Get the Ford
I've driven Chevys, Fords, and Dodges. I currently own a Dodge, and if I could afford to replace it, I'd buy a Ford. What I like about the Dodge is the turning radius. the suspension seems to have held up pretty well too. What I don't like is that I've had to have the transmission rebuilt 3 times, the transfer case also rebuilt 3 times, and have had to replace the engine 4 times now.
So your thinking WTH are you doing to it!? Valid question. The first problems showed up in the transfer case. The casing was forming hairline fractures and all the fluid was draining out, eventually resulting in all the inside parts becoming several smaller parts in somewhat dramatic fashion. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary: streets & highways, occasional forest roads and firewood trips, and seasonal snow. Every few months, the dam(n) thing would just blow up and cost me another $2000. On the third time, the transimssion shop got the idea to send the driveshaft out to check it. That was the culprit. it was just enough out of balance that the vibrations over time caused microscopic cracks to form in the aluminum transfer case housing, which then expanded to hairline cracks, and so on.
The same cause carried through to the transmission. So every 4 to 6 months, I was getting on or the other rebuilt at $1500 to $3000 a pop. Never enough to justify spending $ on a new or different truck, but if I could have looked two or three years into the future, I might have saved myself $5000 or so by replacing the truck.
Also as a result of the driveshaft problem, my motor wore out at about 150K. It had been well over a year since my last transmission meltdown with no further signs of trouble, so I decided, once again to put money into this truck rather than spending several times that amount to replace it. After some research and asking around, I settled on a remanufactured motor from the company that had the best warranty on paper. It cost $1000 more than the next competitor, but I figured I'd spend a little extra for the better assurance of the warranty and the perceived added quality.
What a disappointment! That motor never did run quite right and lasted about 10K before it was as wore out as the original at 150K. It was a manufacturing defect in the machining of the block at the heads. Not repairable. I also found out that a warranty is only as good as the willingness of the company offering it to stand behind it. Before agreeing to replace the motor, they insisted that we try a few other things, including machining the heads and putting it back together. Even after providing a replacement motor and reimbursing me for some of the work needed to replace it and jump through the hoops they insisted on before replacing the motor, it cost me nearly half as much as buying and installing the previous motor did in the first place. But, I now had the new motor, so move on with life and put it behind me.
Until about 15K later. Same issue, losing compression. Same problem, bad machining on the block. Same hassles from the motor company. Nearly the same cost as the last one to replace. Now hopeful (foolish) that the problems were now behind me, i again put it behind me and moved on with life. They couldn't possibly have given me 2 bad motors in a row, could they?
About 10K later (heavy sigh). Same issue, losing compression. Same problem, bad machining on the block. Not quite the same hassles. I told him that if I got the same run around, I'd rather spend the money on legal action and a few hundred dollars on postage to send a letter detailing my experience to every licensed mechanic, auto parts shop, distributors, etc. as far around my location as that postage would take it. They could either send a new moter without argument or a check to cover purchase of someone else's motor and the work of installation. They sent the motor and a check that covered about 80% of expenses. Not quite what I wanted, but close enough to not sue or send out letters. I'm now nearing 10K on this motor and hoping this will be the one that is OK. The mechanic I go to now has had similar prior experience with this motor company.
When I finally have some money again, which will likely not be until the kids are all done with college, I'm going back to Fords.
Sorry for the hijack, but it was cathartic.
Anyway, short answer and cutting past my other crap, don't buy Dodge, in my experience they're junk. Don't buy Chevy, the govt and UAW have conflicts of interest in their ownership of it and should not be supported by anyone who dislikes that corruption. That leaves Ford and a few Japanese brands, some of which are largely built in the USA. I've had pretty good experience with Ford, and appreciate their integrity of having not taken a bailout and sold themselves to the government and the union.
Good luck with whatever you get.
County just bought me a new work truck. F250 Ford 4x4, extended cab, long bed, Big Block Gas engine. It's a big truck, but it actually rides pretty smooth with the solid axle front end riding on coils.
I drive a Chevy 1/2 ton 4 door 4x4 and don't mind the way the Ford rides.
It does have much to be improved on as far as having a smooth underside. There is lots of stuff hanging down. JRL
My personal vehicle is a 2003 Ranger. I have 160,000 miles on it. No problems with it so far. I would buy another Ranger, but I heard that Ford is not making any more after 2011.
Toyota
Toyota Tundra
Started with Fords offroad since 78, Chevys couldn't take the beating of working cross country seismo work around Rock Springs WY. From Ford (5) went to Dodge (3) and Toyota Tundra. Chevy's crater at 36,000 mi. offroad, Ford's crater @ 70,000 offroad, Dodge's cratered @ 100,000 offroad, Toyota still going @ 155,000 with one tuneup.
Pablo
I have a 2008 Ford F250 crew cab, 7' bed. I like the truck. It is pretty clean underneath.
There is a pool truck which is a 2008 Chevrolet 2500 crew cab. It is ridiculous, there are brake lines hanging down just itching to get torn off the first trip down a 4WD road.
Toyota
I think Toyota has passed its peak; it's human nature, they become the biggest then decline just like Detroit (the Japanese are not immune to human foibles). My father-in-law has a 92 Toyota 4WD pickup which never breaks. I think the new ones need a more critical look before purchase.
Ranger is too small for me. Riding around in a 4WD Ranger is my idea of torture. I was going to buy one but my wife told me not to, too small. My personal truck is an F150 which I have found she was right. A friend confirmed it too; he had a 4WD Ranger for a company truck and said it was terrible and he is 6" shorter than me.
GMC
Ford, only before Japanese or Korean
Toyota
I have to agree. I've been a diehard Toyota guy since 78, owned 5 trucks, all new. The last one (2002) just wasn't built like the older ones. I was disappointed. They had a good reputation but quality is starting to suffer. I would look at drivetrain warantee buying new. Chev is 100,000 now. Before the crash GM was starting to pick itself up. They will be back elbow to elbow with Ford soon . GM and Ford are the heavy hitters in the truck market now. Biggest bang for your buck.
At my company we buy Chevy and Ford 3/4 4door diesels w/ the long beds. But lately we have been buy mostly Fords. We get the big trucks b/c of the various boat we pull (although most of our work lately has been in SE TX and N. LA). Plus those custom wood boxes weigh a ton.
We have been going w/ the Fords lately b/c of the quality. They have been holding up better esp. when you are putting close to 50000mile a year on them. The breaking system in the Ford is real nice and the power of the diesel is great.
But the HD Chevy does have the allison transmission.
We keep our truck maintained well. We usually do not change out the truck until after 175k.
I change the oil at 175k but only if it looks dirty.
Jeep. They're the best. I presently have a 2004 Grand Cherokee with 132k and nothing in the way of repairs except for Brakes, shocks and tires. That's it. I love that AMC straight six. Good motor.
We are a big fan of Buy American and Buy Local. Love them Dodge 1500's from Warren Michigan and Toledo made Jeeps. We have a couple standard cabs and a couple of extended cabs. They ride smooth, haul the tools and look great. We have run Dodge trucks and Jeeps without any major repairs for the last twenty years.
I like my ford ranger with extended cab a lot, but it's my personal vehicle. Next time that I swap field vehicles I'm going to take a good hard long look at the Ford Transit. I first saw them over seas and since they started selling them here I think they would be perfect..
Buy what you like. For every story here or an any forum you ask this question, there are as many pieces of junk comments as there are I love my whatever.
Personally, I don't think I have seen ANY brand of vehicle used as a survey crummy where anything less than a 3/4 ton was adequate in the long haul, most places I have worked eventually moved to the heavier vehicles, it was safer, no amount of overload springs, air bags, etc. is going to compensate for an undersized chassis, been there, done that, some very unsafe crew trucks result when overloaded. All of my experience is in the western US, sometimes in very remote or rugged terrain, that may bias our use toward heavier and bigger vehicles.
I am more familiar with the truck brands as they relate to diesel powered, but if you do your research, I am sure you can found similar information for the lighter duty trucks too.
I think that all the brands are probably decent in general, of course every brand seems to have lemons, look at all the issues Ford has had with the Powerstrokes, to the point they built a new diesel engine from the ground up after using International engines since the mid 1980's. Dodge transmissions can be weak on the diesels prior to 3-4 years ago where they now have a strong transmission to handle the torque of the Cummins. For years GM had junk diesel power and the associated transmissions, I think now the DuraMax is decent, but there was some of those at the beginning that had horrible overheating issues. You want to talk about Asian, OK, I have never seen an older Toyota that the interior plastic held up on, I had a Toyota car once that kept running, but everything else was junk, like driving a tin can and all the plastic, seats etc., were disintegrating from the UV.
For me personally, I don't like the seating position in most, if not all Asian vehicles I have driven, so they aren't even something I look at.
Also a good yyyy year of xxxx doesn't necessarily translate into a good current model or the other way around either, ALL vehicles have generally shown light years of improvement in recent years, anybody remember the Vega, the Pinto or any thing that said Hyundai on it from a few years back?
It comes down to personal preference with trying to avoid an obvious lemon within that line, maybe a particular transmission, engine, etc.
My 2001 Dodge Ram has 236K and runs as good or better than when new, biggest repairs, new bearings in the rear axle and new synchronizers in the manual transmission, both after 220K. 1st brakes went to 190K, never touched any u-joints, 4X4 components, even the shocks are still original, I think driving habits and maintenance or lack thereof are bigger factors than anyone wants to admit!
Whatever works for you and your operation is the best vehicle.
SHG
My father-in-law is a big Toyota nut but like you I am not comfortable in them.
I agree on the weight rating of the truck. When I was so unhappy with the ridicula-Van my previous employer had (purchased by our predecessors), in desperation I said give me any half ton pickup over this nightmare vehicle and I will make it work.
But now my work vehicle is an F250 and I have to say it handles the load much better than an F150 would and it drives as well as any car despite the load. I don't think the acquisition cost is all that much different between similar F150s and F250s. The mpg might be worse in a 3/4 ton pickup because the vehicle weighs more.
From what I have seen, smaller vehicle does not necessarily equate to less operating costs, especially if it is over loaded and being asked to do tasks for which it wasn't designed.
SHG
YUGO,
Nuff said
Shelby
That's a good one, really points out the need to use the RIGHT TOOL for the job!
P.S. Did you get my Email this morning?
Loyal
