Buying Advice What to look for in buying a pickup.

[bm3]

I agree with Jay , Tundra all the way , comfort , power , dependable . I own a 2010 4x4 Tundra and a 2004 Super Duty , witch I am trying to sell because the 6.0 , the tundra pulls my skid steer just fine

 

[Soundguy]

i bet you could find a 10 (ish) year old diesel 3/4 or 1 ton for decent money and still have lots of miles left in the engine. when i was looking for a 1 ton.. I found many nice ford 7.3 350's in the 95-97 range for 3500-6000$ and moved a couple years newer to a 99 for a couple more grand.. etc... find one that has had a lil maintenance done on it, and no deal breaker problems, and you will ahve a good HD limited use truck. I'm preferential to fords.. but had I not went ford, a dodge/cummins 5.9 would have been my VERY next choice in a 3500 series truck. ( ps.. I looked for 6 months to find a 4x4 crew cab.. would have went with an extended cab too.. and single cab as last choice.. ) didn't care to get one with rust either..

good luck

soundguy

In the near future we will looking for a pickup to use for various tasks: hauling 4x8 plywood, drywall and some lumber, etc.; towing a couple different type trailers (rv/camping, utility trailer and possibly a small dump trailer); and general transportation on and around new piece of land purchase (dirt, mud, snow).

My requirements are 4x4, 8' length bed and tow capacity of up to 7000# maximum. Most towing will around 3500#. Of course good fuel economy would be nice, but I understand the fallacy of that wishful thinking. Two (or more) fuel tanks would be good, too, but not a deal breaker.

This will be an extra vehicle, not my only transportation. The geographic lay of the land is near sea level, small hills with an occasional venture into the mountains (camp trailer).

I have owned in the past, but do not have now, 3/4 ton suburban, 1/2 ton 2wd and 3/4 ton 4wd pickups and have driven 1 ton pickups and even small dumptrucks over the years.

I'll be basically retired and don't have to get anywhere in a big hurry.

We typically buy good used vehicles and keep them for several years. Do NOT want to buy a new vehicle.

Not to start any flame wars, but let's compare:

1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton,
diesel vs gasoline,
automatic transmission vs manual,
6 cyl vs 8 cyl
or anything else you can think of.

thx.

 

[RJD2516]

Okay. I would go with a 4.9L 6 cyl ford. Can find them in 1/2 ton model, and 4 wheel drive. This was one of the best engines ford ever made. Tons of power for a 6 banger, last forever, parts are pretty cheap and easy to find. Can pull 3500# no problem. I have used one to pull 6000# and it did fine. Better than average gas mileage, and came in both automatic and manual (both were very good tranny's). Just my two cents........

Also, any half ton pick-up would do for your needs. You might even want to look at the tacoma's or the frontiers. Both good trucks.

 

[kenmac]

At one point Dodge did have tranny problems. I had a '96 1500 that would eat trannys every 35-40K. It's still on the road. I dumped it in '04 for an '02 1500, and now have an '06. No problems with the '02 or '06.
A bad reputation lingers forever. Dodge fixed the problem, at least in my gasers.

Strange. I had a 95 that I pulled my 20' trailer with tractor & a drag car all over the state . When I sold it & bought my 07 diesel the tranny still shifted great ! The guy I sold it to needed a truck to tow a moving trailer to NY. Must be the luck of the draw..

Note. I did buy the 95 new & always serviced the tranny myself

 

[Soundguy]

the tranny problems I heard of int he late 90's were shearing input shafts... neverexperienced it on my 98 dodge ram. twas a good truck..

 

[silvertramp]

Strange. I had a 95 that I pulled my 20' trailer with tractor & a drag car all over the state . When I sold it & bought my 07 diesel the tranny still shifted great ! The guy I sold it to needed a truck to tow a moving trailer to NY. Must be the luck of the draw..

Note. I did buy the 95 new & always serviced the tranny myself

My tranny was serviced on schedule. I bought the truck new & the most it ever pulled was a 6x12 cargo trailer with a bike aboard. Easy duty.
I cornered some retired Dodge engineers one time. They were reluctent to talk at first, but finally said: "The bean counters won out over the engineers. Cost Chrsler a fortune in warrenty claims." He'd seen them fail brand new coming off the car carrier.
Glad you got a good one. I wasn't so lucky.