F-150? F-250? Tundra?

[tic]

We are going to buy a new truck as our little 95' V-6 nissan struggles to tow our 2,500lb. fourwinns boat as it is and we may buy a bigger boat next spring.... We test drove a Nissan Titan and neither the wife or I cared for it very much.. The toyota Tundra looks great on paper, better towing capacity, more power, quicker and faster than the titan and better mileage.. I was suprised to see the (relatively) low towing capacity of the Ford F-150 but would consider one as well as an F-250 (possibly with diesel engine)... Out of the above mentioned trucks, would anyone care to comment on durability, performance and mileage?.. I'm trying to educate myself on new trucks but there sure is a lot to digest. We will be looking at boats in the 5000-7000 lb. range.. thanks

 

[OKANAGANGUY]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Running an automotive shop I personally drive a 2002 f-150 with a 5.7l V-8 and am very happy with it. It pulls my 18' bow rider no problems. If I had my choice today I would go for the Toyota no questions asked. Toyota has taken over the market and are now #1 just passing General Motors this year... The foriegn market makes a far superior product! Make sure that the one you buy has tires rated to pull the boat. Also I would make sure that you buy the model with the 5.7 l in opposed the 4.7L HUGE difference in power. Double check the towing capacity should be just over 10,000lbs which should do the trick for ya. Good luck.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Tundra with better economy than anything????? That's a stretch. Do your research thoroughly friend. Did you ever ask yourself how the other trucks are equipped in the Tundra towing ads? Tundras with the 381 HP engine have 4.10:1 axle ratios with a 4.3 provided in the tow package. I would bet the others in the group are not equipped with either ratio thus sqewing the test results and that also accounts for Tundras rotten fuel economy. What they should also test is the same load fuel economy. One of my car magazines just did a Nissan, Ford, Chevy, Tundra test and the Tundra was not rated well except for power. The Chevy was picked based on all the categories those tests include (handling, towing, fuel economy, braking, comfort, price, etc.). They actually rated the Nissan higher than the Toyota. All are nice trucks to be sure -- just make sure what you are looking for is what you get BEFORE the check crosses the desk. Once you get into the 6000 - 7000 pound range you might be wise to begin looking into diesel power but that depends on the length of your trips.

 

[LTP]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

the tundras i hear our good trucks but they are overpriced and over hyped,
stick with the ford, i have a 1994 ford F-150 and the only time it has ever been down for service is to have the ignition switch replaced because it wore out after countless starts and 185000 miles, i drive the truck everyday, no problem
this year the F-150 is suppose to be rated at 11,000 pounds of towing capacity so i don't know what you are saying when you were suprised at the low towing capacity, it is higher than any full sized truck on the market,

toyota is also very good at skewing their numbers and not telling you the whole truth all the time and also at making ads that make you think you are getting more than you are, like they have one that shows the truck stopping with a heavy load, and all 4 tires lock up, if your truck did that on the road you would be dead, so thier stopping distances are screwed cause they defeated the abs first, but its really more of your preference,

as for the F-250 i would be a little weary of the diesel, they haven't been to great as of late, but this year they rolled out a new engine and i'm not sure that they are putting it in f-250 i know you can get it in 350 and up.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I'd go with the Ford, whether you go with the F150 or 250 it's up to you, with a light boat like that you don't need much. I tow more than that with a 4 cylinder Ranger 2 wheel drive stick. No matter what you buy, make sure it's got a proper hitch, low enough gear ratio, and that it's equipped with some sort of towing package and transmission cooler. You don't need a diesel, but if one was available in a smaller truck, I'd own one in a minute simply for the longevity and lower maintenance.
I am not a fan of Toyota at all, I owned one years ago and got tired of paying premium rates for parts that on a Ford were pennies compared to that of Toyota. I am gathering that Toyota is having some trans issues, I haven't heard anything, but have seen several current model transmissions fail recently with very low miles. Both of the ones that I rebuilt had planetary gear failures. Both trucks were super well kept and didn't look abused. The internal trans did not look heavy duty enough in my opinion, especially when you compare it to a Ford 4R100 trans or similar.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I have read that the F-150 may be getting a diesel option for 2008?... If so, that might be the route I go.. It's two hours to our favorite lake so fuel economy is important..It's hard to decipher the actual towing capacites of some of these trucks but the tundra has the highest tow capacity of all except the F-250 from what I've been able to see, then the titan and t hen the F-150. I don't like hearing about the trans troubles with the toyota though, that has me shying away from it.. VERY good point about real world MPG while towing.. the EPA #'s on these trucks are all posting for an empty truck not towing anything.. I don't want an F-250 if the diesels in them are not so good either. I got this off a website "The diesel that will power the F-150 will be a 4.4L V8. That news leaked out a few months ago. The latest news on this engine is that it will be a larger version of the new V8 diesel that powers the Euro-spec Range Rover! The RR diesel is a 3.6L V8. Rumor has it this new 4.4L diesel may be built in the UK and shipped over here.

Snippet: Ford may produce the 4.4-litre engine in Britain and ship it to the United States. Although Ford has not settled on the engine's production volume, suppliers and analysts say it could produce 100,000 diesel-powered F-150s."
Thanks for the responses everyone... keep them coming. This is not going to be an easy decision.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

i personally like my surburban 5.7L tows 6000 with no problems. and we do 800 mile trips with it to the Keys and back.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I wouldn't trade my Tundra for any other truck.

And I got mine for 22k, not sure what is meant by overpriced.

 

[OKANAGANGUY]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I don't know why people are scared of the Toyota. You go to sell that Toyota down the road and you have a truck that has retained it's value. The depreciation of a north american truck is at lease 30% higher than the Japanese products. You pay more for a Toyota or Nissan but you get more. Running a large automotive shop I can tell you what I see more for repairs.

 

[vandy21]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

tundra

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I used the "build it" feature on the toyota website and the tundra I wanted, fully equipped came to $44,200 US Dollars !!!!... I have also used the "build my truck" feature for Ford and Nissan and neither was THAT high.. That is what is meant by "overpriced" ... My daily driver is a 91' Honda CRX HF that has almost 180,000mi. on it now... I bought it new, it has never left me stranded, uses no oil between changes, the AC still works (old R-12 system) etc.etc... I would feel VERY confident buying a Toyota and it may well be worth the premium price however I'm a little leary about the transmission problems with the vehicle. The trucks primary use will be as a tow vehicle and if the trans isn't up to the job, I won't be happy down the road (pun intended)... I sure hope Ford does put a diesel in the F-150 for 08'.. That would really be worth a look. I think the Toyota has the best engine in it's class, highest tow rating capacity etc. etc. but if the transmission isn't built as well as the rest of the truck, well, that's a deal breaker...

 

[rndn]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Tundra without a doubt!! Better resale value and a far superior quality record than Ford.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

What about the weak transmission issue on the Tundra?..

 

[tommays]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

It is and all NEW Trunda with NO track record it way or may not be good in the long term


Now it is a fact that it is the only full size truck to get a 4 star crash rating which is a pretty FUBAR in a brand new state of the art


Tommays

 

[OKANAGANGUY]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I think the warranty covers that drivetrain for 60,000 miles or 10 years .

 

[OKANAGANGUY]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

My Mistake it is 5 years or 60000 miles not 10 years

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Toyota built what I like to call a 5/8 ton truck, it had mostly 3/4 ton truck specs with 5 lug wheel, and no diesel option (3/4ton brakes, rear axle, 4.10/4.30 gears, WAY heavier than domestic 1/2tons). I honestly hope that Ford/Chevy/Dodge DON'T follow Toyota with this one as they already make 3/4 ton trucks. A buddy at work just got a new tundra last month and so far he isn't really too sure how well he likes it. The power is awesome but the fuel economy sucks as does the ride (rides more like a 3/4 ton). We took it on a 400 mile road trip empty and only averaged 17mpg @ 75mph which isn't that great, same trip has been made in a 5.4L ford and his 5.3L chevy that he traded in and both got ~19mpg on the same trip. As ford pricing, locally, I can get an equally equipt Ford or Chevy for about 4000$ less than the Toyota AND 5 years down the road I can PROMISE you there will be less than a 4000$ differenace in price when there both used.

 

[tic]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

I read a review of the new Tundra and it did say the ride wasn't very good... Hmmmm... I do value japanese auto products though, at least with cars, their value and longevity can't be beat.. Even if the new tundra is a few grand more, it may be worth it in the long run... Good point about this being an all new truck.. I would guess it has a different transmission than the previous tundras and hopefully the new one is tougher.. I'm still looking forward to the F-150 with a diesel for 08' but I'll bet that diesel engine option will add at least 5 grand to the purchase price, maybe more...The dilema now is that we can afford a new truck, or a new boat, but not both and we need a new truck to tow a newer/larger/heavier boat... We also tow snowmobiles in winter and even the smaller lighter load is strain on the aging 95 nissan V-6 pickup. The truck has 150,000mi. on it now and I think it's getting a little tired.. My boss just traded his chevy truck (not sure which model) for an F-250 and says the ride of the ford is better than that of the chevy.. At least for him.. He tows a huge camper tailer. I guess there is no such thing as the "best" truck for towing a boat.. Anything will be a compromise, better in one area but not as strong in another.. I know it won't be a Titan as the wife can't get comfortable in it, says she feels like she's sliding off the seat. I think we'll go test drive a bunch and see what she likes for comfort and then I'll crunch the numbers and see which is the better tow vehicle... I appreciate all the comments and hope to see more.. This decision is as hard, or harder than the decision on which boat to buy!

 

[JB]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

We have had three F-XXXs and two Tundras in the family. All serve(d) as work vehicles, family transport and towing up to 4,000lb.

When all the specs and paper numbers are in, they don't matter. The Tundras are the ones that the family won't part with.

Of course, I won't part with my 1999 ML430 either.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: F-150? F-250? Tundra?

Running an automotive shop I personally drive a 2002 f-150 with a 5.7l V-8 and am very happy with it. It pulls my 18' bow rider no problems. If I had my choice today I would go for the Toyota no questions asked. Toyota has taken over the market and are now #1 just passing General Motors this year... The foriegn market makes a far superior product! Make sure that the one you buy has tires rated to pull the boat. Also I would make sure that you buy the model with the 5.7 l in opposed the 4.7L HUGE difference in power. Double check the towing capacity should be just over 10,000lbs which should do the trick for ya. Good luck.

...............


1. F-150 has been and still is the top selling truck for 20 yrs
2. When properly equipped with a 3.73 towing axle it pull's 9500 lbs
3.The new Toyota 5.7 will be recalled for cam issue's
4.Ford recently surpassed Toyota in JD power's intial quality
5 Ford does not make a 5.7 (Need to update there a bit)
While the Toyota is a nice truck, it is far from being proven a relaible platform and if so it will become the first succesful truck that the Japaneese have made, only time will tell.