Costco?

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by wingnut60

SeabeckS

You can find info on the X-Plan for Fords at thedieselstop.com don't let the name fool you, the X-Plan works for almost all Ford products.

Also FTE.com or fordtruckenthusiasts.com for all kinds of Ford info.

If you want the name of a dealer who will sell below invoice on a new truck order, PM me. He will order anything you want, and arrange for you to pick it up near or at where you want it.

Joe

Joe,

We're not quite ready yet to pull the pin on a purchase, but will PM you for bit more info as you suggest one of these days. Very much appreciate your advice and assistance. This will likely be the last truck I ever buy, so taking some time to do some test drives is a big part of the decision process. Our F-150 has been a great truck, but even with that I don't let brand loyalty get in the way...too much! LOL

Cheers, Bill

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by Doggy Daddy

I identified the price I could buy my truck thru COSTCO and then went shopping for a better deal. Salesmen had to beat the price, not just meet it.

Now THAT'S a plan!

Looked a bit at Costco's website for vehicle purchases, and it seems a bit kludgie to me. Doesn't have for instance, a full options list fo GM trucks. But not ready to actually get down to brass tacks anyway, when ready I'll call Costco for a bit more info.

Thanks! Bill

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by Passin Thru

Never ever trade any vehicle. Dealers make about 30% off you. Where Does the Car Dealer Make Money? - Edmunds.com
Tell them you will take their financing, they make a profit off that also and it gives you another negotiating tool and then you have 3 days to buy off the loan with your cash or another loan such as ours which was 0% at the Credit Union.

Haven't traded a vehicle in for at least 30 years, and don't intend to this time either. Most of the "owner loyalty discounts" I've seen advertised don't apply anyway to vehicles as old as our '98 Ford, or with as many miles (198,500+). I would strike a deal first, and then and only then ask if they'd like to give me something for the old rig. Most likely scenario is we'd just keep it and pass it on to our daughter and her family. They need a truck now and then, and this one runs well and is ding free....

Thank you, Bill

[gggplaya]

FYI, GM's new 6.2L will be rated for 21mpg unloaded, which isn't bad at all if you'll be driving this vehicle daily. The new Ford 6.2L is only rated for 18mpg with less power and torque.
GM 6.2L EcoTec V8 rated at 21 mpg by the EPA - Autoblog

Also, nissan will be getting the new Cummins 5.0 V8 which will be the ultimate towing half ton and still get 24-26mpg unloaded.
Next Nissan Titan will get turbocharged diesel V8 from Cummins - Autoblog

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by gggplaya

FYI, GM's new 6.2L will be rated for 21mpg unloaded, which isn't bad at all if you'll be driving this vehicle daily. The new Ford 6.2L is only rated for 18mpg with less power and torque.
GM 6.2L EcoTec V8 rated at 21 mpg by the EPA - Autoblog

Also, nissan will be getting the new Cummins 5.0 V8 which will be the ultimate towing half ton and still get 24-26mpg unloaded.
Next Nissan Titan will get turbocharged diesel V8 from Cummins - Autoblog

We are considering the GM 6.2 as a possibility, we'll probably make a deal in late December or January...doubt that new Titan/Cummins will be on the market by then. Thanks!

Cheers! Bill

[gggplaya]

Originally Posted by SeabeckS

We are considering the GM 6.2 as a possibility, we'll probably make a deal in late December or January...doubt that new Titan/Cummins will be on the market by then. Thanks!

Cheers! Bill

You are correct, the titan most likely won't make it's debut until late 2014 at the earliest, roughly a full year from now. Plus the cummins V8 a totally new engine from the ground up, which means you really shouldn't buy it until all the bugs are worked out, maybe 2017.

Another truck to consider is the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel coming at the end of this year. It's worth a test drive at least, pricing will be very comparable to the 6.2L Gm trucks. The ram ecodiesel won't win any acceleration contests, but it's sure to beat most trucks in towing MPG by a fair margin. And it makes peak torque at 2000rpm, 420ft-lbs at 2000rpm means you'll be able to hold gears much better with a quieter cruise. I doubt the 6.2L will give very good fuel mileage while towing, the only reason it gets 21mpg unloaded is because it deactivates cylinders while on the highway unloaded, i really doubt it would deactivate them with a trailer behind the truck. The 3.0L diesel in the ram is somewhat proven now, it's been in Europe for years now. They are just now bringing it to the states.

[SeabeckS]

Originally Posted by gggplaya

You are correct, the titan most likely won't make it's debut until late 2014 at the earliest, roughly a full year from now. Plus the cummins V8 a totally new engine from the ground up, which means you really shouldn't buy it until all the bugs are worked out, maybe 2017.

Another truck to consider is the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel coming at the end of this year. It's worth a test drive at least, pricing will be very comparable to the 6.2L Gm trucks. The ram ecodiesel won't win any acceleration contests, but it's sure to beat most trucks in towing MPG by a fair margin. And it makes peak torque at 2000rpm, 420ft-lbs at 2000rpm means you'll be able to hold gears much better with a quieter cruise. I doubt the 6.2L will give very good fuel mileage while towing, the only reason it gets 21mpg unloaded is because it deactivates cylinders while on the highway unloaded, i really doubt it would deactivate them with a trailer behind the truck. The 3.0L diesel in the ram is somewhat proven now, it's been in Europe for years now. They are just now bringing it to the states.

Like you say, I'd be bit leery of that Titan /Cummins combo, at least until the package has a couple of years in consumer "testing". LOL

Ram (aka Dodge by any other name...lol) will never get my business. Had way to many bad experiences with them to ever darken their doorway again. I know that's possibly unreasonable, but it's my money! Find it interesting that my older brother who bought his first Power Wagon in 1962 gave up on the brand about five years ago. He loved the Cummins, but got tired of what it was mounted into...

And not overly concerned with fuel mileage...any truck we get will probably only be towing for 10% or so of its time. If we had a high priority for towing mileage and/or a lot of towing, we'd be considering a diesel.... The only substitute for cubic inches...is cubic dollars...and my supply of those is limited! LOL

Cheers! B

[SeabeckS]

And now...GM announces 8.5% increase in Chevrolet Silverados..can GMC Sierra be far behind? Yeah, I know they'll offer some "incentives" to reduce the price for buyers, but I'm a bit tired of the shell game..."but we're giving you 7% off! (after raising the price 8.5)"...

Looks like a new Ford might be the way to go after all. LOL

[SeabeckS]

Now, having done test drives of the Silverado/Sierra and the F-150 I must say the new generation GM products are quite nice. Good power and driving dynamics, and really quiet smooth ride. In prelim costing though it looks like an F-150 would be something on the order of 10-15% less costly for comparably equipped trucks. So, are the new GM rigs 10-15% "better" than the Ford. For us, probably not...

A month or two before we're ready to buy, and I'll be continuing my research! But for now, thinking that an F-150 5.0L Supercrew , short bed, 145" WB, max tow pkg will be on our short list!

Next? Shopping starts for 2005-2010 used trailer; 7500 +/- GVW, probably in 24 foot +/- range. Looking at (so far!) mid level units like Jayco... The fun continues!



Bill J

[tuffr2]

SeabeckS - I had a F-150 with that 5.0 litre engine. I really liked that truck engine transmission combo. In 1/2 ton trucks Ford probably has the best most solid frame.

Chevy probably caught up with the F-150. I test drove the 2011 Chevy and liked it just fine but a month later Ford had it's 2011 truck out. I jumped on the 5.0 litre truck as the 3.5 litre eco-boost was not out yet.

One thing I do not like about the new Chevy/GMC is their engines are still push rod engines and not over head cam engines.

[wingnut60]

tuffr2,
Interesting comment on engine internals--why are you more in favor of the OHC engines? GM seems to be doing pretty good with both horsepower and economy?
Joe

[RMWV]

I have a 5.0 F150 and tow a 22 foot Jayco. Tows well, and runs OK, towing mileage around 8.5-9 @ 65 in mountains. Trans works well especially in down hill hold back mode. Suggest you log onto F-150 forum and read up on them. Personally, I don't trust the ecoboost. After racing Porsche Turbo for about 10 years, I cannot believe Ford can deal with the complexity of a Turbo motor. Also, The Electronics are really crap, especially the Dealer added Sirius radio and the whole sync system. Mine is an 11, and ALL them have a Sirius button on the radio stack - if that is important to you, make sure that it has the original factory installed Sirius radio. Do not accept the dealer add on. If I did it over again today, I'd take a serious look at the Dodge, an maybe wait for the small diesel.

[tuffr2]

wingnut60 - Right or wrong in my mind a over head cam engine is better than a push rod engine. Same as a 4 vavle per cylinder engine is better than 2 valves per cylinder.

I drove a 1987 Mercury Cougar with a 5.0 litre push rod engine. It was a nice car with good power. I traded it in on a 1994 Lincoln Mark VIII with a 32 valve 4.6 litre over head cam engine. Wow - what a difference. Back then the Japanese cars were mostly over head cam engines while the US cars had a couple of over head cam engines. The Saturn was one US car with over head cam engine. The Saturn was a 'zippy' car.

Right or Wrong I equate an overhead cam engine as being the better design over a push rod engine.

[wingnut60]

Understood. I have had several Fords of both designs, but the 4.6/5.4 setups are becoming tired with lower HP outputs. I speak only of the standard engines for pickups, not the Mustangs. Having driven some of the latest GM v8s, I find them to be every bit as peppy, and the mileage is at least the same or better.
Ford is leaning toward turbos for HP gains, and GM seems to be able to get more and more out of their pushrod design.
I did have a V10 for awhile that would hang in at 5-5400rpms for as long as you could stand to watch the gas gauge go down...
Joe