O.K DUer's, especially those from America, Which full-size truck do you prefer?

[PM Martin]

Anyone have reliability ratings on these?

[mix]

1. F-350, Turbo Diesel, 4x4 to be exact. nt

[Cleita]

2. Betcha you didn't know I once owned trucks.

The last was a Ford F-250 4WD.

[leveymg]

3. Unless you pull a cement mixer, you don't need one.

Americans are going to have to break this strange mine-is-bigger-than-yours-and-has-more-torque obsession with full-size pickups and SUVs. Unless you have a legitimate business-related need for a 6,000 pound or larger commercial vehicle, I hope they tax these monsters 100 percent a year.

The Gulf died to fill your gas tank. Things will never be the same. Change or perish.

[doc03]

6. How are you going to tow a boat or camper or do you want

tax them out of existence too?

[leveymg]

20. No, just want you to pay the full social cost.

Look, I'm into motorsports, too, and like and understand internal combustion engines. But, they've gotten us into a mess like we may never be able to get out of. So, there are certain things that we should do less of, which means, pay more for.

For me, this is a thing of beauty. But, I also know it's killing us and the planet we live on.

[wuushew]

56. People need to get more comfortable with the idea of renting occasional use equipment

our toys really are not compatible with the configuration our civilization must reconfigure into owing to peak oil.

We need to be honest with ourselves.

[NYMountaineer]

9. And for those who actually use large vehicles?

Those who need 4X4 and high clearance, or carry a lot of bulky items?

I'll always encourage people to buy smart and avoid unnecessary decadence in their automobiles. I won't stand up for taxing them to death because they want a full-size.

My car, my choice.

[PM Martin]

10. What about tradespeople?

[leveymg]

16. As I said, if you have a legitimate commercial need, fine. As for recreational, well,

you should pay the full social costs. User's fees are often unpopular, but they do serve to make sure that those who benefit from activities with large social costs -- like recreational power boating -- pay their full share.

I know this won't make me popular on this thread, but it has to be said.

[NeedleCast]

48. Who's going to define "legitimate commerical need?"

[TransitJohn]

15. I need one.

I don't tow a cement mixer, but I take several hundred pounds of scientific gear and supplies into the backcountry for work for weeks at a time. So I'm compensating for a small penis? :shrug:

[leveymg]

17. You mentioned your penis, not me.

He who says penis first, loses. ;-)

If you have a legitimate commercial reason for a big vehicle, that's the exception. Sounds like you may have one.

[TransitJohn]

21. True

Curses! Foiled by my one track mind again!

:hi:

[leveymg]

22. Who needs more than one?

Whatever works for you, so long as it keeps on workin' :evilgrin:

[doc03]

4. I have always been a Ford man but I believe today the

Silverado/Sierra are superior. Check out Consumer Reports they also prefer the Silverado/Sierra.

[Old Codger]

5. Have both

F-250 ex cab4X4 full bed 460, ex cab Silverado 2 wheel drive, am getting rid of ford chev has 120K on it gets 23 MPG ford has 135K and gets 10 MPG if you don;t start it... :) Haven't driven ford in a couple of years actually and got tired of looking at it..Chev is twice as nice overall

[doc03]

8. That is kind of comparing apples to oranges isn't it

a 4x4 with a 460 vs. a 2 wheeler?

[Old Codger]

31. Well

I used my current chev as an example, I have had the ford for a long time and it is a good heavy duty worker. I have hauled a lot of firewood in it, I didn't go into past chevy's, my current one is first 2 wheeler, I traded a 2000 four wheel chev 454 in on this one, I traded a 97 4 wheel chev in on that one, I liked the chev's so much more then the ford that it sat around doing nothing while I wore out both chevys. These are my own personal preferences really and actually the ford was/is ok but the chevs are better to drive than fords IMHO. I have test driven both each time I buy.

[sendero]

23. Exactly..

... the Fords really are built "tough". That tough comes in the form of more metal in the frame and body. The price is lower fuel economy.

I've owned both and I'd have to go with the GM versions, they all do a lot better on MPG.

[NYMountaineer]

7. Ford comes first.

My family has had good luck with Ford Trucks. The Chevy is a close second. I like them, but I don't trust that Dexcool crap GM's uses as coolant. Heard horror stories about sludge resulting from it.

However, I wouldn't drive a Dodge if you paid me. If I won a free Dodge in a contest or something, I'd immediately trade it in towards the Ford or GM. Most people I know who bought Dodges wound up regretting it.

[snooper2]

51. My Dodge is running like new at 97K and the engine is a work of beauty

4.7L 265hp and 330lbs torque

A little overkill in a Dakota Quad Cab but what the hell.. Want to run em' :)



A head mounted camshaft on each cylinder head operates the valves through a set of needle bearing roller rocker arms, with opposite-end hydraulic lash adjusters acting as the fulcrum, a system not unfamiliar to anyone who's ever played with an '88 or newer Trenton I-4 (2.2 or 2.5L). But looky here, the Intake and Exhaust rockers are opposite each other. Yup, it's almost a Hemi.


The cams are each driven by a separate chain, each of which are driven off an idler, in the approximate location of the ol'LA's cam sprocket. This idler sprocket, in turn, is driven from the crank in typical pushrod practice timing set fashion. The camshafts themselves are radical - although not in lift or duration. These are truck engines, after all: 0.443" lift on the intake, and 0.429" on the exhaust, duration is 244 degrees intake, 254 on the exhaust, partially compensating for the smallish exhaust valves. Overlap is only 18 degrees. This is an emissions, and torquer motor, remember.

What makes the cams radical isn't the timing, but the construction. They are hollow steel tubes with the individual lobes, of powdered metal, sinter-bonded in place. In fact, the cams, being hollow, are used to bring oil to the intake lobes, which have oiling holes. Cam (valve) covers are cast magnesium.

The ports are 1.86 square inches at the port face, and the injectors are mounted to the port in the head, not the intake manifold, which as we shall see, is made of polymer.

Speaking of intakes, this is another cool deal - literally. Following in the footsteps of 'little cousin 2.0 SOHC,' the manifold is a one piece glass filled nylon thingie. With a lengthwise plenum and 8 cross-over ram-type ports, it's quite a shock, especially if you are used to LD-340s and M-1s. Runner length (in manifold only) is 20 inches, and there's quite a bit of port length in the heads, so the mill clearly isn't designed for 8,500 RPM passes. But the all-plastic construction should go a long way toward keeping charge-air temperatures down, aiding HP production.

Up top, a single bore, side draft throttle body measures 2.56" diameter. If that sounds small, remember that a medium sized Holley 4-barrel has typically bores of 1.625." Doing the math, that computes to 8.3 square inches for the carb, and 5.1 square inches for the EFI throttle body. But remember that the carb has to pass the air around not only the throttle blades, but through the much smaller - and more restrictive - venturis. We're willing to bet that this throttle assembly passes about as much air as a 600 CFM carburetor ! Not bad for a 287-inch powerplant, eh ?

[Wwagsthedog]

11. Other; Kenworth

[A HERETIC I AM]

47. Other; Peterbilt

Drove this one from 1989 through 1994.


Drove a nice KW also;

[GreenStormCloud]

58. Other; Freightliner

[Blue-Jay]

12. The last truck I liked was a Ford F-100 with three on the tree.

[jp11]

13. I'd start here:

http://www.jdpower.com

then

Edmunds.com

And after you narrow it down look for complaints on that vehicle, a messageboard for that company or model might prove useful for common problems/failures.

[NYMountaineer]

14. Note: If the poll includes diesels...

Then I'd go for the Dodge, only because I prefer Cummins to Powerstroke or Duramax. I hear Toyota might have plans for a diesel Tundra soon. Interested to see how that pans out.

[Arctic Dave]

18. I have driving full size crew cab trucks for eighteen years at my job

and I will tell you this, they ALL have problems. If you are going to drive them on pavement all their life then you most likely don't need one.

The work pick ups I drive never see pavement their entire lifespan and idle 16 hrs a day in winter. If they last three years before they are more expensive to maintain, you are doing good.

[riderinthestorm]

19. We have always had Chevy 3500 Silverados

1 ton or larger with the heaviest pulling capacity since we haul a large 6-horse gooseneck trailer.

We've run them to at least 150,000 miles with minimal problems. Our trucks aren't coddled, they live outside and snowplow as well as pull heavy loads. I've heard great things about the Fords but since we've always had such good luck with Chevy's we've just gotten stuck on them.

Good luck!

[PJPhreak]

24. What about a "Other" option...

Like This,



Tough,Classy looking,Will pull or haul Anything,1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a New one,EASY to maintain and work on (No electroinc gagetery sans Ignition),Parts? Never a Problem!

[PM Martin]

25. Horsepower? Torque?

[PJPhreak]

29. Being a GMC...

You can do anything from 292Ci at 195 hp to 572 Ci at over 600 hp,and 3,4,5,or 6 speeds...How much u wanna pull?

[lumberjack_jeff]

34. Suh-Weet! Yours? n/t

[PJPhreak]

38. No,lol

I love old trucks and Hot-Rods,but considering the Disaster in the Gulf,I'm rethinking how I use Petro Products,Right now I'm Riding a slightly Modded 1983 Honda Trail 110.

Just got home from an 855 Mile trip thru the Ozark National Riverway in Mo.

For an 850 mile ride I used 9.4 Gallons of Gas...Aprox 85 Mpg.

Not Bad for an almost 28 year old bike!

[lumberjack_jeff]

41. 850 miles on a trail 90?

I have a '78. All I can say is: "I'm not worthy". :fistbump:

[PJPhreak]

43. No,A "Slightly Modded Trail 110"

Rejetted carb and Pod breather,Slip-on Exuast,Reduced rear sprocket (41 Tooth instead fo the stock 43 Tooth)

Ever ride one of these at 65 mph?...Exhilarating to say the least!!

I also have a '71 Resto-Townie...Pretty Cool!

[lumberjack_jeff]

45. Add a zero to the displacement, and I'm there.

Well... that and replace the stamped frame with something that fits the new motor. And add some brakes. And a decent headlight. And a 12v charging system.

65mph? Yours obviously runs better than mine.

[PJPhreak]

50. This should help...

a quick pic of the "Hot-Rod"

New Brakes,Aux lighting,Super running engine...



Gotta love "Dr Atv" Beatrice Honda,Beatrice Nebraska.

[lumberjack_jeff]

57. Very nice.

:thumbsup:

[quiller4]

26. Without doubt Ford F series. We have a 1995 F 150 4X4

that is the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned. We bought the truck new in June 1995. We have never had a break down. We replaced the alternator at 125,000 and the clutch at 160,000. Everything else except tires and brake pads are original. Brakes have been serviced regularly We have always changed the oil every 3,000 miles. It uses no oil. It runs strong. It is driven daily. The engine sounds like it did when it was new. It has just under 190,000 miles on it now and I wouldn't hesitate to take it on a cross country drive.

We have had Dodge, Chev and Toyota trucks in the past. None have ever been as reliable and trouble free as the F 150. If we were to purchase a new truck, we wouldn't consider anything but a Ford.

[flvegan]

27. All these responses, but nobody has asked what the truck is for. Amazing.

So...what will the truck be used for?

[lumberjack_jeff]

35. Big-truck stuff. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

39. I responded what we use ours for:

pulling the horse trailer, snowplowing, hauling produce to the green market, "farm" stuff like hauling fence boards etc.

We use our truck for so many different things. It's not pretty anymore, it looks like a farm/utility vehicle but it's really valuable to us.

There was another guy upthread who stipulated he used his for his science work.

In general, I would agree that too many Americans use their trucks as status symbols or power symbols. And the gas usage is terrible. It's a valid question to put to anyone with a truck. Why do you need this much vehicle?

[one_voice]

28. We have a Silverado...

hubby needs it for work. We've owned Fords as well, but I like the Silverado.

[csziggy]

30. I voted for the GMC Sierra, but I prefer a Suburban

Because I more often need closed hauling capacity than an open bed.

My current GMC Suburban is eleven years old, with 140,000 miles on it and I expect to get another 100,000 miles out of it. Since I am not doing much hauling these days, this truck may last until I can't buy fuel for it. It leaves the farm about once or twice a month, so a tank of gas lasts me a long, long time. I think I filled it up in April.

My last Suburban had over 250,000 on the odometer when it died at seventeen years old and probably had 50,000 or more additional miles - we drove it for two or three years without a functional speedometer/odometer.

[pipi_k]

32. I have a Dodge Ram...don't know how it compares with the others but

I like it.

Or, rather, both Mr P and I do. He's the one who has to plow out the driveway in the winter. That's really about all we use it for, besides hauling trash to the town dump, and those occasional trips for building supplies.


:)

[lumberjack_jeff]

33. 94 chevy 4x4. Just turned over 250k miles.

Good truck.

[B Calm]

59. 96 chevy 4x4 here with 103k miles.

[TwilightGardener]

36. Voted for the Dodge, because that's what my husband wants to buy for

his next truck--with a Cummins diesel engine (?). He's been researching it. Although our Chevy 2500 has been whooped to shit for 11 years including towing, and is still going OK, so Chevys are good too.

[Dorian Gray]

37. The Canyonero

It smells like a steak and seats 45.

[NeedleCast]

49. +1 For Simpsons Reference

[Dorian Gray]

53. Yeah!

Someone got it!

[Broken_Hero]

40. Silverado,

currently got a Suburban though...

I used the Suburban to haul the family around, on almost a daily basis I'm hauling around 6 people, and doing shopping with the inlaws, so we need a little extra room for their groceries and what not.

When I drove the Silverado(my fathers), we used it primarily to haul building supplies like sheet rock, 2x4's, nails, concrete, and we would load it down every now and then to bring stuff to the local dump, and we would use it to haul wood/pellets for the winter.

[JuniperLea]

44. Both of my sons and their father owned 77 Silverado trucks...

There are dozens of them still on the road in So Cal. They must have been built very well!

[HooptieWagon]

42. I love my '96 Toyota T-100 X-Cab.

244K miles, runs like a champ, no major repairs needed, seats 5, 18-22 MPG, tows up to 5K lbs.

[Ganja Ninja]

46. If I were buying one I'd take the Ford.

My boss has an F350 King Ranch. If you need a big truck for big jobs that's a pretty good choice. If you buy it for commuting you ought to be shot.

[B Calm]

52. Chevrolet Silverado gets better fuel mileage and much better ride!

[PM Martin]

54. Not much desire for the foreign trucks I see.

I have heard that domestic trucks are still the big sellers in the US.

[sakabatou]

55. Don't know. Never drove one.

[Pavulon]

60. 98 - 04 F2 or 350 with 7.3L turbo diesel

high mpg (avg 18 - 19) and massive towing. GMC and Chevy aren't bad. Dodge has a great cummins but it is wrapped in a shitty dodge whose AC and tranny will fail right after the warranty expires.