My first Ford was an ‘86 escort. There were some really likeable things about it, but also just cheapness and shortcuts I hated when I worked on it. For all the issues it slowly developed, it handled well, got great gas mileage, and the 5spd felt better in the hand than it should have. But I avoided fords most of my life because of a cheapness of build quality it had.
But then I owned a Jeep, actually two, and a few volvos. All that shifted my worldview a bit. I test drove a few fords and have been surprised by how some of their models just seem better put together than others. Seats in a Ford 500 seem fully, solidly anchored to the floor of the car, much like a toyota. Sit in a Fusion, and it feels like the seat sits on one rail, like an old Isuzu. Dash in an escape? Weird but functional. Dash in an explorer? The stereo buttons look like a fisher-price toy. Hard to know what you’re getting.
2018 F150. The smoothest, quietest vehicle ive ever owned. Amazing engine - power, economy, tows stumps out of the ground. Yet the weatherstripping is thin and it’s starting to whistle, until i rub honda shin-etsu grease on it. 10 speed transmission shifts as well or better than my lexus, IF it has LG red in it. Misses gears and drops to neutral WHILE DRIVING without it. Sync 3 is great, until it isn’t. Tomorrow I’ve got an interstate road trip. I can take the truck or the lexus. I’ll probably take the truck. It admittedly, has the worst oem headlights I’ve ever owned. There was no upside to that. I gutted them and fit projectors into them.
Coming from volvos, with 23 computerized module on the CANBUS, the ford definitely seems to have taken that tech from Volvo. Plug forscan in, and about two dozen computerized modules raise their hand during roll call.
I’m surprised @svtrit experienced more repairs with the GM - I would have expected GM to be the best, followed by Ford and followed by Ram. … instead it looks like he saw Ram as the most reliable (minus rust), followed by Ford followed by GM. GM seems to have a huge boom in my neck of the woods right now - more new Chevy/GMs on the road than the others, with the new Tundras and their noticeable taillights also seeming to grow in population. They remind me resurrected caddy or lincoln tails. Pretty cool.
Anyway, if I needed another, I’d consider another F150, though I feel like the Ram should get a look-see in mild hybrid form, but after owning 2 chrysler minivans and 2 jeep grand cherokees, Ram ownership for long term seems to defy all sensible logic. GMC has the only trustworthy service department in my neck of the woods. But my 150 runs well, and I have it dialed in the way I like with features, suspension and brakes. Hard to beat the 21mpg in a truck. Trying to hold off on any vehicle purchases for as long as I can. We’d like to move, perhaps next year. As expensive as vehicles are, a car purchase would seriously cripple home budgets right now.
But then I owned a Jeep, actually two, and a few volvos. All that shifted my worldview a bit. I test drove a few fords and have been surprised by how some of their models just seem better put together than others. Seats in a Ford 500 seem fully, solidly anchored to the floor of the car, much like a toyota. Sit in a Fusion, and it feels like the seat sits on one rail, like an old Isuzu. Dash in an escape? Weird but functional. Dash in an explorer? The stereo buttons look like a fisher-price toy. Hard to know what you’re getting.
2018 F150. The smoothest, quietest vehicle ive ever owned. Amazing engine - power, economy, tows stumps out of the ground. Yet the weatherstripping is thin and it’s starting to whistle, until i rub honda shin-etsu grease on it. 10 speed transmission shifts as well or better than my lexus, IF it has LG red in it. Misses gears and drops to neutral WHILE DRIVING without it. Sync 3 is great, until it isn’t. Tomorrow I’ve got an interstate road trip. I can take the truck or the lexus. I’ll probably take the truck. It admittedly, has the worst oem headlights I’ve ever owned. There was no upside to that. I gutted them and fit projectors into them.
Coming from volvos, with 23 computerized module on the CANBUS, the ford definitely seems to have taken that tech from Volvo. Plug forscan in, and about two dozen computerized modules raise their hand during roll call.
I’m surprised @svtrit experienced more repairs with the GM - I would have expected GM to be the best, followed by Ford and followed by Ram. … instead it looks like he saw Ram as the most reliable (minus rust), followed by Ford followed by GM. GM seems to have a huge boom in my neck of the woods right now - more new Chevy/GMs on the road than the others, with the new Tundras and their noticeable taillights also seeming to grow in population. They remind me resurrected caddy or lincoln tails. Pretty cool.
Anyway, if I needed another, I’d consider another F150, though I feel like the Ram should get a look-see in mild hybrid form, but after owning 2 chrysler minivans and 2 jeep grand cherokees, Ram ownership for long term seems to defy all sensible logic. GMC has the only trustworthy service department in my neck of the woods. But my 150 runs well, and I have it dialed in the way I like with features, suspension and brakes. Hard to beat the 21mpg in a truck. Trying to hold off on any vehicle purchases for as long as I can. We’d like to move, perhaps next year. As expensive as vehicles are, a car purchase would seriously cripple home budgets right now.