'06 Ford F150 super crew truck reviews?

[freediver111]

It's about the time our family needs a crew cab truck, and preferably before this summer!
Has to be 4x4 and crew cab/4 door to best accommodate 2 kids and 2 adults, plus some dogs, camp gear, etc.....

I've had an extra cab 1994 Toyota pick-up for 8 years and no complaints, except it doesn't fit the kids' car seats and it's getting pretty clunky! Going to keep it as a daily driver/beater and use the crew cab for family outings and occasions I need a truck for 3-4 people.

I like Toyotas, but I don't like the used prices on Tundras or Tacomas, plus even 4 door Tacomas are too small.
I had my eye on Nissan Titans, but my buddy owns one and I'm not in love with it.

There's a guy selling a 2006 F150 Super crew near me and he's asking $13K. Has 97K miles, nice tires, maybe a small lift. Looks in great shape. Can anyone comment on how satisfied you are with that era F150's? I read about the spark plug issues. That kind of scares me.....but every used truck has issues. Also, I usually prefer to buy used. Haven't had any issue buying used all my life, and although we aren't poor, the thought of paying +30K for a truck just seems like crazy talk to me. Somewhere around 15K seems about right for a truck I won't be driving all the time. Hopefully will last a while.

 

[Titan]

I have swapped out two sets of those spark plugs. Doing it yourself without any breaking only runs the cost of the spark plugs ($80 or so). If you break one, the tool runs about $100 I think. Otherwise you will need to tow to a shop...probably a dealership.

I think the going rate for these trucks in a shop runs $800+ for the change. At 97k miles, expect it sooner or later. So factor either one of those options into your budget.

 

[KHNC]

I had one of those I bought new. Never had any issues with it. Traded at 70k miles. I have had many f150s over the years. I drive a 2014 now. The amount of room in the back is a big deal to me and my kiddos. They ride great as well.

 

[Speeddmn]

The 5.4 if it has it is a turd of a motor. Your highway mpg will be around 13-14 at 70 mph, around town even less. Overall the pickup will perform and do as required but that motor is garbage. In that price range your best bang for buck would be an older 7.3 diesel if you wanted Ford or even the smaller body style Tundra's. Strong motor more room than a Tacoma and great off the beaten path. Could even find the older 12v Dodge Cummins again if you wanted diesel over gas.

 

[fngTony]

At least look for an 09 the first year with a six speed auto. That helps the turd 5.4.

I've put a 100k on two different 5.4 motors. Great as a fleet motor that doesn't haul a load. Horrible power band for towing. It just can't reach it's sweet spot at altitude. If it does it's short lived.

 

[moeleo]

I'm a ford guy through and through, but to be honest, I would probably steer clear of this mainly cause of the 5.4 . There are more issues than just the plugs, which are the by far largest problem. Lack of maintenance can cause major issues with these engines. Going to long on oil changes can cause dirty oil to clog ports and it can not properly lube the timing chain causing it to break. I would say if he has maintenance records for the truck it may be a different story.


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[freediver111]

All good info so far. I'm not overly concerned with towing power, I mean I get by with a 94 Yota 4 banger. I only tow my drift boat, and that thing doesn't weigh anything. One of these days I wouldn't be opposed to getting a small 16' camper, but that's not in the cards for a while.

I'd love a better gas mileage rig, but it seems 17-18MPG's Highway is about what you can expect for this class of trucks. I'd like a diesel, but my wife hates the smell of them. She is adamant that we will never own a diesel, to my dismay.

Am I better off with a Nissan Titan? There's a few floating around at dealers for around 15-16K all with 100K miles or so.....To be honest, paying 12-13 is a little nicer than 16K, but I'm open to paying more if it's really worth it. We have Chevy's at work and I can't stand them. That lead me to focus on Ford's or Nissan's. I'm very unfamiliar with Dodge's or GMC's......

 

[fngTony]

If not concerned with towing power then the f150 is a good choice. I had an 02 which drivetrain wise isn't much different from the 06. It had to go because of towing. A relative had to do the same with his 07, otherwise we liked our trucks.

 

[Speeddmn]

All good info so far. I'm not overly concerned with towing power, I mean I get by with a 94 Yota 4 banger. I only tow my drift boat, and that thing doesn't weigh anything. One of these days I wouldn't be opposed to getting a small 16' camper, but that's not in the cards for a while.

I'd love a better gas mileage rig, but it seems 17-18MPG's Highway is about what you can expect for this class of trucks. I'd like a diesel, but my wife hates the smell of them. She is adamant that we will never own a diesel, to my dismay.

Am I better off with a Nissan Titan? There's a few floating around at dealers for around 15-16K all with 100K miles or so.....To be honest, paying 12-13 is a little nicer than 16K, but I'm open to paying more if it's really worth it. We have Chevy's at work and I can't stand them. That lead me to focus on Ford's or Nissan's. I'm very unfamiliar with Dodge's or GMC's......

Dodges had cheap poor quality transmissions and interiors, from...well forever really. GMC's are just fancier Chevys, The 6.0L gas motor in the 05/06 1/2 ton Denali's are work horse's if you can find them (I can't remember what other years/models they came in). Nissans are in a different class, they are good, I don't particularly like them but I'd buy one before a Dodge. Plus Randy Newburg drives one, so they can't suck completely, and he beats the snot out of them.

As for the diesel smell... can't smell it driving down the road!

 

[6mm Remington]

I have a 2004 Ford F150 I purchased when it was a couple years old and had about 20,000 miles on it. Now it's up around 106,000 miles and going strong. I did change out the spark plugs when I heard the issue about them and getting them changed before they became an issue.

I get an honest 16-17 on the highway at 75 mph. If I slow down and drive 60 mph my mileage jumps up to between 20-22 mpg! I checked it a few times and it's consistent. I feel like it has decent power and I have the 5.4 liter also. I pull a 21' trail light camper that probably weighs around 5500 loaded I would guess. It pulls it fine and I keep the overdrive off when towing. I usually only pull it at about 60 mph as that feels fast enough pulling something that large. I only get about 10-11 mpg when towing the camper but it does have a large mostly flat front that is like trying to pull a 8x10' piece of plywood down the road.

I have not had any major issues with the pickup and I'm happy with it.

 

[freediver111]

Dodges had cheap poor quality transmissions and interiors, from...well forever really. GMC's are just fancier Chevys, The 6.0L gas motor in the 05/06 1/2 ton Denali's are work horse's if you can find them (I can't remember what other years/models they came in). Nissans are in a different class, they are good, I don't particularly like them but I'd buy one before a Dodge. Plus Randy Newburg drives one, so they can't suck completely, and he beats the snot out of them.

As for the diesel smell... can't smell it driving down the road!

Right, but I only have some leverage over my wife, and that's about the only thing she will not tolerate, so diesels are out.
I've been looking around and there's couple Nissan Titans in the same price class as the F150 I'm looking at. One is a 2006 and one is a 2008. Both have around 114K miles. A little more than the F150, but avoiding the spark plug issues is tempting. Leaning more to the Nissans. Although I don't find them that awesome of a drive, they're better than the Chevy's we have at work. Obviously I'd prefer to buy a truck with low miles, but for an occasional use truck, I can live with some higher miles for the cost savings.

Are the Titans as roomy as the F150's in the crew cab?

 

[jm1607]

I would look for a 1-ton F250/350 '05-07.. Dana 60s in the front from the factory.. Your choice of V8, V10, or diesel.. Diesel is the only way to go for towing alot, though the V10 isn't bad for mild/moderate use.. That's my next truck, either a V8 or V10 since I don't tow much at all..

05-07 are very good years IMO

 

[Brodie]

I had an 06 fx4 from 40000-257000kms
It was a pig on fuel with the 3.73 in the rear end, ate upper ball joints and rear diff clutch packs.
I was pretty meticulous about maintenance but there always seemed to be something going on it (seized brake calipers, tranny cooler hoses, fuel pressure sensor, 2 steering knuckles and support bearing etc) I also replaced 1 hub which is fine but these are also known for 4wd problems and stripping out hubs due to the vacuum setup.
Changed the plugs every 80k to avoid breakage changed the oil often to avoid cam phase sensor/timing chain issues.
Was a comfortable drive, and was more of a truck than similar era chev/gmc IMO
Would seriously consider a Tundra but prob more $$


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[jmez]

Ford guy here as well. I would steer clear of the 5.4 triton as well. They have valve train issues as well as the spark plug issues. Not a good motor. If you want a Ford I'd look for one that has the 5.0l V8.

 

[bigdesert10]

I guess it depends on where you're doing most of your driving, but I'm not a fan of the Tundra for much beyond getting groceries. The Tacoma is probably the best pickup in it's class, but if you want to pull or haul things on occasion while still being able to tackle rough switchbacks, you probably want at least a 1/2 ton Ford or Chevy. I understand you're not a fan of the chevys at your job, but I'm curious which engine those have and also whether they're 4x4 equipped. A 4x4 chevy 1500 with the 5.3L engine of that era is a plenty capable truck and gets better fuel mileage and better ride and handling than the 5.4L ford you're looking at, imo. Even better, you could find a 3/4 ton chevy with the 6.0L and have the same fuel mileage as the ford with much better payload capacity. Take it for what it's worth, but that's my experience.

 

[jmez]

I would not buy a pre 2014 Chevy with a 5.3L. Google Automatic Fuel Management or Chevy 5.3 oil use. Huge problem and there isn't a good fix short of a new motor. Unless using a quart of oil every 1000 miles doesn't bother you.

 

[Titan]

I owned a Titan for 5 years. Great truck and you can get the Pro4x with the locking rear diff. Great power, bad mileage. But like you said, that's pretty much a given with most 1/2 ton trucks (except the Ram ecodiesel which I currently drive - 27 mpg). Titan is plenty roomy in the Crew Cab.

Make sure it's an 2008.5 or newer. They made some big reliability improvements starting with the 2008s. I would not entertain a used one before that year model unless it was a smokin' deal and you used the extra money to improve those areas.

 

[elkduds]

Some data:
//www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Titan/2006/

 

[SWOHTR]

I would not buy a pre 2014 Chevy with a 5.3L. Google Automatic Fuel Management or Chevy 5.3 oil use. Huge problem and there isn't a good fix short of a new motor. Unless using a quart of oil every 1000 miles doesn't bother you.

I have a '12 and it needed a new engine at 49k. Covered under warranty. Of course, having a dealer that will help you out when dealing with GM is nice.

Disappointed, yes, but this is the first problem with a GM that I have had and the dealer was great. Will not deter me from buying another GM truck.

But, I would not buy a pre '14 used because of this issue. 1988-1998 and 1999-2007 are solid GM model years.


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[Jesse Minish]

Had an 06 f150 and still have an 08 with almost 150,000 on it both 5.4 litters and great trucks. I know we all drive different but with my 08 I get 18mpg all day long on the freeway.