I Have a New One!

Tow vehicle, that is.

With mixed feelings I traded my faithful 2005 F150 King Ranch for an almost new 2014 F150 Platinum 4x4 SCrew with the 3.5L V6 Eco Boost engine. It wasn't planned, but the local dealership was having an "event", and I stopped by on my way into town to do some shopping.

Naturally, the salespeople decided they had just the vehicle I was looking for and after a lot of haggling (because I didn't really intend to buy anything), they offered me the private selling price for my King Ranch as a trade-in and the new truck below the private selling price for a vehicle its age and in excellent condition. And, they finally got me a 48 month interest rate of 1.8%.

The truck's a beauty, in White Platinum Pearl, a color I have been lusting after for quite a while. It drives like a dream, very quiet and smooth and according to the lie-o-meter, is getting about 3 mpg better than my King Ranch with its 5.4L V8.

But, it has so MANY bells and whistles that I feel like an absolute Luddite who just got shown how pathetic I am with a new remote control that any kid masters in 2 minutes.

Since I know it "never happened" without pics, here's some:









It's all set up for towing, with an integrated brake controller and the rest of the tow package.

I'll be getting the bed Line-X'd and have ordered an A.R.E. bed cap.

So, I'm pretty excited!

- Jack

Well I'm deadly jealous, Jack. Great looking truck and they reported to be deadly pulling a trailer- which you know. In fact, I was surprised to see a number pulling 5rs down in Florida this winter. Congrats!

Awesome and congratulations, Jack!

Congrats! Love the color too; I only drive white vehicles!

Jack did you ever hear of a "Bed Rug" if you haven't google it before you decide to Line-X, especially since your having a A.R.E cap installed. Lots easier on the knees.

Thank you Gary. I HAVE heard of "Bed Rug" and may add it too. I really like Line-X for total protection of the bed. I had it on my old truck and it and the bed looked perfect after 7 years of use. I also had a rubber mat in that truck bed though, and I should have pulled it out and thrown in in the back of my new one, but, I didn't *shrugs*

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments on my truck. Elaine and Bill, I'm with you. I never really cared for the dark copper color of the King Ranch and am happy to be back in a white truck. It almost matches my car, which is also white pearl.

- Jack

Jack, what a gorgeous truck!! From viewing the inside, it looks like you got every option. Is that a built in GPS I see? How about hands-free phone without having to put the phone gadget on your head? The simplest things make me happy, like adjustable remote control mirrors for towing, a thousand times better than that after-market crap you buy when rigging out a tow vehicle. Well, "the tail certainly will not be wagging the dog" when you are traveling the mountains. The Eco-boost engine has been proven for at least the last six years, and the manufacturer has had time to work out any bugs. Have fun with your new Ford truck.

Dee
Summerville, SC
2010 F-250 Powerstroke Diesel
2009 2509 Hi-Lo Classic

Dee Tillotson said:

Jack, what a gorgeous truck!! From viewing the inside, it looks like you got every option. Is that a built in GPS I see? How about hands-free phone without having to put the phone gadget on your head? The simplest things make me happy, like adjustable remote control mirrors for towing, a thousand times better than that after-market crap you buy when rigging out a tow vehicle. Well, "the tail certainly will not be wagging the dog" when you are traveling the mountains. The Eco-boost engine has been proven for at least the last six years, and the manufacturer has had time to work out any bugs. Have fun with your new Ford truck.

Dee
Summerville, SC
2010 F-250 Powerstroke Diesel
2009 2509 Hi-Lo Classic

Click to expand...

Thank you so much, Dee. It DOES have almost every option. It doesn't have the "Heavy Duty" tow package, which increases the payload to over 3000#, which might have been nice. And, the mirrors don't telescope, so I have to fit the CIPA towing mirrors over them to give me visibility around the trailer. But, it has everything else that I can think of that Ford offers.

I actually like the way the CIPA mirrors complement the OEM mirrors on Ford trucks. They give excellent, almost "wraparound" vision to the rear. I kind of hate to take them off when I'm not towing.

Yes, it has a GPS integrated into the surround sound head unit as well as a very good backup camera with distance markers and Bluetooth connection to my cell phone, so I can just press a couple buttons on the steering wheel to answer calls or give a voice command to make calls. Haven't tried the voice feature yet, but I'll get to it sometime.

Another nice feature in this truck is a gauge that monitors the Transmission Temperature, and you can see a digital readout of it on the information display in the dash, if you want to check it more thoroughly.

- Jack

Jack, I've noticed that most high-end trucks don't have everything. For instance, our truck does not have the stylish low-profile tires, no built-in GPS, or four-wheel drive. But you can enjoy that great gas mileage (as compared to other trucks) and lower gas prices instead of paying high diesel prices as we do. Have a lot of fun with your new truck.

Dee

Jack, I think I just wanna camp in your driveway! Nice looking rig. Enjoy!

JackandJanet said:

Thank you Gary. I HAVE heard of "Bed Rug" and may add it too. I really like Line-X for total protection of the bed. I had it on my old truck and it and the bed looked perfect after 7 years of use. I also had a rubber mat in that truck bed though, and I should have pulled it out and thrown in in the back of my new one, but, I didn't *shrugs*

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments on my truck. Elaine and Bill, I'm with you. I never really cared for the dark copper color of the King Ranch and am happy to be back in a white truck. It almost matches my car, which is also white pearl.

- Jack

Click to expand...

I have a Bed Rug and love it. It takes a beating and is easy on my knees, and it can be pulled out and scrubbed or hosed off. Velcro holds it in place.

http://www.bedrug.com/products/bed-liners.html

JackandJanet said:

Thank you so much, Dee. It DOES have almost every option. It doesn't have the "Heavy Duty" tow package, which increases the payload to over 3000#, which might have been nice. And, the mirrors don't telescope, so I have to fit the CIPA towing mirrors over them to give me visibility around the trailer. But, it has everything else that I can think of that Ford offers.

I actually like the way the CIPA mirrors complement the OEM mirrors on Ford trucks. They give excellent, almost "wraparound" vision to the rear. I kind of hate to take them off when I'm not towing.

Yes, it has a GPS integrated into the surround sound head unit as well as a very good backup camera with distance markers and Bluetooth connection to my cell phone, so I can just press a couple buttons on the steering wheel to answer calls or give a voice command to make calls. Haven't tried the voice feature yet, but I'll get to it sometime.

Another nice feature in this truck is a gauge that monitors the Transmission Temperature, and you can see a digital readout of it on the information display in the dash, if you want to check it more thoroughly.

- Jack

Click to expand...

WOW! What a great looking TV, and I bet it will get other good use.