Trucks are becoming more and more popular in recent years. As drivers begin to see the advantages of the capability of owning a sturdy pickup provides them, manufacturers have started prioritizing their inventory of trucks over sedans. These commuter, work, and off-road machines can do it all, and more and more buyers are seeing the benefit of a do-it-all vehicle; however, many of them aren’t trying to pay the high cost of a brand new pickup. That’s why used Ford F-150s are becoming so popular on the market today. They’re cheaper, but they don’t sacrifice on capability.
Benefits of Pre-Owned
Lots of people wisely choose to go with a pre-owned option, and there are a lot of great reasons to do so. The benefits of buying a used F-150 are major savings on a vehicle that has great longevity and is easy and relatively cheap to repair over its lengthy lifetime. Ford builds their trucks with quality materials and good old fashioned American grit. Designed to be a workhorse day in and day out, they are famous for their lifespan, and they retain their practical value much longer than their price tag.
Ford sometimes gets bad press for their slow rollouts of new powertrains and sticking to what is tried and true until they are ready to release something they know will be a sure-fire upgrade. That strongly benefits the used buyer as you aren’t going to be missing out on huge gaps in power or capability as you would with other faster-moving manufacturers. Used F-150s are sturdy, affordable, and reliable, and we are going to break down some of the key benefits of buying used when it comes to the blue ovals star pickup.
Affordability
One of the key benefits of buying any used vehicle is the reduced cost. Ask anyone who knows anything about cars, and they will tell you that any car depreciates the most of its initial price tag in the first few years of being on the road. If you are a more pragmatic driver and are keenly interested in saving money, this is good news.
If the model you are looking at doesn’t come with a ton of bells and whistles, you will be able to save even more cash as those features can retain their value even if the truck has some miles on them. Fortunately, technology moves fast, so it doesn’t take long for certain desirable infotainment, navigation, and other extra features to become outmoded, thereby driving down their added cost. These features are still great to have, even when they aren’t the latest and greatest update.
With the extra money you save on the years gone by, you can start to consider higher pre-owned trim levels than you might normally be able to leverage with a new model. If you are on a limited budget and walking into a dealership, there will certainly be a ceiling where the price tag just cuts off what is possible or at least reasonable. With used, that opens up a little bit more as the trucks depreciate. All of a sudden, that V8 engine you were eying just became a lot more feasible.
Reliability
There is a reason why the blue oval has such incredible brand loyalty among drivers. Their vehicles, their trucks, in particular, are incredibly long-lasting and retain their value for years. Ford manufactures its F-150 models in Kansas City, Missouri, and they are built with quality in mind. Using sturdy materials for the frame and strong but lightweight steel and alloys, the F-150 from year to year remains strong and capable. Of course, it would be ridiculous to claim that Ford or the F-150 has some kind of beyond normal life expectancy, but when compared with some of the cheaper materials and methods other manufacturers use, it is no wonder that the F-150 is the best selling full-size pickup year after year.
Another great reason you can rely on the F-150, even as a pre-owned purchase, is that things will break down. I know that doesn’t sound encouraging, so allow me to explain. All vehicles inevitably begin to exhibit wear, and things cease to function. The plus side to this in regard to the used F-150 is the low price, availability, and ease of which those parts and repairs can be made. If you have a foreign model or something that is difficult to take apart for repairs, those costs will go up and up. Luckily that maintenance is much easier and affordable with the F-150.
Capabilities
Built Ford tough is not an idle slogan used by the blue oval, and the Ford F-150 didn’t become a synonym with heavy lifting and poster child for the pickup truck without reason. You can go back through the past decade of Ford pickups, and the F-150 has best in class or close to it nearly every time. The 2018 Ford F-150 standard powertrain is capable of 290 horsepower with a maximum towing of 12,000 lbs. If you got your hands on a 2014 fully loaded F-150 with the 6.2L V8 gas engine, you could move with a devastating 411 horsepower and have 434 lb-ft of torque.
Across model years, the Ford F-150 has championed the brand’s EcoBoost gas engines and even got a new diesel option in 2020. While the EcoBoost occasionally has caused comparative performance drops on occasion, the EcoBoost still performs incredibly well and provides class-leading fuel efficiency while still pushing the limits of payload, towing, and torque.
The value in these pre-owned F-150s is not limited to under the hood. Although some of the older base trims of the F-150 are more austere work trucks, Ford has regularly updated the cabin to become more comfortable and technologically advanced even if you search years in the past. The 2016 F-150 features heated and cooled seats, which are always a plus when your early morning commute takes you out into frigid winter weather. It also offers a voice-activated navigation system with real-time traffic updates. Some of the newer features in more modern trucks may make these older features look a little dated. Still, the point is that Ford has always provided excellent features to make sure their cabs were comfortable and provided useful infotainment options.
You Should Buy a Used F-150
When considering a used truck, buying a pre-owned F-150 is a solid purchase. Reviews ring out about the staggering bang for your buck you get with America’s number one pickup truck. Even with just a few years from their debut, these reliable vehicles drop precipitously in price while retaining an incredible amount of value as a work truck, daily driver, or weekend explorer option. With quality materials made in the heart of America, even older models will hold up against the test of miles and time, and when it does come time to replace or repair parts, they are accessible and affordable.
Over the years, the engine options have been steady and strong with outstanding power and capability in a range to suit carrying supplies for your home projects, being a weekly workhorse on a construction site, or even as a dune-hopping off-roader. No matter what your specific needs are, there is a used F-150 out there that is perfect for you and will save you a ton of cash compared to the newer models. So, if you see the benefit of having a powerful, reliable, and affordable truck, you should buy a used Ford F-150.
