DickDastardly00 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I've looking at Trucks for quite awhile, mainly the F150 lariat or King Ranch 2001-2004. I've also been considering Silverados in the same year range and Jeep Grand Cherokees 2001 to 2004 as well. The '05 LGT is now paid off in full and only has 37K miles after 6 years. I have no plans to sell the Legacy or the 09 Forester, the Truck would be a 3rd vehicle addition to the household. My main requirements is that it's a V8, 4dr, mileage somewhere between 100K to 150K, there's plenty out there that fit the bill. I would be using it primarily as a substitute DD for the Legacy and also to pull a 18ft-20ft 3000 lb Travel Trailer (which I plan on getting next spring). Any idea as to what issues, mechanically, I can expect with either a Ford or a Chevy? I know about the head gasket problems in pre-2001 Jeeps already. I realize that each MFR has their own issues and it's just a matter of picking and choosing what you are willing to deal with. Any experiences you can offer would be appreciated, also if you have an opinion as to which Truck is more reliable, let me know. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 In my experience ford trannys dont last towing things, even 3000lbs pop up campers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Neither of the above. I would go for a Dodge Ram in that range of model years since the 5.7L HEMI is a better motor than those offered for Ford or GM in a 1/2 ton, and the Dodge will have a 5 speed auto behind it instead of an ancient 4 speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
05GT Guru Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Chevy 4 speeds= strong. And if they do go put 1500 into them and they can handle 800trq. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickDastardly00 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 I've had more than a few people telling me to stay away from Dodges, which sucks because I like them, and the prices are better than Ford or Chevy. I can get all the features I require in a Dodge for $1000 cheaper than Chevy or Ford. I looked at a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited yesterday, almost went for it, was a great deal. Black on Black, leather, the goods. Right now I'm leaning towards a Jeep, I can get what I need for much less than the trucks I'm looking at, and I'm questioning how much I'll really use the truck bed. I go back and forth. Everything I have considered in my Search: F-150, Silverado/ GMC, Grand Cherokee, Dodge Ram, Tundra, Titan and Tacoma. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuskiTrombone Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Having a bed is very, very useful. The tranny on the GC is not very reliable. Stick with anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 i heard to stay away from domestic... lol why not a toyota? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 No Ford please! Silverado would be a good choice. If you go with a Grand Cherokee you need to get the 4.7L V8. The tranny is indestructable. The 4.0L inline six is good but those trannys won't hold up to towing as well as the 4.7L tranny will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickDastardly00 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 I like Tundras, Titans and Tacomas, but they're a bit out of my budget range. If I go with a Jeep, it'll definitely be the 4.7L V8 model. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
executor485 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Lovin my Ford so far Really, if you're looking for an older model truck, why not look towards a 250/2500 lineup? You can get a diesel, which is MUCH more powerful, and the trannys they put in them are much stronger. If you're not a GM hater, the 2500 with the allison transmission is tough as nails (unless you're my brother in law and power brake it everywhere you go, lol). For an older model truck, the Chevys hold up well, but I think the Fords have some more features. The powertrains on Dodge are shoddy. My dad has one and it's got issues. The Tundra's are nice but overpriced and they get HORRIBLE gas mileage. I'm talking the new ones are getting 14mpg on the highway, my new 6.2L is doing better than that and it's got a lot more power and its heavier. Tacoma's are ok if you want a small truck, but again with being overpriced. If I pass you on the right, I'm flipping you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDII Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 a titan/tacoma with 200k is more reliable than a ford/chevy/dodge with 80k Need forum help? Private Message legGTLT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickDastardly00 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Dakotas and Tacomas, even Colorados have 4dr models, but you're right, they are a smaller trucks which is why I'm not considering them anymore. I like the backseat cabin space of the Fords more, I would have 2 kid's car seats in there so the extra room would be nice. Lookswise, I have to go with the Ford F150 in the model years I'm looking at, such a nice looking Truck. There's a 2001 Black King Ranch W/ matching canopy I'm going to look at this weekend. Executor, love you new truck by the way. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 a titan/tacoma with 200k is more reliable than a ford/chevy/dodge with 80k true you do get what you pay for. tacoma double cab is under $30k how is that over priced? so used should be $25k and under depending on the year. id go with FORD 150 it looks nice and purchase extended warranty. actually i wont get it unless they give me 100k extended warranty for free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
executor485 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Dakotas and Tacomas, even Colorados have 4dr models, but you're right, they are a smaller trucks which is why I'm not considering them anymore. I like the backseat cabin space of the Fords more, I would have 2 kid's car seats in there so the extra room would be nice. Lookswise, I have to go with the Ford F150 in the model years I'm looking at, such a nice looking Truck. There's a 2001 Black King Ranch W/ matching canopy I'm going to look at this weekend. Executor, love you new truck by the way. hehe, thanks I had been doing quite a bit of looking around and the Fords just appealed to me more. My grandpa has had Fords for a VERY long time as well, so there's probably a little bias there, but overall they've got some good trucks. I've been looking around on F150online and F150forum and there are some really nice mods for them The older model years have a good amount of support as well. You may want to check out F150online first (its a little larger) and do some research on known issues over there. My truck is largely undocumented right now, but its a new motor and design for a lot of components. Either way I think there's a large fan base for trucks in general and you'll be able to get something that works well. For back seat space, gonna have to agree that its awesome. The rear passengers actually have more leg room than the front seat, and I'm 6' 3". If I pass you on the right, I'm flipping you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickDastardly00 Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 When it comes to Trucks, I'm not biased, Muscle cars I tend to lean towards Dodge as I love the Charger and Challenger, but I love 67-69 Camaros too. A friend of mine just bought a 2000 Chevy pickup 3/4 ton with low miles, guy only used it for Hunting, very clean truck, nice looking too. I very well could go with a Chevy too if the deal is right.... I forgot to mention I was looking at Suburans and Tahoes too, and they would get the job done, plus they have a 3rd row, but at the end of the day, I just can't picture myself rolling one. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Lovin my Ford so far Really, if you're looking for an older model truck, why not look towards a 250/2500 lineup? You can get a diesel, which is MUCH more powerful, and the trannys they put in them are much stronger. If you're not a GM hater, the 2500 with the allison transmission is tough as nails (unless you're my brother in law and power brake it everywhere you go, lol). For an older model truck, the Chevys hold up well, but I think the Fords have some more features. The powertrains on Dodge are shoddy. My dad has one and it's got issues. The Tundra's are nice but overpriced and they get HORRIBLE gas mileage. I'm talking the new ones are getting 14mpg on the highway, my new 6.2L is doing better than that and it's got a lot more power and its heavier. Tacoma's are ok if you want a small truck, but again with being overpriced. My Tundra does an honest 17-18MPG highway with the 5.7L V8 and I have no complaints with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
executor485 Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 My Tundra does an honest 17-18MPG highway with the 5.7L V8 and I have no complaints with it. Thats great. The people I know that have one tell me they're only able to pull ~14mpg on the highway. I thought it seemed a little low, but until now I hadnt heard any different from the 3 people I've talked with. If I pass you on the right, I'm flipping you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTTuner Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 a titan/tacoma with 200k is more reliable than a ford/chevy/dodge with 80k Except for the two or three frames that Toyota will replace on the truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Except for the two or three frames that Toyota will replace on the truck. Do they rust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeNH Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Toyota has had massive issues with their North American market trucks having rusted frames (frames made by Dana, an American company- take that Yota haters ). The Tundras from that era have rear frame rot issues but otherwise seem pretty good. Titans you should stay miles away from. The early ones had all sorts of axle issues. The Grand Cherokee should be okay as long as it has the 5 speed auto. Steer clear of the ones with the higher-trim Auto-trac that has fulltime 4WD and the other gadgets, the t-case is weak and some have an aluminum housing rear axle that is prone to failure and it cannot easily be rebuilt usually. The Rams from that era are okay at best. The V6 is junk, the 4.7 is slow and usually just as thirsty as the 5.7. The 5.7 is the only one of the domestic trucks without long-life spark plugs and it requires 16 of them. I've also never been impressed with the brakes on the Rams of that era and there was an issue with the porosity of the rear axle shafts on some from that time. The guys with the 20s had the axles snap. The Fords are pretty reliable, I'd want the 5.4 but even then the engine can have issues with the spark plugs blowing out of the head (causing catastrophic damage with it) if someone who doesn't take due care changes them. The GMs are likely your best bet. With the price range you're looking at they'll all be higher miles and approaching the time when big things might fail. Skip the 4.3 V6, it is junk. The 4.8 and 5.3 are terrific engines, based off the same design as the Vette engine and they are essentially bulletproof with 6 bolt mains underneath and a deck plate covering the lifter valley. Be careful of the 05s and 06s, some of the 5.3s had heads made by a company called CasTech and these were porous and would allow for coolant loss starting around 100k usually. YOu have to replace those heads, it can't be repaired.Try to find one with paperwork about what was done, look for trans fluid changes and ideally coolant changes. That may be tough though as GM sells DexCool as good for 150k miles. Nearly all the trucks came from the factory with hitches so look for one that doesn't have scratched paint in the receiver (ie it wasn't used to tow or if it was it was not often). Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them -Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 So if you buy a Toyota - do additional rust protection when it's new and you shall be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeNH Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Except he isn't buying new and frankly with how some of the Tundra frames were in pics, that alone would be enough to discourage me from a Yota truck. You've been over here to my neck of the woods enough to see that the Tacoma and Tundra we get in the States in no way compares to the HiLux you lucky folks get in Europe and the rest of the world. Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them -Ronald Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickDastardly00 Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Thanks Mike, that was exactly what I was looking for. I've narrowed it down to the F-150 and the Silverado, as much as I like the Jeep, a truck would perform better at towing because of the longer wheelbase and the bed would be nice to have. So on goes the search, at least I've narrowed it down further. Now it's just a matter of finding one that was well taken care of. ♪Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.♫ -Bob Marley, Redemption Song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elib Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I have to say I LOVE my diesel 06 F250. No comparison to the v8 f150 it replaced. Tows 5k #s like it wasn't there. Never had a single bad ford in the 2 I've owned, 6 my dad has had or all the many my family has had. They had some engine problems with some powerstrokes but if u read up on them you can easily avoid them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 One thing to keep in mind with the GC versus the trucks that you're looking at...the GC has no full-length ladder frame and it will twist and shift underneath from towing. While they're great DD around town, I would not tow, nor take one off-road without serious structural upgrades underneath. Just my experience. And the 4.7L is the old 318 CI engine. Bullet-proof, but seriously lacking in the off-the-line grunt when towing. You do better with the newer 5.x Hemi FWIW. And you cannot beat the Torqueflight trannys - absolutely bullet-proof. - Pro amore Dei et patriam et populum - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.