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1999 F 250Ford designers didnt just make this truck bigger and better. They made it smarter. Realizing that todays truck owners spend a lot of time...
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Ford designers didnt just make this truck bigger and better. They made it smarter. Realizing that todays truck owners spend a lot of time in their vehicles, designers paid more attention to comfort and convenience. New interior features include a fold-down armrest, a floor console that can accommodate a laptop, and a removable hanging bin for storage that can attach to the dash. Controls are big, easy to reach and manipulate and gauges are easy to read. The only exception is the instrument panel dimmer, which is a bit hard to reach. Two large cupholders are provided. The standard cigar lighter is augmented with a second auxiliary power outlet.
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106 Reviews from Epinions.com
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1999 F 250
Since ra62 was so helpful in critiquing my review of my Saturn I thought I would have a go at reviewing my husband’s truck which I need to drive on more occasions than I really like.
A couple of years ago we had decided to run away and join the Ren Faire circuit which would have entailed having to haul lots of merchandise, a (selling) tent and a trailer for us to live in. Basically we had to pare down our entire lives to fit in 1 vehicle. No matter how much we pared, we were still going to need a truck with a V8 engine. I did my usual cautious search through Consumer Reports and discovered that Fords were the best thing going on everything that counted, reliability and hauling power basically. Then hubby began a protracted Internet search that finally snared the vehicle we were seeking. So we hurried out and bought the thing at a good price because it had been painted. We checked the VIN ourselves and it had never been in an accident, but a vehicle that has been painted scares off buyers because they think something is being covered up. I just wish that it had been painted something other than nothing gray.
Sadly, the Ren Faire thing didn’t work out and the truck (wonderful though it should be) has become more of a curse than a blessing.
Good things:
The bed is huge. Our truck has the long bed and we joked about putting my last car (a Nissan Sentra in it. It almost would have fit.) When we used it to haul home our Christmas tree we did so with the tailgate closed and the tree was about 10’ tall (high ceilings are also a blessing and a curse.) We also hauled a big screen TV laying flat on its back and had room for padding between the TV and the wheel wells.
Roomy cab. My 6ּ" brother is perfectly comfortable in this truck and, as long as the seat is all the way forward, so am I at 5ַ". Unfortunately, since it’s a bench seat only one of us can be comfortable at the time and it’s got to be the driver. But that just means I make my brother drive if he and I are going someplace together for some reason. I can’t imagine anyone shorter than myself being able to reach the pedals safely. The seat is also wide enough for 3 adults to sit without it getting creepy.
It’s more useful than an SUV. Who wants to mess up their nice leather SUV seats with tree sap?
It has hauling power to spare. The last Ren Faire my husband did was 2 states away. We loaded the truck with a 1000 pound iron tent, several hundred pounds of merchandise, a sleeping tent and a bunch of sundries and hauled it all the way out there (and sadly, most of it back) without a lick of trouble. It’s rated for somewhere around 11,000 pounds. Much better than our van which keeled over in the middle of Pennsylvania the year before (to be fair, the van probably would have been fine if Clay’s RV in Canton, Ohio hadn’t sold us a trailer with a bent axle.) When the back is weighted it is a tough climber. Of course if the bed isn’t weighted down …
Bad things:
Who thought it would be a good idea to give these things rear wheel drive? There’s nothing back there. And I mean, nothing. Make sure, if you are buying a truck, that it has all wheel or front wheel drive, otherwise you are in big trouble on ice and snow. My Saturn handled better in the snow than our truck did. Alarming considering that to get into the Saturn you sit down and to get into the Ford you climb up. And we did try weighting the bed down so it would handle better. In the fall we bought several big bags of soil, wrapped them up in a tarp and secured them over the drive wheels. If it did any good at all, we didn’t notice.
The floor of the cab is hard plastic, which from a cleaning standpoint should be a plus, however anything you put on the floor will slide around relentlessly unless secured. We had tucked something behind the seat not long after we got the truck and then had to listen to slide-bang-slide-bang the entire trip. So we tried putting down some of that spongy stuff you put in cupboards on the theory that if it keeps things from sliding around in a trailer, it will keep things from sliding around in the back of the truck. No such luck. The spongy stuff stuck to what ever we put on it, but not to the floor so we ended up with a ball of spongy shelf paper wrapped around our bunjee cord container.
Gas mileage. Holy Hanna. It’s got a 45-gallon tank and believe me it can go through that in a week. That right there is the sole reason we are trying to sell the truck right now. I am told that we can improve the gas mileage by putting a cap on it, but that’s another $1000. Although, with gas at these prices, it might not take long to recoup.
The seats suck. The first time I sat down in the truck I thought "well, when we drive to Florida I’ll have to take a rolled up towel for lumbar support." Generally, about 5 minutes into any drive, I’m wiggling around trying to find a comfortable position. They’re soft, but they seem to actually have negative support. I’ve been more comfortable in an elementary school desk. I suppose if you’re mainly in the seats to drive across a construction site or around the farm you’d probably be ok. If, however, you were driving through 5 Eastern states (one of them very long) you will be miserable.
The blind spots are roughly the size of a Saturn. We’ve done tests and my entire car can be tucking into the truck’s blind spot. While Saturns are not enormous cars, they are about average so you must be extremely careful when changing lanes.
Other stuff:
It’s huge. This vehicle does actually need the entire lane. It doesn’t take much to stray out of your own lane so watch out. It also leaves one with the overwhelming desire to tailgate girls in cute cars with "princess" license plate. (I’m not sure how I fought off the urge not to shove the Mercedes with the "wed well" plates into traffic.)
It’s not as loud as a diesel engine, but it is louder than a car.
It maneuvers pretty well from being as big as it is though you have to be aware of the overhang. The rear wheels are not as close to the bumper as they are in a car so the back end swings more. If you haven’t driven a truck much I recommend going to a Target parking lot at about 2am and practicing. If you practice at 2pm, your insurance rates may go up.
If it weren’t for the gas mileage we would probably hang onto this truck for a long time. It hasn’t needed anything more than oil changes in the year we’ve had it and it’s nearly at 100,000 miles so it will probably be around for quite a while. The seat thing is bad, but fixable, ditto the sliding around problem. The rear wheel drive isn’t fixable, but if you’re shopping for a work vehicle, you’re going to have the back loaded down anyway. And we had kind of made peace with that this winter. Overall, these are good trucks, you jut have to watch out for a thing or 2.
Workhorse
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Reliable, great towing capacity, big bed
Cons: Gas milage, uncomfortable seats.
| Ease of Loading: |
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The Bottom Line:
This is a great workhorse truck. Honestly, if life hadn't taken other turns we've have loved it. In the end I sold it to my brother.
Since ra62 was so helpful in critiquing my review of my Saturn I thought I would have a go at reviewing my husband’s truck which I need to drive on more occasions than I really like.
A couple of years ago we had decided to run away and join the Ren Faire circuit which would have entailed having to haul lots of merchandise, a (selling) tent and a trailer for us to live in. Basically we had to pare down our entire lives to fit in 1 vehicle. No matter how much we pared, we were still going to need a truck with a V8 engine. I did my usual cautious search through Consumer Reports and discovered that Fords were the best thing going on everything that counted, reliability and hauling power basically. Then hubby began a protracted Internet search that finally snared the vehicle we were seeking. So we hurried out and bought the thing at a good price because it had been painted. We checked the VIN ourselves and it had never been in an accident, but a vehicle that has been painted scares off buyers because they think something is being covered up. I just wish that it had been painted something other than nothing gray.
Sadly, the Ren Faire thing didn’t work out and the truck (wonderful though it should be) has become more of a curse than a blessing.
Good things:
The bed is huge. Our truck has the long bed and we joked about putting my last car (a Nissan Sentra in it. It almost would have fit.) When we used it to haul home our Christmas tree we did so with the tailgate closed and the tree was about 10’ tall (high ceilings are also a blessing and a curse.) We also hauled a big screen TV laying flat on its back and had room for padding between the TV and the wheel wells.
Roomy cab. My 6ּ" brother is perfectly comfortable in this truck and, as long as the seat is all the way forward, so am I at 5ַ". Unfortunately, since it’s a bench seat only one of us can be comfortable at the time and it’s got to be the driver. But that just means I make my brother drive if he and I are going someplace together for some reason. I can’t imagine anyone shorter than myself being able to reach the pedals safely. The seat is also wide enough for 3 adults to sit without it getting creepy.
It’s more useful than an SUV. Who wants to mess up their nice leather SUV seats with tree sap?
It has hauling power to spare. The last Ren Faire my husband did was 2 states away. We loaded the truck with a 1000 pound iron tent, several hundred pounds of merchandise, a sleeping tent and a bunch of sundries and hauled it all the way out there (and sadly, most of it back) without a lick of trouble. It’s rated for somewhere around 11,000 pounds. Much better than our van which keeled over in the middle of Pennsylvania the year before (to be fair, the van probably would have been fine if Clay’s RV in Canton, Ohio hadn’t sold us a trailer with a bent axle.) When the back is weighted it is a tough climber. Of course if the bed isn’t weighted down …
Bad things:
Who thought it would be a good idea to give these things rear wheel drive? There’s nothing back there. And I mean, nothing. Make sure, if you are buying a truck, that it has all wheel or front wheel drive, otherwise you are in big trouble on ice and snow. My Saturn handled better in the snow than our truck did. Alarming considering that to get into the Saturn you sit down and to get into the Ford you climb up. And we did try weighting the bed down so it would handle better. In the fall we bought several big bags of soil, wrapped them up in a tarp and secured them over the drive wheels. If it did any good at all, we didn’t notice.
The floor of the cab is hard plastic, which from a cleaning standpoint should be a plus, however anything you put on the floor will slide around relentlessly unless secured. We had tucked something behind the seat not long after we got the truck and then had to listen to slide-bang-slide-bang the entire trip. So we tried putting down some of that spongy stuff you put in cupboards on the theory that if it keeps things from sliding around in a trailer, it will keep things from sliding around in the back of the truck. No such luck. The spongy stuff stuck to what ever we put on it, but not to the floor so we ended up with a ball of spongy shelf paper wrapped around our bunjee cord container.
Gas mileage. Holy Hanna. It’s got a 45-gallon tank and believe me it can go through that in a week. That right there is the sole reason we are trying to sell the truck right now. I am told that we can improve the gas mileage by putting a cap on it, but that’s another $1000. Although, with gas at these prices, it might not take long to recoup.
The seats suck. The first time I sat down in the truck I thought "well, when we drive to Florida I’ll have to take a rolled up towel for lumbar support." Generally, about 5 minutes into any drive, I’m wiggling around trying to find a comfortable position. They’re soft, but they seem to actually have negative support. I’ve been more comfortable in an elementary school desk. I suppose if you’re mainly in the seats to drive across a construction site or around the farm you’d probably be ok. If, however, you were driving through 5 Eastern states (one of them very long) you will be miserable.
The blind spots are roughly the size of a Saturn. We’ve done tests and my entire car can be tucking into the truck’s blind spot. While Saturns are not enormous cars, they are about average so you must be extremely careful when changing lanes.
Other stuff:
It’s huge. This vehicle does actually need the entire lane. It doesn’t take much to stray out of your own lane so watch out. It also leaves one with the overwhelming desire to tailgate girls in cute cars with "princess" license plate. (I’m not sure how I fought off the urge not to shove the Mercedes with the "wed well" plates into traffic.)
It’s not as loud as a diesel engine, but it is louder than a car.
It maneuvers pretty well from being as big as it is though you have to be aware of the overhang. The rear wheels are not as close to the bumper as they are in a car so the back end swings more. If you haven’t driven a truck much I recommend going to a Target parking lot at about 2am and practicing. If you practice at 2pm, your insurance rates may go up.
If it weren’t for the gas mileage we would probably hang onto this truck for a long time. It hasn’t needed anything more than oil changes in the year we’ve had it and it’s nearly at 100,000 miles so it will probably be around for quite a while. The seat thing is bad, but fixable, ditto the sliding around problem. The rear wheel drive isn’t fixable, but if you’re shopping for a work vehicle, you’re going to have the back loaded down anyway. And we had kind of made peace with that this winter. Overall, these are good trucks, you jut have to watch out for a thing or 2.
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