The original Motorcraft battery (made by Johnson Controls) lasted you eight years; how's about another one?



Motorcraft batteries are all I've used in my Fords.  They last between five and six years, I'm alright with that.



I don't feel Optimas are all that unless you're having to mount it in an odd position, and they aren't as good quality-wise as they were several years ago.

Enersys Odyssey/Sears Die Hard Platinum blow optima's out of the water.

They are cheaper at sears and the only difference is the color of the plastic.

I've left my headlights on for several hours and came back and started it up.

They were good once upon a time, but I think Optima shifted assembly to Mexico and they've been kinda hit and miss ever since.



Even when they were good, they're kinda overkill for most applications.  They don't fit in most factory automotive battery trays and hold downs without adapters.  They say you're supposed to charge them with a special charger/setting since they're glass mat and not lead acid, I dunno if that's true or not though - there are a lot of battery chargers out there that have specific settings for AGM batteries though.  The biggest advantage is that they're completely sealed, so if you needed to mount it like in the passenger's compartment somewhere in a battery box, or on its side, upside down, whatever, you could.



For probably 95% of applications out there, for the average dude driving back and forth to work, a conventional lead acid battery works just fine, lasts just as long if not longer, and is cheaper to boot.