Trucks

[lady-MGS]

So we are looking @ buying a truck. We don't want to spend to much money but it does have to be a crew cab w/ four doors. My problem is, we found a few yesterday but of course, there are always pros and cons.

My question is- What is everyone's preference and why? And.. If anyone knows any added information, for instance certain problems that run in certain models, would be an added bonus Thanks

[Infamous]

im not a "truck guy" meaning, i dont care what brand i drive, as long as its nice.
Dodges are great trucks. they are more expensive to fix though( in general)

Fords are good trucks. a lot of guys i know have like 300k miles on their trucks various models, diesels and gas. All of my fords have been POS's. One thing i can say, fords turn like crap. i run a lot of snow plows in winter, and out of the three brands, fords turn the worst, especially in 4WD

Checy/GMC are good trucks as well. they turn better than fords. They have a good name and reputation.

The Toyota tundra is a good truck. i had one as a work truck, and damn, it was sure hard to give it up. of course they are really expensive compared to the "big 3" but, it has that toyota name on it.

When it comes down to it, all the car makers tried to make a good truck, and then out do the other two. depending on year and budget, id go dodge. Fords probably the least expensive out of the three.

[lady-MGS]

We want to stay around 12. We found a Dodge for 10 that we really liked but the check engine light was on and the air conditioning didn't work right. The guy thought the light was because of the air conditioning and said he was going to send it to the Dodge guy tomorrow. I don't want them to get the light off and then buy it and have it come back on and be something bad.

We also found a big bad a$$ ford for 11,500 but it was a v-10. Of course that's the one my husband wants. In reality, it will not happen because it has a little bit of lift to it, enough to where there is no way I could get my sons wheel chair in the back of it.

Perferablly, I WANT an Avalanche. I have found a couple in my price range but the miles are way high. Yea, I want it because I like the way it looks but also because it already has a cover on the bed. Anything else, we are going to have to buy a cover.

We were kinda set on the Dodge and then my brother said Dodge's were known to be pos. My last vehicle I paid cash for we've had it for 11 years. Not having a car payment has been way nice but the van is dieing and we really have no choice. Just scared to death to jump into something and then have someone say "oo ford f150's are known for transmission problems".

[Donziboy2]

Check engine lights are kind of funny. Sometimes its the gas cap sometimes its the oxy sensor, sometimes it just felt like going off.

All parts come off an assembly line. So basically you either will have good luck, bad luck, or the environment will wear it out. You could have the best parts money can buy and they will still break if mistreated or left in bad environment (excessive cold or hot weather, or corrosive substances like road salt).

Also remember that the price of gas is never going to be $2 a gallon ever again so dont buy a truck with a 40 gallon tank and a 10mpg rating.

And long trucks are a pain to park at the grocery store.

Had my truck, miss it sometimes, but like my lil red sports car to.

Need Want

[lady-MGS]

OO big trucks and parking lots.

While at one of the dealers yesterday, a salesman got the call of one of their trucks that someone was test driving was high centered on a great big rock at the Walgreen's store. About an hour later while testing the Dodge, we happened to drive past. The truck had to of been about 3 feet to the bottom of the door to the ground. Anyways, they had jumped the curb and drove over this rock. The rock was probably about 4 ft high. Probably a good three hours later when we were leaving town, the tow truck had just barley got there and gotten it off.

Hubby said a woman was driving. I didn't notice, I just noticed A LOT of little kids. I'm guessing either they were distracted or the truck was just to big for them.

[Caddys83]

We want to stay around 12. We found a Dodge for 10 that we really liked but the check engine light was on and the air conditioning didn't work right. The guy thought the light was because of the air conditioning and said he was going to send it to the Dodge guy tomorrow. I don't want them to get the light off and then buy it and have it come back on and be something bad.

We also found a big bad a$$ ford for 11,500 but it was a v-10. Of course that's the one my husband wants. In reality, it will not happen because it has a little bit of lift to it, enough to where there is no way I could get my sons wheel chair in the back of it.

Perferablly, I WANT an Avalanche. I have found a couple in my price range but the miles are way high. Yea, I want it because I like the way it looks but also because it already has a cover on the bed. Anything else, we are going to have to buy a cover.

We were kinda set on the Dodge and then my brother said Dodge's were known to be pos. My last vehicle I paid cash for we've had it for 11 years. Not having a car payment has been way nice but the van is dieing and we really have no choice. Just scared to death to jump into something and then have someone say "oo ford f150's are known for transmission problems".

Dodge isnt pos. Seen some with crazy miles on them. And neither is Ford or GM. they all have there issues here and there. I do think Dodge use cheaper plastic parts for their interior. Go to one of those horse shows and you see the parking lot full of Dodge, Fords and those big ol Tonka toys (guys with too much money to spend lol) Put a Dodge with a Cummins engine and you out haul anything out there (and sound )

As for the Ford, I do think Ford turns are terrible. But @ the time, I drove a 08 F450 and the turns was amazing. I Dont know if the f2/350 have improve the turns on them. But I was impress with the F450. Now those V10 engines eat gas like crazy, But can pull also. Add one of those lift kits on the trucks and you eat more gas cause of air drag. @ current gas prices, a week I put anywhere from 90 to 110 in gas in my Ford truck. The V10 is meant to work, so if your not going to use it for business, or work, then a v8 is better otherwise, your just going to spend alot on gas driving around the city. Here is my Baby


want or a need? want Real SUV, not no puny Suburban (but the newer Suburban models sure looks nice)

[Duke{CLR}]

I love my Ford F-150 and hate our Ford Explorer due to the maintenance issues we have had with it. If the Avalanche uses anything from the Explorer i would stay away.

[lady-MGS]

My husband calls Suburbans and all of those other SUV types Mormon assault vehicles. They are EVERYWHERE here. You can get a lot of people in them.. lol

Anther problem w/ the majority of the SUV's is that the wheelchair doesn't fit up and down. You have to put it in at an angle and then whoever is sitting in the back gets to deal with it. My mom bought the XLT Explorer just so that there was room for his chair and all of us to go w/ her and it's a nightmare to get the chair in and out of.

[Dead...Again]

I had a Dodge Dakota for 12 years. It was a great truck. When I traded it in it had almost 160000 miles on it, and I never really had any significant problems with it. I loved that truck, but there wasn't enough room for my whole family. The quad cab came out the next year after I bought mine.

Anyway, I just bought an F-150 Supercrew and I really like it. Just filled up the tank and it cost me $96. The funny thing is, my new (bigger) truck gets better gas mileage than the Dakota did...

My dad has always driven Fords, and he's always had good luck with them. He is currently driving a 2002(?) F-250, and it has been pretty reliable.

I wouldn't get a diesel unless you are going to pull heavy trailers a lot.

Oh, and I would be wary of the check engine light. You can reset it and it will stay off for a little while, only to come on again when it detects another fault.

[Apache Warrior]

These are my experiences with Chevy and Dodge Trucks.
I have a Chevy 1500 4wheel drive and have never had any problems with it. The Chevy trucks have the best ride. If you are getting 4 wheel drive Chevy is the only one with all wheel drive. Means you can drive with it on all the time if you wish. Although your gas mileage will really suck. The air conditioning on Chevy's cools better than most and has a higher high speed fan. Mine is 40 degrees at the vent even when the temperature is 100 out side.
My son has a Dodge Ram 1500 4wheel drive. They do have some serious issues with quality control. The dash is more likely to crack, They have serious transmission issues. They have problems with the heater core, water pump and radiator. The Dodge is a lot heavier so gas mileage is affected. The air conditioner does not cool as effectively as the Chevrolet. If you have to have the truck hooked up to the computer to find out why the check engine light is on you have to deal with a Chrysler/Dodge Dealer in some cases. Their computers are the only ones that can decipher some codes.
Ford, Nissan and Toyota I have never owned so I can not tell you anything about them in my experience.
Oh and my son got his Dodge stuck at the river last year and I had to pull the Dodge out with my Chevy. I wish I had thought to take a video and submitted it to GM.
Apache

[Dead_And_Gone]

I've inherited a Nissan pickup. Manual shift, AC, Radio. Long bed.
It does what it was intended to do. Haul stuff.

NO, it wouldn't work for you Lady. Yes, it works for me.
City has free stuff like mulch that you can get once a month. Just back up to area, and they dump it in. Want to bike somewhere? Throw the bikes in the bed and off you go. Ice chests, food, bikes, .... No muss, no fuss.

For YOU? you can get lemmons in any brand or make. ANY alarm or such is a big STAY AWAY. My last one was a $1200 catalytic converter fix. DO NOT buy something that has a warning light.. NO NO NO NO NO .. Unless you like fixing other people's problems.

I Love trucks, don't get me wrong. If you don't drive much, but still like the thought of the size and ability to haul stuff, get the big dude's with crew cab. No-one will mess with you on the road, and you can tote anything.

[baconoclock]

I have an 04 F-150 and love it. Got it used about 5 years ago and the only issue was me breaking a frozen sparkplug while changing them out.

As others have mentioned the gas part does suck so keep that in mind. I typically get anywhere from 11-14 mpg and a fill up usually runs in the 80's to 90's depending on current gas prices. The turning radius isnt too good but you're driving a truck, it wont corner like a small car or even most SUVs.

[mapes]

I've had Rangers, F150, Nissan, B3000 and now a crew cab 06 Tundra. The F150 was a mixed bag although we got it super cheap via salvage tittle it's age showed and it was uncomfortable to drive in but, like I said it was a salvage title. My friend has a Dodge 1500 and they use it tow horses for the last few years. They love it although my friend is a mechanic so I would assume I would hear him bitch about it if it had problems. The Tundra we just bought used is an awesome truck...period. You can't go wrong there.

One thing you should be aware of in the truck world is you should be asking if the truck was used for towing extensively. This puts way more wear on the truck. Also if they have maintenance records compare them against the manual service intervals especially with trucks that tow.

Check engine lights should store the last event to trigger it even if cleared. I would say a check engine light does not invalidate a candidate truck because as stated before it could be a faulty gas cap or even a thermostat which is cake to change. If the guy goes to the dealer the dealer should provide a receipt with the code the truck is throwing and an explanation of that code.

[lady-MGS]

I totally forgot. We have financed two cars. One was a van that the head gasket went out with in two months of buying it. That was bought through a Dodge dealer and they fixed it and only charged us for parts. If I remember right, it was around $900. The other one was a Ford Taurus. We did in house financing because it was an older couple and they swore we would get a better deal (yea, we were stupid). We were on a two week payment plan and on our way to make the first payment, the transmission went out. That car was the biggest nightmare EVER. In the end, we put the dealer out of business because they wouldn't transfer the title into our name and so I put in a complaint to the state investigators office. They were fined around a $100 every day for almost two years for not filing the title with the state like they were supposed to. Another problem was, the title wasn't even in their name. It was some guy in jail in Montana. In the end, the woman called me crying that it was our fault and all this other stuff.

I really appreciate all the feedback. I know we could end up with a great truck or a bad truck and I know that most dealers do not care if it's a lemon, they just want it gone and once you buy it, it is your problem.

It looks like we'll be going with a Ford, we have a few to choose from. The Avalanche is a no go because the bank said the resale isn't well because there are so many. They didn't say no, but we decided to stay away. I also saw on a sticker for a new one last night that they only get 15 mpg in town. The one Dodge got 21 in town. I don't remember the Ford.

Anyways, thanks again!

[Apache Warrior]

Lady, does your state have a Lemon Law?
Apache