Buying a Truck. Help!

[Shmazard]

Chevy Colorado CC with Inline 5cyl or V6 is for you my fellow truck lover, although i have a Dodge Dakota QC V8 4x4






Also if your going to buy a Truck, buy American.

[galaxiah]

And if you were married I could picture it.

We might as well be married. 7 years together. So far so good.
Also not relevant to buying a car/truck for someone you car about. I don't know why this matters.

---------- Post added 2012-08-10 at 04:52 PM ----------

what area are you in? this affects truck prices far more than it does car prices

South eastern US- ive been looking relative to my location, at least with used trucks.

[nbm02ss]

Toyota Tacoma's hold their resale very, very well. You'll see trucks with 200k + and people are still asking 12k+ for them. But there is a reason for that, of course. You cannot kill those trucks.

Spark plugs on F150s apparently like to break off when trying to change them. Otherwise I've heard no major complains about them.

If you get a full sized GMC or Chevy truck with a 5.3L engine it should be good to go, with proper maintenance, for 200k+ easily.

Avoid Nissan Titans like the plague, they've continually been one of the worst reviewed vehicles in the past.

I'll update when I think of more things.

[Symphonic]

If he just wants a truck to have a truck, I would try to find a way to convince him that it will cost him more in gas than a car. Especially if you get a volkswagen diesel model, my jetta TDI from 2010 gets 40+ MPG (and even more if I'm solely driving on interstate). It also has a spot for a trailer hitch in the back.

[Mikey P]

I have had the privilege of driving a company owned pick up truck for my job the last 5 years. In all cases I have had a Chey Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 4x4. These have been awesome trucks for me. The company swaps them out every 100k miles for a new one, and I am currently on my third truck in the last five years, so I can speak from extensive driving experience that the Silverado has been an excellent truck.

I have used it to tow heavy drill rigs to core asphalt and concrete highways no problem, as well as haul and tow several thousands of lbs of aggregate to asphalt labs. I performed routine maintenance every 5,000 miles and have had ZERO non routine maintenance required on any of these vehicles.

The second of the Silverados I had had the feature where the engine would scale down to four cylinder mode if the RPMs dipped low enough, and this truck typically got 2 more miles per gallon highway than the other two I have had. It would get 17-18 mpg highway, where as the other two get 15. The feature will eventually pay for itself, especially fast if gas is ~ 3.50/gal.

I would at least consider upgrading to the LT package. The truck I currently have is the most basic. Non carpeted floors (which is good for working in the asphalt bis), no satelite radio, no digital climate control, but is has cruise, and AC. The LT packe has built in blue tooth, satelite radio, a simple knob to switch to 4x4 vs a lever, and a bunch of other bells and whistles.

To sum it up, in the last five years, I have driven 229,000 miles that include driving off road, towing heavy trailer, hauling heavy loads in three different Chevy Silverado 1500, Crew Cab, 4x4 (maxing at 100k in each truck) and have had absolutely zero non routine maintenance required. I am a large guy (6'3" 245) and the truck is very comfortable. These trucks have been awesome.

Now, unlike you, mine were provided to me for work, so aother factor you would have to consider with a Chevy Silverado is how you feel politaclly on supporting a nationalized auto company, and I would totally understand if this were to be a deal breaker.

[RoutanClan]

Don't go with the Toyota that's a joke of a truck. If the tachoma was a hillex than it would be another story.

Don't go with a ridgeline, it can't tow or haul like a big boy and is based off the Honda odyssey. A mini van.

The Suzuki is fine. Meh.

Fords will last and are cheap to maintain, plus it's the only real truck on the list.

Experience. Car salesperson

[galaxiah]

Toyota Tacoma's hold their resale very, very well. You'll see trucks with 200k + and people are still asking 12k+ for them. But there is a reason for that, of course. You cannot kill those trucks.

Spark plugs on F150s apparently like to break off when trying to change them. Otherwise I've heard no major complains about them.

If you get a full sized GMC or Chevy truck with a 5.3L engine it should be good to go, with proper maintenance, for 200k+ easily.

Avoid Nissan Titans like the plague, they've continually been one of the worst reviewed vehicles in the past.

I'll update when I think of more things.

To you and the others that suggested a GMC or Chevy or the Dodge- he hasn't really mentioned these trucks (and that's even overhearing him on vent with friends too), is there any reason why he might not be considering them over the ones i mentioned? I want to avoid directly asking him too seem to obvious, but at this point I think it's inevitable I have to ask and just not surprise him.

Thankyou for your sugestions

[Total Crica]

if your going to buy a Truck, buy American.

only if i can get what i want - if not, buying from someone else regardless of where they live...

[Mikey P]

only if i can get what i want - if not, buying from someone else regardless of where they live...

Glad to see someone else with a truly American approach to shopping. It is all about getting what you want, that best fits your needs for the best price possible. I hope this does not de-rail the OP's thread.

---------- Post added 2012-08-10 at 12:03 PM ----------

To you and the others that suggested a GMC or Chevy or the Dodge- he hasn't really mentioned these trucks (and that's even overhearing him on vent with friends too), is there any reason why he might not be considering them over the ones i mentioned? I want to avoid directly asking him too seem to obvious, but at this point I think it's inevitable I have to ask and just not surprise him.

Thankyou for your sugestions

The best way to do this would be to hit the road together some day, drive past a nice looking Sierra or Silverado, and comment on how nice the truck looks. You could probabaly tell from the response to your comment if this would be an option.

[adàm22]

Considering you are from the SE US, from TN myself, most guys around here have some fetish with bigger trucks. S10s are the best of both worlds imo fuel economy and handling of a car, but the hauling capabilty of a truck. I have towed a 15ft Bayliner boat on many occasions and as I said I absolutely love my little S10


Pic for truth

[galaxiah]

I have had the privilege of driving a company owned pick up truck for my job the last 5 years. In all cases I have had a Chey Silverado 1500 Crew Cab 4x4. These have been awesome trucks for me. The company swaps them out every 100k miles for a new one, and I am currently on my third truck in the last five years, so I can speak from extensive driving experience that the Silverado has been an excellent truck.

The LT looks very promising. Thank you
Do you have opinions on the Colorado?

[Korgoth]

F-150, there is a reason it's the best selling vehicle in North America year after year. I have had mine for 9 years now, and the only maintenance I have done is the routine mileage work, tires, batteries, and oil. It got me through high school, college, and now work; never a real problem.

I love that truck, but I am looking to trade it in for a new one once I save up enough of a down payment. Mainly because the new engines are fantastic. I only have about 245 HP on a 4.6L V8, and I get about 16mpg. The new ecoboost V6 can do about 23 mpg with 365 HP! That is progress!

Not sure if they still have a manual transmission option though. Guess it depends on how much that matters. An Eco Boost Crew Cab F-150 with good interior features should set you back around 32-33k. It's what I am going to buy for myself as soon as I can.

[Mikey P]

The LT looks very promising. Thank you
Do you have opinions on the Colorado?

Since I have never driven one, I do not have any opinions I would consider worth listening to.

[Lockon Stratos]

Trucks are a waste of money. If you just want it to haul the occasional bike and furniture, then you honestly don't need one. I looked into buying one because I have two jet skis and I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth it. My '12 Jetta TDI gets 40 MPG highway and does the job just fine, if I need to move any furniture I just change trailers.

[adàm22]

the only vehicle that is truely a waste of money is one you don't want

[Mikey P]

Trucks are a waste of money. If you just want it to haul the occasional bike and furniture, then you honestly don't need one. I looked into buying one because I have two jet skis and I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth it. My '12 Jetta TDI gets 40 MPG highway and does the job just fine, if I need to move any furniture I just change trailers.

Until you need to haul and tow more than the GVW limit of your standard passenger vehicle, or drive into a ditch or median of a road and you need enough clearance to get in and out without runing your vehicle. Trucks are very useful tools beyond just getting from point A to B and hauling or towing a light load.

Your response is like the standard response when someone gets on this forum asking for advice on a laptop, and "Build your own desktop" guy tells them laptops are a waste of money. /facepalm Give the OP some credit and consider that she has determined whether or not a sedan will suit her needs.

[galaxiah]

Trucks are a waste of money. If you just want it to haul the occasional bike and furniture, then you honestly don't need one. I looked into buying one because I have two jet skis and I came to the conclusion it wasn't worth it. My '12 Jetta TDI gets 40 MPG highway and does the job just fine, if I need to move any furniture I just change trailers.

Thankyou for your opinion but it's just what he wants, He has a car but wants to sell it and just get a truck. In the near future it will come in handy when we have to move across the country to more rockier terrain. We have other access to non money wasting vehicles (yay motorcycles) and I have a car that's fine in MPG

PLUS I doubt your Jetta could stand up to the zombie apocalypse were are inevitably facing.

[Lockon Stratos]

If it's non-negotiable, then the F-150 is your best option.

[adàm22]

if u want a zombie apocalypse truck, the f650 is where its at, but thats well outta your price range

[galaxiah]

if u want a zombie apocalypse truck, the f650 is where its at, but thats well outta your price range


*crazy ass tuck*

Someday... but yeah I can't afford that, ill just steal that guy's if he becomes a zombie

That thing is a monster.....