Did I buy too much truck?
I wanted my son to have a stick shift for his first vehicle so my husband and I got him an f-150 shortbed, and after bringing it to my mechanic to have it once-overed I realized this is a poweful truck. Should I scale down?
2 Answers
No my 1st truck is a 1987 F150 I have it still today yes it is a powerful truck but a hearty 1 it will stand its own and he wont go broke keeping it running
The purposes of owning a truck are several. To do work, haul stuff, load up the bed with various items, and in doing so not destroy the vehicle. The F-150 is a full size truck. The engine and tranny are to pull loads and cargo and therefore have power. If your son is in his teens, personally, I do not see the need for a full size pickup other than jr. wants one. And the stuck shift, in my opinion, makes things worse. Teaching defensive and high speed driving for a large police department, I can assure you there is a large learning curve teaching adults how to drive a pickup properly. First, the center of gravity on a full size pickup is rather high. Meaning they turn over easily, without a crash impact. One of the F-150 used for teaching was outfitted with outrigers on both sides. The purpose was to show students how the vehicle can be flipped onto one side or the other at forty miles per hour. With that being said, you bought the thing so dont loose a bundle getting something else. You'll probably save a ton of money by going to your local PD and rent the driving instructor for a day. If nothing else at least he will be able to show your son first hand how different a truck responds to driving and it limitations. Then you will have armed him with the knowledge. What he does out of the house is out of your control.