New Truck Recommendation

[Stevez]

Guys, I am in the market for a new truck and I am leaning towards to makes in particular: Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan. I have been looking for a month or so and researching and getting close to pulling the trigger. Just thought I would see if there was any consensus on these or other full size trucks. I need a full size to pull a boat and I need a back seat for occasional passengers. Leaning towards the Crew cab for that reason. Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks. Steve

[Chainsaw13]

Being partial to Ford, I'd suggest the F150. I've owned a couple and they've been some of the best vehicles I've owned.

[hammondc]

I hate the look of the new tacoma and titan. Only luke warm about the Tundra. I like the inside of the new dodges and the outside of the GMC. I do not own any of them. Helpful, I know.

[Knip23]

I have a F150 XLT 08 I love it the 2010 looks a lot better on the inside just depends on what you want. For price though you can't beat Ford.

Knip.

[Knip23]

I have a F150 XLT 08 I love it the 2010 looks a lot better on the inside just depends on what you want. For price though you can't beat Ford.

Knip.

[e-man67]

Ford F150...great truck.

[Ol' Times Cigars]

Ive been partial to chevy for years, just love them. I would would suggest either the silverado or the f150, much better on gas and still have plenty of power to pull. A few years ago my dad bought a Titan and I love it. Its quiet, comfortable and has plenty of power, but the mileage is the worst of all the trucks. It gets about 13 city and your lucky to get 17 on the highway, probably more like 16. The ford and chevy are rated around 15 city and 21 highway, that is if gas mileage is a concern to you. If you don't care about mileage the titan is really nice, but then again all trucks are these days compared to my 1992 silverado.

[neoflex]

If I had to choose between the two I would go for the Tundra. I am also a big Toyota guy so I may be biased. I just recently bought a Tacoma and would have gone with the Tundra if it weren't for the fact that I didn't need something that big right now so it was hard for me to justify the price difference. The Titan is a nice truck but the interiors just feel cheap to me. Plus I was turned off from the brand when I had my Frontier and had to have a head gasket done at 38,000. Not to mention that every service dept I dealt with was atrocious so I am really turned off to Nissan in general so again I may be biased. I would also hit some of the message boards for both to see what people who own them are saying just to get a feel for common b*tches and moans and problems with each. Also if the decision ends up coming down to appearance keep in mind that the body style of the Titan has not changed since introduced so it may be due for a facelift soon so if you buy one now and they do a remodel next year your new truck will already look like an older truck.

[SvilleKid]

Last truck we purchased, first thing I did was sit in the back seat of each of the full sizes being offered. I'm 6'2". Ninja is at least 2 inches taller. Leg room was a must. Most legroom was Ford's super-crew cab. Next was Chevy's crew cab. Next was Dodge, followed closely by Toyota and Nissan. Dodge was barely acceptable, with my knees against the front seat. Toyota and Nissan were not in the running. No rear leg room.

When you are buying for towing, gas mileage becomes less of an issue. Full size, extended cab trucks with V-8's capable of safe towing will NOT get great gas mileage. Just can't combine heavy trucks, big engines and great gas mileage. Doesn't happen. Sorry. Knowing that, I look for other features, including legroom, dependability, and repair costs for down the road. While nothing is cheap to repair these days, it still remains that Nissan and Toyota and will cost more to have work done on them, and it will be harder to find mechanics and after market parts for them. Plus, you will pay more on the front end, because they have a reputation which I cannot see proof of, especially on the full size truck market, which they haven't been in long enough to warrant such a rep.

I have an F150 with 250,000 miles. I replaced the brake vacuum booster and the water pump in the last two months. No other major repairs, and that truck has spent it's life pulling loads from light to heavy, locally as well as across country! So it has had a full life of hard work. I have a buddy with a GMC that has over 350,000 miles, with a lot of that initially being long distances. I think the longevity of Fords, GMs and Dodges speaks for itself. Any of these will last for as long as you like if it is serviced regularly. Thus, I don't put any stock in buying Nissan or Toyota because of a perceived reputation, when I know from personal experiences that Fords and Chevys can last just as long, and cost much less initially and down the road.

[Stevez]

Wow! Thanks for the very quick turnaround in terms of responses. I think I will have to take another look at the Ford F150 and the Chevy. I am in no rush per se, so I'll study a bit further. Thanks for all the advice. Steve

[E.J.]

Agree w/ everything SvilleKid had to say, including my Dodge having barely adequate leg room for a good sized adult in the back. I am 6'2" as well and would not be comfortable sitting behind myself in the truck.... That said, the women and children are fine back there, even 6'ers if you are not talking extended road trip.....

I have to say it, because for me, it was eye opening.... If you are going to do a lot of towing, a diesel is where it is at....regardless of the truck. Yes, a gasser can do the job most places....as can a 100 count humidor...

I went from 8MPG towing with my 2002 Dodge 1500 5.9 360 gasser to double that with my 2007 3500 5.9 CTD. Of course I live in a place that I drag my boat over mountain passes almost ever time we go out....sometimes multiple passes. I don't have to watch the temp gauge....I can use the air conditioning....

Of course if you are towing 15 miles each way on flat ground, obviously a gasser is good as gold...

[Ogre]

Go with whoever gives you the best deal. I was looking for a truck 2 years ago. I was taught never to get locked into a specific truck. There are some great deals out there and some are willing to deal more than others. I ended up with an 08 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab for $21600 out the door. I have not had a single problem with this truck. The only issue I had with the Nissan and Toyota was the gas millage. In 2008 they only got 14 to the gallon.

[zappaFREAK]

How about the Ford Raptor????
I drive a bmw m6 but if I were to get a truck that would be the one.
http://www.ford.com/f150raptor/?sear...1033|205363816
Not cheap about 40k but hot!!!

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by zappaFREAK

How about the Ford Raptor????
I drive a bmw m6 but if I were to get a truck that would be the one.
http://www.ford.com/f150raptor/?sear...1033|205363816
Not cheap about 40k but hot!!!

Top Gear (American version on HIST) just did a report on the Raptor. It looks like a great truck -- especially if you go off-road at all.

[Blueface]

Love my BMW for a car but nothing beats my Ford for a truck.
Have owned Ford trucks now since '96 and both have been a charm. Still have the second one, a 2003 and plan on having it for a long time.
Other than brake pads, oil changes and an occasional locking up window motor that a tap to the panel quickly fixes, not a repair care in the world.

[jmsremax]

My family has always been Ford junkies when it comes to trucks; however, a 2010 Tundra has joined the family and they say they will never go back to Ford. The only negative thus far has been crappy gas mileage. Good luck with the purchase.

[Silound]

I have no particular preference, having driven them all. That being said:

1. Proper Maintenance: If you do it properly and regularly, generally Ford/GMC/Chevy have lower maintenance costs per year average. Toyota and Nissan both have less frequent needs, but tend to be much more expensive. If you do your own maintenance, be sure to investigate what is easiest work on. These days, more is packed in less space under that hood, so you need to know if you have to do any work on a truck, what you can and cannot get to easily. Also, you're more likely to have Toyota or Nissan cover recalls and defects for free than GM, Ford, or Dodge. However, what they won't cover is expensive.

2. Buy Used (preferably dealer cars): I know this is an unusual sounding piece of advice, but usually most of the major flaws in a vehicle come to the surface after about a year or two (once the heavy drivers start to get near triple digit mileage). For instance, there was a flaw in the sending unit on the fuel gauge in 1999-2003 Chevy/GMC trucks and SUV's that caused it to fail, making the fuel gauge needle unreliable. It was a known issue after about two years, but it wasn't recalled so it would cost almost $400 to fix the problem. What a pain! Hence, look for a 2008 or 2009 model year truck and research what kinds of problems are known issues and what it takes to fix them. Far better than discovering your new truck has a serious flaw and then being forced to pay to fix it.

3. Gas Mileage: Forget about it. Don't even look at it as a comparison item. You're going to blow through gas like smoke.

4. Know Your Needs: Let's face it, I own a 2001 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L V8 and a road geared differential! That's right, no tow package, no 4x4, nada. I can tow up to 500/5000 tongue/trailer and not have any problems. I don't ever tow anything that big though. The biggest problem with towing is being able to STOP, NOT PULL. If you aren't going to be towing anything more than a family boat or something small, and aren't going mud riding, there's no reason for Z71, Fx4, 4x4, or any of that stuff. If you live somewhere that you need 4WD for snow, that's a different story, but still you don't need a 6-7L diesel monster. Don't buy more truck than you need, it's an utter waste of money, no matter how cool it looks!

5. There was something in my mind here, but I forgot it already so I'm reserving this for future comments

[kydsid]

my advice is test drive them all and buy what you like. and i totally agree with not buying more than you need. as for mileage if that is a concern go ford like i did. i love my 2010 fx2 f150 20k miles in and i consistently handle 18 city and 20 hwy
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[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by E.J.

Agree w/ everything SvilleKid had to say, including my Dodge having barely adequate leg room for a good sized adult in the back. I am 6'2" as well and would not be comfortable sitting behind myself in the truck.... That said, the women and children are fine back there, even 6'ers if you are not talking extended road trip.....

I have to say it, because for me, it was eye opening.... If you are going to do a lot of towing, a diesel is where it is at....regardless of the truck. Yes, a gasser can do the job most places....as can a 100 count humidor...

I went from 8MPG towing with my 2002 Dodge 1500 5.9 360 gasser to double that with my 2007 3500 5.9 CTD. Of course I live in a place that I drag my boat over mountain passes almost ever time we go out....sometimes multiple passes. I don't have to watch the temp gauge....I can use the air conditioning....

Of course if you are towing 15 miles each way on flat ground, obviously a gasser is good as gold...

E.J. is correct on the diesel, IF you will be towing heavy loads, and for long distances. Boats, and ATV trailers, even small and medium tractors, a gas engine will suffice. I get around 10 mpg on my 97 F-150 (5.4 L gas) when hauling my tractor, with a bush-hog, and an ATV in the bed. But, that is also humming down the interstate at 70-75 mph! With a standard rear end, it's either 75 mph (with seldom kick-downs to 3rd from OD), or back it down to 55-60 to stay mostly in OD. 60-70 equals lots of kick-down, lower gas mileage. Just not a good power range in OD at that speed under heavy (at least 4000 lbs). Unloaded, I get around 15 mpg in mixed driving. (this is a 2WD truck).

My wife's 2008 F-150 has same engine, but is 4WD, and newer. She gets very close to 17mpg on that truck. Haven't used it for hauling, so don't know how it is under load. My 2004 F-150 4WD (now Ninja's ride) got 12 mpg hauling a Nissan Pathfinder back from Charleston SC on a (heavy) U-Haul car hauler. 16-17 without a load.

If, as E.J. questions, you will be pulling heavy loads, and pulling them often, you are already behind the eight-ball considering ANY of the trucks that have already been discussed. I have a Class V hitch system on my 97 F-150, which means I can haul up to 10,000 lbs. However, without electric brake hook-up, that's on the heavy side of safe! Heavy hauling really requires a truck at least equal to a F-250, and the diesel engine is the only way to go! In the case of a heavy duty truck with a diesel engine, you can expect to get almost the same mileage loaded as pulling empty. The torque of the diesel make all the difference. And, Ford has a new, larger diesel engine for 2011 models that is supposed to be stronger, more efficient, and more reliable. In heavy duty trucks, you 100% want to go with a truck with a complete, closed beam truck frame, NOT a channel beam with plates added so often. anything less than a full box-beam frame just isn't strong enough for a heavy-duty truck. Mostly, a heavy-duty would be needed for RV and work-trailer type pulling.

But, for most folks, a standard duty truck, with a gas engine is sufficient.

Good luck on what you end up with!

[The Poet]

The new Hess truck's here, just in time for Christmas, and this year it comes with its own F-15 Eagle launching from its bed. Only $24.99 at your local Hess Station, and that includes batteries.