Mark should be out of the shop today, which means that you’re only stuck with me for one more day. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m just using the wisdom of crowds to help me out if I magically get all the things I need in order to acquire another car. Those are, in no particular order: Another parking spot, a Summer Camp’s worth of disposable income, and another five hours a week of personal time.
This is mostly fantasy, of course, but allow me to have my Wisconsin Extra Mild Pace Picante fantasies. Who are they hurting? Maybe my tame dream scenario is a convertible Swedish car or, as you saw yesterday, a Honda Fit or a cheap Jeep. What’s annoying is that the Honda Fit is not far from me and seems, I suppose, a great deal.
Many of you noted that if you lived closer, you’d have already purchased the Honda Fit. This isn’t helping!
Also, please observe that I managed to hit an almost perfect 50.1%/49.9% SBSD on Monday, even if yesterday’s comparo did not quite come down so close. Here’s how Fit v. Patriot went down:
Yikes, the last time a Patriot lost this badly was, well, on Saturday against TCU. Today, I’m aiming for the thrill of 51/49. Of being close. Of that last pitch that Jazz Chisolm should have definitely swung at last night. It’s two different F-150s that seem similar on the surface, at least.
2013 Ford F-150 XLT – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0-liter V8 with six-speed automatic, 4×4
Location:Â Brooklyn, NY
Odometer reading: 169,000
Operational status:Â Runs and drives well
My desires run a little more complex than just a third car. What I truly yearn for is an older pickup truck that I can use to haul a small camper with a pair of kayaks on the roof. You can take the suburban dad out of the Subaru, but not the Subaru out of the suburban dad, I suppose.
You know what sucks about my Honda CR-V? Not fuel. It sips fuel. But it only seats five! It would be convenient if I could just snuggle my kiddo between the front seats and toss three people in the rear. It’s not that hard! This crew cab F-150 does it.
This particular model is about the spec that I’d want. An XLT with the 5.0-liter V8, which is good for 360 HP and 380-lbt of torque. It seems like the sweetspot between the Duratec V6 and the EcoBoost V6. No thank you! The 6.2-liter V8 is obviously more powerful, but I think the Coyote is the right one. Don’t tell me if I’m wrong, because the further a car buyer drifts from reality the more he or she hates the commenter pointing it out.
The seller reports no warning lights and “ice cold” a/c with everything working “as it should.” Who car argue with that? After about 12 years of winters here, trucks generally need new rockers and rust has taken over. Is this the case here? There are no underbody shots, but there is this:
Hmm… is that surface rust? If there’s rust on the bumper, there’s probably rust other places. At a “firm” $6,500 that’s an interesting proposition.
2012 Ford F-150 SuperCrew – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0-liter V8 with six-speed automatic, 4×4
Location:Â Windsor, CT
Odometer reading: 217,000
Operational status: Runs and drives “Great”
The rust on the 2013 model is a bit of an open question. Is there some on the emissions equipment or not? I guess this makes it a… Schrödinger’s Cat. There are a less questions on this 2012 model, which has a few more miles on the odo, but apparently is driving great.
No bucket seat, but for $2,000 less I think I can live without the extra seat.
It’s got the same 5.0-liter V8 and is otherwise quite similar. I can’t quite read the badges, but is this maybe a Limited trim? Someone who knows these trucks better can please let me know in the comments. There’s no obvious rust on the bumper and there’s already a hitch installed, which is great.
What’s that on the corner of the cab?
There we go! Now we know it’s a real New England truck. Cab corners and rockers. Always. That’s the way a truck should look up here, unless it’s garaged for the winter, but what’s the point of that? I appreciate the forthrightness. I’m a little more confused by the gauage cluster photo.
It shows a low-pressure tire warning which, um, seems like a fixable problem before you take photos. Additionally, it says “odomoter rolled over” but it shows 217k on the clock. Does the seller mean this thing did 1.2 million miles?
So what do you prefer? The unknown of a a could-be rusty truck, or the questionable tire/odo situation of the $2,000 cheaper 2012 model with more miles?
Photo: Craigslist Sellers
I’ll go with the cheaper truck. The 2013 has rust all around the tailgate handle, which makes me think it is every bit as rusty underneath as the 2012. I don’t see the point in paying more than I have to for a truck that is living on borrowed time.
Definitely a “neither” day for me… but if I absolutely had to take one, I guess I’d take the one that I’m not sure about the rust on. The other one is way too far gone to bother with. You’d get one snow season out of it, tops. Either way, they’re both overpriced. If one of them was $2k, I’d consider it.
Neither. I have friends with trucks.
Need a neither button today. I don’t want any part of a rusty truck esp. of unknown quantity/location of rust. If I have to make a choice , I guess the cheaper one but I have a feeling between the miles and the rust, you’re on borrowed time already.
This is probably the most depressing Showdown I can remember.
I went with the 2013. It might be rusty but it’s clearly not as bad as the 2012. The cab corners are still in place. The rust on the back bumper is easy enough to address.
I also appreciate that the owner of the 2013 wrote the oil capacity in the engine bay, to me, you don’t do that unless you’re meticulous about maintenance. Just speculating off that I bet the undercarriage was washed regularly and isn’t as bad as one would assume.
Even if it’s rusty the $2k delta for the mileage difference is easy to justify.
I’d rather have DT’s J10 than either of these.
At least his Jeep has character.
Neither. Too much cab, not enough bed. I hauled 1/2T of hay in my li’l Nissan king-cab last night and needed every inch of its 6′ bed.
The cheaper one with low miles, they’ll both be rust buckets. May as well pay less.
Go with the one that hasn’t been used to tow things?
I dunno. Never bought a truck.
They are both XLT trims, but the 2012 has the optional package that brought a few “luxury” bits like the center console, power adjustable driver’s seat (at least the bottom, not the back), and a pseudo-leather-wrapped steering wheel.
I went with the 2013 because I am past the point in my life where I am willing to play with rusty rocker panels on anything. It is likely rusty under there too, but it hasn’t gone all the way through, so there is a chance to save them before that happens, unlike the 2012.
Also, as a former 2011 F150 FX4 Ecoboost owner, I approve of both having the 5.0L V8. I enjoyed the power of the 3.5L Ecoboost, but it was hardly reliable in the few years after it debuted in 2011. I’d likely have kept the truck longer if I had just gone with the Coyote.
I went with the 2013, 169k (nice) miles vs. 217k digitally rolled over miles.
Since I still live in TX where I’m literally surrounded by countless F150s with 0 rust on them I find it difficult to vote for either of these. Why not visit down here and buy a rust-free one to drive back up?
They’re both rusty, one’s just trying to hide it. Might as well save $2k.
My crew cab truck has the front middle seat, and as much as I like having it, it gets used approximately once every 6 years.
If it ain’t rusty, it ain’t trusty! It’s also got a center console, so I’m going with the 2012, against better judgement on the odo.
I would take the 2012… but only because I once owned a 2012 F-150 with that same dark grey metallic paint and Coyote V8. Mine was a ‘Texas Edition’ which just means it was tarted up with extra chrome and running boards. In fact I’m pretty sure this truck is an XLT as it looks exactly like the one I had, including the same cloth seats and center console. Although truth be told… being from Texas, I would absolutely pass on both of these, you can find rust-free F-150s all day long here 😉
That was my thought as well. I see these for sale here all day long with nothing but surface rust at the worst.
These boots were made for walking, and that’s what I’ll do. No vote today.
These are both quickly returning to the earth. By the time you see a rust bubble on the rocker, the whole thing is falling apart underneath. At the stage they are in, there is no hope. Take the less expensive one if you need something for short runs to Home Depot and the dump, and leave it parked otherwise.
It has two bucket seats! (I know you meant bench, and that extra spot can certainly be nice, even if it’s a little snug.)
The $6500 vehicle looks like the better buy, but I’d be looking for that hidden rust before handing over the cash.
The black truck seems to have a longer bed, so that’s how I voted. If you;re going to buy a big-ass truck then at least get one that can fit shit LOL
nope, same 5.5′ bed on both
I ain’t voting… wanna see the carfaxes on these. 😀
I picked the 2013 but I wouldn’t want either of these. F-150s are common enough that you should be able to find one that isn’t actively disintegrating.
Is this article on rust an underhanded snickering moment directed at Ford quality and their newest round of recalls?
I voted for the 2013. It looks like it is in much better condition overall. Between that and the lower mileage it seems worth the extra $2000. Assuming there isn’t some horrible undisclosed problem this truck is actually a very good deal.
The 2012 seems like an okay deal for $4500, though. It isn’t a nice truck, but that is also not a lot of money. I’m confused by the “odometer rolled over” line – I think these stop at 999,999.9 and do not go back to 0. Maybe seller means the odometer is broken or otherwise inaccurate?
The second truck is also an XLT, it can be seen on the front fender badge.
Also a Limited would be leather lined and luxurious; I’m not even sure it existed as far back as 2012.
Crazy enough, but they did have a Limited trim in 2012 – but it really was limited! It was an add-on trim on top of the Platinum – I think basically it added 22″ painted rims or something like that and a ‘Limited’ badge on the hood. Only for the most discerning F-150 enthusiasts….
With the next generation they made it what it is now, premium leather, badging inside, and so on.
yeah, those looked like the Harley Davidson edition with different badges on them. I could be wrong but those also got the 6.2 as standard. Sweet combo, honestly