trucks - musing and choosing

Thinkin' it's new truck time. I'm running a Silverado at present, but am tossing around the notion of dropping down a notch in size. I'd like to hear from folks running the newish Tacomas, particularly the 4dr, 4wds. I think the box will take a 350 Honda quad, but that's only theoretical at this point. So is the claimed 27-28 mpg with the V6. Any unhappiness with them?

Of course, the other way to go is to stick with full size, and there it's a choice between Tundra and Chev. I wouldn't mind hearing about life with either of those as well.

Thanks guys.

I recently bought a new 2007 Tundra Doublecab 4x4 with the 5.7 engine,and I am very impressed.The Ride and handling are very good and while the power is amazing(381hp),the fuel mileage is as good as my 2004 Sierra with the 5.3.

I'm driving an '06 Tacoma (auto) 4x4 double cab. Love the truck so far - the gas mileage not so much. I am usually +/- 500 km for 70 L - so only about 20 mpg or 14 L / 100 km. We recently did a test pull of a trailer we have bought - it towed it fine but glug glug goes the gas. Keep in mind if you go with a standard you end up with a shorter box with the Tacoma.

Prairieboy, have you had any chance to haul anything with that new Tundra. What kind of mileage are you getting with it? I have been looking at one for a while now but there is not many people around who have one yet to ask how they like them. I have been very impressed with them during a couple of test drives i have taken it for.

Have 07 GM new type. Replaced 3/4 ton and very happy with the new ride. Have about 4000 k's on it and digital readout says 14.6 lit per hundred k's. I will be towing my 25 ft Rustler to Wetaskiwin Fri and will let you know the results. Definitely better than the old style. More poop with the 5.3 as well.

New Ford F-150 Super Crew is an awesome truck. Running about 22-24mpg empty and it can haul a ton of weight. I'm definitely going to look at one next time now that they offer the 6'6" box.

I just bought a 2005 Chev 2500HD crewcab shortbox 4x4, it has the 6.0L with the 4:10 gears. Its not doing to bad on gas, I am thinking about 19 miles/gallon.

Love the truck, extremely nice to drive and tonnes of power. I will be pulling a 27' holiday trailer with it.

New F-350 is the only truck to buy. Not small mind you but it has twin turbo and the interior is awesome. Never mind the $74,000 price tag...that is a wicked truck. I have been thinking of trading my 04 F-350 for it.

I am rather disappointed with the "quality" of Ford...last fall when we were out hunting for a week I got to drive a '06 Chev 2500HD Crew cab diesel and a '04 Ford F350 Crew Cab diesel. Both trucks were loaded including leather. The Ford interior seemed really cheap, it didn't have the ride and it wasn't as good off road in the snow. The only I can say good about them is room in the crew cabs back seat was better.

Off road performance can be determined by a number of factors (tires especially) so to say one brand is better or worse than the other really isn't fair. As for ride, I'd expect the ride of a one-ton to be stiffer than that of a 3/4 ton but you are also comparing a three year old truck to a one year old truck. Tires and shocks could have played a role. You really aren't comparing apples to apples. I'll put my '04 Ford up against any other long box one ton off road.

I agree with you SH.I own a 06 f350 and drive a 06 hd 2500.The GM definatly rides better on the hiway but itstops there.In my case the fuel economy goes to the Ford.Power is about 50/50 maybe leaning towards the GM a bit but I haven't towed with it yet either,so that is only counting on empty trucks.Riding in the Ford makes me feel like I'm driving a pickup,not a car.Ground clearance also goes to the Ford with way more clearance than the GM.These two trucks are to new to compare break downs/trouble,but I had an 03 GM and an 04 f350,the f350 had 50000 more km than the GM with very little trouble,the GM on the other hand,well we'll just say that if I owned it ,it would have been the last one.One more thing though is that the F.I.L. owns a 05 tundra and cant say enough good things about it,although 90% of his mileage is hiway.

They both had brand new tires, the Ford had BF Goodrich all-terrain and the Chev had the Goodyear Wranglers.

I agree the 1-ton will ride some what rougher but it was quite significant. The Ford also had lots of axle hop when you got into the deep snow...and it has the "off road" package from Ford with the Rancharo shocks.

But my biggest beef with the Fords is the interior, really it sucks, the dash is cheap the gauge cluster looks cheap and you close the doors and you wonder if they are going to fall off. You pay a fortune and I would expect more.

The fact that the Ford was slightly older shouldn't make that much of difference or are the Fords worn out by then?

The guy that has the Ford has seen his fair share of warranty work as well so they all have their problems.

The fact that the Ford was slightly older shouldn't make that much of difference or are the Fords worn out by then?

Nope but shocks sure will wear out in that amount of time. Just replaced the Ranchos on mine. 2004 was the last year for leaf springs on the front so there was a bit of wheel hop associated with that but it was easily remedied with quad shocks on the front. The worn out shocks would definitely increase wheel hop too.

Like I pointed out too, the vehicles had different tires which greatly changes performance in different conditions.

My doors close nice and tight...guess I just got lucky!

I'm far from a Ford snob and appreciate the good it all brands but you can't compare totally different trucks fairly.

I have no issues with the mechanics of the Ford...they all have problems and they all have there good points. Like I said the interior was my issue. Like you said with some changes or part replacement other things can be overcome.

Now a days I think they are so close it comes down to if you want a bowtie or the blue oval on the truck.

I don't do any hardcore off roading with my truck, they cost to much to abuse like that. I will do some very minor stuff but any 4x4 could do it.

I wanted a truck that could pull my travel trailer, other trailer with quads and haul my hunting gear with a comfortable ride for my hunting buddies.

By the way I don't have the diesel, I have the 6.0L cause I am too poor.

But if I was looking for a lighter truck, the Toyota wins hands down...no domestic truck can touch it when it comes to off roading, reliablity and resale.

Here is a rule of thumb which I am going to get lambasted for but here it goes.

GM if you want to stay on the road and pull stuff around, etc.

Ford if you want a good mix of on and off road

Dodge if you using it as a heavy duty offroad or work truck.

This applies to the 3/4 or bigger diesels.

The fords interior did leave something to be desired but they have sure changed that in the diesel line now go take a look. My 04 F-350 has had no problems mechanically but it does get stuck...all trucks will if you are stupid....

I have almost 92,000 kms on it and I am thinking I may sell and look for the next best thing.

edit sorry don't want to hijack buddies thread.

Prairieboy, have you had any chance to haul anything with that new Tundra. What kind of mileage are you getting with it?

I have made one 1000km trip so far on the highway with my Tundra and with my speed between 110kph and 120kph my mileage worked out to 21mpg.That trip was made with only 200km on the truck,so the mileage should improve a little.I have yet to haul any loads yet.I like the fact that the truck is the same length as most other extended cabs,yet it has more interior room,and the rear doors open normally instead of the foolish suicide doors.The truck also has the 6-1/2' box where some extended cabs now have the shorter box.I find that the build quality appears to be superior to the domestics,as seems to be the case with all toyota products.After owning Fords and GMCs,this is my first Toyota truck,but it won't likely be my last.

I have an 05 Tacoma and have been getting 500km+ on my 70L fills in the winter. Now, I have a remote starter as well and warm it up before I drive it as well. What is kinda funny is, it seems like my gas mileage was better when the truck was newer. There were times when I was getting 650K to a tank and once when I was pushing 700K running it just short to the point of pushing it to the gas station.

The truck has been good to me, much better than my 98Dakota with the 318 V8. No major issues, but a few beefs....

Road noise. There is a bit more wind noise than I would have hoped for for a truck that costs this much (and they don't let you haggle at all!!)

The paint seems to chip easier than my old Dodge, the factory mudflaps are crappy, and expensive. I packed one full of good old Fox Creek mud last year and it tore from the weight. I had to cut it off so it wouldn't bang on the wheel well on the way home>: They are $120 each to replace!

Also, the plastic panels of the interior seem to scratch pretty easy. I put a lot of km on my truck. I'm in sales, so I travel a fair bit for work, and I like to hunt, fish, camp etc, and don't miss a chance to go on the weekends when I can, but it's getting a little beat up inside.

Bottom line is, the truck has more horsepower than my old V8 Dodge, rides nicer, and will actually still be worth something when I go to sell it. Dakotas are a dime a dozen in the Auto Trader, but the Toyotas keep their value and sell fast in the used market.

I'd buy another Toyota, but the next one might be the new Tundra.

My 2 cents worth anyway...

Dave

I am real happy with my 06 Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel 4 X 4. Honda450 called it a Sheep 2500 I believe lol...thats 'cause he drives a stinkin' GM though. Never had a diesel before, so I was really struck with the torque that this engine puts out. Mileage on highway flats is 22 mpg @ 110 mph (empty). A big 128L fuel tank.......the DTE reads 999 kms after a fill up.

I had a 4.6L F150 prior to this truck............no comparison.

I owned the 2003 4.6L F-150 before the 05' F-350 Diesel that I currently own. Of course there is no comparison, because they are two completly different trucks. From my experience working in the patch, we have run new Chevy Diesels,ford diesels, and Dodge diesels, the dodges stand up fairly well, the chevy not so well. As a matter of fact the entire fleet was changed out after only a year. We had way to many problems, but a hell of a nice truck for pulling a trailer down the highway. My 350 does ride a little rough, but I would much rather have that than a truck that cant handle a rough lease road without leaving half the truck behind. I too have no problems with this truck off-road. I run 35'' Toyo open country MT's. The other positive note on the Ford is the ability to run a tire this size without a lift. The dodges were no problem either once the lift pump problem was fixed in 04. My buddies still run dodges and have had a few front end problems along with some minor tranny problems. They needed 4'' to run 35's. The chevy needed 6'' on independant front suspension I believe. In my opinion the chevy is not built work ready and needs several thousand dollars in upgrades to match up to what the others are running stock. I am not trying to offend anybody here and if you guys know about any problems that I can expect to encounter please say so.
P.S My buddy owns a new Titan and although hard on fuel, it is a very nice truck and has good 1/2 ton towing capabilities.

I hauled the trailer to Red Deer with my new gen 07 GM and back today and watched the averages fairly close. With no grade and pulling normal it was at 18-19 ltres per 100. Any slight grade and it ran about 21-22. On large hills all hell broke loose up to about 40-50. Of course going down hill it was great in 4 mode. Overall I think it was close to the 19 ltr per hundred. Total K's are still around 3500 so I probably shoudn't have towed yet but I had no choice. Certainly drags a 25 ft trailer as good as the 03 3/4 ton I had. When it kicks down a gear on the big river hill the fuel consumption stayed the same. Kind of a surprise. Had a 06 Dodge Cummins owner and an 05 duramax guy with me on the weekend and they were very impressed with the ride and quietness. Don't think the Cummins guy will change though. I've been with him and the mileage is some impressive.

I have to agree with the guys in the Yota' camp. They are tops in quality, value, and resale. The question now is will they rust like they used to or have they resolved that problem. There is a product out there that uses cathodic protection to stop rust. May be the hot ticket? Chev quality has gone down over the years, Dodge and Ford have improved but still have a ways to go, especially as far as resale is concerned.

hey, go with the toyota i drive a 2006 tacoma double cab trd and its the best thing ive evr did, its gotten me outa some really sticky situations, just equip it with a good set of tires and your laughig, it does fit a quad, my buddy has a vinsion 500 and the only thing i have to do is go over the wheel humps on the back, a few good things that are extra the bed is made outta plastic so no metal makes it nice and light, the double cab has a lsd but no front lockers the acess cab has the front lockers with the lsd, the bed has a house hold power outlet, so its a great buy o ya not to mention it has GREAT power a lil to much for a v6 but u can never have to much, im not gunna lie i have beaten some v8s but if u have any questions msg me o ya i payed 40000 and towes 6500 pounds no problem

These aftermarket cathodic protection systems only work if your truck is parked in an electrolyte (like a lake or muskeg or buried in a trench for example). There was a company trying that scam about 15yrs ago I think. CP is used on pipelines, tank bottoms, inside vessels, water heaters, boat legs etc. But it can only function if current is flowing from an anode through an electrolyte (soil, water, etc) onto the cathode (pipe, tank bottom etc). The anode and cathode must be connected by an electrolyte.

Most car companies coat their steel with a zinc coating now which acts to prevent localized corrosion cells from developing on your trucks steel. It is galvanic coating which sacrifices itself rather than the steel. That is to say the zinc will corrode rather than the steel.

I'd save your money and get a new gun or something useful.

Thanks Rug. New gun sound like a better idea anyway.

I'm a little disappointed with my FORD... It's only 16 years old and it's already starting to rust! :lol

Stinky

I just ordered myself one of the new Tundra double cabs with the new 5.7. From the test drives that i took in the truck i was very impressed with them. I guess the next question with them is how it is going to stand up to me pounding it down lease roads year round. The best selling point for the Tundra in my mind was the extended warranty that you can buy for under $3000 that is comprehensive for 7 years or 200k. Ford, Dodge and Chev cant touch that.

Boys, i would just as soon ride in my f-250 with a steel tractor seat. I have run em all in the patch in my 12 yr career, and wrecked em all, but found the fords the toughest drive trains going. Thy are rough riding buggers, but some tough. Oh ya, and whats with chev's and dropping the frames lower to the ground?!?!?!?:rollin I am running one for a company truck for Enerplus right now, and fellas, i wouldnt give you a split nickle for this hunk of crap. Shedding parts like a dog shedding out in the spring, ever since day one!!!!!
edit; often considered having the paint buffed off so i had less weight to dig out of snow drifts and mud holes!!!!:rollin
edit again; i disagree with freedom of choice, we should all have to run Fords
FORD POWER!!!!!!!!!FOREVER!!!!!!

keep a strain on er!!!!

Hey, I recently bought an '07 4 door tacoma. So far I really like it and the gas mileage is quite a bit better then the hemi dodge ram I was driving before, however it's not as good as I was hoping. Again around 500-550 km a tank. I have not tried towing anything yet, but am starting work this week, so I will see how it is towing a 6000 lb trailer. My only complaint is the box is a little short but I bought a standard, which results in a shorter box.