2004 Ford F-150 - Tow Toys

It was big, it was orange and black, and no one wanted to borrow it. That was really too bad because we ended up liking the Power Stroke 250 as much or more than the F-150. Normally when we get a test vehicle, everyone on the Ford team wants to borrow the thing. We are continually fending off requests for the keys. Not so with the Harley Davidson truck. We think it had something to do with the Halloween black and orange paint. That aside, we like the truck (which is available in a more subtle overall black or a nice black and Dark Shadow Gray). From where we sit, it is a paragon of power with its Power Stroke turbo diesel, and it bests the F-150 in fuel mileage at a hair over 18 on the highway. After playing around with it, we have no qualms saying the thing could move a house. The one thing that seemed to bug some who did acquiesce to riding in the bad boy was the noise of the diesel and the whine of the turbo-both of which were music to our ears. All we needed was a trucker hat, a chain wallet, some Justin Ropers, and we'd fit right in down at Tilly's Truck stop just off the super slab headed to Shytown. But make no mistake, the F-250 is a truck of the old line and feels more like it than the F-150.

We did spec out an XL standard cab for towing (we really were impressed with the diesel), and it came to a whopping $30,290 with the following options: XL Decor Group, Camper Package, 6.0L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel V-8, six-Speed Manual Transmission with Overdrive (no charge), LT235/85Rx16E BSW All-Terrain Tires, Electronic AM/FM Stereo with Cassette/Clock, Air Conditioning, Speed Control/Tilt Steering Wheel, Built Ford Tough Trailer Hitch Receiver (12.5K Capacity).