Advise in truck upgrade

[Stressless]

I just rolled on a new Toyota, I don't need the size or MPG that the tundra comes with so I went with a Taco . Again. Bought a 2010 new and dropped that one off at my boys new farm in TN a couple weeks ago. 235k on it and ran/runs bulletproof.

I towed a 23' CC with tandom trailer and full of gas it was close to the max capacity of the Taco - but it never had any issues with it. So I buy the truck for the 97.5% (wave to Rush Limbaugh) of the time I need it. It's not worth buying 80% more truck for those one off times you 'might' need it.

That being said - evey single truck I've ever owned has been 4x4 as I use them with that in mind. Not a Cowboy Cadillac.

 

[Boarhead]

Get a Toyota.

 

[Milo]

I went diesel from a gas. Get 3-5 more mpg than my old Toyota and can tow anything. I’d hold out cause the bottom is coming. I don’t drive near as much as I used to do I can keep the miles down and when I need a truck I have a real one. My guess is a hybrid diesel is coming to the market. Stay away from chevy diesels in my opinion.

 

[bigten05]

I just traded my 2014 silverado in on a 2017 silverado, they gave me almost what I bought the 14 for 3 years ago. If you shop you can find deals but it takes some time looking. Chevy has a new 2500 crew cab right now with the 6.6 gas motor for 46 or 48k.

 

[giles]

Excellent points on the camper Dave and those who brought up points on the coal rollers.
I thinks I’ll just keep an eye on the price trends and do some test driving and kick a few drives starting this spring.
THANKS for y’all’s insight and please those who haven’t chimed in please respond at your leisure.

I just did some looking and research on this subject. You might want to. Those bank freezes never happened and the chips are still short. Supply and demand is feeding these greedy dealerships. Buying new is less money than used right now. If you can find one.

Presidents day leases are always the best of the year also. For anyone else following along.

 

[5Cent]

Just crossed 30K miles in the '20 Silverado 2500HD with the new model year gasser 6.6L. She's handled everything I've thrown at her and has not disappointed. I cannot compare it to my '14 or '01 Duramax's, it's just apples to oranges. I will say pal, ya worked hard and if ya want a diesel, get a diesel if it fits the bill. They are awesome to drive and you are set for whatever adventures await you and the Mrs. thru your golden years.

Overall avg. MPG showing on the dash calculator is 14.8 for lifetime. This is from the day I bought it, and includes daily driving, towing, idling, etc.. Hand calculation is .5-.75mpg lower than dash. Just put 1800+ miles on her and she had a hand calculated avg. MPG of 17.6.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I'm partial to this answer

Me personally, if I’m buying new, I’m getting a gasser F250. You can get into an XLT for under 50k… which is cheaper than a lot of half-tons. But way more truck.

 

[Jackalope]

If you wanted to go diesel I would say go old school pre EPA. I bought Jim's 2001 Excursion with a 7.3L and it has 360k on the dash. It's not uncommon to see them for sale with north of 450K miles. The motor is built like a brick shithouse and doesn't have the head, Injector, epa problems like new ones. Most of problems with the one I have are body and rust related because it lived in Ohio for 15 years. Find one in the mid 200k mileage out west in west texas, Nm, Az, so cal. The B50 life on the 7.3L is 350K. Meaning 50% of them will reach 350k miles without major repair. Major meaning anything that requires head removal. Parts are in a sweet spot. Not in high demand and plenty of back stock on the shelves. I priced a rebuilt OEM power steering pump today with the resivoire and it was $48. I thought it needed a water pump but it was a crack in the coolant bottle. The pump was $62. The coolant bottle was $32. So even if you need to do repairs the parts are cheap as hell. A bonus is it sounds and smells like a school bus. just something to think about. Even if you manage to blow the motor in the thing you still saved 50k over buying a new. 50k will put 10 rebuilt bulletproof motors in that sucker.

 

[giles]

This one's a little closer. 4x4 and a longbed for hauling wood.

2001 f350 - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

2001 f350 7.3l 4wd truck runs drives shifts great zero rust paint and body is in excellent condition. Tires have good tread. Zero blow by no leaks. Truck has a gooseneck hitch. The leather interior...

columbus.craigslist.org

 

[Jackalope]

This one's a little closer. 4x4 and a longbed for hauling wood.

2001 f350 - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

2001 f350 7.3l 4wd truck runs drives shifts great zero rust paint and body is in excellent condition. Tires have good tread. Zero blow by no leaks. Truck has a gooseneck hitch. The leather interior...

columbus.craigslist.org

There ya go. Way better than spending 50-80k on a new truck.

 

[hickslawns]

Miles are right. Engine is right. Rust is starting. Price is stupid. Although in all fairness, it does have a plow you could sell for $3500 ish.

 

[Big H]

Rick, working towards retirement also. I drive a lot for work, not as much now but...

Here is my two cents... I'm a Ford guy. I have had numerous Chevy's (Chevelle's, K5 Blazer, several pickups, a couple I plowed with in my younger days), until I got married to my late wife and started getting the Z-plan from her dad since he worked at Ford. I have had quite a few F150's and have not had any major issues except for my 2001 that blew a spark plug out of the head at 100,000 miles. We fixed it and I sold it at 320,00 miles and it was still going strong. I have a 2014 XLT F 150 that is now in Florida and a couple of months ago I sold my 2011 Chevy Traverse that had 160,000 on it. My wife Kristi has a 2017 F 150 Rousch. One of my daughter's has a Ford Escape. I decided before I took the 2014 to Florida and swapped it out with the Traverse that I wanted a Super Duty, so I went out and found one. I weighed all the options of diesel and gas, and decided that I didn't tow long enough distances to justify all the extra expense of the diesel. I knew what I wanted as far as trim package and was not settling for less. I'm TOO old to not be comfortable driving, and the Lariat package was the minimum I wanted. I ended up with a 2019 F 250 Lariat with 30,000 miles and absolutely love it. Once I get done adding stuff I will probably like it even more LOL. My dad has a Chevy Silverado, which is a nice truck, but until they came out with the new body style recently, I was not a fan of the "look" of the fender wells especially. I have driven a couple Siverado rentals and they are very nice to drive. But I really like the Fords, it is just a personal preference. I don't know much about the other brands except I have heard that Dodge has good pricing and options. I have a couple friends that like their Dodge's and Chevy's, but I know a lot more that are Ford brand PERIOD.

Bottom line, get what you want, explore all the options and don't settle for any less. Have you ever bought/settled for something less than you really wanted? Were you ever really happy with it? Test drive all of them.

Remember this though, Ford is the only brand that I can tell the wife to "Get your booty up in the Super Duty"

 

[Jackalope]

Miles are right. Engine is right. Rust is starting. Price is stupid. Although in all fairness, it does have a plow you could sell for $3500 ish.

Big pass. Not just price but from my reading these trucks dont like to be lifted and most of the kits ive looked at sub 5 inch dont have the shackle to keep the front end from death wobbling.

I'd also never buy a plow truck without a paid in full invoice for a transmission rebuild.

 

[Jackalope]

Miles are right. Engine is right. Rust is starting. Price is stupid. Although in all fairness, it does have a plow you could sell for $3500 ish.

Another thing I've noticed. I dont understand these guys with low miles 7.3s that think they're sitting on a gold mine. One with 150k miles will be priced 10-20k more than one with 250 or 300k miles. It's a sleeved motor, complete performance rebuild kits are only about $1,500. With another $800 in new injectors. So for 2,300 bucks you can rebuild it and itll probably last 500k miles. If rebuilding one isn't someones thing you can buy one rebuilt on a pallet for about 5k. The hardest part of the job is having to raise the cab because that big fucker weighs 980 lbs dry and ain't coming out the hood.

 

[Jackalope]

Here's and example. Same damn truck. Both in Oregon. One had a lift kit and some big tires with 100k less miles. Yeah that makes it worth double the price. Tack an extra $21k to that dude.

 

[giles]

Here's and example. Same damn truck. Both in Oregon. One had a lift kit and some big tires with 100k less miles. Yeah that makes it worth double the price. Tack an extra $21k to that dude.

View attachment 146028View attachment 146029

For $43,000 you could get a slightly used Toyota.

 

[Jackalope]

For $43,000 you could get a slightly used Toyota.

Yeah but odds are still that Toyota will never see 350k.

 

[giles]

Longest Lasting Trucks On The Road

Want to see 200,000 miles? These pickups are more than likely to get you there.

www.motortrend.com

 

[Sgt Fury]

My ‘96 Tacoma had 360,000 miles when they bought it back from me and it was still running like a champ. It was one of those that had a recall on the frame rusting but mine wasn’t really too bad, but they wanted it off of the road so I sold it to them…14 years old with 360,000 miles and I got $8500. Too good to pass up.

 

[Sauger]

Figured I would jump on this bandwagon. If your looking for a daily driver go gas, if your going to tow alot go diesel. I have owned ford's for the last 20 years and for some reason this year I decided to go GMC. I traded my 2017 f350 powerstroke in for the new 2500 AT4 duramax. I went to the Ford dealership last week and placed a order for a new Ford, thats how much I like the GMC.