I've been driving an aluminum truck since they came out, and we have multiple ford aluminum pickups on our construction crews. As far as dents, they look exactly like the steel bodies did at a comparable age with comparable use, although I usually order them with the factory sprayed on bedliner which I feel is a good value and adds to the strength. Some crews look like new at 200k and some look like they've been beaten with a sledgehammer. Honestly, over time we kindof forget that they are any different than the old ones. We bolt metal reading toolbox toppers (similar to the picture) on the bed of all the carpenters trucks, and the steel beds would sometimes tear down the outside 6 inches behind the cab where the first bolt was in the bed rail. We have not had this issue yet with aluminum, and we've got 200k on some. We switched the boxes to aluminum about the same time that the trucks were made in aluminum and that seems to be working. I was apprehensive about the aluminum when it came out but my fears were unfounded, and the rust protection is a nice bonus, but our trucks never rust out, they wear our. 6 years after we by a new truck it's like an orange peel with all the juice squeezed out, there's not much value there anymore. But those wornout trucks still sell like hotcakes. 6 years old, 275k miles, 4x4 crew diesel lariat, everybody wants one at 1/3 of new price, which is twice what they're worth.
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