Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Silverado vs. Ram vs. F-Series
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Comments
I think they are all solid trucks with good engines. From reading the different posts they all have their problems but I believe the vast majority of owners are satisfied, regardless of the brand they own.
Bottom line: Decide what you need, test drive them all and enjoy your new truck.
Superb advice!
Bottom line: Decide what you need, test
drive them all and enjoy your new truck.
One other thing that I would do is that when driving one try to write down all the things that are better than the other. Don't write the negatives as you're trying to use you memory as a reference against the current experience. Also write down everything that annoys you. Try to make your decision based on the positive attributes. Finally take the annoyances into consideration. (Does that widget annoy you so much that you won't use it?) If there is something about one of the trucks that absolutely drives you nuts, buy another brand truck.
In the end you'll be much happier with your truck.
Also, please don't ask me which I would buy for me. I could give you an answer that would be right for me. That answer may not be right for you.
Rich
- Weak trannys...old engines that are under powered....cummins being the only engine worth anything..
- very small ext.cab...almost useless
- Cheapest in price
Ford - Nice engines....bigger ext. cab...better styling
Chevy - Biggest Ext.cab...newest engines..
- Slow to catch up with 4 doors/diesel/etc....but usually better when up to par
- Lowest ride...but still high
- most expensive??....Ford close in price
For what a truck should be...get a Chevy or Ford..
...for a truck company that started making real ones in 94 and sells on looks alone..get a Dodge.
All have problems...but nothing in any serious numbers....it may seem like a lot here sometimes...but this is a forum to complain...not to praise...
Good Luck
- Tim
on which I aim to have a page for each of the above Trucks plus the Tundra. So people who actually want to buy one of of these things doesn't have to keep looking around for the information on these things. Which as we all know can be a hassle.
3/4 size trucks go with dakota sized trucks...
- Tim
There are only 3 makers of trucks....
- Tim
Also has the leas backseat space in extended cabs.
Chevy: Spacious and pretty efficient, but seems to have traded to much low end torque for acceleration and economy.
Ford: Has the best balance of high revving acceleration and low end torque, and I could get comfy both in front and in back
rode in the back and have to agree with obyone.
back angle is liveable bought not that compfy.
rode in the front on the way back and seat nearly
broke my butt, not to mention that i felt about 2
feet higher than the dash. gave me the feeling
that if driver stopped suddenly that i would go
through the windshield.
my chevy gives the laid back feeling front or
back.
They put a 5.9 in a Dakota...big deal...the Chevy 5.3 has more power than the Dodge 5.9...
As for Chevy sacrificing torque....My 5.7 and the current 6.0 have plenty of it..
I can't speak for the 5.3...as I have not owned one...I have driven a few for a test drive...but never hauled or towed to tell how it's torque feels.
- Tim
Dodge? Only if you really need the Cummins. After the truck falls apart--take the engine out and put it where it ought to be- in a Chevy or Ford.
Toyota? Too new--not proven beyond half-ton applications.
Dakota? Please.....is this comedy? (Bad enough that they ruined the looks and ripped off the Ram)
I actually work these suckers and I generally "feel" more content in the Chevy but they cause far more headaches and bills than the Fords. My bottom-line has dictated Fords exclusively for the past 5 years.
Styling is where they didn't win over any Dodge or Ford faithful.
owners by making over radical design changes in
apperance. FORD on the other hand went from the
"box" look right on up to the Pacer look.
posted. i do gotta work on that spellin'.
Good Luck On This One Now!!! he-he-he
...RED
p.s. don't take things so seriously unless you
really are a big crybaby. i mean really calling
someone such a brutal name. these are family
oriented forums. better stop hangin' out with
budlitedude, or you're gonna get a reputation
that goes along with what he stands for.
BTW you never explained what a "lurd" was that you used over and over again. I think that was the first indicator of your "reputation" for lack of intelligence/humor. Using someone else's salutation doesn't help your cause much either.
Mod and Red,
Take it outside..........
what anyone thinks about the other makes, it's
the numbers that kinda tell the whole story.
right now for example, our company employs about
80-90 installers and over 50 of those drive Fords
then about 20 drive Chevys, the rest Dodge and
then Toyota and Nissan. this does'nt speak for
the whole nation but it does create some good
debates at our company meetings. whatever
comments at that time, good or bad, regarding
looks, quality, performance, and
dependability,etc., we all agree that if it works
for you then enjoy it. without saying the words,
the bottom line is, it all comes down to personal
preference good or bad. i own a '00 Chevy right
now basically because i wanted an ext. cab
longbed and liked the looks of the Chevy over the
other two, Dodge being second. Ford in reallity
has an ext. cab longbed that to me really looks
better than their shortbed. it was a hard
decision for me since two previous Ford products
did nothing but leave me stranded. after reading
the Chevy forums, and hearing all those
complaints, i almost skipped it too. if it lets
me down i'll probably goe back to Toyota and a
trailer.
my .02's worth
...RED
you get too upset. don't want to give you a heart
attack or something. calm down now, t a k e a n
i c e d e e p b r e a t h. see ya
Dodge is a joke....and only sells on looks...it has nothing else to offer.
...and the look is getting old...now all the Dodge trucks look like it...it's the only design that ever sold!...they can't change I guess!
- Tim
technically, mechanically, GM offers more in the half tons, you can't argue that. i admit, its a very small advantage, but big to some. but that isn't the only thing that sells trucks. theres a lot of people who don't buy GM just because of the sheet metal or the stance of the truck.
lets just leave it at the fact your homeruns go to left field and mine go to right!
The thing with Dodge's current and older truck were built by a company with very little fiscal resources at the time of production and I don't think anyone who has read into their history would try to refute this point But, now that they have the resources they need their next truck will be class leading and just maybe they'll
start offering a Crew Cab. The weird thing is it seems they've gone and finally realized that a 350 is the way to go. While GM has downsized to around the size of Dodge's 318 for their 1500 engines.
- Tim
how an engines horsepower is related to how lazy
the owner is. also can you show a comparison
between all 3. you know, chevy,ford, dodge.
thanx.
red
I am here to defend Dodge
I have a 98 Ram 1500 5.9 V8. Club Cab Auto 4x4
I often go fishing with a pal who has a 99 chevy (similar setup as the dodge) with the 5.3l
My boat is about 750 lbs heavier and we often race on the highway and from stop lights. I have always beat him. My truck even has 3.55 gears and he has 3.73.
Chevy engines are more economical on Gas and have higher HP #'s on paper, but the Dodge is King when towing or hauling.
I was watching TRUCKS on TNN and they put a chevy 5.3l on a dyno and it only produced 148 HP.
I guess the chevy looses alot of power in the tranny
Summary:
Dodge= power and torque
Chevy = B.S. HP ratings, but gets better MPG.
Uh...45 HP is not going to be made up in those 800 RPM...if it isn't there at 3200...it ain't gonna be there at 4000 for Dodge either! Why not rate them at 6000 RPM??..maybe they will have 600 HP then!? Wow!..new idea!
Dodge=Torque?....Only in a Cummins...which seems to be the only way Dodge can have any victory?
I've seen a 350 4BBL lose to a 250 1 BBL....why?..both were manuals and the 250 driver knew how to shift better...(I know you said both were autos) Maybe your buddy is scared to punch it full throttle at take off?
There is only and always will be only one comparison that ever will matter.....Chevy VS Ford...the only 2 makers of Power....
- Tim
How about the 8.4 Vortec...V-8...
V-10's just by their nature have torque...due to 2 extra cylinders....only way Dodge can try to compete with Ford/Chevy V-8's..
Next Contestant Please...
- Tim
If DCX wanted to open the floodgates they could since the have the world's best enginners working for them, but don't choose to for one of reasons mentioned in the other topic. I disagree however that that they are a joke! Their just surfing along until they bust out with the new truck.
PS:Also until someone can give me hard evidence on how Dodges break down I won't believe them.
I never took any pictures of the Dodges that with shelled out trannies or electrical probs. Usually cuz we jumped in the Fords or GMs and went back to work.
those were early to mid '90s models. haven't heard much reports on late models in the fleet/work industry.
The true beauty of fleet results and sales is that it is a major indication on how a brand stacks up without personal regard to an individual truck. This is how I make my decisions. I have to take in consideration that my employees don't give a damn and drive the suckers into walls.
The simple truth is that GM and Ford have higher resales and lower maintenance costs than Dodge for fleet sales. The only times we bought Dodge is when my partner(brother) gets weepy eyed for a Ram. (About once every three years)
He owns them for his personal as well but always repairs the beasts. Somehow he ignores the wallet in favor of looks.
Not that Dodge is the only looker in the mechanical world. Harley has marketed it's bikes on similar principles. Yes I own one. But...it's recreational and not utility. (Besides, I also own a Honda and BMW in case the Harley breaks down or if I want to do some REAL riding)
I used to own an 88 Silverado...this was a new model year and had "theories" about it. Mine went almost trouble free until I sold it with 156,000 miles. I know 2 people with similar trucks...both had engines replaced long before 100K.....so is this 2 out of 3 people had major problems?....just because that's who I knew??....No.....The real figures showed overall this truck was very reliable...
Just cuz "you know" people that have no problems with Dodge....makes no bit of difference what the real overall numbers are..
I go back to my statement....Dodge is a Joke for powertrains...
....Copied Dodge?....now THERE is a first!
...What you been smoking?....cuz I sure would like some!
Another "long time Dodge truck fan....since all the way back to 1994!"........oh boy..
- Tim
Cottrell,
don't know the sample numbers for Consumer Reports, but Carpoint gets millions of hits, and has quite a pool of people in its survey.
I guess you are happy hearing these rosy stories from your friends. apparently that is enough 'good' solid experience for you. I have seen the Dodges put thru the extremes in the oilfield and construction industy all over South Texas, where the combination of dust, extreme heat, heavy heavy loads, high humidity, idiot drivers, and piss poor maintenance really test a truck. I will give you the addresses of several companies with large fleets of trucks, and allow you to ask them how many Dodges they own.
And then you can ask them why not.
(to save time: they just never held up like GMs and Fords.)
I won't bad mouth any new Dodges, maybe they finally got it figured out and have the brake probs, front end probs, transmission probs, AC probs, electrical probs figured out. And maybe you and your friends will never have a problem driving back and forth to Home Depot and Walmart or hauling your Jetski to the lake. but until i see it proven like Ford and GM have, under the extreme use, I'll stick with what's never left me stranded.
Well I am confused!
(what is the HTML code for sarcasm?)
...What HAS Dodge came up with before anyone else other than 4 doors?....
again....we are back to looks....all that dodge is fair at...
- Tim
The V-10 may be the most powerfull??....gas engine you could get..(For a Dodge)...but look how close other Ford/Chevy engines are to that...and with only 8 cylinders!......I'd feel pretty little knowing that...
If it's gonna be a V-10...then make it a REAL V-10!......sorry Dodge.....failure again..
- Tim
This Dodge bashing isn't going anywhere. Buy what you like and drive it.
....Hell with it....Zactly..buy what ya want...
I don't care what Dodge does...or who buys them when ya get down to it...
All 3 suck when you wanna nit pick....the issue is which sux less?
- Tim