Clifford the Big Red Truck, an F150 Story

[Jake]

I bet this frees up space for my moped

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Minus the part where I have to go all the way to Sterling to pick it up and drop it off, yeah.

If you ride it to me, it could go in the bed.

[Senor_Taylor]

I mean, if you are serious, I can get it to you. Otherwise I'll drive the 4Runner to VIR just to get the moped there, which is not ideal.

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[Jake]

I mean, if you are serious, I can get it to you. Otherwise I'll drive the 4Runner to VIR just to get the moped there, which is not ideal.

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I'm not real serious about putting anything in the bed until I get it lined, which won't be before VIR.

Just bring your GTI and walk everywhere

[Senor_Taylor]

Two stroke fuel all over a new truck sounds fantastic. You're missing out.

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[ScottyB]

The Tech package gave me blind spot monitoring (works with a trailer up to 30', too!), 360° cameras

i never understood the value of this until i drove Pete's FX4 through NYC (I-95) and was white knuckled having no rear visibility with a bed cap plus just the truck being that size, and that was without a trailer.  with you being in DC and hitting the highways so much with an enclosed trailer i hope that feature is worth its weight in gold for you.

seriously love that color, and the sport package is the way to go with the body color grill.  

did you test drive an ecoboost or just not interested in the first place?  with as much city driving and towing as you do, the mileage probably shakes out the same as the V8 in spite of the 10 speed.  in terms of efficiency i don't think the V6 really starts to pay you back unless you're doing a lot of unloaded cruising with highway tires and/or high axle ratios.  the performance is great but you can't beat the music that coyote plays, and its no slouch in its own right.

looks like its going to be an awesome steed for you, and in the end you managed to experience a 510hp range rover and both you and your wallet lived to tell about it.

[Jake]

The Tech package gave me blind spot monitoring (works with a trailer up to 30', too!), 360° cameras

i never understood the value of this until i drove Pete's FX4 through NYC (I-95) and was white knuckled having no rear visibility with a bed cap plus just the truck being that size, and that was without a trailer.  with you being in DC and hitting the highways so much with an enclosed trailer i hope that feature is worth its weight in gold for you.

seriously love that color, and the sport package is the way to go with the body color grill.  

did you test drive an ecoboost or just not interested in the first place?  with as much city driving and towing as you do, the mileage probably shakes out the same as the V8 in spite of the 10 speed.  in terms of efficiency i don't think the V6 really starts to pay you back unless you're doing a lot of unloaded cruising with highway tires and/or high axle ratios.  the performance is great but you can't beat the music that coyote plays, and its no slouch in its own right.

looks like its going to be an awesome steed for you, and in the end you managed to experience a 510hp range rover and both you and your wallet lived to tell about it.

The visibility on the 2015+ trucks is better than the 2011-2014, I think there is a bit less rake in the stock suspension, combined with a tweaked cab shape/window shape. But this one is better than my 2011, which may as well have had no back window. 

I test drove a 3.5 EB last week and the little sneezy turbo noises are fun. It makes more torque lower down (470 ft-lb vs my 400) but realistically, they drive similar enough and I got a better deal on the 5.0. The early (2011) EB's had some issues but they have at least proven reliable from 2012 onward. In any case, most of my road trip driving is with the trailer, and both engines suck equally there. I'm not at high altitude where the N/A would lose a bunch of power, either.

They had a few trucks with 3.31 rear ends, which is the highest you can get. All of those were a hard pass. Fuel economy is never a huge concern with a truck, just a "nice to have." This one with only 200-something miles on it is already doing much better than the Range Rover did.

Good point about the Range Rover, too - it was a super fun six months. But sometimes the crazy-wild girl/boyfriends aren't the best idea long-term, and someone who can still have a bit of fun but is more sensible day-to-day is the better option.

[Ryan T]

So awesome man. Love the color. Are you having to pay for the trailer brake controller, or was it missing more of an oversight? Seems like you shouldn't be able to get the extended tow mirrors without the brake controller...

[Jake]

So awesome man. Love the color. Are you having to pay for the trailer brake controller, or was it missing more of an oversight? Seems like you shouldn't be able to get the extended tow mirrors without the brake controller...

From what I gather they're just going to put it in. Literally every other truck I looked at had it installed, and the "Ford aftermarket" item is the same as what you'd get with a factory order. It just plugs in to the same cubby space in the dash. I think it was an order oversight, they're only $100 and given this has every other option on it, I'm not sure why it'd be deliberately ordered without.

[GTBrandon]

I call first to go offroading in this one, and first to tell you to send it over those snow covered rocks. In all seriousness I have questions about the leasing as this was debated a few weeks back and nobody seemed to agree that this was a good idea for almost any reason other than on a towing truck.

[Evan]

best color Ive ever seen on a truck!


from a fellow red truck owner.

[ryangreen1]

I mean, if you are serious, I can get it to you. Otherwise I'll drive the 4Runner to VIR just to get the moped there, which is not ideal.

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Fold GTI seats down, buy a tarp, and roll the windows down so you don't get too high, problem solved.

Oh and this truck is ridiculously sweet. I'd guess most people go for a spray in bedliner? Dad's got the optional chevy place-in one in his and it doesn't even cover the whole floor, and before he put the bed cover on it would trap wet leaves and such under it

[Ryan T]

I’m sure Jake already knows this, but it bears repeating for anyone considering a truck; never get a drop iin bed liner. Spray in is best. Bed Rugs are a distant second if you will haul delicate items often and intend to run a bed cover. The roll in bed liners are a ton of work and, ultimately, not nearly as durable. Bottom line, if your going to use your truck as a truck, spray in.

[Senor_Taylor]

I never had a problem with my drop ins except for how much stuff slid around back there.

Edit, I agree though, spray in is best. The other options still can let stuff under them and ruin the bed paint or aren't as durable.

[Steve85]

That is a great looking truck and hard to argue with the move. Just incredible features to make towing easier and safer, worth that piece of mind alone. I guess there is a difference between having a good tow rating and actually being built for the job.

[Jake]

I call first to go offroading in this one, and first to tell you to send it over those snow covered rocks. In all seriousness I have questions about the leasing as this was debated a few weeks back and nobody seemed to agree that this was a good idea for almost any reason other than on a towing truck.

I've talked to some friends about leasing non-trucks too - if the residual is good/high and you want a new car every 2-3 years while doing effectively no maintenance, it can be a good option. But not everything leases well, so you have to run the numbers for the exact vehicle you want and see how it looks. I learned quite a bit in the process and am happy to share over PM or Facebook message.

Re bedliners - spray-in or GTFO. My gray truck came with a Line-X spray-in, I'm going to see who's local and can take care of it post-VIR. The beds are all the same from 2015+ so I'm also looking for a (probably used) tonneau cover. Want to do a locking, hard one this time vs the soft vinyl I had before. Much better peace of mind.

[JPolen01]

Talk to the dealer. They may partner with a local Line-X installer.

[rherold9]

1. Extang 2.0

2. Bakflip G2

Can't go wrong with either

[Jake]

Talk to the dealer. They may partner with a local Line-X installer.

They will do it for me at their cost of $450, but I wanted to shop around before saying yes. I have no idea if that's competitive or not.

[Senor_Taylor]

+1 Polen

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[rherold9]

They will do it for me at their cost of $450, but I wanted to shop around before saying yes. I have no idea if that's competitive or not.

After looking at my receipts for the base line-x, yes, that's competitive. Actually slightly cheaper (may be a dealer partner thing)