Opinions on trucks

[WilliamBos]

Yeah I agree with you on the EPA front. Apparently you can get a lot of fuel economy back with DPF deletes and so on but I don't know if I would pass the local emissions test that we have to do when we register our cars if I did that!

I'm hoping that a 1/2 ton diesel will get 20+ MPG and with diesel fuel being cheaper up here that would be a heck of a way to drive to work!

I drove the GMC Sierra and reallly really liked it. The Ford does seem to be a more refined truck though but the Sierra can be had for even more of a steal these days.

Refined?? It is a truck, and the reason they are so bloody expensive is they are too refined IMHO. All those creature comforts!!

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

I have a 97 Dodge RAM Cummins 5 speed manual with 60,000 miles. It is only used for hauling stuff and pulling my quads up North. I don't drive it much in the winter and it still is in great shape. I'm never selling it. It has mechanical fuel injection and gets 21-23 MPG on the hightway at 65 mph.

The EPA has ruined the diesel trucks.

My sentiments exactly. I have the same truck two years older, 220,000 km, 4x4, locomotive reliable, now just used for towing, but I did commute with it for a while. It had roughly the same fuel cost per mile as the Merc. Sable I used to have.

It likely will not get replaced any time soon as there is now nothing on the market that can replace it.

350 hp and 12 mpg I do not need. How about a RANGE of diesel horsepower options in the heavy duty trucks instead of ONE choice only.
How tradespeople can drive these things without going broke is beyond me.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Oh...If only Toyota still made those little diesel trucks.

I have a friend with a GMC 1/2 ton flex fuel and he claims to be averaging about 17. He drives it to work 30 miles. 25 is interstate, 5 is city. He has the short bed and extended cab. He really likes it and it has been reliable. An old beater probably falls outside the reliable requirement.

I have a 97 Dodge RAM Cummins 5 speed manual with 60,000 miles. It is only used for hauling stuff and pulling my quads up North. I don't drive it much in the winter and it still is in great shape. I'm never selling it. It has mechanical fuel injection and gets 21-23 MPG on the hightway at 65 mph.

The EPA has ruined the diesel trucks.

I have a F-150 5.4L V8 4x4 and it has averaged 16.4mpg when not towing and driving it sensibly. My diesel Ford F-250 and F-350 extended cab 4x4's will do high 23's on the highway and will do 17 average. They are both modified with exhaust, intakes, and chips but I really do not run them like race trucks unless there is another to blow the doors off of.

My neighbor has a 2007 3500 4x4 Cheby Dmax and it just keeps getting better. While he only averages 14 in town he routinely gets 21 on the highway which it seems he does every weekend traveling to his childrens sporting events. No mods on his trucks.

Chris

 

[canoetrpr]

That is a pretty decent number on the F-150 and I think that the 2009 is even a bit better with the 6 speed automatic. It works out to about 23% more fuel than I currently put in my van for my commute to work.

Do you have the 3.73 or 3.55 axle ratio as I think this affects MPG slightly and also is this a screw or a scab and how big a bed? I think that all of these things affect MPG slightly so I'm interested in getting the details.

Those diesel numbers are just amazing! Heck that sounds like it will cost me less to drive to work in a 3/4 ton diesel (pre DPF) and with some mods given diesel is about 20 cents per gallon cheaper here. Whether I will be able to find a parking space at work or not, that is a different question

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is a pretty decent number on the F-150 and I think that the 2009 is even a bit better with the 6 speed automatic. It works out to about 23% more fuel than I currently put in my van for my commute to work.

Do you have the 3.73 or 3.55 axle ratio as I think this affects MPG slightly and also is this a screw or a scab and how big a bed? I think that all of these things affect MPG slightly so I'm interested in getting the details.

Those diesel numbers are just amazing! Heck that sounds like it will cost me less to drive to work in a 3/4 ton diesel (pre DPF) and with some mods given diesel is about 20 cents per gallon cheaper here. Whether I will be able to find a parking space at work or not, that is a different question

You really do not need a diesel 3/4 ton or larger. Things like tires, oil changes, air filters, brakes, ect cost 3 times as much and if you do not need it get a 1/2 ton. My 2007 F-150 is a Super Crew 5.4L with 3.73 gears and the 5.5' bed. My brother-n-law has the same truck but in black with the 6.5 bed and 3.55 gears. He gets about the same as me.

Here is a pic. Would love to keep it but its on a $299 month lease, 24 months and no money down, that ends on the 17th of April and they want $25000 for it. I am currently looking at a Nissan Titan to replace it.

Chris

 

[canoetrpr]

Nice looking truck Diamondpilot!

I'm interested in hearing why you decided on a Titan after the Ford. I had not quite even considered the Titan - perhaps I should?

 

[GreenWannabe]

I just bought a 2007 Honda Ridgeline a couple of weeks ago. Spent a lot of time comparing half tons - GM, Ford, Dodge, Toyota - and couldn't make up my mind. I had never looked at a Ridgeline, but had heard good things about them from several people. Went to a local dealer to take a look, because they had two on the lot - upper trim levels, about 50K miles, and listed at about $30K, way out of my price range. The salesman that met me at the door as I came in just happened to be trying to sell his personal truck, 29 K miles, not all the fru-fru, plus towing package and XM radio, for less than $20K. So I wound up buying it, not a super deal, but not a bad deal either. I checked my mileage on a trip to Louisville and back, at 70 mph, I'm getting 21 mpg - just what the EPA estimate was for highway mileage. I drove 55 on two-lanes coming back, haven't filled up yet, but it seems to be doing somewhat better than 21. I just use it for personal transportation, but am planning on an extended trip in it over the summer.

 

[Dmace]

I just bought a 2007 Honda Ridgeline a couple of weeks ago. Spent a lot of time comparing half tons - GM, Ford, Dodge, Toyota - and couldn't make up my mind.

Sorry but this thread is "Opinions on trucks" and not opinions on SUV's with an uncapped trunk. That Ridgeline is not a truck and should never be called one. The only engine available is a 250hp V6 3.5l and the max towing capacity is 5,000lbs, a Ford Ranger can haul that . I don't get these vehicles, the bed sides are so high you can barely load anything from the side by hand and they do nothing really well.

If you want a "truck" with that interior/cargo room, get a quad cab short bed. If you really want a SUV with an uncapped trunk that can tow, get a Chevy Avalanche.

 

[jimmyj]

I am inclined to agree Dmace. My FIL has a Chevy Avalanche and it's great for what it is for, but it's not a working pickup by any means. My half ton is a lot less classy but it can out haul the Avalanche by a mile.

A third vehicle truck is really for working, that is all in my book. Match the tool to the need.

If I was driving it every day, maybe an extended cab or short box, but not for a work truck, no way.

 

[WH401]

I agree with Dmace as well. A truck is a cab with a 6 - 8ft bed sticking out the back, not a glorified SUV. Also, why should I be impressed with a 3.5L V6 w/ a towing capacity of 5k lb. that only gets 21 mpg when you could get a real truck in a 3/4 diesel that has around a 15k lb. towing capacity and will definitely get 18 - 20 and most likely even 21. Even today's 1/2 ton's will get close to that and there you get a much bigger truck with around a 10k lb. towing cap.