Having the 2008 Ford F-150 in The Garage this week is a bit of a double edged sword. On the positive side, we are in the midst of moving my step father and I have some lumber to pick up this weekend for a new deck. On the slightly frightening side, gas is $1.09 a liter (roughly $4.36 a gallon) this week here in the Toronto area.
As many readers may be aware, the 08 F-150 is nearing the end of it’s production run, with the all new 09 model waiting in the wings. This late model test will serve us well when we test the replacement in the next few months. So far, it is a great looking truck that has tons of seating room. The kids even commented on how wide the rear seat is. Out back, our tester has the full complement of cargo aids, from lockable storage bins to cross rails and a cool divider to keep stuff from sliding around.
Check back over the next couple of weeks as we let you know what life is like with Ford’s bread and butter hauler.
Having been a die hard Ford guy all my life it just about broke my heart to buy my new Chevrolet Silverado. It all began last year when I was preparing to tow my race car and trailer to Mexico for La Carrera Panamericana. When I need a new vehicle I am not a shopper. If I see something I like I pay for it and drive away. On the other hand I’m not related to Forest Gump either and I do get great deals with cash.
My priorities for this trip was 4X4, long bed, four door crew cab, plenty of power to tow a loaded trailer up long steep grades and NO DIESEL. (Especially in Mexico) I walked into three Ford dealerships who had nothing to offer except diesel and STILL I would not have bought anything but a Ford. That was until I finally looked at the price difference between the Ford with diesel versus a Chevy without diesel. $12,000 less for the Chevrolet. That sold me and I used the saving to use on the race car.
The truth is I have been extremely happy with the Silverado. (Did I just say that!) The only regret I had was that it does not have dual tanks and that really hasn’t been a big deal. The good news was knowing that if the truck broke down I knew for sure the Ford race car would make it home.