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Help Me Choose My Pickup!

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Comments

  • bigtiresbigtires Member Posts: 2
    I'm a little behind on current lineup of trucks, which ones get the best mpg now? (out of all the v8s that can tow?)
  • 12ozcurls12ozcurls Member Posts: 65
    Well in that price range, you can't go wrong with the '88-'98 Chevy/GMC 2500 or even the 1500 since they are built off the same platform. My cousin actually just bought a '97 Chevy 1500. He had just sold his Harley Davidson edition F-150 because it was his daily driver and with the supercharger, it was just costing him way too much gas. He also had to watch where he parked it, worry about getting it stolen, and watch out for scratches and all that stuff. With the Chevy, which he plans do actually use as a truck, he doesn't worry about any of that stuff. He and his family are die hard Ford guys, but even they know, those Chevy's can take a beating. They are also available with some nice big and powerful engines. Engines that were designed for power, not for emissions compliance. They are very common in the market place and parts are plentiful for them if you ever need to change anything. If you need anymore information, I know a guy that practically knows everything about trucks. He runs a site www.thesnoman.com and he can pretty much answer any questions you can think of. Hope I helped.
  • supratturbosupratturbo Member Posts: 1
    So I've owned sports cars all my life. I went from a Celica to a Supra to a 350z. Now i'm ready for my first truck. My specs for the truck are as follows:

    1) 4 wheel drive
    2) Spending around $14-15k
    3) Something reliable
    4) Gonna be towing a quad and eventually a boat (not sure what size yet but would rather be safe than sorry)
    5) Gonna be taking in the mountains to go snowboarding
    6) Not partial to diesel so something that takes unleaded gasoline.
    7) Something Used is Ok obviously for spending only 14-15k.
    8) Something with not too many miles (under 55k)

    I think that's all for now. Could anyone give me some suggestions PLEASE???

    Thanks
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
  • 12ozcurls12ozcurls Member Posts: 65
    I think your best bet would be a 2001-2007 Chevy/GMC 2500HD with the 8.1L GAS engine option. They come with bulletproof Allison 6 speed transmissions and there quite a few out there ( www.autotrader.com ). Overall these are very reliable. The real only weak point on these models are the front suspensions. However there is a company ( www.cognitomotorsports.com ) that specializes in the Chevy/GMC front ends and already has a bunch of bolt on parts for this particular truck that will make the front end pretty much bulletproof. You should be able to get one for around $12,000-$15,000 which is a lot of truck for the money. With gas the way it is, these things aren't going to be flying off the lot so most dealers are going to be willing to deal. Gas milage on this particular vehicle really isn't as bad as you would think. With the 6 speed trans at highway speed, it can actually get pretty respectable milage. The 8.1L(496) has been around forever and is a very good engine.
  • 12ozcurls12ozcurls Member Posts: 65
    Modern technology? The more complicated you make something, the less reliable it becomes. It is also more expensive to fix once something does go wrong. And as far as the Tundra and Titan go, they are a long way from reliable. Obviously we all have our preference, and it's obvious that you do too, I'm not knocking that, all I'm trying to say is that to blindly assume they are better just because they say Toyota or Nissan is ignorant. If you'd do some simple research you'd see that its one problem after another with these trucks. My dad's '78 F-150 has well over 400,000 miles on it and it's still going strong. They may not feel as refined as the Japanese trucks do, but they are trucks, they're not supposed to.

    http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/103690-2007-6-speed-transmission-fa- ilures/

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_tundra.html

    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/nissan_titan.html
  • bobadbobad Member Posts: 1,587
    Hi,

    My old 92 Toyota is on its last leg, and I'm looking to replace it.

    I'm looking for a specific combination, but will probably have to compromise a bit. It will be used to make short hops to town, no heavy hauling, and no towing. Should be Tacoma-Frontier sized, room for larger kids in back. Should be very economical for 10 years, will drive it for less than 100K miles. Here we go!

    Crew Cab preferred
    6 Foot bed a must
    Small diesel preferred. Are there any on the planet?
    4 cyl gas or even a very economical V6 in a pinch
    Automatic preferred, but will do manual work if I must. ;)
    Prefer no fancy interior and accessories unless free. :)
    Low price is important. Would like to keep it well under 20K if possible, but I'm realistic about that.

    Does that sound like any pickup you know of? I am not brand loyal. As long as the vehicle will last 10 years without a lot of expense, I'm happy.

    Many thanks,,,
  • 12ozcurls12ozcurls Member Posts: 65
    Well i dont think you're going to find anything new under 20K. I would say you're best bet is a Tacoma. My friend has a crew cab, with a 6 foot bed and a 6cyl. its a very nice ride. but they are expensive. The other small truck I would consider is the Honda Ridgeline, although it only has a 5 foot bed, but is a very capable truck for what you need it for. There are no diesels yet but they are in the works. You might even want to try out the new Tundras as dealers are offering many incentives to try and move as many as possible.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    If you really want to do something about gas prices you should run for President since we are going to get a new one anyway.
  • cutecaroletxcutecaroletx Member Posts: 5
  • jcs1218jcs1218 Member Posts: 2
    We are shopping for a used truck. We have a 1997 F-250 with 137,000 miles and it is starting to need a lot of expensive repairs. We want to have something more reliable that won't cost a lot to maintain. In our price range (about 10K) we have found trucks that are about 2000 or 2001, but they all have around 100K miles if not more. We also found a 1998 GMC Sierra 1500, which comes with a plow, and has only 68K miles. We are leaning toward the older truck with less miles. Opinions on what is more important for reliability--model year vs. mileage?
  • 12ozcurls12ozcurls Member Posts: 65
    I would definitely go with the '98 GMC or comparable Chevy. The '88-'98 GM Chevy/GMC line is a very reliable truck overall and value wise it is the best buy for the money. Everyone I know is getting one because they needed something cheap but reliable. The transmissions on these trucks have a service life averaging around 150,000 miles before they need to be serviced or rebuilt. And the 350(5.7L) engine that comes with these trucks has been around forever. One of the things you might have to change out or fix is the pitman and idler arm setup, and possibly some other suspension bits but these are very cheap parts and you could most likely do it yourself. I have a cousin who bought a '95 Chevy C1500 a couple of years ago at 80,000 miles and he just changed the alternator for the first time at 133,000 miles. I have another cousin who traded in his Ford F-150 Harley Davidson for a '97 C1500 with 130,000 miles and hasn't had any problems with it. It is a very smooth and rock solid ride. It's not going to win any beauty contests but for the money, it is your best bet. If you decide to go with something newer, stay way from the '99-'04 Chevy/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500's. GM cheapened up on some of the parts and they had transmission problems. If you want something newer, go with the 2500 line as they come with the rock solid 4L80E transmission and more power.
  • jcs1218jcs1218 Member Posts: 2
This discussion has been closed.

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