Faults:

Front fuel pump went bad around 119,000 miles.

Stabilizer bar bushing went bad around 120,000 miles. U-joints went bad about 129,000 miles. Gave it a tune up at 129,000 miles. Plugs on front of top of motor started leaking anti-freeze on to fuel inject box causing sluggishness and poor mileage around 256,000 miles. It is just no need wheel alignment, heater core and main seal is leaking at 268,000 plus miles.

General Comments:

This is the first vehicle I have owned with less than $2,000.00 maintainence, and I have owned it for 8 years.

It is also the first vehicle I have gotten to enjoy for 4 years with out payments.

The seats have lumbar support at the touch of a button.

The A/C still works great. The power windows still work great.

The lighter still works great.

Cruise control works great.

Windshield washer and wipers work great.

Remotes for door locks work great after 8 years of owning vehicle and have never replaced a battery for them.

Both gas tanks work great.

It is time for a new vehicle though, and it is my desire to find a pick up truck that will service me as well as this one has.

Faults:

1996 F150 2WD

Timing belt replaced once.

Brakes pads replaced twice.

AC compressor replaced at about 210,000 miles.

Had some wind noise (whistle) on the passenger door at 55 mph.

General Comments:

1996 F150 2WD

Solid truck, have towed cars hundreds of miles. Cruises all day and all night on the interstate at 65 to 75 mph.

Solid on loose rock and mountain ranch roads. Plenty of clearance underneath.

Good in snow and Wisconsin winters, with an extra 600 lbs in the back.

Faults:

The EGR valve pressure sensor failed at 100,000 miles.

Brakes wear quick, get lifetime ones.

Automatic Hubs went bad, replace with manual hubs.

Transmission shifts very hard at a low RPM.

Under heavy towing conditions need to change trans. fluid about every 15-20 thousand miles.

Had to have rear axle pinon bearing replaced at 125000 miles because of poor maintenance.

General Comments:

I love this truck. It is the best all around truck I have ever seen. The 5.0l engine has never given me any trouble and has been around forever so it is cheap to fix and find parts for.

Has more power than I now what to do with. I outrun some LX mustangs in it so it is fast also. It goes through more mud stock than some lifted trucks and is an awesome all around truck.

Faults:

I replaced the water pump at 165,000 miles.

Transmission bearings, a clutch (wasn't bad yet), and a rear main seal were put in at 190,000 miles. I never changed the oil in the transmission.

The ball joints were replaced at 217,000 miles.

I replaced the front fuel pump and gauge assembly at 302,000 miles.

The alternator was rebuilt at 353,000 miles.

Once again I had to replace the water pump at 360,000 miles.

Another transmission job at 361,000 miles. Replaced clutch (wasn't bad yet), shift forks, reverse gear, and rear main seal.

I had to replace the oil pan gasket at 370,000 miles. It had been leaking forever though. While I was at it, I replaced the engine mounts.

The front end had to be completely rebuilt at 370,000 miles. New ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link, radius arm bushings, and a few other parts were changed.

Some other miscellaneous parts that have been changed or rebuilt are: heater core, accelerator cable, starter, radiator, and door handle cable.

General Comments:

I change the oil in this truck every 10,000 miles. The 4.9 6 cylinder has been very reliable and has only left me on the side of the road once in 400,000 miles. That happened to be when the first water pump went out, and I was 100 miles from home. I have consistently run this truck hard (really hard), pulled a cargo trailer with 4000-7000 pounds of newspapers once a week, and hauled 500-3500 pounds of newspapers the other six days. It still uses no oil, but has a few small leaks. I have to put a quart in it at about 5000 miles after I change it.

I can still get 19 miles per gallon of gas if I drive reasonably. I get 16-18 miles per gallon with my normal highway driving and about 12 miles per gallon pulling the trailer (to be expected).

The only electrical part I have had to change was a temperature sensor (I broke it while changing the thermostat).

Brake pads, u-joints, etc., have been replaced many times, but I consider these maintenance items anyway.

Front wheel alignment and tire wear have been a bit of a problem.

Everything except the cigarette lighter still works on this truck -- even the air conditioner.

Although I do own another 1996 F-150 (Super Cab, 5.0 liter, automatic, XLT) that has had a few more problems in its 176,000 mile history, my little work truck has been the best vehicle I have ever owned and I will not stop relying on Ford trucks. I have done quite a bit of work to it (the 4.9, XL), but it does have 400,000 miles on it. Some people do that much work to a vehicle within the first 100,000 miles.

One thing I really don't like: the digital odometer -- it went from 399,999.9 back to 300,000.0. I guess Ford didn't have enough confidence in their product to give it the "4" and "5" it needed. I'm kind of upset about that. They should be proud. They also should be happy that I bought the 1996 F-150 XLT and 2001 F-150 Lariat (Super Cab, 5.4, automatic) instead of a "bow-tie," if you know what I mean.