GM trucks have slipped

[MickeyDBC]

Had a 2014 Ram 2500 Cummins Lariat. Over the four years and 94K miles I had the truck it had 17 recalls and spent over six months in the shop. A lot of emissions problems, cracked frame, water pump that would set the truck on fire, leaks, etc... The thing drove nice but by the time I traded it in the seat leather was coming apart as well as a lot of the plastic pieces. Went with the Ford F350 XLT (not as fancy as the Ram) but in the nine months and 22K miles that I have had it there have been zero problems. Looked that the GM twins but the tow rating was not there and the DEF tank hanging down on the past models was not attractive. After having mostly GM pickups over the last 40 years and presently having a Tahoe and a Volt right now in the family, I agree that GM seems to have lost its way on the current generation of trucks. Interiors look cheap and the exteriors look like they were designed by a team of blind accountants (half ton chevy trucks right now are just plain ugly).

 

[Monster5601]

I realize this is very subjective but for me the GM interiors are not there, basic layout and lack of color contrasts have made my last two truck purchases easy. Both my 2013 (1500 HEMI) and my 2015 (Cummins) purchases went to RAM. As MickeyDBC pointed out, there has been a substantial number of recalls with both of my RAM trucks. Reliability has been excellent and my 2013 is still running strong. Outside of the recalls, both trucks have been trouble-free.

 

[coldsteelva]

Just keep in mind that the recalls are mostly on parts/components supplied by third parties and not really manufactured by RAM. RAM holds some of the responsibility but not all.

 

[Ford850]

Ram has also overtaken Chevy in truck sales volume so far this year. At the end of the year GM will try to spin it and blame the strike for the poor sales, but they lost the fight earlier in the year prior to the strike.
I do like a lot of the new technology buried in these trucks that you don't even know about when buying. You mentioned trailer odometer - my 2013 F150 has that and I didn't know it was there when I bought it. It allows me to name my trailers, and it recognizes them as soon as I plug them in to the truck. It knows the proper brake controller setting, and tells me the total miles on that trailer. Some of this tech stuff is easy to get used to (or maybe spoiled).

 

[WilliamBos]

The 07-13 were the biggest pieces of crap that GM ever built. But they have improved them since then, the newest gen has a lot of improvements.

 

[MossRoad]

All I know is all brands are ridiculously priced. I've got $7000 total wrapped up in a '93 Suburban that I've been driving for 12 years....

That's about $48 per month... it gets me from point A to point B daily. Can carry 8 people. Can pull my car hauler trailer. Insurance is dirt cheap, etc.... while I do enjoy the new safety features and new tech (I like heated seats, mp3 inputs, bluetooth, etc....) it's all fluff.

When I hear someone mention they want a basic work truck and then mention in-floor cooler compartments and a 12" touch screen, well................

:confused3:


:laughing:

The new trucks are very nice, I'll admit. If someone gave me one, I would be very happy. But the prices are approaching the full 4-year cost of college tuition. Yikes.

 

[atsah]

All I know is all brands are ridiculously priced. I've got $7000 total wrapped up in a '93 Suburban that I've been driving for 12 years....

That's about $48 per month... it gets me from point A to point B daily. Can carry 8 people. Can pull my car hauler trailer. Insurance is dirt cheap, etc.... while I do enjoy the new safety features and new tech (I like heated seats, mp3 inputs, bluetooth, etc....) it's all fluff.

When I hear someone mention they want a basic work truck and then mention in-floor cooler compartments and a 12" touch screen, well................

:confused3:


:laughing:

The new trucks are very nice, I'll admit. If someone gave me one, I would be very happy. But the prices are approaching the full 4-year cost of college tuition. Yikes.

I agree, they have priced me out of the market.. I buy one year old vehicles with 20K or less miles on them, if there is anything to fix the dealer fixes it at no cost to me, I save a crazy amount of money from buying new.. I do it about every four years because I have to have something that's reliable to drive to and from Florida several times a year..

 

[oosik]

No one can deny - pick the "Top 'O the Line" in the major brands - you will pay major bucks. And not just major bucks - ridiculously high dollars.

HOWEVER - unless something happened just recently - I realized, I can't take it with me. I've always purchased new trucks - work trucks. I've always wanted a really decked out truck but without all the chrome. I mean - what the h*ll - I can afford it.

The "Taco Wagon" is just exactly what I want. Loads of power, no chrome, all the digital technology anybody could ever need/want and it's reasonably nice looking.

It's not a work truck - it's my FUN truck. At 77 - this is the first extravagant vehicle I've ever owned. Maybe the last, also.

 

[EddieWalker]

Couple of years ago we decided that my wife needed a SUV to haul dogs to the vet and travel to dog shows. We looked at everything and couldn't find anything that would do what we wanted, so then we decided that we really needed to look at what the vast majority of other show dog owners are driving. The mini van!!! We looked at every brand and nothing compared to Chrysler. For the money, we got so much more. I'm not sure why, but I had a strong hesitation towards Dodge and Chrysler, but I couldn't deny how much nicer it was compared to the other brands. Since buying it, we've come to like it even more and have been recommending it to everyone, especially friends looking for a SUV, but not finding any that they can put two dog crates in and enough supplies for a 4 day dog show.

When I get around to buying my next truck, Ram will be at the top of my list. I currently have a Ford that I bought brand new in 2012 that has been mostly trouble free, but that doesn't mean that I will buy another. When spending that much money, I'm going to look at all of my options.

 

[dalola]

HOWEVER - unless something happened just recently - I realized, I can't take it with me. I've always purchased new trucks - work trucks. I've always wanted a really decked out truck but without all the chrome. I mean - what the h*ll - I can afford it.

The "Taco Wagon" is just exactly what I want. Loads of power, no chrome, all the digital technology anybody could ever need/want and it's reasonably nice looking.

It's not a work truck - it's my FUN truck. At 77 - this is the first extravagant vehicle I've ever owned. Maybe the last, also.

Good way of looking at things, seeing as how we all get one crack at life. Thank God we live in a country that affords you the choice. You can be as "foolish" or as "wise" as you wish. But when it's your time, hopefully you'll have few regrets.