Repair cost for aluminum F-150 body

[user removed]

$300 for the car, nuff said, and it hauls stuff with $50k in change. Or you can ride the bike $650.
Car 5.6 cents a mile, bike 2.6, fuel cost.


regards
mech

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

A full size truck that is used as a truck is a very useful tool; it's excellent at hauling stuff.

OTOH, my '88 Toyota winds up hauling a lot more stuff than my friends' newish F-150. They don't want to scratch the paint or scuff up the bed liner.

[kir_kenix]

I buy and use trucks regularly. Sometimes new (mainly due to the evil tax system we use here), and most of the times used. I think aluminum bodies are a good idea overall, but I likely won't jump on for a couple of years. Repair costs are going to come down, as more private shops start seeing these vehicles on a more regular basis. It's not like Ford is the first company to go this route.

Aluminum body panels will probably keep box dents from cropping up so frequently. Not uncommon for somebody to bump the box/drop a load on them while using a tractor and loader. Less dents will probably help the resale on farm and construction use trucks as the second owner never wants a beat up vehicle.

Hopefully Ford will keep pushing this, and GM and Dodge jumps on board. Would love to see another 750-1000lb gvw added to the current crop of 250/2500-350/3500 series trucks. That would mean many of us could avoid getting into a true medium duty 450/4500+ truck that are much, much more expensive (even in the used market).

[adam728]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

Why don't you drive a truck?

I do. Maybe I'm biased because I live in farm country and trucks get used around here. We noticed long ago when visiting family in bigger population areas (Kalamazoo, Chicago) that the truck/car ratio is far smaller, and many trucks there are more Denali than truck (look-at-me status symbol, as you elude to). But here a truck is a truck, something you quite often need. Mine hauls and plows regularly. Had a fun time this morning busting out a drive this morning that's been unopened all winter. Oh, and it's 2wd. That extra 1100 lbs in the bed helps. I'd like a few hundred more (had 2400 lbs in it, 275 gal water tote, but visibility sucked, and it took up all usable bed space).

Originally Posted by kir_kenix

Would love to see another 750-1000lb gvw added to the current crop of 250/2500-350/3500 series trucks. That would mean many of us could avoid getting into a true medium duty 450/4500+ truck that are much, much more expensive (even in the used market).

No doubt. I was impressed that my truck (92 C2500) touted something like 3,320 lb payload capacity. With all the weight they kept adding on trucks it took quite a while for 3/4 tons to get back to that level again (which they did by increasing GVWR, not reducing curb weight). I know at one point a few years back you could option out an F150 to weigh so much that payload (including passengers) was only around 900 lbs!

[kir_kenix]

Originally Posted by adam728

No doubt. I was impressed that my truck (92 C2500) touted something like 3,320 lb payload capacity. With all the weight they kept adding on trucks it took quite a while for 3/4 tons to get back to that level again (which they did by increasing GVWR, not reducing curb weight). I know at one point a few years back you could option out an F150 to weigh so much that payload (including passengers) was only around 900 lbs!

Good call Adam728, I didn't word that right. GVWR wouldn't necessarily need to be increased if the vehicle weighed that much less to begin with.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by adam728

I know at one point a few years back you could option out an F150 to weigh so much that payload (including passengers) was only around 900 lbs!

It's less than the payload of some Asian microvans...