicles in America.
They serve most owners as do-everything vehicles. Haul the family around, haul a load of new furniture (or both at the same time), tow a utility trailer, take the wife out to dinner. New trucks do it all, and do it well in style and comfort. And even reasonable gas mileage, depending on the truck. What’s not to like about all that?
I have found that I can meet all of my truck needs by renting one. I use the money saved for new life experiences.
Zipster, when you had your Escort wagon and the Tercel wagon before that that you’ve mentioned here, was it always filled with four occupants and a load of cargo? I doubt it so I wonder why you didn’t just get the basic two door versions of those which were more economical and hold the same number of occupants and then rent a larger vehicle when needed.
It’s not hard to find waste when you have some sort of agenda or bias. Please stop your stereotyping of people whose personal choices you don’t agree with. Denigrating people on a public forum while hiding behind a screen name seems the antithesis of the manhood you make reference to.
The Escort wagon was used to haul our two children around. I have seldom seen a four door pickup with more than two occupants in it. I have noted that a lot of newer pickups are driven by men who are obviously of retirement age and show no sign of being used for utility purposes.
I’ve seldom seen an Escort wagon with more than one or two occupants in it and kids fit just fine in the back of the two-door as well but I’m not going around casting aspersions on the wagon owners. My Dad commuted solo in a VW van for a while but presumably wasn’t called out for it…on the weekends we all piled in and went camping in it.
How many occupants does your car hold? There’s always something smaller that’ll do the job…
You should perhaps approach some of those retired men the next time you see one in a parking lot and ask them about their life choices, direct and honest communication is the best way to effect change if that’s the true goal.
I should also point out that according to his posts, Connor (the author of this post) is married without kids or pets. Yet he has a four-door pickup. In four of the five pictures it’s not hooked up to a trailer. So the assumption would be???
Jim,
The Escort weighs in at 3000 lbs to carry those one or two people.
The truck weighs in at 6000 lbs to do the same.
Very few drivers ever fill their vehicles to capacity.
I mean, my Smart car is soooo wasteful because I only drive it alone. Since there is only one person in that truck, it is no more wasteful than the Smart car.
I raised a family of five with a Honda Fit. I used the money I saved to send them all to university. And I mean all, including the wife.
Can we pleeeaase knock of this stupid and pointless pissing match about small cars and trucks? It’s so incredibly boring.
What’s the point, other than virtue signaling or shaming, which are both utterly futile and just exacerbate the hugely polarized (and destructive) social atmosphere today?
Take it to Facebook, if you really need to endlessly justify your POV and put down others. It doesn’t belong here, and it’s actually in violation of our commenting policy.
When you only need a truck once in a while renting one is a good option. But many people do use it on a regular basis so owning does make sense.
However the fact is that you can’t touch the rear seat space in a modern crew cab with any of today’s mainstream sedans. So many people buy and use their 1/2 ton pickups as 4dr sedans. It is not uncommon to see a number of car seats strapped in the back.
This seems like a far better fit for your needs than the 4Runner. The 4R is an off-road focused family wagon as its primary use case. Reasonable on-road behavior and towing is secondary. Every other use case is third or non-existent. The F150 flips that, with towing/hauling and reasonable on-road behavior being the primary use case and off-road capability being a distant secondary.
We use one of these, but with the 2.7 Ecoboost, as a field vehicle and it is excellent in many ways. Quieter than my 4Runner. Similar civilized driving experience. Expansive interior. The 2.7 is ridiculously quick, yet very refined and gets the same general mpg as the 4R. Marginal offroad, though, with its excessive width, length, and modest clearances.
Folks here are correct, if you want a replacement for the big American V8 RWD sedan, this is it.
I would agree. For what I am using it for the truck is better suited. The 4R has its positives with reliability and size, but you can not beat a good ole V8 truck for towing.
Whether we want to initially believe it or not, it seems many person’s automotive VIN (sic?) diagram eventually includes an F-150 or similar.
For hauling around Volvos, this was a much better choice than what you had been using!
The VIN Diagram… I love it. And yes, it seems that many people I know toss around the idea of a pickup whenever shopping for a new car. We certainly do, and it’s only a matter of time before we give in to that temptation, and just buy one.
But sadly, the newer F-150s aren’t high on our wishlist (and I say sadly because my wife’s family is like Connor’s, where Ford truck ownership is a genetic trait, stretching back to her grandfather’s Model A). We find ourselves eyeing Tundras and Rams more than Fords these days.
“… automotive VIN (sic?) diagram…”
Very punny, Jason, very punny. 🙂
Interesting in that we always talk, and many times mock, the broughaming of cars starting in the 70s. Yet I don’t recall much here talking about the same trend happening to today’s truck as that is what it most certainly is. Compared to the first F-150 in 1975 this is massive and definitely brougham while hauling pretty much the same as 40 years ago.
Full frame, front engine, rear drive, control arm from suspension, leaf spring rear.
A 1939 Oldsmobile is the same basic layout, except it has coil springs in the rear.
The truck is just a lot more massive. But then again, so are the people.
The first F-150 was a regulation dodger getting a GVW just high enough to negate the need for a Catalytic converter and allowing the use of the 460. That did bump the payload up beyond the norm of the 1/2 tons of the day. (GM of course had their heavy half to serve the same purpose). That did give them an actual payload of a little over 3/4 ton. Meanwhile the 2021 F-150s can be equipped to have a payload of up to 3,325 lbs.
For towing the max a F-150 was rated for back in the day was 6,000 lbs when properly equipped but as low as 2,000lbs if you stuck with the base 300-6. The 2021 F-150 when properly equipped can tow trailers up to 14,000 lbs and even the base 3.3 V6 engine trucks can rated for 8,200 lbs.
Meanwhile back in the 70’s you had to step up to a F250 to tow 8,000 lbs and you also had to step up the engine ladder to the 400 to get that rating.
So the properly equipped 2021 F-150 is rated to haul and tow up to twice what the best version of the F-150 from the 70’s could do.
It is still broughamified
That green is a really nice color on that truck, and it seems like you found a good buy minus the few issues you had with it.
My ’03 Ranger is starting to exhibit some timing chain rattle so I’ve been shopping around for an F-150 the past few weeks. What I’ve found is that trucks in general are in high demand and short supply in my area of the Midwest, with most clean trucks selling before they even hit the lot. I’d love to find something like this minus the uber expensive to fix sunroof. The last salesman I talked to told me that they are paying the same price for used 2018s at auction that they sold for when new with all the incentives. I’ll probably end up biting the bullet and have the chain guides replaced so I can buy some time until the market stabilizes.
The wife has a 2016 that we purchased new. Has the 5.0 and now 130000 miles. Has held up well with no issues. We’ve done some truck stuff with it: Home Depot runs and hauling tents and equipment around to my sons high school and club swim meets. The main reason we purchased is shown in one of your pics: the rear seat room for our 6 foot plus swimmer. He’s going away to school next fall though and is of course now driving his own vehicle so this f-150 will be going away for a new Bronco we are ordering. Will be sad to see it go as these are great trucks! Like many said, these are full size sedan replacements nowadays. We could not get this kind of passenger room in any sedan.
Yup, the passenger space in the rear of a current full size crew cab pickup can’t be matched by any mainstream sedan. That in a nut shell is why many people purchase them as their family truckster.
I’ve read all of your COALs Connor and enjoyed every one of them. Thank you!
This is the first time I’ve commented because it’s like I’ve witnessed your coals as more of a ‘coming of age’ than simply the cars you’ve owned. This one is different. It’s like all your previous cars were leading to this and really this is what you should have bought multiple vehicles ago. BUT it’s the point that you went through the experiences, good and bad to lead you here. I went through something of an epiphany recently where I realised I’d finally hit a home run in choosing a vehicle. I’m UK based so it’s no full size truck but similarly, it fits my needs better than anything I’ve previously owned.
Thank you I am glad you have enjoyed my automotive journey so far! I have learned a lot for sure owing some of these cars, and for me it comes with age.
I enjoy most COALS, and I liked this one more than most. I appreciate that you point out what I consider to be serious defects, it takes a big person to acknowledge that their big purchase had a transmission fail and needed a $4,000 sunroof fix. That’s pretty bad, and would be worse had those defects happened a year after the warranty expired.
I guess it goes to show that while new cars are better, one can still get a …..”bad Apple”, to be charitable. Or, with all the extra gears and electronic bells and whistles and turbos, we might learn that 1995 to 2010 represents peak reliability and durability.
Thank you I appreciate the comment. I have come to learn that buying a first year redesign is not always best. I have seen that some of these have had this issues fixed after the first few years. Oh well, lesson learned.
As good as these trucks are as daily all-purpose vehicles, they do have some drawbacks. Namely, the sheer size of these things has gotten a bit out of hand.
How much bigger can these full size trucks get before we need a friggin’ CDL to drive them? The 1 ton (or bigger) diesel dually pickup variants already seem to be pushing the GCWR limits where a CDL might come into play.
From a usability standpoint, my biggest peeve with my ’15 F150 4×4 is the height of the bed side rails. I’m 6 ft tall and can barely reach into the box to retrieve stuff while standing on the ground next to the truck. Yes, I know, a 4×2 truck would be lower, but still…the bed side rail height is just too damn high, and certainly higher than it needs to be.
I guess that’s why the OEMs have contrived various bed access solutions, like the F150’s tailgate pull out step and hand hold bar. Works pretty well for its intended purpose, especially for us aging owners whose balance ain’t what it used to be, but at the cost of substantial added tailgate weight, added complexity and, well, added cost.
GMs solution, at least until their latest multi-function tailgate contraption, has been much simpler with cutout corner steps on the rear bumper. Nice and simple, but maybe not so great for a middle age (or older) owner attempting to use it on a dark, wet or icy night.
Here’s an idea: how about just lowering the height of damned bed so the average person can reach into it without resorting to gimmicky tailgates and such!?
The increase in bed height isn’t just because of 4WDs now being the norm and 2WDs being the exception (especially since 2WDs now sit about as high in the rear unloaded), nor is it just because the sides are taller. The entire vehicle sits higher due to taller wheels and tires. Until the ’90s, 15″ wheels were the norm on half-tons; now 17s are standard and 20s common. Suspension almost certainly plays a part as well, though I’m not sure how much.
Lowering the height of the bed would require either disproportionate styling, or removing some of the vehicle’s capacity. Ford already drops the bed sides on the Super Dutys by about an inch.
Personally, even as someone who’s barely 5’10” with their boots on, I’ve never had an issue with the bed height on half-tons. HDs, yeah, they’re crazy tall, but again, they kind of need to be, otherwise they’ll be too low when loaded to full capacity. When we went from a ’98 F-250 light-duty with off-road 4×4 to an ’06 F-150 with “normal” 4×4, we actually lost an inch of bed height, even though the ’04+ trucks have taller bed sides.
Nice truck! What I like to call a “Mack Daddy”, even if it’s still a notch below the top trim line.
I’m trying to sell my 2016 F-150, as I have it consigned on the dealership lot where I work. It’s been essentially trouble-free for these last two years; I’ve only replaced the tires, wipers, and battery in the 30k miles I’ve driven it,. Currently it stands at just under 75k miles. My F-150 is the extended cab in base XL trim with the base 3.5L V6 (not the eco boost).. It’s reasonably quick, and tows my lawn service outfitted trailer around several days month very adequately. I am in pancake flat Florida, so I can’t say how it would perform on hills or long grades. As I said, it’s been virtually trouble-free, so I’m a little torn about letting it go, but I have better things I want to spend the $400 payments on, and an older, cheaper truck is fine by me. A decent 2008 standard cab, long bed, work-truck Silverado showed up in our trade lot, so I laid claim to it before it went to auction. We’ll see how long it takes before I tire of this new-to-me primitive beast, as compared to the comparatively svelte F-150.
Trying a photo again. Increased from “actual size” to “large” on my i-Phone.
The new “beast”.
Nice truck, that’s how I like em
Frankster, I think your “new” 2008 truck looks ten times better! Those Chevy trucks are, IMO, the last decent-looking trucks, and were the only decent-looking trucks in 2008.
You’ve given up room for three passengers, but you have a more useful box.
In 2008, I had the chance to drive a new 2008 Chevy Silverado extended cab 5.3 4wd for six months, courtesy of my employer. While I did not need a truck, I was impressed with the way mine drove. In admittedly mostly interstate driving, I averaged 16.8 mpg, ACTUAL. Computer showed 20mpg at 67mph. It was quiet and quick.
As one would expect of a new car, it was trouble free for six months.
Two years ago, I rented a 2018 GMC Sierra and car carrier from U-haul to tow a VW Golf 200 miles. This truck was basically a restyled (and ugly, not just uglier) version of the 2008, and I was impressed with how well it performed.
While it may not have the bells and whistles of the typical suburban 2020 4-door pickup, your “new” 2008 is a better truck, and hardly a penalty box.
And your F-150 will be easy to sell, as it’s a 4-dr, so you seem to have done very well
During COVID I’ve been scanning in hundreds of slides from when I was a kid in the 70s. Today I came across one from 1976 of me at age 13 putting my backpack into a Scoutmaster’s F150 after a 50 mile backpack trip. (Or were they still F100s then?). The open tailgate was only halfway up my middle-schooler thigh. I knew trucks had gotten taller/higher, but I didn’t realize just how much — a new one is up to my adult waist level.
As a kid in the 1970s,with other kids, I rode in the bed of a 77 F-150 and a Chevy. As a young adult, I lightly loaded an 80-something Dodge Ram and a 70-something F-150. With both those trucks, I could place and retrieve many types of items into the bed without having to open the tailgate, like a toolbox. So I could put that in front of the box.
You can’t do that with today’s full-size trucks. The loading floor is higher, and the sides of the beds are taller, making it impossible. So the tool box needs to be in back, near the tailgate.
One must open the tailgate. And if the item is not near the tailgate, one must get climb into the bed. That’s a lot of wasted time and motion.
The old trucks were more useful, though until the 90s GM and Fords, they were primitive, especially those from the 1960s. But for truck use, the older trucks are more useful.
“But for truck use, the older trucks are more useful.”
Depends on what you mean by “truck use”. if you mean “hauling lighter loose cargo in the bed with continuous unloading/reloading,” maybe, but a modern truck with higher payload and towing is much, much more useful to a greater number of people, even if that means bed access is slightly compromised.
Good point. Yes, that’s what I meant. That’s what I associate with light-duty pick-up trucks, more so than towing heavy loads or payload WEIGHT capacity (the old beds are typically longer, new ones usually shorter to allow for the rear seat).