Truck Shopping

[Cparker]

Hello to all,

CP helped me pick the right digital SLR, so gotta believe you guys can shed some light on my truck search.

I have had a '01 F150 Supercrew, gas, 2-wheel drive since 2001. Bought it new. I then later bought a diesel '94 F250 2wd, that I luckily sold this weekend.

My wife and I will be moving to Colorado, so I need 4-wheel drive. I decided to sell both Fords and buy a four-wheel drive truck. I really liked having a diesel, and we will be living on a larger tract of land in Colorado, so the
Likelihood of pulling a livestock trailer or even a 5th wheel is high. Thus, I decided on a diesel and at least a 3/4-ton.

The F150 was in a fender-bender, and turns out what was a bent bumper are now about $2500 in bodywork. So, question one, in the age of car fax, does this make selling this 01 F150 Super crew Lariat with 77K original miles an oil changes every 3K-mile a dim reality?

Two, which truck would you buy? I have had Fords, my first truck was a GMC, and I went to a Dodge test drive this weekend, and it looks like Dodge makes a nice truck. I am not loyal to any one brand, as I have found each manufacturer has their good years and bad years.

Three, should I buy the 3/4 ton, or go up to the 1 ton?

Four, new or used? If used, any particular model years better than others?

While I have heard about all the great deals on diesels, nothing has come to close at the dealer. Best deal I was offered was on a dually, but duallys ride rough, cost 50% more in tread, and I just do not feel like wrestling with those fenders in city traffic.

I know that there can be good deals on used trucks, but my concern is that some folks drive trucks like they stole them, so I a more cautious of a used truck than a used car, especially a 4 wheel drive, heavy duty.

Any and all comments are appreciated.

Cparker

 

[StinkiMonki]

Tundra baby! I love mine.

 

[bimmer635csi]

Tundra baby! I love mine.

He did say 3/4 or 1 ton & diesel, so that rules out the Tundra (in theory).

However, I recently did a side-by-side benchmark of a Chevy 1500 MAX vs. a Tundra. Both had towing packages and were built as comparably as possible. We pulled 10,000 lb trailers all around Las Vegas, Denver, and western Michigan.

The Tundra was better than the Chevy. The only areas where the Chevy was better was refills (not necessarily fuel economy, it just had a bigger tank to fill) and the fact that it has an Auto-mode transfer case so that when you do parking lot moves, the front axle doesn't hop.

On top of it, the Chevy needed a new A/C compressor in Las Vegas, but it blew a lot cooler than the Tundra when it was working.

As for deciding between Chrysler, Ford, or Chevy diesels, that's a tough call and depends how much money you want to spend. My personal preference is the Chevy with Allison transmission. But a lot of people say that the Fords excel for towing. Honestly, they are all really pretty equal, so it is probably whoever has the best deals for new trucks. I don't have much info about the older trucks though, so I'll leave that for someone else.

Hope that helps.

 

[khari]

...My personal preference is the Chevy with Allison transmission.

Agreed.

 

[jfields]

Tundra baby! I love mine.

x2

As a technician I hate working on my own stuff. Other than preventative maintenance, I never have to do anything to mine. :thumbs:

Edit to add: I prefer to buy used these days. Although, I buy mine from Carmax. They certify their used vehicles (Don't know if you have something similar your way). I bought my Tundra with 7k on it, and it still had the factory warranty. I got mine for $27k, with the new ones at the dealer going for $42k.

 

[TBaGZ]

2500HD with Duramax and Allison.

 

[NullSmurf]

I own a 1999 Ford F150 Supercab 2 wheel drive with the 5 liter V8 and LOVE it. 120,000 miles and going strong. 20MPG highway, 16 city. 14 towing, regardless of driving type.

 

[in2xshp]

I have an F-350 Super Duty 4X4 extended cab as far as gas milage i'm lucky to get 14mpg hwy. However other than that its a great truck i have pulled a 20' enclosed race trailer loaded with out any problems at all, i love it. Now beyond that i have driven a GMC 2500 with an Allison and Duromax and i have to say it does drive better and got better milage than my truck. Hope that helps.

 

[JayBay]

I used to own a small dealership, worked at a few new car dealerships, and have owned Fords, Chevys, and Dodges.

Question 1: The body damage does not diminish the hope of selling your truck all that much. If you've had it fixed properly, then be open to sharing the details - and be prepared to say that the vehicle was thoroughly inspected and found to have ONLY cosmetic damage (hopefully that's the case). If it's been fixed and you sell it yourself, many people won't go to the trouble to run a carfax. If they don't, the untrained eye will usually never be able to tell the vehicle's had body work. The bottom line is that the price of gas is probably going to have a more severe effect on the value of your truck than the collision.

Question 2: Which truck you buy is very much a personal preference. I like Fords and Dodges better than Chevys when you're talking diesel. When Chevy first came out with the Duramax/Allison setup, the Allison was spec'd to handle about 200 more lb/ft of torque than the engine put out. Over the years, they've steadily increased the horsepower and torque on the motor, and not changed the transmission specs. Now there's a gap of under 100 lb/ft of torque between what the engine will put out and what the tranny will handle. The Ford 6.4 liter dual stage twin turbo diesel (Powerstroke for short) puts out 650 lb/ft of torque, and the transmission is designed to handle up to 1400 lb/ft. The Dodge Cummins is...well...it's just effin' awesome - but the 6.4 Ford is quieter....by a longshot.

Question 3: 3/4 ton or 1 ton: Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I'd go with the 1 ton. If you're towing a lot of livestock around - you might even want to think about a dually. The difference in stability is stunning.

Question 4: New or used: Used, used, used! Right now is a great time to buy a used truck. Multitudes of truck owners (that didn't really need trucks) have bailed out for small cars. The trade in values plummeted, and the resale values along with it. John's right - but a low mileage 1 year old with under 10k. You'll get the balance of the factory warranty, you can extend the warranty if you want, and you'll let some other schmuck take the 30% first year depreciation hit.

By the way, I think the Tundra is a nice light duty truck, but I question how well it would put up to the beating a cattle ranch will dole out over time.

 

[Petthefish]

I am a ford man so I would have to say go ford My dream truck
Ford F-450 4X4

 

[KayakinBoy]

The trade in values plummeted, and the resale values along with it.

I was speaking with our claims adjuster the other day, and the market on trucks and SUVs is falling so fast, that NADA, KBB, etc., can not keep up. Buy used, and don't settle. I've had customers calling in adding 07 and 08 used Subrabans and Yukons, because they are getting $10,000 - $15,000 off the retail value.

2500HD with Duramax and Allison.

Hell yeah! :thumbs:

 

[cajunblaze]

I am currently in the auto industry. We have Ford, Chevy, and Dodge.

1. Jaybay is correct. You shouldn't have a problem selling your truck as long as you are honest about it. The used truck market has dropped around 30% since January so you might not get what you want for your truck. Selling it yourself will always put more money in your pocket.

2. The Ford diesel has alot of problems still not worked out. If that is the truck you like buy it, but your chances for experiencing trouble is tripled compared to other models. The Chevy does have a conflict between the engine and transmission, so chances are higher to experience problems with that issue. Let me state for the record, I am not a Dodge man, I just don't don't care for the looks. If I was towing anything, and was thinking of needing a heavy duty truck such as a 3/4 or 1 ton it would be a Dodge hands down. This engine and transmission can't be beat.

3. As far as the size of the truck, if you go 3/4 you should be ok. If a cattle trailer with livestock is used and you will experience the year round weather in Colorado I would move up to the 1 ton dually. I feel the 1 ton single rear wheel drives rougher than the dually. Better to have more, than realize you need more.

4. New or Used, that is the question!!!

If buying a heavy duty 4X4 truck, and plan on keepng it for a long time, lean toward new if you can. I am a firm believer that oil changes are key to longivety. Those first 10 to 20 thousand being the most important. I have found through the years, customers that have bought used 4x4 trucks stand a better chance of problems down the road, not saying all do. Some how, a 4x4 gives us a license to "use" the truck a little harder than a 4x2. Buying new is cheaper than its ever been, but remember you take the the biggest hit of depreciation buying new. That will not matter if you plan on keeping it for many years.

Buying used can be well worth it, but tricky. The best senario here is buy from someone you know and don't be in a hurry. Don't trust online used vehicle condition reports, not all repairs are reported to insurance companies or dealer repair facilities, where they get most of their information. My market is basically a truck market, therefore my used trucks have not lost as much value, as nationwide(say 20%). Your market will determine the value. If you buy out of factory warranty, repairs are on you. You save big but parts and labor are very expensive. Dealers will tell you, service is their bread and butter today. If you do buy with remaining factory warranty it can still be tricky, warranty repairs have been more scrutinized than ever before. This is one area the manufactures are trying to cut cost. Be sure to have maintenence records and such, even better if done at a dealer.

Best advice, do your homework. Find out what you want BEFORE you look.

Good Luck,
Rich

 

[Unclebillybonz]

Everything else being equal, nothing pulls like the Duramax. The Allison tranny is the best in the buisness. I've had Fords and Chevy's (never a Dodge) and while the Ford has more cab room the Chevy has the superior engine and tranny.

If you don't get a diesel then I'd get a Toyota.

 

[Pyre]

Of the choices you listed, I'd go Chevy or GMC.

If Diesel wasn't a concern, I'd lean towards Toyota or Nissan. I've always loved my Nissans. Rock solid, 177k and absolutely no problems at all.

 

[Big A]

If you want comfort, go with a GMC/Chevy. I think comfort is over looked a lot of times. I have a Tahoe and dad has a new F150. I rather be stuck driving mine for hours than his truck.

 

[Dr. Marneaus]

All I'm gonna say is I'd rather be cummin' than strokin'.....

Cummins reliability my friends....

Also, I've driven all of the big trucks at valet, and my favorite's were always the rams...

but if you want a loud ass diesel go with the powerstroke...noise is about all it's good for...

 

[rbbrock]

If you want comfort, go with a GMC/Chevy. I think comfort is over looked a lot of times. I have a Tahoe and dad has a new F150. I rather be stuck driving mine for hours than his truck.

This is a valid point. I've not ridden in recent Rams, but the GM trucks have seats that are far and away better than Ford's horrible, flat, hard seats. (Always have, in my opinion.) My dad has an '05 F-150 King Ranch, and while the seats are pretty, they are torture after a couple hours.

 

[Swissy]

well, its all personal preference IMO. Everyone will say this and that, one magazine will say this is better, while another magazine doing the same test will say that is better. One will give Ford Truck of the Year while the other mags give the honors to Chevy and also Dodge. Go with what works best for your needs based on your findings - drive them all,etc...

Me, I love my 2000 F-250 Powerstroke. I tow a 24' boat weighing around 5800# and I can barely tell it's there more times. Without the boat behind me I get great mileage for a 3/4 ton truck (17 city, 24 hwy) and if anyone complains about the noise I just step on the gas a little harder. My brother has a 1 ton Dodge diesel and he loves it as much as I love my Ford.

Personally, I've never gotten into the whole Doge/Ford/Chevy debate. All vehicles are made to better specs these days, all do the same thing and each will have its' stregths and weaknesses... as well as lemons.

Go with what features work for you and who gives you the best deal.

 

[LilBastage]

Personally, I've never gotten into the whole Doge/Ford/Chevy debate. All vehicles are made to better specs these days, all do the same thing and each will have its' stregths and weaknesses... as well as lemons.

Go with what features work for you and who gives you the best deal.

x2.

Also, buy as much truck as you think you will ever need that fits your budget. This sounds like it's going to be an actual work truck, a tool. You can always swing a big hammer more softly, but if the hammer is too small you can't swing it hard enough to get the job done.

 

[Cparker]

Thanks to all of you for the response, and as usual, I am much better informed from the collective experience of this group.

CParker