What pickup?

[Ray N]

Consumer Reports indicates that, unlike with the compact size trucks, it's pretty hard to go wrong with a full-sized pickup truck. I bought a Toyota Tundra because it had the best repair record and, at the time I was looking, it was $3000 less than comparably equipped F150 or Silverado - either of which I would not have hesitated to buy if the price had been better. Prices varry with incentives and sales at different times.

I recommend you check out Overstock.com as a starting place for pricing a vehicle. They will have many dealers bid on your choice of vehicle. (By going to a dealer 50 miles away I saved $2000 over my local dealer's best price.)

Oh, and I don't think that a manual transmission is available with most full-sized pickups.

[Joe Z]

I'm with you Ray.... I was on overstock.com last night and agree with you. I also get consumers report mag and was surprised to see that they gave the Silverado 2500 diesel a "Best Buy" but not sure if i want a 2500...... The hardest part of this decision is parting with the money in the bank LOL
Joe

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Vicki A.

SHHH! Don't tell anyone, but we also have a " sticky ".
Not my choice - my co-pilot thinks Tillie is too small!
It weighs close to 4000#, then load it up...

Thanks for the input, I may need to check out that other 150.

LOL you currently have a tow with 6600 cap and its not fun to tow a trailer in the 4000lb range? Why? You have more left over tow cap than what a number of us have to start with!

[BC Paul]

I have a 2011 F-150 FX4 crewcab, 3.73 rearend with the Ecoboost. It tows our 17' Escape, and carries 3 dirtbikes in the box, up any mountain pass I have encountered without breaking a sweat. It makes our previous pickup, a 2005 Tacoma, seem weak in comparison. The F-150 gets better fuel mileage empty or towing than the Taco ever got. The only downside is that it's a pretty darn big truck.

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Carol H

LOL you currently have a tow with 6600 cap and its not fun to tow a trailer in the 4000lb range? Why? You have more left over tow cap than what a number of us have to start with!

I towed my EggCamper (under 2500 pounds), with a tow vehicle with a rating of 5600 pounds - but it only had a four speed transmission. Going up a hill would cause a downshift which meant I had to creep along or rev the engine higher than I was comfortable doing. A six speed, or possibly even a five speed, transmission would have probably solved the problem. Just because the tow rating is relatively high doesn't necessarily mean it is up for your job and demands. If I had been happy going 45 up a hill with a 70 speed limit it would have been fine, but I wasn't. I hope that the new SAE J2807 standard for realistically rating towing capacity will bring a little more validity to comparing tow ratings in the real world.

[Vicki A.]

Ray- you are right on!
With the big trailer I always felt like I needed to get out and push as the Silverado is a 3 speed.

Bought a F150 5.0 with a 6 speed and I think it will help a lot.

I don't plan on towing anything REAL big, but I want to have to push either!

Maybe I need to feed those squirrels super food!

[Mike Magee]

Enjoy your new truck. Being almost Halloween, shall we say "Truck and Treat"? ...since a new truck is always a treat. You will enjoy that 6 speed I bet. That alone will make a huge difference.

Regarding Marg's comments about downshifting in mountains to save the brakes, yes too many people don't understand that important concept. But automatics have a shift lever too, and it works fine.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All...The complete story on the Nissan Frontier S.E. 4X4 is a 4ltr. V6 261Hp. 281 ft.#s of torque. 5spd. auto with lock up torque converter and Od. lock out. The S.E came with a full complement of equipment and 3 N/C options, step rails, tonneau cover and bug deflector. I just felt it was mated to our Escape 5.0 and most people agree!!! It's not for everyone tho.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[BCDave]

Well, I gotta say that I continue to be astonished by the folks who buy a NEW vehicle and because they worry about fuel mileage. If you hang on to your old one, the fuel costs will still be no-where near what you will lose in depreciation in the first very few years of ownership of a NEW one. Hertz, Avis, Alamo etc all have a VERY good handle on the true costs of car ownership. They all agree that fuel is actually a very small percentage of the costs of driving, and getting 30 mpg vs 20 (or even 10!) to the gallon does not make all that big of a cost difference over the term of ownership.

When my dad retired (in the late 70's) he got rid of a perfect condition, low miles, fully paid for, Olds 98, and got a Honda. He explained that he wanted to get better mileage. I said that "you better live to about 200 years old and drive about 200,000 miles a year every year to save in gas what you just paid for the little car."

Factor in: Depreciation, insurance, license fees, tires, on-going maintenance, oil changes, the occasional repair and over 10 years, you will find that fuel costs aren't all that significant. For myself, I find it is ALWAYS, without exception, cheaper to keep (and fix if needed) the car/truck you already have than to go shopping for a new one.

If economy and reliability are crucial, then keep up the maintenance on whatever currently lives in your driveway. Newest thing in my driveway is a '97, purchased a couple of weeks ago to replace an '89 that rusted to death. The '89 got close to 40 mpg, the '97 gets 15. Not a decision factor. The 89 was as basic as it can get (not even a radio) while the 97 has push-button everything. That was my decision point this time around.

Lowest odo reading on ANYTHING in my driveway is 253,000. My main tow vehicle is a '92 that is approaching 400,000, and I suspect it will be with me for quite a few more years.

If you need one with more hauling/towing capacity, or you simply WANT a different one because you now want a different suite of creature comforts, then go shopping.

You will spend a lot of time in it - get one you like!

[Donna D.]

Dave I agree with a lot of your points. I drive my stuff until the wheels come off. There are others in the same place I'm at, where it's time to buy something else. Shop rates are a killer! I don't have the tools or the know-how to fix anything past mid-70s. I've done valve jobs, replaced manifolds and headers, etc. but when it comes to the newer stuff... I'm at a loss and have to pay someone else to fix it. GAG. I don't automatically trade something in when it hits XXX miles, but nickle and dime repairs can turn into hundreds or thousands. There is something to be said about new and a guarantee. I've often said MPG "is what it is" and that's nearly the last thing I worry about. Shoot it needs to be the right exterior color first and the radio had better work!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Dave I agree with a lot of your points. I drive my stuff until the wheels come off. There are others in the same place I'm at, where it's time to buy something else. Shop rates are a killer! I don't have the tools or the know-how to fix anything past mid-70s. I've done valve jobs, replaced manifolds and headers, etc. but when it comes to the newer stuff... I'm at a loss and have to pay someone else to fix it. GAG. I don't automatically trade something in when it hits XXX miles, but nickle and dime repairs can turn into hundreds or thousands. There is something to be said about new and a guarantee. I've often said MPG "is what it is" and that's nearly the last thing I worry about. Shoot it needs to be the right exterior color first and the radio had better work!

Interesting thing about most vehicles. They and go until they get to a point where it seems like every few days it's something else going wrong. After a bit that all goes away and they run a long time. You can do a lot of repairs for the cost of new one and put off that new one for another 100K miles.

[BC Paul]

I didn't buy a new truck to save on gas, I bought a new truck because the Tacoma I had wasn't up to pulling a trailer, 4 people and 3 dirtbikes. The new truck happens to have 120hp and 150ftlbs of torque over what the old one had and gets better mileage as well.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by BCDave

Well, I gotta say that I continue to be astonished by the folks who buy a NEW vehicle and because they worry about fuel mileage. If you hang on to your old one, the fuel costs will still be no-where near what you will lose in depreciation in the first very few years of ownership of a NEW one. Hertz, Avis, Alamo etc all have a VERY good handle on the true costs of car ownership. They all agree that fuel is actually a very small percentage of the costs of driving, and getting 30 mpg vs 20 (or even 10!) to the gallon does not make all that big of a cost difference over the term of ownership.

When my dad retired (in the late 70's) he got rid of a perfect condition, low miles, fully paid for, Olds 98, and got a Honda. He explained that he wanted to get better mileage. I said that "you better live to about 200 years old and drive about 200,000 miles a year every year to save in gas what you just paid for the little car."

Factor in: Depreciation, insurance, license fees, tires, on-going maintenance, oil changes, the occasional repair and over 10 years, you will find that fuel costs aren't all that significant. For myself, I find it is ALWAYS, without exception, cheaper to keep (and fix if needed) the car/truck you already have than to go shopping for a new one.

If economy and reliability are crucial, then keep up the maintenance on whatever currently lives in your driveway. Newest thing in my driveway is a '97, purchased a couple of weeks ago to replace an '89 that rusted to death. The '89 got close to 40 mpg, the '97 gets 15. Not a decision factor. The 89 was as basic as it can get (not even a radio) while the 97 has push-button everything. That was my decision point this time around.

Lowest odo reading on ANYTHING in my driveway is 253,000. My main tow vehicle is a '92 that is approaching 400,000, and I suspect it will be with me for quite a few more years.

If you need one with more hauling/towing capacity, or you simply WANT a different one because you now want a different suite of creature comforts, then go shopping.

You will spend a lot of time in it - get one you like!

My truck has already used twice as much cash in fuel as the purchase price plus all repairs and maintenance. That's figuring 17MPG and $3.75 per gallon. And the truck is still worth more than a third of the purchase price. I would say that fuel is a significant consideration. Of course it is "the one I like"
My truck is eleven years old, and actually supports your point that keeping a vehicle is best, but also makes my point that fuel is a significant consideration when making that initial purchase.

[Bruce H]

You really start adding to your vehicle costs when you purchase the more deluxe packages. A new $24,000 Ford XLT pickup will run just as many miles as a new $42,000 Ford Platinum pickup. Both have the same engine, transmission and tires. Both will do the first 90,000 miles with no repairs. After that maintenance costs jump because you are ready for tires, batteries, belts, hoses, transmission and radiator fluid change etc.
Above 100,000 miles water pumps, starters, alternators and air conditioner compressors start to give out. Then it gets worse. I have tried it a couple of times and I do not like running high mileage vehicles. I once ran a Toyota 173,000 miles. After that I ran a Chevrolet 293,000 miles. You reach a point that the repairs cost more than the payments on a new one.

Some examples: fuel pumps are located inside gas tanks now. The one in my 96 Chevrolet pickup went out 4 times in the last 150,000 of 293,000 miles. The first two I paid over $700 each for the Chevrolet dealer to replace. The third time I spent 5 hours on a parking lot in Tulsa (in the rain) taking the gas tank off and apart and replacing it myself. The pump cost $69 at Pep Boys. The fourth time the Chevrolet dealer charged a $160 tow bill and quoted $1000 to replace it. Also during the last 150,000 miles the clutch went out twice. The Air conditioner compressor went out. The head gasket started leaking antifreeze. The alternator went out. It quit twice while driving and had to be towed because of a defective sensor in the smog control system. That required a computer to diagnose. The water pump went out. At the end my son was burning $250 per month in gasoline going to school and work, both full time. Plus the tires were completely slick and needed to be replaced to the tune of over $500. He also missed work and classes that he had to pay to make up because the truck wouldn’t start.


I paid the tow bill, declined the $1,000 fuel pump and traded it on a cash for clunkers deal for a new Ford Ranger with an air conditioner and an automatic transmission. With the trade the payment wound up being $213 per month. The $100 per month savings in gasoline made that a net $113 payment. Avoiding the $1,500 fuel pump and tires made the first year of payments on the new truck.

[Johnny B]

Caveat Emptor Ford F150

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Bruce H

You really start adding to your vehicle costs when you purchase the more deluxe packages. A new $24,000 Ford XLT pickup will run just as many miles as a new $42,000 Ford Platinum pickup. Both have the same engine, transmission and tires. Both will do the first 90,000 miles with no repairs. After that maintenance costs jump because you are ready for tires, batteries, belts, hoses, transmission and radiator fluid change etc.
Above 100,000 miles water pumps, starters, alternators and air conditioner compressors start to give out. Then it gets worse. I have tried it a couple of times and I do not like running high mileage vehicles. I once ran a Toyota 173,000 miles. After that I ran a Chevrolet 293,000 miles. You reach a point that the repairs cost more than the payments on a new one.

Some examples: fuel pumps are located inside gas tanks now. The one in my 96 Chevrolet pickup went out 4 times in the last 150,000 of 293,000 miles. The first two I paid over $700 each for the Chevrolet dealer to replace. The third time I spent 5 hours on a parking lot in Tulsa (in the rain) taking the gas tank off and apart and replacing it myself. The pump cost $69 at Pep Boys. The fourth time the Chevrolet dealer charged a $160 tow bill and quoted $1000 to replace it. Also during the last 150,000 miles the clutch went out twice. The Air conditioner compressor went out. The head gasket started leaking antifreeze. The alternator went out. It quit twice while driving and had to be towed because of a defective sensor in the smog control system. That required a computer to diagnose. The water pump went out. At the end my son was burning $250 per month in gasoline going to school and work, both full time. Plus the tires were completely slick and needed to be replaced to the tune of over $500. He also missed work and classes that he had to pay to make up because the truck wouldn’t start.


I paid the tow bill, declined the $1,000 fuel pump and traded it on a cash for clunkers deal for a new Ford Ranger with an air conditioner and an automatic transmission. With the trade the payment wound up being $213 per month. The $100 per month savings in gasoline made that a net $113 payment. Avoiding the $1,500 fuel pump and tires made the first year of payments on the new truck.

Sounds like an excellent argument for keeping a vintage 1980 or so p/u on the road.

I gotta say that my '92 GMC ate its trans a year ago. Dealership wanted $4,000 to fix. A trans shop wanted $2500. Cost me a visit to the junkyard and a total of $500. That was actually the first and only significant repair with 394,000 on the clock. Yes, it occasionally needs exhaust, tires etc, but I figure about one month's payments on a new one covers all the maint and repair costs for a year on this one. I had no qualms about embarking on a 7,500 mile round trip to Texas this last summer (to pick up my "new" Bigfoot 21 footer) with it.

One thing I learned a LONG time ago - once a car is off warranty, do NOT - ever (and not even then) go back to the dealership for service.
Must be nice to get a loaded p/u for circa $40K. Just for grins I priced one out at a nearby dealership a while ago. $78,000 list price!

[mcbrew]

You may want to factor in certain advances in safety as well. Pickup trucks have been notoriously dangerous vehicles, but there have been great changes made in the last few years. Better accident avoidance thanks to vehicle stability control, and better accident survival rates thanks to additional airbags, stiffer passenger compartment, and side impact protection. Check out crash test videos for various pickups in the last 10 years and you'll see a huge improvement.

[BC Paul]

Originally Posted by Johnny B

Caveat Emptor Ford F150

The 5.4 certainly was not a motor I was interested in owning although the spark plug issue in later models was resolved.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

You may want to factor in certain advances in safety as well. Pickup trucks have been notoriously dangerous vehicles, but there have been great changes made in the last few years. Better accident avoidance thanks to vehicle stability control, and better accident survival rates thanks to additional airbags, stiffer passenger compartment, and side impact protection. Check out crash test videos for various pickups in the last 10 years and you'll see a huge improvement.

I don't care who you are... that there's funny!
There's a commercial out now which actually brags about having TEN airbags! If ten is good...Twenty must be a lot better! Do they just not care about safety?
No sense learning to drive when you can let the computer do it.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Johnny B

Caveat Emptor Ford F150

Et tu..Tyota!!