Poll: Pickup Trucks

[Joe13]

Well, I currently own a Nissan car and for the two years I've had it its been an outstanding little car, far better than my Toyota truck..
And I don't like cooked carrots.

I don't think the Nissan trucks have a good rep for a reason; while they produce many decent to good cars.

Toyota trucks have always been outstandingly reliable for me (the smaller ones, I've never driven a full size).

I am pretty restricted on what food I can have and how well or not they are cooked. I can have boiled carrots though. Laugh if you want but organic carrots are better then non and I put in a little salt and spoonful of brown sugar in the water to bring out the sweetness.

If I'm doing potatoes with it then just salt, dried onion and garlic in the water.

Go ahead, envy my diet

 

[IronMonster]

I just had strawberry cheesecake for lunch so....

 

[mcfoto]

Well, I currently own a Nissan car and for the two years I've had it its been an outstanding little car, far better than my Toyota truck..
And I don't like cooked carrots.

Every make has fans and haters. Unfortunately, my next door neighbor has a Nissan truck and is in the hate it category. My co-worker loves her Nissan car and when it was totaled recently, immediately replaced with another one.

 

[IronMonster]

Every make has fans and haters. Unfortunately, my next door neighbor has a Nissan truck and is in the hate it category. My co-worker loves her Nissan car and when it was totaled recently, immediately replaced with another one.

I have been a Toyota fan boy. The last two have soured me though. The 08 FJ and 2010 Tacoma have been bad enough rigs that my next one won't be a Toyota. However it won't be a Nissan truck either. The car I have I ended up with as part of a truck deal. I never would have bought it. That said I have put maybe 35,000 miles on it. It's been a great little car. I'd like to be rid of it simply because it's not a truck which would be far more useful

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Datsuns have always had there issues. but they do make a faster cars than Toyota. Datsun has head gasket issues.

 

[Joe13]

I just had strawberry cheesecake for lunch so....

Oh, your mean

 

[mcfoto]

For what you're looking to do *now* - the Toyota gas powered makes more sense.

You're talking travel trailer though - and unless you're talking one of the smaller trailers that is nice and light and pretty strippo - you'll not find the lighter duty truck to be the best for the task. The motor itself may be quite capable, but a truck isn't just it's motor. The transmissions and brakes on half ton trucks just are not up to the task of stopping heavy loads. Yes, you can tweak things, put on overloads, change rear ends, etc but you still have a half ton truck. Give some serious thought about the travel trailer you're thinking - look up the weights dry & loaded.

I've spent the last 12 years dragging stuff around for a living and have many times wished I had a beefier truck, and can't really think of when I said "I wish I had a smaller, lighter truck" when actually pulling something.

And since you're a boat owner - it's likely you may wind up with "2 foot itis" at some point - that 16 footer may wind up as an 18 or 20 footer a few years down the road.

I would personally be more comfortable in a 3/4 ton heavy duty for such tasks. I'd be seriously torn too between something like the Ram with the 6.7 Cummins diesel and the bigger V8 gas options out there.

We've got a 5500 Ram in our fleet at work - 350hp from the factory with the automatic transmission - in a 4WD that is 14,000 lbs unloaded. We're averaging 10-11mpg on that truck. Between the engine brake and "tow mode" it really saves on brakes. It's also got the balls to accelerate up a hill, under a load. The current versions have more HP available from the factory, as if 350 wasn't enough. We've had the truck now for a couple years, and maintenance costs have been low - it's had two sets of tires, - it did get a new radiator hose assembly after a year because of a defective part - needs a set of brakes, and otherwise has been oil changes & fuel filter swaps. 60,000+ miles on that truck so far.

The DEF BS sucks - in case you didn't know exhaust fluid is a real thing now. Leave it to the government to make an old gag a reality. Truck burns through 7 gallons of exhaust fluid in about 700-1000 miles for us, but we pretty much leave the engine brake on, and lots of stop & go trips. The DEF stuff adds to the costs to run the truck, and will probably be a royal pain in the arse down the road.

On the other hand, my father has a 2013 Silverado with the 6 liter gas and he's happy with everything except fuel economy. He uses his truck to haul a large cargo trailer with, along with the typical around the house truck chores. He tells me he gets about 12mpg in town and about 16 in the city. You should expect better than that out of a diesel in the 3500 class of truck. His maintenance has been similar to what I described for the work rig above - but both trucks are still only a few years old and neither has crossed 100,000 miles yet. My dad does tell me he wishes sometimes he'd opted for the Duramax diesel in his truck.

I own an older Silverado half ton with the 5.7 liter gas - it will tow a 16 foot boat no problem, but I wouldn't want to try pulling a loaded travel trailer with it.

But for your *right now* uses - the 16 foot boat, the occasional load of lumber/landscapestuff/furniture - in new trucks I'd be going Toyota for longevity, reliability and resale. When you get serious about the travel trailer, you could always look at upgrading the truck too. Or picking up an older, but serviceable heavy duty rig for hauling the trailer around. Big block Chevy trucks get cheap when they get older, or when gas spikes in price.

Thanks for this insight. There are many in my neighborhood with 3/4 ton and full tons to haul their substantial trailers. However neighbor two doors down pulls a 32 footer with a Ram half ton with the 5.7l Hemi. He says most times, he doesn't know it's back there. Since we're already empty nesters, we were hoping for something along the lines of 20 feet. Like boats, you always wish for one size larger, I suppose,

He's the only reason I'm considering Ram. I was a Mopar guy since my teens ( my first car was a 67 Dart GT) but went Toyota after having two Chryslers in a row go bad. Like I stated in the opening post, I've test drove them all and based on ride, power and feel, Ram won. Tundra was a close second. Fords seem too expensive for what you get and didn't care for the ride of Chevy.

Oh and I always buy new. I know I take a bath financially but every used car I've tried was buying someone else's problems. I prefer maidens over divorcees.

 

[Exigejoe]

the truck i had was a 92 nissaan sev6 and a 2002 ford lightning. Love the lightning! i raced a the new f series ecoboost trucks and was suprised it was kind of able to hang with my modded 135i. if i were to get a truck today it would be a ford ecoboost!

 

[Exigejoe]

Hands down. Toyota. If you haven't driven one newer than 2010 you need to. The 5.7 engine with a 6 spd trans. Is amazing. Quiet, and powerful, and solid.
I have owned 5 and love the latest the most. Plus they hold their value like no other. It's a win win.
Good luck!

like the new trd pro

 

[Oregonhunter5]

the truck i had was a 92 nissaan sev6 and a 2002 ford lightning. Love the lightning! i raced a the new f series ecoboost trucks and was suprised it was kind of able to hang with my modded 135i. if i were to get a truck today it would be a ford ecoboost!

I have been told that the ecoboost is wonderful in a straight line. Now about pulling a heavy load through those corners on a hill..? pickup is to light. it pushes...

 

[IronMonster]

I've got a good friend who owns a business and has bought Fords for his work trucks for as long as I have known him (20 + years). Two years ago he added a f150 ecoboost to his fleet. It started having issues immediately. With less than 4000 miles on it it had been to the dealer dozens of times. After the last several month stay at the dealer with them unable to fix it he filed a lemon law claim on the truck and eventually got Ford to replace it with another truck. The new one within a thousand miles had the same issues and they filed a second lemon law claim on that truck with less than 2000 miles on the truck. He replaced it with a new standard motor f150 which with 20k miles on it has run perfect. After his experience I wouldn't touch a F150 ecoboost rig

 

[Exigejoe]

Turbo engines can be a bit sketchy especially the 1st gen engines which usually need to be refined through the years. usually car manufacturers use existing engine block and add FI with little or no reinforcement to the block. Its either the cooling issue or an engine part that prematurely wears out. Have the 4th year 2.0 ecoboost inline 4 and has not given me any problems. Also have the 5th year bmw 3.0l I-6 engine which has been very good as opposed to the 1st year engine which was very unreliable.

 

[Exigejoe]

I have been told that the ecoboost is wonderful in a straight line. Now about pulling a heavy load through those corners on a hill..? pickup is to light. it pushes...

turbo equal torque which i wouldnt see any problem. what matters is where the torque is on the powerband!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Power is fine. Unloaded. With a trailer bigger than a utility trailer, the pickup is to light in weight. It's all over the road, and usually pushing into the corner. This is why some believe also that a half ton pickup with a diesel, like the Eco ram and Titan cummins is a deadly combination. Drivers get to confident and dump in the ditch.

 

[Hawaiian]

When reading the reviews I always go to the reliability ratings first and give that more weight than the reviewers do. My 2014 4runner is an example. Horrible overall reviews, but very high in reliability and off road capabilities. No, it is not a soccer mom's suv, but then, I am not a soccer mom. Years back I owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was great for the first few years, then started having mechanical problems. I learned my lesson and reliability is now the number one factor for me. Pick the ones that will do what you need them to and then give extra points for reliability. It is not fun to sit broken down by the side of the road or to have your rig in the shop very often. Especially after the warranty is up.

 

[edslhead]

Of all the Pu's Ive had I like the little Rangers the best. If they still made em I'd get a new one.

 

[Joe13]

Bigger the truck and engine the higher the maintenance, running and repair costs.

Unless you need it I'd stay smaller. But that's just me.

 

[Joe13]

On kind of a side note - SUVs are cheaper and a lot are built on the same body as a truck plus you can haul more people stuff in the rain etc.

Just buy a good utility trailer and you have your "pickup bed" space and only have to take it when you need it.

Just a thought

 

[IronMonster]

I know its not a truck, But after your Nissan sucks comment I figured I would share. Was over at a friends house today and he bought a new Nissan. 2015 GTR 600 HP 11 sec 1/4 mile @135 MPH. He took me for a ride, at 140 MPH when it shifts it thuds you back in the seat.

With tax & fee's he paid $112,000

I told him you thought Nissan's where crap, he offered to race whatever you got.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

I will borrow my brothers hellcat and race.
Nissans still suck!