Help Team Sergeant pick a New Truck.

[Team Sergeant]

Time for a new truck for the Team Sergeant. Anyone have any advice on the topic?

It must be a 4X4 and four door. No little tonka trucks, heavy American metal only.

Ford and Dodge are favorites so far.

TS

[QRQ 30]

A Dodge with 6 cyl Cummings diesel. A little work on the super charger will kick it in the ass. Of course, just from what I've heard.

Then, of course, you can get the Viper version and fly over rough terrain with 2WD.

[Roguish Lawyer]

6 cylinder diesel?

I assume the TS is looking for something with 8 that uses gas. Could be wrong, though.

[Team Sergeant]

Roger, Gas.

I hate the smell of diesel fuel.

[QRQ 30]

Darn TS. I didn't think you wanted a Tonka Toy. I'm looking at a Ram 1500 four door w/hemi myself. I hope my wife is too. I have a 1990 Ford F-150 Lariat with 263,000 miles.

[Team Sergeant]

I've got a Ram 1500, 4X4, Sport, 99, loaded, 40K (didn't use it a lot).

[DDD]

I have a friend with a 2003 Ford F350 V-10, he loves it and is getting ready to buy a 2005 (he trades every 2 years). My neice's husband has a Dodge 1500 with a Hemi, but has trouble passing a gas station . Of course I don't know what kind of mileage the Ford gets.

[troy2k]

Go diesel. With one of the computer chips for the fuel injection system, you can get 20 miles a gallon, more power than a gas engine, and the same speed.
Personally, I'd say F-250 superduty 4 door, 4x4, with the 8 cylinder Powerstroke. Can't go wrong. Oh yes, and for the survivalists, diesel can be made from corn, easier to get around after the Apocalypse

[GackMan]

have you considered the evil foreign made Toyota tundra double cab?

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2004/...dels_dcab.html

Not a small tonka toy and actually built in America (Kentucky I think).

another foreign option would be the Nissan Titan... for sure not a tonka toy.

http://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/Mo...,24367,00.html

[QRQ 30]

If you are going to drive and drive and drive, go diesel. Diesels are at their best when run continuously,i.e. 18 wheelers and German taxis. More isn't always better. In a light truck a Cummins 6 cyl out performs the 8 cyl. especially with an inexpensive upgrade of the super-charger and ignition chip.

For casual driving, go gas!!

I know where you can get a great deal on one, TS !

The young man next door has a beautiful new truck and it is just sitting there. He's newly married, the new baby arrived, and he finally got transferred home (he is a corrections officer who was commuting from Buffalo, NY to SingSing !! A 7hr commute minimum if the troopers didn't stop him !). He was so glad that everything finally seemed to fall into place that he went out and bought the truck that he has always wanted and it is loaded with everything (except that, as a woman, I don't know exactly what that means - LOL). Then, the gas prices started going up and the truck hasn't moved since !

I think you could get a good deal.

Roycroft201

Originally posted by Team Sergeant
Roger, Gas.

I hate the smell of diesel fuel.

If you are looking for a serious truck you need diesel.

I have an F250 4x4 and I tow.

Truck weighs 8500lbs. I would be getting 8 miles to the gallon with a V10 and 2 miles to the gallon towing. I get 18-19 miles to the gallon constantly.

Smell is not as bad as it used to be, neither is the noise.

Second is the bed construction. I tow gooseneck. You can't tow goosenecks in an F150, Dodge 1500 or GMC 1500. You need to upgrade to the 3/4 ton in all makes. Toyota and other dealers will tell you anything, but when it comes to towing, you should be mid-range in the capacity not at the high end. I hate Toyota (mostly from dealing with their dealers and their lying). Also the actual truck length. If the truck is too small you will have the tail wagging the dog. Toyota trucks are toys and too small for significant towing. I have jack-knifed with horses and learned the hard way through false information from dealers. Max capacity on the 1/2 ton (any truck) is about 5000lbs. That is the max and if you tow for any length of time the engine will be screaming.

3rd - maintenace. You have to be consistant with oil changes and fuel filters in a diesel. You don't get the 30K/60K/90K lump sum maintenance costs. I pay $85/oil change and fuel filters are $75.

I plan on getting 400K miles out of my truck and currently at 120K.

Rebuilding the enging: the cummins is the cheapest to rebuild usually around $6K (Ford owns cummins even though it is in the Dodge), ford international is around $8K.

I wouldn't touch Dodge. Check the recalls. While the Cummins is a great engine too many other part of the Dodge vehicle have issues (brakes, transmission, electrical). Everyone I know that has bought Dodge Diesel switched to Ford.

Ford 6L 32Valve Diesel is the way to go for a serious truck. If you search for a used one avoid the 6L 32 valve from last year, first model with the bugs worked out was 2004; prior to 2003 get the 7.3L 16 valve.

I know GMC has a new diesel but it has no horsepower for day-to-day travel. Great for strictly towing though.

Lastly, don't chip the engines. Some swear by it for more power. My experience is degraded life of the vehicle.

My .02

[SOGvet]

J, I replaced my 2002 Avalanche, which was a fantastic 'truck' last Veteran's Day with new 2004 Chevy Crew Cab (4 real doors) 4x4 Silverado LT with the Duramax diesel and Allison 5-speed auto trans. I pull a trailer quite a bit; the 5.3 gas motor in the Avalanche was fine, but I had trans problems. I'd recommend against going with the big-block Chevy motor - you'll average 9 mpg no matter how you drive it.

If you don't need to go that 'big', then test drive a Z-71 Avalanche. I put 49,000 miles on mine in 20 months. They'll carry your family in comfort, and you can still haul all your junk/trash/dirt/firewood/toys/etc in the back - albeit not as much of those as you can in a real pick up.

If you want a truck that will last forever (I hope to keep this one 10 years), then consider a Chevy or GMC with the Duramax/Allison combo. I get 20 mpg on the highway when I'm not pulling a trailer, and about 14 in town. I also get between 14-15 on the highway at 70 mph pulling the trailer. It pulls like a freight train, and the motor/trans are not built by GM, so it should last a lifetime.

I can tell you more - PM me if you'd like.
DOL
cc

[lrd]

Ford F250 Powerstroke Diesel, for all the reasons stated above plus a few more including the price of fuel. It actually drives better when towing the camper, and towing the boat is no problem at all.

My oil changes cost me $58 (just had it done last week), and I have a K&N air filter. The only thing I would change: crew cab instead of extended cab.

[Denny]

New truck aye..... well I am selling mine. It will be new to you haha. 1986 ford f-150 67,000 miles new belts hoses, new alternator, all new seals, and new timing belt. It has a towing package. Regular cab, with 8 foot bed. New tires also. Asking 600 lol any takers???