Advice needed..Keep old truck or get a Tundra

[MESSMAKER]

This brings up a few thoughts...

- The OP said he had an '07 Cummins Dodge. I would take a guess and say it must either be paid for, or close to it. I, for one, really like not having a truck payment

- Not agile how? My long bed xcab Ram is not as maneuverable as my CJ-5 was, but I have taken it a lot of places hunting. We're in hill country here; my truck hooks up and scoots down Highway-49 curves pretty well.

- If power was the desire, it is easy to get 400hp out of the OP's truck, and better fuel mileage. At the rear wheels, not the crankshaft.

- You are right, a 3/4 ton will never ride like a 1/2 ton, especially the car like 1/2 tons. But, as mentioned earlier, the right shocks, and the right pressure in the tires, they are not too bad.

I was not saying that the Dodge was not powerful. I was saying that the new gas 1/2 ton trucks are way more powerful than they used to be.
I stand by my statement that a 3/4 ton long bed extra cab standard shift truck is neither agile or easy to drive. It is really good for what it is intended for but it can be a handful in stop and go traffic or a tight parking lot.

 

[WH401]

New vehicles are always nice, but no payments and more money at retirement are even better. Using the ride quality of a truck to justify buying a new one is not the answer at all. You can improve the ride of the truck simply by using better shocks, running lower load rated tires, or even adding aftermarket suspensions, at a small percentage of the cost of a new truck.

...I stand by my statement that a 3/4 ton long bed extra cab standard shift truck is neither agile or easy to drive. It is really good for what it is intended for but it can be a handful in stop and go traffic or a tight parking lot.

Really that isn't a statement, it's an opinion. An opinion that you personally wouldn't, or don't, feel comfortable driving a 3/4-ton manual truck in stop and go traffic or a small parking lot. There are many people on here that own 3/4 ton and 1-ton DRW pickups for towing on the weekends, and then they turn around and daily drive them during the week, me included. I personally find it much easier to drive a 3/4ton or 1-ton truck rather than a little death trap commuter car, particularly because you can actually see everything...but that's just my opinion.

 

[buck12]

I guess I have to defend the 1/2 ton fords. I have an 09 FI150 crew cab. It rides great and does a good job towing. My father has a 1/2 ton Chevy and every time he rides in my truck he always talks about how much better it rides than his Chevy. The Tundras are nice but very pricey. When I was shopping last year the Tundras and F150s were close in sticker price but the dealers would not come off the sticker much on the Tundra while the Ford dealers were willing to talk.

 

[RobertN]

I understand what you meant, and you are right. The new 1/2 tons make a lot of power. I was kinda pointing at, that truck of the OP is probably paid off or real close. It is cheap to bump a Cummins way over 400HP. Heck, one new truck payment would pay for a chip at least, and maybe an exhaust.

Different strokes for different folks. I can't imagine a shortbed truck(we had a second, 1/2 ton shortbed for a couple years). I use the whole bed on my truck. I grew up around full size long beds. It's just second nature to me. My truck is an auto, but our second car is a 5spd stick. No biggie in traffic.

I was not saying that the Dodge was not powerful. I was saying that the new gas 1/2 ton trucks are way more powerful than they used to be.
I stand by my statement that a 3/4 ton long bed extra cab standard shift truck is neither agile or easy to drive. It is really good for what it is intended for but it can be a handful in stop and go traffic or a tight parking lot.

 

[masscity]

I have a 1997 Dodge with a cummins, extended cab and long bed. When I bought it the ride was rough.
I installed BF Goodrich all terrains 295/75 16's and the ride went from rough to pretty darn nice.
They are D rated tires, but very tough and rated to about 3000 lbs.

 

[AKwelder]

Two trucks in my opinion. A few years back i was in need of a more reliable ride, and was finishing a project truck. I decided that the tacoma met my needs, mainly due to the dealer here.

I don't care what vehicle someone buys, if the dealer you have to deal with is a pain, the whole time you have that vehicle will be full of problems. On that note every model had issues with something, or you get a lemon. It all comes down to how the dealer takes care of it, or doesn't.

I decided that as small truck would meet my needs for my day to day use, and my project truck, a paid for 94-1/2 powerstroke would do my heavy work. Now I have a payment for the truck that is my ride to work, witch in my mind is paying for its self. And my big diesel is not costing me anything to sit most days. It isn't a new truck, and they have more power now, but its paid for, so why mess with it

 

[buck12]

Two trucks in my opinion. A few years back i was in need of a more reliable ride, and was finishing a project truck. I decided that the tacoma met my needs, mainly due to the dealer here.

I don't care what vehicle someone buys, if the dealer you have to deal with is a pain, the whole time you have that vehicle will be full of problems. On that note every model had issues with something, or you get a lemon. It all comes down to how the dealer takes care of it, or doesn't.

I decided that as small truck would meet my needs for my day to day use, and my project truck, a paid for 94-1/2 powerstroke would do my heavy work. Now I have a payment for the truck that is my ride to work, witch in my mind is paying for its self. Ahnd my big diesel is not costing me anything to sit most days. It isn't a new truck, and they have more power now, but its paid for, so why mess with it

Once a truck is out of warranty the dealer does not matter to me. My wife and I have owned several vehicles and I only remember two warranty repairs - both minor (door trim and brake rotors). I have a local independent repair shop. They can work on anything, know my name, and stand behind their work. I refuse to pay dealer shop rates when the local shop gives better service for less $.

 

[MESSMAKER]

New vehicles are always nice, but no payments and more money at retirement are even better. Using the ride quality of a truck to justify buying a new one is not the answer at all. You can improve the ride of the truck simply by using better shocks, running lower load rated tires, or even adding aftermarket suspensions, at a small percentage of the cost of a new truck.




Really that isn't a statement, it's an opinion. An opinion that you personally wouldn't, or don't, feel comfortable driving a 3/4-ton manual truck in stop and go traffic or a small parking lot. There are many people on here that own 3/4 ton and 1-ton DRW pickups for towing on the weekends, and then they turn around and daily drive them during the week, me included. I personally find it much easier to drive a 3/4ton or 1-ton truck rather than a little death trap commuter car, particularly because you can actually see everything...but that's just my opinion.

I seem to have struck a nerve. That was not my intention. You can drive what you want. I hope you like what you drive. I drive a extended cab pickup and tow an 18" foot trailer. I like driving it quite a bit. It is not agile and it is not easy to drive. It requires more skill and attention than my wife's Accord. A Ram truck has one of the highest centers of gravity and one of the longest wheelbases. It is a pretty safe vehicle for the driver and passengers. It was the worst vehicle to be involved in an accident with, or that was the case with the last safety findings I read. This was due to it's mass and how high it sits.

 

[crazyal]

Evryone has a preferrence on which brand to get, ignor them, lol, if you've made up your mind to get the Tundra. Every company makes good and not so good cars and trucks. For every person who says how bad or good their brand is another will say just the oppisite.

That being said I have a 2000 Tundra with over 150k on it and it's never gave me one ounce of trouble. When I was racing I would pull a 3000lb race car in an elclosed trailer (10k rated) 200 miles once a week, I'm guessing about 8k total weight. I did that for 20 times a year for 4 years. To this day I have yet to change the tranny fluid as it looks as good as it did the day I drove it off the lot.

While your Dodge is a great truck it's just doesn't sound like it's a good fit for you. I use my Tundra to pull my Kubota GL4240 (has to be about the same weight as a TC40) with out a problem (remember that I have the 4.7 engine). The truck rides great unloaded. I'm sure other brands of 1/2 ton trucks would also well.

 

[Mikeeemo]

I saw several posts about Toyota dealers not dealing on the Tundra.

I bought one in January of '08 and got them down $9500.

It took 10 days, but that industry is still slow and dealers are eager to sell.

I have a '07 double cab, long bed 4x4 with a 5.7l engine and all of the towing gear.

I have no problem towing up to the rated capacity.

I do have full trailer brakes and a WD hitch.

A 3/4 & up diesel has it's place, as does a 1/2 ton gas burner.

I can buy a lot of gas for the difference in price of these trucks.

Just don't ask ANY truck to do more than it's designed to do.

Oh, do your homework when buying any vehicle as "the more you know, the better the price".