Truck Review

hubweims · Post by **hubweims** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:14 pm

ok, so i am in the market for a new truck. what is everyone driving? what would you be driving? pros cons to brands? pros/cons to gas vs. diesel?

Post by **kninebirddog** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:49 pm

Depends...for most you long HEAVY hauls...I have to say the Ford

MPG's welll for a general rule the better at towing and pulling and hauling the worse your gonna get.

and for what we haul ...just our trailer the 1ton GMC our buddy insiste on using for a trip we did together...I am glad we own a Ford

phermes1 · Post by **phermes1** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:20 pm

Oh my, this could be a lively discussion!!!

Diesels give you more power and better gas mileage. Whatever brand you choose, I'd definitely go diesel.

Ford diesels are great, specifically their 7.3 liter engines, which they stopped making in 2003. I hear that their latest diesel is pretty good, while the 6.0 had a load of problems.
After Ford, I'd consider Dodge. I don't know if the entire truck is built as good as a Ford, but I understand their diesel motors are bulletproof.

Post by **Kiki's Mom** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:44 pm

Don't know if you guys knew this but the Chevy Duramax OUT PULLED, out HAULED both Ford and Dodge and was the 2006 truck of the year....same class....

Can't beat that Duramax engine and Alliison Tranny combo in the Chevy these days....and I HAD A Ford with darn near 300 thousand miles on it before we got this one. I wouldn't trade my 2007 Silverado Classic Duramax for all the tea in China.....

WiskeyJaR · Post by **WiskeyJaR** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:50 pm

if your looking at big trucks for hauling etc. take a look at the International MXT.
http://www.internationaltrucks.com/port ... d0eb0aRCRD

Trigger · Post by **Trigger** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:01 pm

I am a chevy duramax guy

Grange · Post by **Grange** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:03 pm

I bought a new Chevy Silverado 4X4 extended cab in March. It's the new body style and with over 9K on it I haven't had any problems. What sold me on this truck was the features and comfort.

The rear windows are powered and go all the way down like a normal window. The extended cab doors open to almost 180 degrees. There is extra storage under the center seat in the front and the rear seats are split seating, which makes it more convenient when putting things in the back. Finally I like the steering wheel controls (i.e. cruise control and radio). Power isn't an issue for me (315 hp) and it has plenty of torque for my needs (318 lbs.).

Things I don't like are the brights switch (push the lever instead of pulling) and the power seat doesn't have power lumbar support. It's a hand crank instead. Even with these minor issues I am still totaly satisfied with the vehicle.

Gas mileage is anywhere between 18-20 on the highway and 13-15 in the city. Ethanol mileage is about 4 mpg less on highway and 2-3 mpg less in the city. The engine goes from 8cyl. 4cyl. with out me noticing (you can see the switch on the trip computer, but can't feel it), which helps.

Last thing I'll say is that I love the looks.

DKA · Post by **DKA** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:37 pm

Bought a new Ford last Feb. and really like it.

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:54 pm

Drive a 2004 Dodge w a Hemi gas. If I was pulling more I would go with the Dodge with the Cummins engine. I like the GMC or Cheve also but my experience with Fords have never been good. As you can tell though it is personnal preference. Cars and dogfood have a lot in common.

Ezzy

Brittguy · Post by **Brittguy** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:52 pm

Diesel has it over gas for fuel mileage and longevity,but I feel that you will have to drive a lot of miles or keep it a long time to reach breakeven point.Diesel engine cost a lot more and fuel is higher per gal. You will see some return on resale and demand when it comes time to sell.
When you go to a field trial or horse show,Fords will outnumber other brands by far.

Buckeye_V · Post by **Buckeye_V** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:19 pm

2005 Dodge Cummins 1-ton 4x4 Quad Cab SRW LB

I get 20 +- MPG on the highway.
I get 16 +- MPG pulling a loaded horse trailer.

Keep in mind that Cummins has changed their basic engine block design the last in the last 15 years than their competitors. Wonder why??? If it ain't broke - don't fix it.

I have had the truck just over a year and I LOVE IT! The truck is built as well as the motor. If I have a concern it is the tranny. We'll see on that one.

I wouldn't touch a Ford with a 10-foot pole with the Powerstroke.

I liked the Chevy, but they would not deal with me. So, I bought a Dodge.

My FIL has a 94 with 325k miles on it and it still runs reliably.

original mngsp · Post by **original mngsp** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:46 pm

I just have a Dodge with a gas engine, love the truck, hate the mileage.

The Cummins diesel is a great motor, transmissions have been the weak link but I hear they are improving. If you can deal with a manual tranny, the Dodge diesel is a slam dunk winner!!

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:02 pm

If you look in the archives, you'll see how I ended up with my Dodge Megacab 2500 with Cummins.

Briefly, I drive my vehicles in the ground, so I did a 10 year total cost of ownership analysis. Due to the rebate I got at the time, the Dodge came out on top.

Best regards, Greg J.

original mngsp · Post by **original mngsp** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:08 pm

so I did a 10 year total cost of ownership analysis

Typical engineer!

Hope the Christmas Season is good for you and the family Greg. My boy and I are gearing up for another Pinewood Derby race in January!

Don · Post by **Don** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:24 pm

I spent a couple years delivering RV trailers for a living. Hands down the choice is between Dodge and Ford there with the edge to Dodge. The Dodge trans I had, auto, was alright for 232,000 mi and started slipping. Dodge told me not to expect over 175,000 out of the trans. Full service it every 25,000 to keep it alive. Just under $2500 to rebuild it.

The Dura max comes in way down the line. Seem's the problem is they don't last to well. Two guys told be of needing new injectors just over 100k and before they were done had 16k into repairs. New injectors in my Dodge were $2500. Rebuild on the Dura Max is said to be over 15k, Powerstroke and Cummins both around 10k.

Friend of mine with his second Power Stroke got 650k out of the first one. Another friend from Mich with the Cummins got 1.3 million out of his.

I have an older Ford diesel now, 83, and unless I was pulling heavy a lot would not get another diesel. Initial cost is high, 40k+, repairs expensive and the cost of fuel is thru the roof, $3.65gal here. Reg gas is about $3 gal, makes up for any miledge loss and then some. Unless your pulling heavy a lot then the diesel eats the gas engine alive.

I think the interior of the Ford is much better done than on the Dodge.

You might leep in mind that the guys I'm talking about here are putting over 160k per year on their trucks.

highcotton · Post by **highcotton** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:41 pm

I got a new Ford F350 in 2000 with the 7.3 engine. I drove it 7 years and 200,000 miles with no repairs other than regular maintainence. I recently sold the truck for almost exactly half the price I paid for it new. It was the best truck I have ever owned.

Since I no longer do any heavy pulling I replaced it with a 2007 Chevy Silverado with the gas engine. It gets 20 mpg highway and 15-16 city. I hope it is half the truck the Ford was.

tfbirddog2 · Post by **tfbirddog2** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:25 pm

Out here in the country if you want a truck for work and to keep a long time on the farm buy a ford if you want it to be pretty buy a chevy .It is funny there are ford parked in the corner of every field and in every out building and chevy washed and shined to go to town. 93 F150 XLT XCAB 4X4 5.0 160,568 miles and still hunt.New F250 Crew cab 4X4 Powerstrtoke in the sights very soon.

Post by **ezzy333** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:28 pm

Around here you don't see many Fords. I think what you see is more a testiment to how good the dealer is than anything else.

Ezzy

hubweims · Post by **hubweims** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:46 pm

Thanks guys..........it seems that many of you have narrowed it down to the two that i was considering the most (silverado z71 gas 1500 & F250). While I want the F250 (my dream truck), I don't know that I need it for the extra $$$$$. The only towing that i do is small trailors and my bass boat. I'm sure the chevy can pull these b/c my wife's midsize suv pulls the boat very well. I am not a dodge fan. everyone that i know who has had one has had tranny problems with them. that's no lie either. the main reason (this may sound odd but i don't tow heavy) that i was considering a diesel is b/c of the hurricanes. after katrina, there wasn't any gas to be found for some time, and the lines were nuts. 4-6 hour waits for $20 bucks worth, but deisel was abundant with no limits on amount of purchase. It would just be nice knowing i could get around if we ever have another situation like before.

hubweims · Post by **hubweims** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:50 pm

ezzy333 wrote:Around here you don't see many Fords. I think what you see is more a testiment to how good the dealer is than anything else.

Ezzy

I think that may true in small towns especially since getting one brand my be much easier to get compared to another where you may have to travel to find what you want. but, too i think it depends on where you live. when i lived in dallas the fords outnumbered the chevys probably 5 to 1. many dealers of both brands throughout the DFW metroplex, but for some reason it seemed that everyone was driving F250's, F350's, F450's, or Excursions

Windyhills · Post by **Windyhills** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:40 pm

I won't say I like the new design looks, but the new chevy and GMC's with active fuel mgmt. get the nod for best basic truck from me. Get a bit better mileage than all the others, ride very nice, plenty power for basic towing. Run away from any E-85 engine thoughts for saving money--mileage is quite a bit worse and more than offsets the cheaper gas price.

Seem to see the most problems with fords in our fleet of 1 tons. Pretty much all diesel these days. Dodge used to have quite a few problems as well but am told the newer ones seem to have cleaned that up.

Post by **kninebirddog** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 11:49 pm

Donot get the e85 trucks if you plan on hauling more then groceries

buddy bought a multi fuel truck when he puts in the e85 he literally can not pull an empty trialer across flat ground he was pissed

Post by **ezzy333** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:02 am

My neighbor has an E85 truck and loves it. Has no problem pulling. If the engine is alright there shouldn't be any problem. Nascar is using it and they have plenty of power. The milage will be worse but should be as much or more power.

Ezzy

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:38 am

original mngsp wrote:
so I did a 10 year total cost of ownership analysis
Typical engineer!

Hope the Christmas Season is good for you and the family Greg. My boy and I are gearing up for another Pinewood Derby race in January!

Sounds more like an accountant to me!!!

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:31 am

Sorry, not accountant. Engineer to the max.

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:51 am

$42,600 diesel, $27,800 1/2 ton truck, Identicle packages.
$3.65 diesel $3.15 gas
19mpg 16mpg
40,000 miles a year both.
$14,800 cost difference of vehicle
395gallons less fuel in diesel ($1441.75)
Will take 10.25 years to break even with the cost difference of the diesel truck?

I think that is right.

My Chevy 4x4 03,5.4, 2:73 gears, has 240,000 miles nothing done to motor, one transmission and one transfer case, one fuel pump at 15,000 replace front axels twice.

It rides great, good fuel mileage16 to 18 MPG, ( I hate this truck it is a tin box, to low to the ground, hurts my hip and knee driving, ugly....) I always had dodge, Love dodge, noisier, less mileage, more comfort, less problems, each dodge 4x4, I traded or sold all had over 200,000miles as well.

If just towing a couple times a year, why diesel? Gearing makes a big difference. The dodge 2x4,15 to 17 MPG, has 4.7 and 3:92 or 3:93 gears hauls the work trailer loaded no issues, and my loaded snowmoblile trailer, no issues.
If it were every day go diesel.

wannabe · Post by **wannabe** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:56 am

hubweims wrote:ok, so i am in the market for a new truck. what is everyone driving? what would you be driving? pros cons to brands? pros/cons to gas vs. diesel?

If you look around the camp ground at most field trials in the mid-west, you will see as many F-250/350 Power Stroke as Chevy and Dodge combined. I drove a 2007 crew cab dually 4x4 with the 6.0 Powerstroke all day yesterday and it seemed like a pretty nice truck, but more than I would ever need.

I drive a Duramax and a Chevy 6L at work, but I have been buying gas powered F-150's since the early '90's. I pull a 6,000 lb horse trailer or a <1000 lb dog trailer all over the country, and I have NEVER needed to call a tow truck. The fuel mileage isn't as good as a 5.3 Chevy, but it pulls the trailers well and it is a much nicer truck.

Most of the diehard Chevy guys that know have bought Nissan Titans.

KY Grouse Hunter · Post by **KY Grouse Hunter** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:38 am

2005 Dodge 1500 Sport

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:00 am

The MSRP on the trucks that I was looking at was about $6,000 extra for the diesel.

At any rate, with the different rebates that were going on at the time, I only paid $37,000 (plus tax) for my Megacab.

You also have to figure that diesel cost varies by the time of year. It goes up as winter nears because of a tie in to home heating oil and the shift to "winter blend".

E.g. All through this past summer, I was paying less for diesel that I was for gas.

Another point to consider is the longevity of the diesel...if you drive your vehicles that long. I do. My other vehicle is a 1996 Toyota 4-Runner with over 208,000 miles.

Best regards, Greg J.

DS · Post by DS » Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:06 am

Keep in mind, only the dodge is listed as a medium duty truck, the ford and chevy are listed as light duty. Also the dodge puts out more tork than the other two in the lower rpm range where you need it taking off with a heavy load, ford and chevy come on hard at higher rpm wich is better on the open hiway. Do a search of pistons on the internet the dodges are almoust twice as big as the other two. Dodge has the best engine hands down (they do not make it), there trucks tend to have the thinest side wall metal, so dent's verry happen easy and they ride rougher than the other two, acourse it is a truck. Out in in Arizona i see about an even mix of trucks at events.

Tejas · Post by **Tejas** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 4:32 pm

Does anyone have any experience with the new Toyota Tundra?

I've had good experiences with their SUV's and am somewhat interested in switching over to their pickup.

wannabe · Post by **wannabe** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 5:10 pm

Tejas wrote:Does anyone have any experience with the new Toyota Tundra?

I've had good experiences with their SUV's and am somewhat interested in switching over to their pickup.

I drove one a few months ago to see what all of the hype was about. While I did enjoy the powerful motor, I wasn't impressed with the truck.

Hotpepper · Post by **Hotpepper** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:58 pm

If it is a pickup, FORD.

If you are pulling a lot of weight, a used big truck such as an International and those do not wear out.

Pepper

whitedogone · Post by **whitedogone** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:07 pm

If you're not pulling a big trailer much, the Z71 with the 5.3 is a great truck. It will beat ford and dodge on gas mileage. No need for a Desiel unless you are towing. It's not worth the extra $. WDO

Daniel in Ak · Post by **Daniel in Ak** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:32 pm

Im driving a 2007 3/4 ton 4x4 four door Chevy Duramax Diesel with the Allison Tranny.Gets me where I wanna go and tows whatever I want.Holds up well when Ya hit a Moose......like I did with my 05 model,thats why I have the new one now

And I also drive a 2007 4x4 Chevy Tahoe.Not much in trucks but there ya have it.Daniel

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:47 am

Those moose don't like to move do they. Probally happened at night? They also blend into a dark road. Hope you all were not hurt.

Grange · Post by **Grange** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:02 am

My Chevy Silverado has an E85 engine and while it's true ethanol gets less mpg's than gas I like the ability to have the option for either fuel. Until the last couple of months E85 was $1 less than gas per mpg thus it was cost effective to use ethanol. Now with ethanol closer in price to gas I prefer to fill up with gas.

hubweims · Post by **hubweims** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:10 am

Grange wrote:My Chevy Silverado has an E85 engine and while it's true ethanol gets less mpg's than gas I like the ability to have the option for either fuel. Until the last couple of months E85 was $1 less than gas per mpg thus it was cost effective to use ethanol. Now with ethanol closer in price to gas I prefer to fill up with gas.

what about the performance of the truck when using the two different fuels. does the ethanol still provide sufficient power to pull a boat???

Sorno · Post by **Sorno** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:40 pm

I bought a 07 F-350 with the V10. After all my calculations it came out on top over the diesel. The only thing that hurts is the $100+ fills at the pump. But it would be worse with the diesel since in my area it is generally .50-.70 cents more per gallon.

My order for heavy duty trucks would be:
1. Ford SuperDuty
2. GMC HD
3. Dodge HD (diesel only)
4. Chevy HD

hubweims · Post by **hubweims** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:34 am

well, thanks everyone for the replies and suggestions. the chevy won the contest. purchased a new 1500 crew cab 5.3L today. after all the reading and looking a trucks and your opinions i went with a 1/2 ton. only weight i pull is 20' ranger bass boat and small trailer for atv's and such. i liked the fuel mgt system. i had narrowed it down to the 1500 and f150. it came down to price & financing. i got a better deal on the chevy and on the '08 model silverados they are running 1.9% APR. so, chevy won this battle. thanks to everyone for the discussion though.

petrey10 · Post by **petrey10** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:22 pm

Diesel= GMC Duramax with Allison tranny, its the best there is period

Gas= 2007 or 2008 Toyota Tundra, most power, most comfort and best riding truck you will find. The most room you will find. They do all the little things right. It is actually a 1/2 ton built like a 3/4 ton truck. The warranty is very good and if you don't use it after a certain point you get about 1500 back when you sell/trade your truck. The bottom panels won't get chipped no matter what you do with the coating they are putting on the paint( don't know how else to explain it). Has the most fricken cup holders I have every seen in a vehicle(ok not a big deal but its a little thing that is convenient). The tailgate is hydrolic so it doesn't weigh 300 pounds like dodges. On the highway going 60mph I get 20-22 mpg.

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