Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
The frame? AL body rust resistance is a nice perk.
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New Truck?
- Thread starter H20fwler
- Start date
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I wish we got the hilux. 8 mil Muslim terrorists have proven they are almost bulletproof. But the “chicken tax” has prevented them from being imported here.
TonySoprano
5 year old buck +
Same here , does anyone make a BASIC vehicle anymore without ALL the bells and Whistles ?
I'd like a regular cab truck with 6 or 8 foot bed option , V8 or V6 option
4x4 option . Am FM radio , AC and power window option for those that want it
I don't need screens , fobs and push button start either.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
RAM TRADESMAN is a plain version.
I went through this earlier this year after having drivetrain troubles with a 2020 F150. Here's my thoughts in no particular order -
Toyota's track record of bulletproof-ness seems to be wavering. If I remember right they recalled almost 100k twin turbo motors from 22-23 models because of potential debris left inside the motors during manufacturing. Plenty of people on the forums were unhappy with things like parts availability and other issues too. Like someone above said, the sight lines when I test drove one left a lot to be desired - it felt like I had my collar zipped up tight and ball cap pulled down low over my eyes trying to look out of the truck. It also felt like the sides of the cab tipped inward more than the other trucks and the interior felt cramped to me but I'm a lanky 6'1" so your mileage may vary. But bottom line, the new Tundra is very different than the previous generations, someone having 400K miles on a 2002 Tundra is worthless info to apply to a 2026. And there is a large transmission hump under the back seat of the truck, which was a deal breaker for me. We put kennels and coolers back there on road trips, and coming from a Ford with a perfectly flat rear floor this was not going to work for us.
GM trucks were... fine. Didn't love anything, didn't really hate anything. Still had a hump in the back floor but was smaller than the Toyota. Inventory on leftover '24s was non-existent back in April so I didn't spend too much time here.
Rams I looked long and hard at and they were a close 2nd. Some features I liked like the in-floor storage. Others I didn't like how they require a monthly subscription for features Ford give you for free, like the remote start app on your phone. I have a few buddies with newer Rams and they love them. Seems like a lot of the issues from a decade ago like the bodies rusting out and the transmissions blowing up have been addressed.
Ultimately I went with another Ford with the turbo V6. That motor has been out since 2010 so the issues and maintenance points are known by now (IMO). To me, Ford's back seat on the crew cab is the best in terms of space and leg room. Ford also redesigned the drivetrain system I had issues with on my 2020. I also got the fancy extended warranty. It was something like 3200 bucks and the dealership said that if something like the tail light (or maybe head light, don't exactly remember) burned out, it's no longer just replacing a bulb. They're fancy LED contraptions now and the whole thing gets replaced to the tune of $1600.
Ford has the 5.0 V8 and the Ram sales rep told me that next year Ram was looking at bringing back the Hemi. So those could be options if you don't want a turbo. I'd have trouble trusting a GM V8 right now after the pushrod debacle in the 6.2. I suppose their 5.3 V8 has been around forever though.
Baby diesels weren't for me. Have had enough DEF issues with trucks at work and didn't want that in my personal vehicle.
Ford's bodies are all aluminum now. Not sure on GM or Toyota but they might be too. Ram just has aluminum hoods and tailgates I believe. Regardless I got the underbody and frame coated with whatever it is they spray on them now.
As you've mentioned, way more bells and whistles to go wrong on the new trucks. Lane assist, steering wheel monitoring, so on and so forth. Replace the windshield? Was quoted an extra $400 to recalibrate the forward facing camera that's behind the rear view mirror. Repaint the driver's door to fix parking lot dings ? Need to recalibrate the 360 degree cameras on the side mirrors so it works properly.
But other than buying something used I didn't see a way around the "progress and advancements" of technology. Is what it is, gotta pay to play.
Toyota's track record of bulletproof-ness seems to be wavering. If I remember right they recalled almost 100k twin turbo motors from 22-23 models because of potential debris left inside the motors during manufacturing. Plenty of people on the forums were unhappy with things like parts availability and other issues too. Like someone above said, the sight lines when I test drove one left a lot to be desired - it felt like I had my collar zipped up tight and ball cap pulled down low over my eyes trying to look out of the truck. It also felt like the sides of the cab tipped inward more than the other trucks and the interior felt cramped to me but I'm a lanky 6'1" so your mileage may vary. But bottom line, the new Tundra is very different than the previous generations, someone having 400K miles on a 2002 Tundra is worthless info to apply to a 2026. And there is a large transmission hump under the back seat of the truck, which was a deal breaker for me. We put kennels and coolers back there on road trips, and coming from a Ford with a perfectly flat rear floor this was not going to work for us.
GM trucks were... fine. Didn't love anything, didn't really hate anything. Still had a hump in the back floor but was smaller than the Toyota. Inventory on leftover '24s was non-existent back in April so I didn't spend too much time here.
Rams I looked long and hard at and they were a close 2nd. Some features I liked like the in-floor storage. Others I didn't like how they require a monthly subscription for features Ford give you for free, like the remote start app on your phone. I have a few buddies with newer Rams and they love them. Seems like a lot of the issues from a decade ago like the bodies rusting out and the transmissions blowing up have been addressed.
Ultimately I went with another Ford with the turbo V6. That motor has been out since 2010 so the issues and maintenance points are known by now (IMO). To me, Ford's back seat on the crew cab is the best in terms of space and leg room. Ford also redesigned the drivetrain system I had issues with on my 2020. I also got the fancy extended warranty. It was something like 3200 bucks and the dealership said that if something like the tail light (or maybe head light, don't exactly remember) burned out, it's no longer just replacing a bulb. They're fancy LED contraptions now and the whole thing gets replaced to the tune of $1600.
Ford has the 5.0 V8 and the Ram sales rep told me that next year Ram was looking at bringing back the Hemi. So those could be options if you don't want a turbo. I'd have trouble trusting a GM V8 right now after the pushrod debacle in the 6.2. I suppose their 5.3 V8 has been around forever though.
Baby diesels weren't for me. Have had enough DEF issues with trucks at work and didn't want that in my personal vehicle.
Ford's bodies are all aluminum now. Not sure on GM or Toyota but they might be too. Ram just has aluminum hoods and tailgates I believe. Regardless I got the underbody and frame coated with whatever it is they spray on them now.
As you've mentioned, way more bells and whistles to go wrong on the new trucks. Lane assist, steering wheel monitoring, so on and so forth. Replace the windshield? Was quoted an extra $400 to recalibrate the forward facing camera that's behind the rear view mirror. Repaint the driver's door to fix parking lot dings ? Need to recalibrate the 360 degree cameras on the side mirrors so it works properly.
But other than buying something used I didn't see a way around the "progress and advancements" of technology. Is what it is, gotta pay to play.
jsasker007
5 year old buck +
Supposedly 85% of all Ford trucks are still on the road. The other 15% made it home. I'll see myself out.
My understanding is Dodge and Ford are bringing back the V8. There is likely going to be a Tundra HD out soon that will also have a V8.
We have owned 3 new Ford's, I will not buy another new Ford even though I get the retired employee discount. The wife wanted to look at Explorers when we bought her 4Runner. I told her she can look all she wants, but I'm not buying one.
We have owned 3 new Ford's, I will not buy another new Ford even though I get the retired employee discount. The wife wanted to look at Explorers when we bought her 4Runner. I told her she can look all she wants, but I'm not buying one.
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jsasker007
5 year old buck +
I've bought a few jeeps over the years and never had a single problem with any of them.
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
What's with all those stupid rubber duckies on the jeep dashes? If I had a jeep I'd be selling it.
Westwind
5 year old buck +
Great post. Lots of good info.
I’m a Ford guy. After a string of Superduty’s I bought a twin turbo v6 gasser in 2021 to replace my ‘11 diesel. I loved that diesel, but was doing a ton of highway hours (14 hour round trip every 2nd or third weekend) so I wanted a gasser for awhile. Knock on wood, it has been a good truck. Don’t want to jinx it. It’s a Raptor- I have a buddy in the car biz and I got a better deal than I should have. I didn’t go shopping for a Raptor but that damn thing rides like a Cadillac and runs like a scalded ape. I do love it. Flat rear floor is awesome and even though I’m 6’02 I can rig it up to where I can sleep 4-5 hours comfortable enough to get my second wind. What I don’t like is it’s a little too fancy for its own good. No pickup truck needs an electric motor to open and close a tailgate. Dumb. I’m pushing 60 so I gotta admit I like the little ladder that comes out of the tailgate so its easy to climb in and out.
Had two Rams at work. Classic trim. V8. This second one has about 66,000 on it. Both trucks have had the snot driven out of them. We have had very few problems with the Rams but its sure nothing special. For a plain Jane truck I can’t say much bad about them.
Went to a family reunion. My cousin bought a used F-250 single cab 8’ bed gasser. That might be my next truck. At least the single cab part. And maybe the buying used part. I don’t need much anymore, not putting on the miles. Want a real truck and a real bed again.
This isn’t a car thread but we have been buying Subaru Foresters for our kids and my wife drives one. People say all kinds of stupid sh!t about people that drive Subaru’s but those damn things are awd and about as trouble free as a car gets. Around 145,000 miles on our two current ones. Get in it, point it where you want to go and hammer it. Change the oil and rotate the tires and you got pretty damn comfortable transportation with great visibility and great safety features. If they built a truck I would look at it.
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Westwind
5 year old buck +
One of my buddies bought a 2011 Superduty diesel within a few weeks of when I bought mine. His was a great truck too. He replaced his with another Superduty diesel in 2023 and he has had trouble with his. He said he wants to trade it for a Dodge. I told him I would block his phone number and pretend I never met him.
When a LONG time Ford guy wants to buy a Dodge, you know there must be a problem. They all need to get their act together.
When a LONG time Ford guy wants to buy a Dodge, you know there must be a problem. They all need to get their act together.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Huh. Didn't know Ram went away from the hemi. Never really considered them but I've driven a handful and they are the nicest riding 1/2 ton for sure.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Jeep owners leave rubber ducks on other jeep owner's jeeps as a way of saying "Hi, I like your jeep". Basically its how jeep owners do this:
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
I picked up an outback when my pickup no longer qualified for company vehicle stipend and I didn't want to spend $60k on a new one. Drivers were: cost of ownership (based on purchase price/depreciation), ability to still get around forest service roads for hunting when the family takes it up north, sure footedness ice/snow when commuting in the winter. It's hard to beat in those regards. It had one warranty issue engine electronics that almost made it unusable and the freaking windshields crack if you look at them wrong (i've had 3 crack in 4 years of driving-there was a class action suit on this). But it is incredible on ice/snow, makes my f150 feel like a death trap in comparison when roads are really slick. Gutless but gets ya where you're going.
They pulled our vehicle stipend shortly after i bought the damn thing so it became my wife's daily driver and kid hauler and we sold her camry. Would buy it again if doing this phase of our life over but will likely replace it with something a little bigger to handle our kids + a friend or 2 if necessary in coming years.
Westwind
5 year old buck +
We replaced or repaired quite a few windshields too.
Someone mentioned cost of recalibrating the sensors on the front of a different brand- our Safelite guy told us there really wasn’t a good reason to do that. I think it was $400 and we never did it.
We live where it snows and my driveway is 900’ of hill. Can’t beat the awd for that although when the wife was buying mini vans to haul kids they were front wheel drive and got around pretty good.
Someone mentioned cost of recalibrating the sensors on the front of a different brand- our Safelite guy told us there really wasn’t a good reason to do that. I think it was $400 and we never did it.
We live where it snows and my driveway is 900’ of hill. Can’t beat the awd for that although when the wife was buying mini vans to haul kids they were front wheel drive and got around pretty good.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Those damned sensors is why safelite wont replace ours at our house and we need to bring them in.
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