2011 Ford F-150 FX4

[Jake]

The Denali absolutely destroyed my wallet last year, and already was set to do the same thing. I looked at how much I was throwing out in maintenance over the past year and realized "hey, I could be driving something newer, with way less mileage on the odometer, that needs no crazy maintenance, that has more gears in the transmission."

Did some looking, figured out my budget, and decided half-ton pickup or bust. Pre-Denali, I was lusting after a newish Grand Cherokee, but I grew to appreciate the size and abilities of the Yukon's half-ton chassis. After the Denali experience, I was all sorts of "fuck GM" and honestly, I haaaate the 07-13 GM pickups. Awful styling, both inside and out.

Looked at some Ram 1500s (thanks for the tips/info Jeff!) and Ford F150s. The Ram interiors were kind of blah vs. the Ford, and I couldn't afford an EcoDiesel. So, set my search on the 2011-2014 F150. My "must haves" included 4x4, tow package with integrated brake controller, and front buckets (the Ford bench seat that folds to be an "armrest" is just sad). I didn't care about cab vs. bed length, was fine with most colors, cloth vs. leather, etc.

Found this FX4 and it was priced way high at Fairfax Honda. Got home from work yesterday and they had dropped the price significantly, bringing it to the low side of market value. Jumped on it and so far I really like it.

2011 F-150 FX4

• Sterling Gray over black cloth
  
• Coyote 5.0L V8 with 47k miles
  
• 4WD
  
• Crew cab, 5.5' bed with spray-in liner
  
• Max Tow package, rated at 9300 lb towing
  
• Electronically locking rear diff
  
• Factory skid plates protecting front diff, transfer case and gas tank
  
• "Extended Range" 36 gallon fuel tank (stock is 26)
  
• Factory optional 20" rimzz because 18's are for plebes

It's fairly simple inside - manual HVAC, no navigation or backup cam, no sliding rear window, no sunroof - but I kind of like that aspect of it. Less to fail as it ages. And I don't daily drive it, so who cares if I have air-conditioned leather seats. It's still a nice interior to spend time in. I may look at adding a backup camera in some capacity, but it's not a super-pressing need.