Quote:
Originally Posted by krug
Hello, looking to purchase 2018 F150, XL, labeled new, but has 2500 miles on it. Price is good at 30,900, with MSRP at 41K. Can I expect to go lower, how much should be deducted from a "demo" car. Want to purchase now, expect 0% financing to go bye bye in October.
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The modern Ford F150 XL has to be evaluated for its intended use. It is now a highway vehicle. The modern Ford F150 XL is useless offroad in rugged conditions. There is a problem with the throttle body that is defective and the bottom structure is very weak. The bottom has parts made of some strange composite that feels like a box. It easily tears on rugged dirt roads. It is weakly designed. I am a mechanical engineer.
This was surprising to me because the 1990s Ford Ranger was really tough offroad. I was in my 20s and drove that small truck recklessly across the rough dirt roads of rural AZ in the mountains and deserts. I then moved to Colorado and drove it through a blizzard with studded tires for ice conditions. The 1990s Ford Ranger was awesome.
The modern Ford F-150 is only a highway vehicle now. DO NOT take it offroad to a rugged trail with rocks, uneven bumps, logs, mud slick, etc. It will go out quickly with its weak structure. The modern F-150 XL is designed to save fuel, so it was made lighter with weaker parts. It gets very good gas mileage compared to 1990s trucks, but is no longer useful offroad.
To be fair, the Ford F-150 Raptor Trim is exclusively built for offroad and has the very tough structure and design for the desert, mountains, snow, mud, etc. It was demonstrated in the Baja extreme offroad race and finished in the time limit. But the Raptor is very expensive. You may as well put money down on a house for that amount. It is also too large and heavy for driving in the crowded metro areas (in my opinion).
I miss the 1990s Ford Ranger than I bought for less than 10,000 dollars. It was able to handle the brutal offroad conditions of Arizona even though it was just a 4-cylinder two-wheel-drive truck. Maybe Ford will bring the Ranger Raptor to the US. That trim is very popular overseas.
Stay on the highway if you have the F-150. Be sure to ask about the throttle body conditions and various composite parts which have weakened the underbody structure.
As for me, I traded in my F-150 XL for a Chevrolet Colorado which is as tough as the 1990s Ford Ranger once was. I prefer the Chevy trucks now.