If you weren't going to buy a Tacoma

She wanted either a 2016 Tacoma, 2015 Colorado, or a 2015 4Runner . We have test drove the last two vehicles but had no success getting much of a deal on either.

We are literally weeks away from having our first child so we were going to wait till fall unless the right deal came up. The right deal came up now.

I always wanted her to look at a bigger truck since she doesn't go offroad. Today a customer of mine who owns a share of a Ford dealership went in with me and had them make an offer we couldn't refuse. So we bought a Ford F150. We can't wait to pick it up on Friday once the box has been lined.

 

Which model did you go with? I can't wait for mine to come in.

 

Crew Cab XTR 4x4 package 301A. It also has one or two random options that I can't remember like everything else you buy off a lot.

They only had about 10 trucks on lot and half of them were Lariats, which weren't in our budget. Our truck is a good compromise of the options we needed in a price point we could afford. The only real debate was which engine to get. They had a 2.7 L Ecoboost and the Coyote V8 we ended up buying. While I have a great amount of respect for the Ecoboost, I decided it was safer to go with the respected and tested Coyote over a totally new Ecoboost engine.

Between the extra money they gave us to wipe out our Hyundai's negative equity (she bought it on 8 year financing before we met ) and the special pricing we walked away about 11K cheaper than the truck would of been if we paid MSRP and got only what our trade in is listed on CBB's for (Canadian Black Book).

This was my first time in the Atlas for a longer amount of time then 5 minutes. The truck is dead quiet until you put the hammer down. It rides super smooth and eats up potholes no problem. If the thing can last then I think Ford has a real winner here considering lots of people are getting a real world 20 mpg with the Coyote in the new aluminum F150.

 

What model did you go with?

 

Sounds like an awesome truck. I agree with your EcoBoost concerns and went with the 5.0 too, with the 3.55 E-lock rear. I kinda decided to splurge and spoil myself (been saving for a truck for awhile, and plan to keep this 10+ years), so I ordered a King Ranch 4x4 with the 601A package, Technology package (360 camera, lane assist), tow package, and big fuel tank. It's gonna be primarily a road trip and boat/camper hauler, so I tried to spec it out that way.

Dealer gave me invoice less rebates, which is working out to about $7,000 off MSRP. Combined with a more than fair trade for my Tacoma, I was happy with the deal.

 

Congrats! I just put $200 down to order my F150. Now the long 6-8 week wait time.

I went with an XLT 3.5 eco, 4x4, 6.5' bed, FX4, max tow, 302A, twin panel moonroof, bed lined, console front seats, and mirror lights in the Bronze Fire color.

 

I hate to make you doubt your decision, but I would not get the eco. The 3.5 is stronger than the 2.7, but both are having major issues. My dad is a service manager at a Ford dealership and says that more than half of the people who buy the ecoboost engines are being left stranded and without their truck for a few weeks while its getting worked on. Just my 2 cents, but if you have the option, think about going back and changing the order to a NA engine.

 

Thanks for the info. What kind of problems are they having? I tried hitting the forums to find out about issues, since I've never had a turbo'd vehicle before, but I couldn't find much beyond people with tunes blowing them up. I have no intention of tuning it any time soon.

 

Congrats! And good luck with 6-8 weeks. I'm 8 weeks out right now and mine hasn't been built yet. I'm looking at 12-14 before it's all said and done. Your's may very well be faster, but don't get your hopes up is all I'm saying. Also, when you do get it, check the moonroof seals - that's one of the most common 2015 problems so far, is the roof leaking. I skipped that option on mine.

Looks like a few of us are switching to the new F-150. Hope we like them!

BTW - I went with Bronze Fire as well, with the 2 tone Caribou. Awesome color, huh?

 

Try F150forum.com, it's been the best one for me so far.

And 2015 owners aren't reporting any siginificant Eco problems yet. Only thing I'd "warn" you about is not to get your hopes up with the MPG, it still seems to be not quite as advertised. It's a great motor though. I just love the 5.0 and the way it drives. And it's plenty of power for me, with less things (turbos, direct injection) to go wrong.

 

I have been loyal to Toyota for 25 years now, getting real hard not to look on the other side of the fence, especially when you get so much more truck. The F150 and the Silverado are tied for my next truck. I am keeping the Taco as a beater though.

I like the Tundra, can't quite understand why Toyota can't get better mileage out of it.

My buddy has a '14 F150 with the 5.0, he gets a solid 20 hwy out of it. Kinda sad when the anemic 4 banger Tacoma barely gets 20 mpg...

 

Jeep needs to make this reality.

 

Same here. I've owned 4 Toyotas myself, making 12 in my immediate family. I now have a Pathfinder instead of Rav4, and my mom has a Subaru instead of her Rav4. Quality, reliability, and resale value are going down fast.

I also don't understand why the other companies can do higher MPGs and higher HP while Toyota can't. It's like they're resting on their reputation instead pushing forward.

Yeah, I've been surfing f150forum.com and f150ecoboost.net looking for issues as well due to claims the turbos added complications. But then I also heard about issues with GM's ecotec/cylinder deactivation. Talk of cylinder scaring and oil consumption when in 4 cylinder mode. With Ford having 600,000 ecoboosts on the road it seemed like a more reasonable gamble.

If nothing else, the Ford dealer is 10 miles from my house, we have a second vehicle, wife doesn't work, and supposedly the Ford warrant covers rental cars and hotels as needed. *shrug*

Ugh. This is gonna suck. lol Though at least that'll give me some time to save up some more money to throw down on it. Or maybe my wife's disability will come in and we can pay off her pathfinder.

As for the MPGs, if the damn thing gets 17-18 I'll be happy! That's what I get with the Tacoma, so getting that with 140 extra horses would be fantastic. Anything above that is even better.

And yeah, I love that color and how it seems to change with the light! Having owned 2 dark blue and now a gray car I want something with color. Something warm and not dark and depressing like the NY weather and atmosphere! (One of the reasons I was looking at the yellow Titan XD!)

I planned on extending the bumper to bumper warranty out 5/100 to cover things. And I guess warranty work beats me having to mod shit to "fix" problems I found on the Tacoma.

 

Sounds like you're just as excited as me. Honestly, I'd say the direct injection is your main worry, not the turbos. Just try to romp on it every now and then and use good gasoline with lots of detergents in it to clean those valves and that should help you.

I also am getting an etended warranty, probably 7/100,000. First time doing it, but for the cost, it seems like a no brainer ($1100 for 7 years of coverage? Sign me up).

 

I help operate a small fleet of 3.5 L Ecoboost fords. Use synthetic oil to protect the pumps and run good low ethanol gas, then you will have no problems.

 

Yeah, I'm getting excited! My 5ft bed and sub 1,000lb payload capacity have really gotten old for me. So going 6.5 ft bed, 2,000lb capacity is gonna be SOOOOOO nice!! Just drop a pallet of pellets in the bed, and not dick around with the trailer! Maybe get an ATV or something later on to haul around in it. I haven't been off-roading on anything not handled by a stock truck in years, but I *have* been towing a tractor around and hauling hay and feed for the animals. Plus the pellets to heat the house. And every building material needed to renovate/repair the house is 8-12 feet.

And I might be a little excited about the HP boost. Call it a mid-life crisis. Things with the wife have been rocky for a few years and I just got a $22k raise at work so fuck it! I'm getting the truck I need, with the shit I want!

How low? Places around here are 10% ethanol. There's one place that does ethanol free, but I'm not sure where it is offhand. What oil do you use? And is there a break-in period before switching to synthetic? I don't run it in anything else so....

 

Ethanol free would be best, but just keep it under 10 percent if possible. Change to synthetic at the first oil change and keep it synthetic. The Ecoboost has a lot of narrow oil passages and anything you can do to avoid sludging, like running synthetic, will pay off big time in the long run.

 

Gotcha. Thanks for the info. Pretty sure I can't get below 10% without going out of my way. Would a fuel additive of some sort help?

 

I wouldn't think so, but we've never tried any additives other than seafoam in trucks that are parked to long.

Under 10 percent, like I said, should be fine. Don't use any E15.

 

My mom has brand new Rav4...it feels very cheap to me, my stepfather bought a Highlander as well...much better...but dang it should get better mpg for what it is.

Toyotas don't seem to be made like they used to be...the Tacomas never felt as solid to me as the outgoing pickup (HiLux). I have owned both.

I don't expect the new '16 Taco to get that much better mpg than what it is getting now....based on everything else in their line up.

Feel like they are loosing their long time faithful clients, like you said...because they are resting on their laurels.

I test drove all the models back to back I am interested in not too long ago....the F150 and the Silverado sure are nice. I am "like" why even bother with a Tacoma anymore!?