Here are the facts..now which truck??

markbuck

sydney1 - Same difference, pick the best dealer.

cdean

they probably just pull air from inside the fender, where there is no forced air, BTW.

Davydd

Sierra or Silverado? They are the SAME truck with different styling and different ways of packaging options. Go with the one you think looks best (subjective to the individual), the most convenient dealer, or the best deal--whatever is most important to you.

dave40

ARE YOU A 1 PERCENTER
DO ONE THING. DO IT WELL.
Expect More,Demand More
and Get More -Get The New Sierra

dodgeram

Looks like dave40 blowing off some more brain farts.

Sidney1, you mentioned gmc quad cab, hate to blow your bubble, but gm doesn't offer a quad cab,at least not until next year, and thats just a mabye.

Buy the dodge much more truck- not so much car.

ladyblue

Phewwweeee! Cut it out, dave40.

Sidney1, I checked out the Silverado and the Sierra. The only major thing I found wrong with both of them was the lack of a 4th door. That's why I chose the Dodge Ram. If the extra door is not important to you (it was to me), either the Chevy or GMC would do. They are both fine trucks, but the Silverado handled a little smoother, IMHO.

dave40

Glad you Like the dodge

richram123

I have a 98 Ram1500 Club Cab 4x4 with the 360 V8. I love the truck and it has been trouble free for the first 6000 miles. My buddy bought a 99 Silverado and he likes my Ram better. He says it is quicker, rides much higher, and was a wopping 8K cheaper. He has the 5.3 V8. He drove my 5.9 and said mine was quicker and more ballsy.
I picked the Ram because the Ford was ugly (98) and the Chevy(98) was a low rider and had smaller ext cab. The 98 Ram also has 6 inches of more hip room than the 99 Silverado. One other reason I picked the Ram was because of the live front axle. It is a bit rougher of a ride , but off raod it is better and there are no CV boots to rip. I had an S10 with IFS and it had 2 torn CV boots within 100k. The front end camber was never correct due to the IFS design, Solid axle is the most durable and trouble free.

On the interior:I have 2 child seats in the rear and an adult can sit comfortably between the 2 seats. The Ram also has 6 passenger seating , 3 in front and 3 in the rear. I love the pull down center console on a BENCH seat, The Chevy has 2 bucket seats. I do like the chevy, but the 4x4 looks like a 2 by. If I was a yuppie woman, I would have gone for the chevy, But since I need my truck to haul construction gear, fish, camp and offroad a bit I chose the Ram.
My Ram next to the 99 Silverado is a site to see. The chevy looks like a toy compared to the Ram and the 5.9 also has 25lbs of torque on the 5.3. Remember, torque is pulling power and fast pickup. The Ram 5.9 is also desined to run on cheap 87 octane, the chevt 5.3 likes premium.
Anyway this is my 2 cents worth.


Rich

dodgeram

See Im not the only won who says the 5.9l gas is faster than the chevy!

dave40

Put your heads together and make a rock pile.

cdean

you kids don't know much on engines. the dodge does have a higher peak torque than the chevy, but its old fashion has a turd of a torque curve. chevy's is flat and broad, and it pulls full torque thru the entire rpm range. the dodge torque falls off quickly. unless your truck is going to be running at that one certain rpm the whole time. thats the only way you can take advantage of that peak torque. its a numbers game.

the ram has more low end uumph in it than the new chevy's do. but they're making power the old fashioned way--pour in more fuel.

meredith

Edmunds is not partial....

to the excrement references. Knock it off before I start deleting posts!

Front Porch Philosopher
SUV, Pickup, & Aftermarket and Accessories Host

rkquinn

I'm retiring. My wife and I would like to tour the country. We're considering buying a new Ford F-350 4x4 SRW Super Duty extended cab longbed pickup and a camper. The camper will weigh between 3,400 and 3,600 pounds with options and fluids. We plan to tow a motorcycle on a trailer. We'd like to avoid a dually, because our garage opening is only 8.5 inches wider than the dually's rear end. We've heard 'horror stories' about the Triton V10 getting only 9-10 MPG, on the highway and UNLOADED. The Powerstroke offers much better fuel economy. However, if I get the Powerstroke engine (additional 635 pounds) and 4x4 (additional 445 pounds), my cargo carrying capacity will be significantly reduced. Ford says that the maximum cargo weight of the F-350 Superduty with an 8' box, 4x4 and diesel, is only 2,922 pounds. Questions: Can anyone tell me what gas mileage they are getting with the V10? Can the F-350 be 'strengthened' with any of Ford's 'packages' to allow us to have the diesel, 4x4 and camper? Any suggestions? THANKS!

stanford

rkquinn: One conference is usually all it takes to get responses :-) Check out the discussion in the Ford Super Duty conference.

Katmandu

Sidney1, here's my experience. I am a pure chevy man but was in the same situation. What I wanted was a rubber floored, 4x4, xcab, with manual trans. No frills. I couldn't even find a chevy like that. All had stuff I didn't want on it. As for the new chevy motors, you've got to rev them up to get max torque. Whereas Ford/Dodge have their max torque at a more useable RPM. The old 350 chev. was the best motor ever IMO. Good low end torque, parts were cheap, ran forever. Bye Bye sweet 350...sob sob...Anyway, the problem with ford and dodge is their automatics are not the best. Since you don't want auto, you're in the clear. My choice is the Ford 250SD. It can be ordered in XL trim (rubber floor...yeah!) and as basic as you want. The dodge would be my next choice and chevy just doesn't provide the basic truck I desire. I wish chevy did.

dodgeram

I disagree with you on the dodges automatics. There very realiable tranny's. I got a 94 3/4ton, 4x4 and use the piss out of my truck, (plowing, pulling, and best of all having a lot of fun, off-roading, donuts, 4wheel low takeoffs, the whole bit. My tranny is just fine and the truck still drives like new. There might be the odd bad one out there, but then again which truck out there hasn't had a tranny problem?

sd99

I agree Dodgeram. In fact, I've heard more complaints about Chevy trannys than both Dodge and Ford together.

cdean

not the case i've seen. i've seen fleets totally not use dodge because of mass transmission failures before 50,000. chevrolet's have the most reliable tranny on the market. they have the same reputation as the 350. ask a transmission mechanic, they'll tell you GM trannies last 100k or more, Ford's usually go before 100K, and dodge trannies are luck of the draw. the data is out there to prove it.

i've never seen a chevy trans go out before 100k. the only failures i've seen before 150k are people that pull heavy all the time, tractors, boats, etc. meanwhile, dodges that don't pull anything don't make it past 50K.

Maybe they ship different trucks up north than here down south.

quadrunner500

No complaints from this Chevy owner about the 4L60E tranny...best one going. But all trannys have friction-face lined clutches that wear away over time. The more abuse, the sooner the lining wears away.

sd99

Cdean

As an ex service manager at a large Chicago Chevy dealership, I have seen many Chevy trannys go bad. To arbitrarily say that the Chevy trans is the best is a very biased opinion. It's not only how much abuse a trans takes, but also, how well it was maintained.
I had a customer that developed engine trouble on a Lumina with 23,000 miles on it. It didn't take long to discover the customer never changed the oil, and, in fact, had the original oil filter on it. He complained bitterly to just about everyone, but Chevy stood behind us and denied the claim. Well, he left the dealership screaming that Chevys were the biggest junks ever made. Is this fair? Of course not, but many times when people call a Ford or Chevy junk, they are simply repeating what a friend or co-worker has told them, with no actual knowledge themselves.
People still say Chevy can't build a decent diesel. Can they? The very people who say they can't have probably never driven a Chevy diesel in their life. The point is, because you may have driven 10-12 Chevy trucks and never had a trans problem, that doesn't make Chevy the best trans out there. All three truck makers have their faults, it is still up to the individual to do the homework and purchase the truck most suited for their needs. It wouldn't be fair for a customer to overlook one brand because he (or she) heard about a friend of a friend who owned that brand 6 years ago and had a problem. Because the competition is so fierce among the trucks, it is us, the customer, who wins. Check them all out folks, they are all good trucks.

cdean

SD99

you made excellent points, i agree with everything you said. But i have seen many fleet uses in my travels, and i've seen half-tons to one tons of each of the Big 3 put thru everything from driving around town everyday, to pulling 25ft goosenecks everyday... and my compilation of experience is that the Chevrolets hold up longer than Ford, and Ford's hold up longer than Dodge. Its not bias, thats what i've experienced. Last company i was with bought nothing but Ford Superduty's (manual trans) because of the superior diesel to Chevrolet on the big work trucks, and bought nothing but chevrolet on the half and 3/4 ton gas haul and travel trucks, for the superior reliablity, engine and tranny.

I still have friends around that do mechanic on road service work, so i get a good idea from those guys who put lots of miles on different brands of trucks each year. one guy bought several Dodge Cummins, but got rid of them a year and half later because of lots of little mechanical probs (steering, A/C), and transmission failures in both. he bought chevrolets, and hasn't been to the shop in 3 years since he bought them.

point is, i'm not basing this on the few trucks i've owned, or the one friend who lives down the road. take it for what it's worth, i'm not expecting a check in the mail

brucec35

Just to weigh in with my empirical data......I've owned a S-10 and a C-1500, and neither had any transmission(or other) mechanical problems. Both got about 50,000 miles on them before I sold them.

On the other hand, my '97 Ram has been in the shop twice for transmission problems, and currently has rear brake problems.

My '98 F-150 has had no problems in the first 17,000 miles, other than a hairline cracked rear windshield( a problem with installation at the factory I was told) which was replaced under warranty.

Also, when considering a purchase, factor in the business practices of the dealer you will have to deal with. The Ford dealer here was fine. The dodge dealer was abysmal. I found another one 45 min. away, and it's great though. The chevy dealer was over-priced( I found out later) but otherwise I had no contact with. Dealers vary.