Thinking of buy a newish truck

Toyelectroman

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Dec 20, 2016
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188
Wanted to get people's opinion on a good newish full size 1/2 ton crew cab truck. Currently we have a crew cab tacoma to tow a pontoon which works but when towing long distance loaded it can get kind of cramped for the family. For my price range i am looking at trucks 2015-2017 with around 40k miles. I am not brand loyal and being that the pontoon probably only weighs 3500lbs all the trucks should be able tow easily. Reliability would be a big factor for me and also mpg
 
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Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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the 2014 and later GM half-tons with the LT5.3 motors get about 20-24mpg on the highway (depending on location of right foot), and can tow 9600# and fit 6 people in them. the 2019 suburban I used for 2 weeks last spring was getting close to 25mpg average at just over 65mph

what kind of mileage are you looking for?
 

Sprig

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May 2, 2016
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I currently have a Tacoma double cab 4x4. Love it, pulls my 3500lb boat/trailer great I’ve had numerous trucks over the years. Prior to my Tacoma I had a double cab 4x4 Tundra. Loved that truck. Plenty of power, room and super dependable. My major complaint was gas mileage. But in a full size truck you can’t really expect any kind of good mpg. I highly recommend a Tundra though. My other recommendation from experience would be a F150 double cab with the eco-boost engine. Great truck and dependable.
 

briangcc

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Jul 10, 2012
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I had a 2016 Tundra Crewmax 4x4 TRD 5.7L truck. Pulled like the dickens. Drank gas like it was going out of style. On a good day non-towing I might get 19 mpg (summer) / 16mpg (winter) and that was doing my own oil changes every 5k using full synthetic. Towing my boat it would get 13 or lower. They're abysmal with their gas mileage.

My cousin has a newer Silverado Crew cab and he loves it. Tows a travel trailer (I forget the size) but was getting over 19mpg I think he said, highway speed. It's nice but IF I was going GM I'd be looking at the GMC Sierra instead....personal preference.

My Ram in my signature is bare bones and I've read the horror stories on the trannies. With the V6 and 8 spd tranny I can get around 22mpg on the expressway non-towing. Towing, it does the same as my Tundra did but that is to be expected. It tows my current boat with ease...fully loaded with a week's worth of vacation gear for the entire family....all (5) of us. Will see how I make out or if it gets traded in on something else before the tranny decides to grenade.
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
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I have an F150 with the 3.5L Turbo and heavy tow package (#10,400, 3.55 rear). Get 20 mpg on the highway and 12 mpg pulling #6,000+.

If I didn't need to tow that heavy, I would have gone with the F150 with the 2.7L turbo with the stock rear end in the heart beat. A friend is getting 23+ mpg on his
 

Toyelectroman

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Dec 20, 2016
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I really want to like the Tundra but the mpg's make it a hard pill to swole. Found a crap ton of ram 1500's, some f150's with the 5.0 and some Silverado's.
 

Mischief Managed

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I can't say how the others are to work on, but I recently changed an alternator on a 2017 F150 with a 2.7 and it was just awful work and super expensive. It seems like Ford went out of their way to make it miserable to work on. It's a tiny engine in a huge engine bay, there's just no excuse for making it so hard to maintain. How they can justify nearly a grand for an alternator that failed after only 40k is also beyond me. I could not find any brush or rectifier kit for it either. I strongly recommend that you consider the cost/ease of maintenance and repair in your selection process.
 
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I've never been a Ford guy but I have a few friends swear by the eco boost, I drove a couple of them and man they have good power.
 

dingbat

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I can't say how the others are to work on, but I recently changed an alternator on a 2017 F150 with a 2.7 and it was just awful work and super expensive.
The truck has a pretty sophisticated Battery Management system.

What was the failure mode?
 

Sprig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 2, 2016
Messages
574
I can't say how the others are to work on, but I recently changed an alternator on a 2017 F150 with a 2.7 and it was just awful work and super expensive. It seems like Ford went out of their way to make it miserable to work on. It's a tiny engine in a huge engine bay, there's just no excuse for making it so hard to maintain. How they can justify nearly a grand for an alternator that failed after only 40k is also beyond me. I could not find any brush or rectifier kit for it either. I strongly recommend that you consider the cost/ease of maintenance and repair in your selection process.

Every single modern car and truck is a pia to work on. Some worse than others but they are all bad. In my youth I built, repaired and maintained muscle cars (50’s, 60’s and 70’s), race cars and regular everyday cars. Could repair anything quickly, easily and cheaply. 5 minutes to replace a fan belt, try replacing a modern serpentine belt, 30 minutes to replace a water pump, 30 minutes or less to replace an alternator or starter and so on. Can’t do any of that today. Or if you do it takes hours or days and lots of $$$. I don’t put a wrench for the most part to anything automotive anymore. I just pay the exorbitant cost of parts and repair and spend my time fishing.
 

dingbat

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Nov 20, 2001
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I remember when electronic ignition came on the scene. Electronics will be the death of cars.. broken down cars will be parked on both sides of the road...lol

Then fuel injection came out....more death and blunder on the sides of the roads....lol

Sorry I missed the back and forth on the virtues of steel over hard rubber wagon wheel threads...

The reliability of moderns vehicles far exceeds anything of the past. It wasn’t that long ago that a new car coming off a lot “hoped” to make it to 100,000 miles.
Today, 100,000 miles is just barely broken in.

Can’t remember the last I had to do anything to a “modern” (less than 10 yro) car other than change the oil, tires, brake pads and a couple of recall (airbag) notifications.

Sure missing getting out of the car on the side of the road to adjust the points to get me over the mountain to grandma’s house....lol
 

Sprig

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May 2, 2016
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I agree the reliability of modern cars is amazing. Beyond anything imaginable 30 years ago. But when something does go wrong it can’t be fixed roadside and 99% of people do not have the expertise or ability to repair it.so there are trade offs. I love the modern cars but there’s the frustration of if it does break down there ain’t anything I can do about it. It’ll have to get towed and be in the shop for awhile. Not to mention that what was a $40 part is now a $500 part and a thousand or more in labor. Yes I’ll take all the bells, whistles, reliability and comfort of modern vehicles but there are things about the oldest I miss.
 

Lowlysubaruguy

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Dec 3, 2012
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514
Late model used v new if your paying cash disregard this. I tell my customers that are looking for low mileage late model vehicles to be sure and price new with payments and interest calculated to the end often the interest rate is a lot less on new rigs insurance will be about the same but your not popping for new tires brakes and a 30,000 or 60,000 mile service I the day you buy it. Theres usually a reason someone is selling a perfectly good almost new car or truck and sometimes it’s that fact that its almost due for everything above plus that one thing that doesnt work or they broke thats $400 on top of everything else I just mentioned.

If you do not necc need the size of a full size truck look at the GMC or Chevy Canyon/Colorado I have a 2018 diesel. I love it. Fuel mileage is decent towing is impressive for this size of truck and combined with the fuel mileage. I tow 7000 pounds with the Canyon a few times a year and my main trailer weights close to 6000 pounds most trips its perfect for this. The odometer on this tuck is spinning like a clock. Everyone in my family drives it and I’m Ok with them in it if other family members will need to drive it the smaller tuck is a lot easier for them to handle it and it parks well to. I would buy this truck again if something happened to it.

New vehicles are better than ever. They do still have issues and when or if you get bit by a weird wiring or computer related problem you’ll understand the complaints. But in reality were looking at things out of context. or old school wise. Like the post above about the cost of an alternator. OK I eat up a cell phone every couple of years There $800 to $1000 I spend more on shoes and cell phone service every year than most do on repairs or maintenance on a newer model car. Hopefully in 100,000 miles of driving youll only have one breakdown and it will be less than $1000. I think about the cost of boats and car repairs seem like nothing in comparison. Open the bonnet on a late model OB and youll think cars are a lot less complicated.

If I was buying a used half ton full sized truck it would be a GM with the 6.0. Highest resale ( which wont help you today) best driving trucks. I drive them all and own a fairly new Ford GMC and Chevy truck. i like the Ford interior and heater ac vents but the GM trucks out drive a Ford by a fair margin. I work on Toyotas and Nissans and they break to not impressed with fuel mileage or actual towing regardless of how they spec I’d feel safer in my Colorado in snow pulling a 6000 pound travel trailer than any Toyota truck even the Tundra and its fuel mileage is horrible with a load. My monies still on a Gm tuck. Hope my customers dont read this:)
 

rothfm

Ensign
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Sep 26, 2006
Messages
913
They are generally off the Radar, but have been buying used Nissan Titans...Extremely reliable, never ever rust, even in norther salty road areas, hardly any repairs. They are much less to buy than the big 3. With Tow package, up to 9500 and very powerful.
Mileage is not good however.
 
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