Ask DS braintrust Ecoboost vs 5.0/console vs flip up console

[southernvaughan]

About narrowed down what truck I want. I'm stuck on the engine choices and interior stuff. Keep in mind 97% of my driving is interstate. Can't decide if I would rather have the floor mount center console or the flip up one for extra seating. I have 2 kids. On the engine deal if you don't own one or the other please don't comment I've read every review out there. I drive a 5.0 engine everyday at work.

[MudHog]

My wife has 38k on her 2012 ecoboost (will be 2 in Dec). Getting 16 mpg city driving and fluctuated between 18-20 mpg interstate on a trip to FL this past summer. I was getting 20 mpg going there when I had the cruise set at 70. Coming home I had it between 75-80 and got 18. I will say this, our mileage was average at first and slowly got better as the truck got more miles on it.

EB trucks are standard with 35 gallon tanks, so expect $110 or so to fill up if you drive until the low fuel light.


There is the old saying of "There is no replacement for displacement." The EB is an exception to that phrase. I would not question hooking anything to this truck to pull it. I drive a 2003 5.4L with 158k miles and have a 19ft FishMaster boat. Overall, the EB pulls the boat easier. I wouldn't hesitate buying another EB.

[TK]

I have the Ecoboost and if I was running interstate miles I can assure it would be the motor I would choose. Has great hwy mileage unless your running 80.

As for the bench vs bucket seats. I have three kids and have never wished I had the bench seat in the front.

[Barq's]

I sold Fords and I can assure you that the ecoboost is the only way to go....especially if you are going to keep it 3 years or more. Resale/Trade will be worth more in the long run, be easier to sell, and also will be paying yourself back every time you get gas.

The power is there too....now is the time to make a deal on a 2013 too.....let me know if I can help you...I still have THE FORD connection....I can save you money with a phone call with an apple to apple deal.

Do yourself and your wallet a favor....Don't buy the first one you find. Get the deal on paper, ask the salesman to let you discuss the deal with your Wife in private....take a picture of the paperwork with your phone....email it to me...tell the salesman you want to sleep on it and give me a day to make you a better deal.

If you can wait until November, you will probably save another $2000+...End of year deals are the sweetest and dealerships want to sell as many vehicles as possible right before the holidays.....They will make the absolute best deals then....

Knowing what I know, I'll never buy another vehicle new unless its the week before Thanksgiving until New Years day....
St.

[southernvaughan]

Barqs I'll definitely be gettin up with you when I get ready to pull the trigger. I've found my best deal by far so far at Ford dealer in Forrest of all places! Best grey daniels and watson by several thousands on sticker price.

[wingman21]

I chose the bench with the fold down b/c it actually made for a taller arm rest. So for me it wasn't about the extra seat but more the comfort for me driving. Now it doesn't look as "classy" as the center console, but I have never been accused of excelling in that dept anyway.

I chose 5.0 b/c at the fine I purchased mine there was a decent price difference in the two and it takes alot of driving for 1-2 mpg to make up the couple thousand dollars difference. At that time also for every good review of the eb I rea there was an equal number of bad ones. I felt like more so that the handful of critics that complain about everything. Ford v8 has been around a while, and admittedly new stuff scares the crap out of me.

All in all I am satisfied with fold down console and 5.0

[southernvaughan]

No doubt the 5.0 is a good engine. I just wonder about the fuel economy. I know no truck is a bread winner in that area but my work truck averages about 9-10mpg, keep in mind that's oilfield miles kinda like driving a golf cart.

[Barq's]

the 5.0 will cost you every time you fill up....it will also cost you thousands when it comes time to get rid of it...I don't sell them anymore, but I drove enough and saw enough to make me a believer for life. I also know that towards the end of next month, you will make the best deals of the year of any new vehicle

[southernvaughan]

So basically the end of November or December would be the best time to get a deal.

[southernvaughan]

How is it that different dealers in different parts of the state can have way different MSRP on basically the same truck. I'm talking 8k difference in price and only difference in truck is step bars different rims and bed liner.

[benthere]

I drive an ecoboost and my dad has 5.0. Very small difference in fuel mileage if any around the farm at least. The ecoboost has noticeably more power. I would go with the console because I like the heated and cooled seats and also the air vents on the bottom of the console help keep the backseat riders cool

[DanP]

I've got the 5.0 with bench and fold up console. I get 15.7 mpg across the board and I pull trailers a lot or have four wheeler in back. Truck has had a hard life and other than the initial rear end I've had no trouble out of the truck. Best part it's a solid 5k cheaper than EB up front, or at least when I purchased.

People can say what they want about reliability but when you run a turbo at high rpm (like when pulling heavy loads which I do a lot) one day it's going to give out and I prefer simple reliability.

[Barq's]

yep....preferably the end of Oct. till Thanksgiving....The adendum sticker is complete BS....That's lagniape for the dealer. You have a "front end" and a "back end". The front end is what the sales team/manager are getting a cut of....the back end is the owner's cut directly from the manufacturer. The "dealership" is never going to truly lose money on any car that they sell.....For every piece of metal moved on the lot, the owner of the dealership is going to get paid a flat rate from the manufacturer....He/She never really lose any money.

Now, the salesman might not make a ton, but they also will get a standard minimum at most dealerships...regardless of what the "front end" makes.

The Sales Manager is the mthrtrkr.....that's really who you are matching financial odds with.....He has a quota for the day/week/month. Their job is the one that is threatened mainly if sales are off...mind you, they can only make the deals that the owner warrants though. This guy though, is going to push the salesman to get you for every penny they can.

I quit my job due to the SOB I worked for wouldn't ever come clean about what he could or couldn't do....Matter of fact, I never really knew if the deal I made was good or not for me until the checks came out. It was like it was a huge conspiracy what they were making or had in a unit.

Personally, I can't screw someone and that is the way that they keep you in the dark and keep you screwing people....hence, if you don't know the truth, you can't "lie" to someone. That in itself is a lie to me though, so I quit.

Bottom line....Even if they claim that they are showing you their "invoice" price....that's probably BS too....I've seen them white out invoices, cut and paste, and write in numbers, then scan/copy to show the buyer that they are losing money....BS......

Never buy a vehicle new or used unless it is the end of the month....If you are planning on buying one next year....unless you can wait until November....buy it this year in November. When the new models start coming out....they (manufacturers) start giving the biggest "rebates/incentives" to the dealerships to move last years inventory....Dealer's pay interest on every vehicle on their lot and in their inventory, so the longer a vehicle sits on that lot, the more it is cutting into their profit margin....Also, the more new models they get on a lot, the less appealing the older vehicle gets.

Don't have a dealer go get you a vehicle either....Do the search yourself for the one you want and go to that dealer to get it.....No matter what they say, you are going to pay a "transfer" price whether it is for the delivery or whether you just paid a premium for not getting the model on their lot.....

Read the fine print.....And when you get in the backroom with the Finance manager, don't fall for their BS either....Every stinkin' thing they sale or try to sell you in that room goes in their pocket straight from the company the sign you up for, including the bank they shove down your throat.

Every single thing is negotiable from the front to the back and out the door....Never let them bend you over and don't ever go to buty a car if you have to have one....That is a sure fire way to get boned.

Don't try the "I'm just looking" comment either because NO ONE goes to a car lot just to "look" and "kill time"....Go on a Sunday to find your car....research the $$$ by yourself and go in with a clear picture of what is a "good deal"

Don't bring the Wife w you either...that's a sure fire way to get "hooked"....take her on Sunday, pic out the vehicle and go make the deal by yourself....

Just some hints...

[Barq's]

I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers either if you happen to be in the business. Some people are very honest....Some aren't. It's not a crime to make money either, there is a huge overhead in that business and people have to feed their families. I have alot of respect for the people I worked for and I have a respect for the industry....But if you don't educate yourself, you can prepare to get "schooled"...

I worked 80 hour weeks....and I mainly quit due to cutting so much into my family life. Some things just aren't worth it....I also worked with some people that barely made it out of high school that were making almost 200,000 a year and driving 75K Vets to work....

They used to laugh at some people when they would come on the lot and call them cow killers....because these people would come in like clock work to tell them what they were going to pay and screw themselves in the process....I've seen it with my own eyes....

If you know what a "good deal" is.....Do yourself a favor and don't tell the salesman what that magical number is that you have in your head....LET THEM GET DOWN TO THEIR BOTTOM FIGURE FIRST.....Don't ever sell yourself short.

I had people "tell me" what they were going to pay and not a penny more....The didn't know that the price I was getting ready to give them was a couple thousand less....So guess what? They didn't pay a penny more than what they told me and they were happy to pay 3,000 more all the way off the lot....

FYI....

[southernvaughan]

I'm not trying to ruffle anyone's feathers either if you happen to be in the business. Some people are very honest....Some aren't. It's not a crime to make money either, there is a huge overhead in that business and people have to feed their families. I have alot of respect for the people I worked for and I have a respect for the industry....But if you don't educate yourself, you can prepare to get "schooled"...

I worked 80 hour weeks....and I mainly quit due to cutting so much into my family life. Some things just aren't worth it....I also worked with some people that barely made it out of high school that were making almost 200,000 a year and driving 75K Vets to work....

They used to laugh at some people when they would come on the lot and call them cow killers....because these people would come in like clock work to tell them what they were going to pay and screw themselves in the process....I've seen it with my own eyes....

If you know what a "good deal" is.....Do yourself a favor and don't tell the salesman what that magical number is that you have in your head....LET THEM GET DOWN TO THEIR BOTTOM FIGURE FIRST.....Don't ever sell yourself short.

I had people "tell me" what they were going to pay and not a penny more....The didn't know that the price I was getting ready to give them was a couple thousand less....So guess what? They didn't pay a penny more than what they told me and they were happy to pay 3,000 more all the way off the lot....

FYI....

Thanks for the honesty! I will be taking my wife though she's good with numbers. She handles the financial business of the household. She's a hard ass when it comes to car dealers and knows how to figure through the smoke and mirrors of it all. She used to work as a finance officer for one of the big dealerships in the area several years ago so she knows how they will try to work you over. Thanks for the tips though! Very much appreciated.