There are some decent deals on 010 out there now, got a 02 and it has been good to me.

Basically do allot of towing, 19' Fiberglass fishing boat. You folks that do a fair amount towing thoughts?

I know it will make my 02 look weak when it comes to towing. My other 2 trucks I am looking at are the Tundra and Ram, my gut says Ford.

 

My 2 cents worth.

Got my 2010 XLT SCrew, 5.6 bed, 2x4 with 5.4, max tow and rear camera last August. About 6,000 of its 13,000 current miles came from towing a 21' pilothouse boat and trailer weighing approx. 6,200#. Towed boat with 4 other vehicles and this truck has been the best in terms of how it handles the load on the road as well as driving comfort. I really like the Tow/Haul engine braking feature in the mountains. The camera makes hooking up the trailer a breeze, and I really like the TT mirrors despite the fact I have to fold the RH mirror to get it in my garage.

Towing mileage ranged 10-14 MPG, depending on road and wind. Non-towing ranged City/suburb 14-17 and 20-22 on Interstate. Best mileage comes 40-45 MPH. My driving habits are to get into overdrive quick and let you pass me.

So far, nothing but positive things to say about this truck.

 

With that boat, you don't necessarily need a 5.4 with max tow - any configuration should tow it just fine as long as it has some kind of towing package. Even the 4.6 3V would do fine, it's got just about as much power as the old 5.4 2V and the 6 speed tranny helps a lot.

 

I prefer the 5.4 for towing my boat, which comes in around 3600lbs dry. It tows better than any of my previous F-150s did, hands down. I had an '03 with the 4.6, which I assume is very similar to your '02. The 2010 is much better in the towing department than my '03 was.

 

Had a 4.6L 3V with the 6R80E tranny in an Mountaineer. Like the 5.4L much better. Especially in the mountains & it gets better MPG