What kind of truck?

I know this is not a fishing report, but the reports are slow due to extreme heat and no rain for ever now. ( alteast at my house) Anyway... I'm looking to buy a newer tow vehicle very soon and was just curious what you guys drive and why. I worked for GM for 11yrs so I would like to stay with chevy but I really like the Dodge rams. Im looking at a Tahoe or the chevy silverado 4 door 4wd, its similar to what i have now. I haul a bass boat, 25ft camper and also a landscaping trailer. Any pros or cons to any make model or style vehicle would be great. I heard... Ford cant build an engine to last and Dodge cant build a good transmission, any truth to that. Im sure this will get guys fired up talking about there favorite makes and bashing the worst ones, but it may help me and many more answer some questions before spending hard earned money on a vehicle. Thanks for the info.

I felt the same way you do about ford and dodge. Dodge scares me with rust and trannys. We just got rid of our expedition. We now have a toyota tundra. 5.7liter with the 6 speed trany. I love it. Love the looks and the ride is fantasic for a truck I think. We have a 17' Tracker targa and a 26' trailer. Love my truck. Yes there is a few problems and that is the cup holders are not positioned in side your reach they are more to the passenger side. LOL. MPG 75mph on freeway and got 18.4 mpg that is the best i got with it i drive 35 miles to work and get 15.5mpg towing my boat it;s 13mpg. Good luck my 2 cents Eric

Get ready to break the bank is all I can say....LOL!
I have had fords, chevys, GMC and now own a Dodge.
I really love my Dodge but I also loved the GMC. The GMC got way better gas mileage but it was only two wheel drive where as my Dodge is four wheel drive so its not the same.
I do know the newer model Rams get better gas mileage then my 04.
Either way I would stick to a GM or Dodge if it was my money. I had three different fords and three different issues but that can happen with any manufacturer.
Heck I have two fords, one chevy and one dodge in my driveway all the time. Only one is a truck though.
Good Luck on your search!

Skeeter - love my chevy. I have the four door, two wheel drive. I just don't need the 4-wheel drive (next time I'm on a slick ramp, I might think different). Anyway, most of my buddies have a dodge, and I can't knock them other than gas milage and rust. One buddy bought his dodge about a month after I bought my chevy, and his bumper looks like it is already 20 years old. Gas milage is 13 to 15 pulling my 18' alumicraft and 17 to 20 on the open road. The two wheel drive turns much tighter, and the other thing to consider is the rear end gear. I have 3.42, so my low end torque is not the best, but I got that one for the better gas milage. I like having the "truck" still versus the tahoe as I can still use it to haul stuff in. I also like the design of the rear seats in the chevy - you can lay them flat, and the storage space is probably best in class.

Like you said, you could start a war with some people. I think you just have to find one that fits your needs the best. Good Luck!

I was really happy with my Silverado...until the cab rusted through in several places. When the bed sides rusted through and I noticed a lot of other Silverados rusting in the same places, I switched to Ford.

Pay very close attention to towing capacities. The way they are determined is being standardized and it looks like many are going to lose 20-25%.

I'd take a look at the Ecoboost in a Ford before deciding. I'm hearing 14.5mpg with a boat and 22mpg empty AND good power. That's about a 10% gas savings, so if you run a lot of miles, it might be worth considering.

To each his own. I have owned 3 fords, all blown heads, as some point or another, and I baby my trucks. I have an 05' Chevy now getting ready to turn 100k and still runs like the day I bought it.

I been at chrysler for 17 years had 4 ram 4x4, all 4 had something go wrong other than a tranny after 36k warrenty was up. I dont know much about new ones except i hear complaint on mpg and hear new rams alot nicer they dont look as cheap inside the cab. i now drive a 07 chevy 4x4 quadcab i would buy a union made truck atleast the money you pay for truck will stays in the USA and not profit a foreign country

In 2005 I traded my F150 in for a new Toyota Tundra because I needed 4 wheel drive and liked the way the Tundra looked. The Tundra has not missed a beat. I pull a 18 foot aluminum G3 bass style boat. Can't hardly tell the truck is pulling anything. All I've done is the routine maintenance and brakes. The Tundra is built in Indiana, so I feel OK with "made in the USA". My Ford was built in Canada....go figure. There was nothing wrong with the Ford except it didn't have 4 wheel drive.

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Originally Posted by crappiewisdom

In 2005 I traded my F150 in for a new Toyota Tundra because I needed 4 wheel drive and liked the way the Tundra looked. The Tundra has not missed a beat. I pull a 18 foot aluminum G3 bass style boat. Can't hardly tell the truck is pulling anything. All I've done is the routine maintenance and brakes. The Tundra is built in Indiana, so I feel OK with "made in the USA". My Ford was built in Canada....go figure. There was nothing wrong with the Ford except it didn't have 4 wheel drive.

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I was wondering if anybody was gonna mention Toyota. :D

I don't haul much of anything, but my little Tacoma is still great after ten years and 160,000 miles.

Hey Jason,
I have owned 3 Dodge Ram 4-wheel drive trucks now, and never had a major problem with any of them. I just traded off my '06 4wd for a new Ram about 3 weeks ago, and I love the new truck. The only reason I got out of my last truck is it was about to turn over 100,000 miles, and I drive enough as it is, so I wanted to update it. The '06 had a 4.7 litre V-8 and the new one has a Hemi. They have made a lot of updates since the last truck. 3-year bumper to bumper warranty, 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty for those who worry about transmissions. The last truck had a 4-speed auto transmission, but the new one has a 5-speed auto trans. The difference in the power from the 4.7 to the Hemi is amazing. I have been averaging about 17 miles a gallon combo driving, including pulling my boat.

People can say that the Tundras are made in Indiana, but they aren't. They are assembled in Indiana with non-union labor. The bulk of the trucks are made in Japan, and guess where the bulk of the money from them goes? (clue: not America!)

I wish you good luck in your search. I really don't think you can buy a "BAD" vehicle, it is all a matter of personal prefrence. We have all brands of vehicles (except Toyotas) at our shop in our service fleet, and all of them hold up very well.

Good Luck!

you said you worked for GM... everyone knows the chevy bow tie is GMC reject stamp...

there is only one real truck...

DON"T BUY NO UGLY TRUCK...


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Jason you know my thoughts. My last 3 new trucks have been chevy. 05, 08, and now a 2010. I must say that the new model half tons are really nice to pull a boat with. Especially since they put the 6new speed allison transmission in it. Its a towing machine.
2010 chevy silverado z-71, 4x4, crewcab. The best I have did is 402 miles on a full tank with no load and about 305 to 320 on a full tank pulling boat.
Eric

Here we go.I live in Toledo Oh. right on the Mich line. I worked on the GTW. RR for 40 yrs. 65 percent of traffic was GM.Its about all gone. In 1992 when the Free Trade came in GM had 50 thousands Jobs up to 150 miles from Det. Mich. Now they have 3 thousands.Do i need to say where they are.For that reason i drive a TUNDRA.Buy what you what but please sure its put together in the US. The parts come from all over the world At this point we will not change that.

Got to go ahead and bring the tundra back up. They really are sweet trucks. I traded my 06 f150 in this year for a crewmax tundra and absolutely love it so far. Had it 6 months now and it pulls my 18ft landscape trailer with two zero turns and other misc. equipment on it better than my ford did by a mile. It rides much smoother and is very quiet inside also. Has more storage inside and so much room most of my passengers can't even believe it when they get in the back. Needless to say I love it so far and actually don't have a single complaint yet.

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Originally Posted by Crappieking1

People can say that the Tundras are made in Indiana, but they aren't. They are assembled in Indiana with non-union labor. The bulk of the trucks are made in Japan, and guess where the bulk of the money from them goes? (clue: not America!)

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Do you think the rest of the auto makers are still producing "American made" parts? You may want to look south of the border to see where a majority of American jobs went for GM. I'll never buy another new truck, but if I did it would be a Ford, and I was a die-hard GM fan for years....until they whined for the government cheese.


another 60,000 jobs goin' south......
GM just sent 60,000 American jobs to Mexico by 2012 - Topix

another $500+ million going south too
AFP: GM to invest extra $540 million in Mexico to build motors

Why support companies who don't support you, your country, or your fellow Americans?

Good article Neon Noon. To let the america public how bad a co. GM is. They gutted the state of MICH. of good jobs with the free trade of 1992.What gets me the big boys in Washington still letting it go on after bailing them out. Once again i say i do not care what car or truck you buy as long as a US worker has a job building it. If Toyota wants to build a plant in your city with 5 thousand jobs i do not think anyone will say no thanks at this stage of the game. Say it like it is. A job is a job GM FORD TOYOYA botton line its pays the bills

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the makers out there today. With all the options now on trucks they are really so close in class and mpg. If you can stand the noise you may think about a diesel, good pulling power and usually better mileage. Anything new will be nice!

Our warranty number for dodge are very good and have been for the last few years, my job is to evaluate warranty failures and find the root cause so I have access to a lot more warranty information then most. That said I do not have personal knowledge of the Chevy but I sure have not heard too many serious issues of late. My $.002 don't bite the hand that feeds you..

I bought a 96 GMC ext. cab v6 2WD 'work truck' in '97 that had 17k miles. It had some issues but was under warranty. I had the bed rhino coated and add a sun roof. Since then I now have 248k miles, I might burn a qt. of oil per YEAR. The 2 BEST things I have added/done to it is changed ALL oils to AMSOIL, along with a dual remote filter system, and had my computer reprogrammed (actually he will send another on) here: Wait4Me Performance

I told him I towed a lawn care trailer/boat/popup camper and wanted torque and decent gas milage. When I installed the new computer, you could feel the difference. My milage is around 20 mpg (not towing). I haven't checked it when towing my boat... don't care. I put an aggressive set of tires usually GoodYears that are still quiet on the road. They are great in the snow and slick ramps. It doesn't have carpet/leather etc. I hose out the interior floor after fishing/hunting/camping etc. then towel dry it. The body has 2 small rust spots behind the front wheel wells that I will have fixed soon.

I have looked at the newer trucks and the milage is the same or worse. I would gain nothing except it would be new, and I would either have a payment or have less cash in my savings. New is not always better.

edit: My main gripe is corporations in this country could care less about the American worker, it's all about the PROFIT. NAFTA was bad for this country and many many jobs are gone until NAFTA is repealed and Congresses taxes the hell out of any corporation that moves jobs out of this country. I don't have anything against making a profit but, the workers in this country should come first before profit!

tb

Toyota Tundra

Try to find someone who has a legitimate complaint with a Toyota product. That is all that needs to be said.

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Originally Posted by 8upwithit

Try to find someone who has a legitimate complaint with a Toyota product. That is all that needs to be said.

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X2

Take your time and look for a used Toyota and you will find the numbers are quite low in comparison to the Big 3. Reason for this is because people like what they have bought and keep them longer.Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up

If you want to support the after market parts companies buy one of the Big 3.DohDoh

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Originally Posted by gijimbo

X2

Take your time and look for a used Toyota and you will find the numbers are quite low in comparison to the Big 3. Reason for this is because people like what they have bought and keep them longer.Thumbs UpThumbs UpThumbs Up

If you want to support the after market parts companies buy one of the Big 3.DohDoh

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Whats not to like about a truck you can put over 200,000 miles on and the only money you have put in it is. Oil changes and 1 set of brake pads.

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Originally Posted by PIGINTHEPIGPEN

Whats not to like about a truck you can put over 200,000 miles on and the only money you have put in it is. Oil changes and 1 set of brake pads.

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not to just stir the pot but you do all remember Toyota recalled over 200,000 trucks because the camshafts were breaking last year.. and got sued for sticking throttles in there cars.. seems people have a short memory. On top of that i have 3 Chrysler and a Ram all have over 180,000 on them the ram has 268k on it, I know of at least 3 GM trucks with over 200k on them that friends of mine drive..

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Originally Posted by kwerdal

not to just stir the pot but you do all remember Toyota recalled over 200,000 trucks because the camshafts were breaking last year.. and got sued for sticking throttles in there cars.. seems people have a short memory. On top of that i have 3 Chrysler and a Ram all have over 180,000 on them the ram has 268k on it, I know of at least 3 GM trucks with over 200k on them that friends of mine drive..

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A bought a bunch of Tacomas back at 150% of the new price because they rusted in half. Toyota to buy back rusted Tacomas | Reuters

When Toyota (they are human) realizes they have a problem, they publicize it (to make everyone aware) and (most importantly) make it right:

"Toyota is offering to buy back Tacoma trucks built between 1995 and 2000 with frames deemed to be so badly rusted they cannot be repaired at one and a half times the most generous resale value as calculated by Kelly Blue Book.
In addition, the Japanese automaker will extend the warranty on Tacoma frames from the standard 3-years or 36,000 miles to 15 years with unlimited mileage for the rust problem."

When have you ever heard of the (used to be) Big 3 doing something like that? By the time we find out that they have a problem, it has been going on for years and they still deny it (or blame it on someone else). They never seem to want to make it right either.

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Originally Posted by 8upwithit

When Toyota (they are human) realizes they have a problem, they publicize it (to make everyone aware) and (most importantly) make it right:

"Toyota is offering to buy back Tacoma trucks built between 1995 and 2000 with frames deemed to be so badly rusted they cannot be repaired at one and a half times the most generous resale value as calculated by Kelly Blue Book.
In addition, the Japanese automaker will extend the warranty on Tacoma frames from the standard 3-years or 36,000 miles to 15 years with unlimited mileage for the rust problem."

When have you ever heard of the (used to be) Big 3 doing something like that? By the time we find out that they have a problem, it has been going on for years and they still deny it (or blame it on someone else). They never seem to want to make it right either.

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The reason they got sues for the trottle sticking was because they knew they had the issues and did not fix it a state police officer in california was killed because of this isse.. they make right what the public finds out about

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Originally Posted by skeeterman1

Anyway... I'm looking to buy a newer tow vehicle very soon and was just curious what you guys drive and why. I worked for GM for 11yrs so I would like to stay with chevy but I really like the Dodge rams. Im looking at a Tahoe or the chevy silverado 4 door 4wd, its similar to what i have now. .

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The original question was not whether Jason was going to buy a Toyota or not, it was him looking for what we drive and why. Let's face it, the guys that like Toyota are not going to be swayed, and neither are the domestic truck manufacturers drivers. Just keep in mind that when you bash the American truck manufacturers, and prop up the Japenese trucks, you are creating some major league hard feelings. Many of us on this forum are union American workers, and whether you are not American enough to have pride in our great nation and/or have to bash what is made here is very sad indeed. This is exactly what is the matter with our country right now, no American jobs because all of our manufacturing base is being sent to Asian countries, Mexico and Canada. Yet as Americans we snatch up all these imported goods, and almost always have an excuse to justify it. Then when we complain our economy is so poor, and complain that we have such a huge deficit, etc. This country was built on our used to be manufacturing base, and now that a lot of it is gone, we are seeing the result of it. My dad worked his entire career for the Chrysler Corporation, and so did both of his brothers. Chrysler allowed my dad and both of his brothers to make a good living, and support their families (without moms having to work). Because of Chrysler all my needs were covered as a kid, and now dad and his brothers have a comfortable retirement because all of their dedicated years to this company.

Because of this, I would not consider any other brand of vehicle without looking at a Chrysler product first. If you go to a dealer now, they have to list how much of the truck is American made on the invoice. I just bought my Dodge Ram 4 weeks ago, and the window sticker said that 70% of the truck is made in America, and 30% made in Canada and Mexico. Yes this may not be perfect, but the Japenese truck manufacturers are a minimum the opposite with less than 30% made in America. If you don't care, fine, then buy a Japenese truck, at least we still have that freedom of choice. Toyota has had just as many recalls on their products as the American Truck manufacturers, only huge recalls make the news, most of them are taken care of when the vehicle is returned to the dealer for service or notifying you by letter. Toyota has just managed to fly under the radar on these recalls until recently. Toyota has ruined NASCAR, and has bought their way into bass fishing in a big way too. This is actually the tip of the iceberg of where this country is heading if we continue down the same path.

Jason, good luck on your search for a new tow vehicle, I hope you make the right choice!

So it is kind of un AMERICAN for people to be loyal to Toyota just because. They WORK and SUPPORT their Family by working in Toyota plants in Indiana and Texas ? Is it possible they show Great Pride in the work they do as well? I sure hope these people make the right choice. As far as toyota ruining NASCAR...LMAO

Want American made vehicles, check out Cars.com.

Bashing America, I hardly think so. It's bashing poor engineering / quality. Lets put quality back into engineering and parts and people would be more than happy to buy American vehicles. Hell, let's put American back into our own vehicles (Big 3)!!! Once the Big 3 finally realize that "value" engineering and quality are no longer acceptable then maybe they will hear the sound of the heads being pulled from the a$$es. Maybe at that point the tide will shift and quality will come back.

One last thought, show me a auto manufacturer that hasn't had a recall and I'll show you one that doesn't exist.

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Well,,all of your Big 3 auto makes filed complaints last month with the EPA,,,as to E-15 gas,,that the gas stations are going to start eventually selling come end of this Sept,,will maybe void their warrantees....and as for gas mileage..forget it burning alcohol..you get less power and less mileage burning it,,and besides,,it will eat up parts of your engine..So buy what you want..they all run pretty good as long as you take care of them with alittle tenderloving care.