I have been mulling over my next truck purchase over and over again in my mind and I am driving myself crazy so I am turning to strangers for help
I currently lease a 2011 Ford F150 supercab 4x4. Lease is coming up somewhat soon so I am researcing my next step. Going to buy this time around and not lease.
Very conflicted between going Ram, GMC, Chevrolet, or Ford for my next truck. Use it for weekend warrior projects, towing my jeep and hauling garbage to the dump. Also my DD. My ford has been great to me but there are things I dont like. Suicide doors for one in extended cabs. Cannot afford crew cab since I want to keep price at about 32k for new truck. The others have 4 doors for extended cabs.
What are the pros and cons for each make? Help me out here. No toyotas or nissans. Gotta be american p/u but I am not brand loyal.
Dodge Pros: you get to buy a new truck in a few years when the one you buy this year falls apart. After owning 2-3, I've given up entirely on the brand. So has 90% of the people I know. Each dodge I've owned has had more trouble than every other brand of truck I've owned combined. I'm not brand specific except in not owning any more of that one.
Personally I have hard time spending 40k+ on a trip to the dump style truck no matter who made it. Probably why I now rock a $2k f250 for that purpose, occasional tows, hunting trips etc. Ya it only gets around 12-13mpg, but it's parked 340 days a year and costs about $10/month to insure.
For bad weather around town and *hopefully* hunting/camping etc I rock a $200 tacoma. I'm working on my hunting camper now, so I'll know how it tows the popup soon. Another $10 bill a month to insure.
Ok, it cost $200 to buy, probably into it about $2400. I've owned it for about 6 months, at least 2 were in the shop while I worked on it. But it will likely be parked 250'ish days a year.
For actual DD I drive a convertible GT mustang. About $70/month to insure full coverage. Easier and more fun to drive than any truck I've ever owned. Gets decent mpg (20'ish mixed) etc etc etc. It's only parked when it's nasty out. Worst slick road vehicle I've ever owned and I grew up driving 300+hp cars.
I spent most of my life chasing the 1 perfect vehicle that does all I need. It doesn't exist. I've found life is better spending $11k with purpose built vehicles and fewer daily compromises than $40k and nothing but compromises.
I'm considering a consolidation by trading two of our Jeeps for a 2015 Ford F-150 when they come out at year's end.
If price is a huge factor, then the 2014 Chevy/GMC presents a solid relative value proposition, but is arguably the most traditional of the three in terms of interior layout and driving dynamics. This seems to be the consensus anyway [check out some head-to-head comparisons on YouTube].
The Ram has a nicer interior than the Chevy IMO, but I believe there are less incentives than the GM 1500s (when I checked last week). I was leaning towards a Ram Crew Cab Laramie, but seeing photos of the forthcoming F-150 and its resemblence to the Atlas concept (which I really like) urges me to be patient.
You are aware the Toyota Tundra is built in Houston Texas , The Nissan Titan is made in Canton Mississippi . Dodge Ram 2500/3500's are made in Mexico the Ram 1500 is made in the US . 2014 sliverado/Sierra models are built in Mexico also.
So if you want American made your choices should be
You are aware the Toyota Tundra is built in Houston Texas , The Nissan Titan is made in Canton Mississippi . Dodge Ram 2500/3500's are made in Mexico the Ram 1500 is made in the US . 2014 sliverado/Sierra models are built in Mexico also.
So if you want American made your choices should be
This. There is nothing "American" about Ford, Chevy, and Dodge now except that their CEOs might fly their helicopters around in America. That's about it.
Get the 2015 F150. Lots of improvements. I am not sure but the body or some body parts are aluminum. They offer several engine choices. A guy I work with just bought a 2014 F150 FX4 four door and it has a lot more room on the interior than his similar one he traded in that was around 7 to 10 years older.
The new F-150's are fantastic trucks but if you want something different the only comparable truck IMO is the Nissan Titan.
I've done a 14 hour trip in a 2012 FX-4 and I've got a 2007 Titan and my buddy has a 2013 Raptor, one major pro about the Titan vs the Ford is the Titan doesn't wheel hop if you get on it a little unlike the Fords.
The new Rams are light years ahead of what they used to be. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. Plus, you can get a 4 door for the price you are wanting to spend.
if you plan on keeping it for a while my choices would be
1. Ford
2. Chevy/GMC
3. Ram
that's just from a durability stand point.
Also in the ford I wouldn't be afraid of the eco-boost v6, that engine is no slouch the 3.5 can tow over 11,000 lbs.
I can speak for Ford durability, I've been driving the same one for 15 yrs
Try a dodge ram they are great trucks , ive had less problems with the Dodge brand than i have with a chevy pos.... at least with the 90s generation . Noticed someone above said the hummer h3t which made me laugh due to hummer getting shutdown and all . The H3t is a interesting truck but the gov had to shut it down so good luck on getting parts for it in a few years .
Noticed someone above said the hummer h3t which made me laugh due to hummer getting shutdown and all . The H3t is a interesting truck but the gov had to shut it down so good luck on getting parts for it in a few years .
That, plus the H3T is essentially a Chevy Colorado underneath. They might be a little scarce once the 20-year mandatory support period expires, but automakers are legally required to service any vehicles they produce for 20 years afterwards as long as the parent company exists.
Honestly, the biggest problem with the H3T is the badge. It's actually a pretty competent vehicle-hell, the H3T Alpha is about the closest we've got to a Gladiator right now.
Overall, it honestly doesn't really matter what you get if you're buying later-model. Every truck out there has as many horror stories as acolades, but, averaged out, they'll all do whatever you want. Compare the number of trucks of a given generation to the sales numbers, and you'll find a pretty strong co-relation. Each model has particular options that you might want to avoid for being poor value or design choices but, beyond that, get the truck you get the best deal on and you'll be golden.
Honestly, most of the full size pickup brands are good nowadays. Personally I drive an '02 F150 FX4 and love it. I used to drive GM trucks (grew up in a GM plant town) and have since moved on. Had enough of a headache with the various issues in electrical, plumbing, gasket, and poorly designed steering components. While my Ford isn't perfect, its much more reliable than any GM vehicle that I've owned or worked on. The only issue I have with it is a bad fuel sensor and the dreaded 2-piece spark plug, but since you're looking at newer trucks it won't matter. And Fords tend to be a pain to work on where GM are very easy. That being said, I have to work on my Ford about 70% less than the GMs I've owned.
I tend to stay away from any Chrysler products (except Jeeps of course). Having gone to an engineering school in Michigan (Michigan Tech), I had a lot of friends who worked for Chrysler. Most of them left the company while some stayed. Even they won't buy their products. The only reason some of them drive Chrysler vehicles is because they get free ones for their jobs. They might have strong engines, but IMO the rest of the vehicle is cheaply engineered and put together.
You shouldn't discredit Toyota or Nissan. Both are nice trucks. If you don't use it as a truck much (more of a family/hunting vehicle) then the Nissan is probably a nice fit, but if you plan to tow with it then I'd stay away and stick with Ford, GM or Toyota.
You say that you don't like the suicide doors on an extended cab? If the newer trucks have a regular opening door for the extended cab then they must have made the extended cab longer to allow for enough room to actually get into the truck. Which I'm sure adds quite a bit of cost. The way I see it, if I wanted 4 regular doors, then I'd get a full Crew Cab. Just my .02 though.
One other thing, Fords tend to have stiffer front ends than others. If you want a smooth ride then a GM is a nice choice.
When did the govt shut down the h3t? Last I heard Hummer went out of business. Unrelated, but I wouldn't mind having an h3t to play with. Neat looking imo.
As an aside, I was in a 2014 f150 4 door for about a week (rental 2 weeks ago). It was a nice ride but the rear end felt funky going over bumps. It was a new truck (less than 500 miles) so the suspension may not have settled in yet but every bump resulted in a few seconds of tiny up/downs back there. Other than that I liked it. Power felt fine, not sure which v8 it had but it did around 20mpg mixed.
if you are wanting a tow rig, i would look for an older 3/4 ton dodge or ford. newest ford would be an 03(last year of the 7.3 diesel). don't know what year dodge i would look for, but it would have to have the cummins turbo. in the 90's and early 2000's the diesel got better gas mileage then most of the newer ones, but some of the new ones do pretty good. got a buddy with a 2011 or 2012 dodge runnin on 35's or 37's and he still averages over 25 on the interstate.
Not looking for a tow rig, need it to tow my jeep but primary purpose is DD, thats why I want to stick with half ton trucks.
I honestly like the way the Ram looks the best, plus their express model is a very good deal. I think you get more with express model that you get with Fords STX model for same price. I recently started looking at chevrolet and GMC. I like that the GM and Chev come with bumper step since I am short. My ford has the tailgate step which is nice. Ram doesnt have that but has other features I like plus I think its the best lookin truck. I also am dissaponted that the rear seats have all that compartment storage underneath them in Ram and others models. I need a flat space for the dogs. I will not buy a toyota since I think they make the ugliest trucks on the planet. I dont think nissans have the tow ratings where I need them. I dont think I want to go with 2015 ford since my lease is up around the same time they come out, doubt very much they will have good incentives right away. Bottem line, I want a 4x4 truck extended cab for approx 31,000 to 33,500 after incentives and some wheeling and dealing.
Rams are sharp looking trucks. My wife keeps giving me grief for switching from Ford if I go that route. She is a Ford girl. I have always likes chrysler products but could get any american full size truck. I like to keep my options open.
You can buy aftermarket bumpers that has steps in them , mount a step to the bumper (actual steps sold for that purpose) or the type that fit in a hitch slot . Another perk for the Dodge Rams is the Ram box system , it uses space between the bed and outer metal for storage on each side of the bed which is a really neat system they came up with and i have yet to see another brand take on that and put it in their vehicles.
I used to have chevy person but their designs and failures really turned me off to the truck side of the manufacturer and that's when i found Dodges .
Test drove a GMC Sierra yesterday just to check it out. Very impressed. Its on the list of possibles. Truck was loaded with goodies and was on sale for 36,500. MSRP was 42,000k. Seems like you get alot for your money. More truck like drive than Ram which has the sweetest ride so far on the trucks I have driven. Glad I got 7 months to figure this out. going to be a tough decision. The MSRP on my f150 was 41k when I leased it and was not nearly as loaded as the GMC.
Briefly looked at 1/2ton trucks for the fun of it. It just sucks at how low the fronts sit to the ground now-a-days. Think the only 1/2 ton I remotely like is the Ford Raptor, and that is a wee bit pricey. Though my current truck only has 42k on it and it's an 07 so hopefully no new truck in the near future. Guys at work seem to be buying up new Fords left and right lately (3 of them got new fords within a year now).
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Jeep Enthusiast Forums
18.5M posts
726.8K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to all jeep owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, engine swaps, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!