I’m starting to fall towards the Dark Side

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Machete

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Rode in one of my colleagues 2020 F150 w the 3.5 EB today.
Daaamn. We were doing 85 and could hardly tell. I think he was at 1800 rpms. Has the 10-spd tranny.

That damn truck is saweet. It’s a battleship grey, 3” lift, XLT w heated seats, big screen nav, beautiful black something or other type of material not leather. Impressive.

You might ask, why if I drive almost 1000miles a week was I in his truck? Because my ole gal died in the parking lot on this 85 friggin degree day. Turn the key at my hotel and all I hear is a “click”. FUUUUUU!

So being the shade tree mechanic-slash-boyscout, I smile like in one of those commercials w the old guy not sweating an overheated radiator. So I jump out w that confident stupid ass smirk on my face that’s says “...chillax people, I got this”

So I pull out my handy micro-charger box out of my center console knowing people are watching never having seen such small “jumper cables”.

So I connect it, all 5 blue lights on, of course, you were thinking I didn’t have that thingy fully charged weren’t ya!? Well nooohohohoho not me. I was a boy scout so I got five friggin blue lights...ok?!, got it!?

So I gingerly waltz back around and slide my fat ass over the seat on my 1-inch lifted antique Expedition ( at least it’s shiny) and I twist the key knowing...KNOWING this ole gal isn’t going to just piss me off.

“click”. FUUUUUUUCCC

After sweating my gonads off for half an hour, readjusting that fuc&@ing thingy, the Ford gods took pity on my ass and she started over.

Well. Guess we’re my morning appointment was at anyways? I had a meeting scheduled at a Ford dealer 5 mikes away. Again, there is a Ford god.

So I pull in the service bay, yes, among all the damn freaking new F150’s and Expys. The service writer looked at me, then my Expy, then at me.... I swear this guy was counting his commission.

So I tell him I think I need a new battery and that I know Rob the service manager and that I’m going to be one of their vendors so I expect a good price. For which he coyly replies, “.... well since you know Rob this is gonna cost ya more...” ******! My balls are liquified my shirt is stuck to my back and I’m in no mood to spend $250 for a ****$&@ battery right now.

So I go to my meeting. My cell phone lights up, I tell the management team that I’m actually a customer of theirs today. That my truck is getting serviced. You ever see that cartoon w that cat that eats the little bird w a feather hanging off his mouth telling his owner he swears he’s not seen that bird all day? Well that’s how all these Ford dealer managers are looking at me.

So I talk to Collin and he says “battery weak but it still won’t start. “. Right then and there my wallet crawled up my ass.

After a few embellished AUFKM expressions, you know, in the hopes this guy pity’s my ass... nope.

Says “starter”. I say “ how much?” He says w a smirk “well since you’re a good friend of Robs it $584”. My wallet has now traveled from my large intestine through my stomach and in a lung.

So I say to just get-r-started and I’ll drive it home and do an Advanced Auto special over the weekend. Yeah, those two short ******* days I use to relax from riding in that ******* truck of mine.

To which he kindly says “... ok but every time joe here tries to start it sparks come flying out of it...”. I felt like ***** slapping him and kicking Joe in the balls.

So 1 battery and one starter later, after driving around in my colleagues 2020 luxurious limousine of a Ford F-150 compared to my ole *****, I went back to the dealer several hours later and forked over $700. Oh, and that’s w my “I know Rob the service manager”******* discount!

Right now I could give two ***** if a newer Expy has a 6-cylinder EB, 42 turbos, catch cans, VVT, I could give a shit.

So I drove home and whispered to this little old ***** “... you’re ******* gone. I’m not even going to give you the dignity of selling you. You’re gonna be a trade in! You know what they do to trade ins don’t ya? Just don’t bend over in the showers”

So that was my day. How was yours?
 
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ExplorerTom

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I miss how my first gen looked on the outside.

That’s it.

End of list.

And it was paid for. That was pretty nice.

My 2014 is smooth and quiet on the highway. Running up a mountain pass at 75 mph- barely notice it. My 1st gen would let everyone know it was being worked. Can hold a conversation at 80 mph without raising your voice: those 2 extra gears in the 6r80 vs the 4r100 make a BIG difference in engine cruising speed. I could only imagine what an additional 4 gears would be like.
 

Boostedbus

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Come to the dark side and eat the forbidden fruit........ it actually tastes pretty good.
 
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Machete

Machete

My Rig. 2000 EB 4x4 5.4L
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I admit I was the biggest critic of placing the ecoboost engine in full size trucks, I am guilty.
But daggummit they drive effortlessly.

At 75mph we were getting 21mpgs and barely at 1500 rpm! I’m at 1500 rpm pulling out of my garage.

I drive almost most of the day virtually every day. By the end of the week my whole body is sore. I’m physically exhausted. Sometimes when I’ve driven for 4-5 hours I still feel like I’m in the truck while sitting on my couch.

My vehicle is my work tool. It’s my office. I think it shouldn’t be foolish to carry a car payment given how much I use and rely on it. I hate to have a payment and I love the reliability of this first gen but I don’t think I can keep this up much longer bouncing around the entire state every day.

I’m going to put the word out to my customers to let me know when they get a clean trade in on a 3rd gen.
 

barrydu4

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I love my 2013 Ford XLT Supercrew. It has the 5.0 and runs like a scalded cat. Added a tuneau (?) cover for storage. We use it for traveling and she gets good gas mileage.
 

jeff kushner

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Machete,

After a story like that, told as well as you told it, I had to respond.....kudo's brother. Nice writing. As for your truck, I paid 600 for my starter on one of my earlier Expy's...standard price I think 10 years ago +/- a couple years.

for a 20 year old truck.....not bad.

So far, I only have 110K or thereabouts on the '17. "No runs, no errors, no drips"

FWIW; The electrical requirements of some cars are ridiculous. I have been unable to start a mercedes SLK by jumping with a new battery in my 03 EB I had....wouldn't even turn the starter on!
 

ExplorerTom

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So I know this isn’t super scientific, but here goes.

On my 2000, I drove down a road that I drive frequently with a decibel meter app running. I recorded about an 83 dBa average: 40 mph one way, 50 the other way. The speed changed the average by about 1 dBa. The intention was that after I tore out the interior and added a bunch of sound deadening I would repeat the trip and record an improvement (hopefully). Well, I never did before I sold it.

But I can tell you that all my hard work on my 2000 didn’t pay off nearly as well as simply buying my 2014.

I just reran the road with my decibel app running. Result: 63 dBa.

Of course a lot has changed: different phone (same app), different tires (LT all terrain vs P-metric all terrain), different time of year, different time of day......

But either way a 20 dBa decrease is significant. And I can tell you that this decrease holds true everywhere.

Try a decibel meter app in your rig and see if it comes close to my 83 dBa reading.
 
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Machete

Machete

My Rig. 2000 EB 4x4 5.4L
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But I can tell you that all my hard work on my 2000 didn’t pay off nearly as well as simply buying my 2014.

Wow. Great point. This really cuts to the core of the apple for me.
Replacing body bushings, getting Michelin’s, won’t make my ole 1st gen ride smoother or quieter I guess.
 

ExplorerTom

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Wow. Great point. This really cuts to the core of the apple for me.
Replacing body bushings, getting Michelin’s, won’t make my ole 1st gen ride smoother or quieter I guess.

Remember those “quiet steel” commercials that Ford put out? Your 2000 doesn’t have it. My 2014 does.
 

mnachreiner86

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Apples to oranges. I loved my first gen and the truckiness of it. I did everything with it. With the independent rear and different frames and sound deadening, my third gen is a much quieter/better riding vehicle. I’m sure the fourth gens are even nicer, but pay to play. I have the original window sticker of my 08, over $62,000 new. I paid less than 10% of that. Find the balance between what you want to pay and what makes you happy and go for it.


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