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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Need a tough truck (pickup)?... stick with a 1950-1972 USA as a workhorse.
tho...My 1st Gen Cummins w350's ('89 - '93) are pretty robust for a 'modern' pickup. (And 20mpg on FREE fuel is handy) They will all get a different cab before they expire (probably a GMC, Ford, or Studebaker)
I don't like 'Plastics' in a work truck, so my choices are limited.
Toyota Hi-Lux gets pretty good marks and heavy use across much of the world.
USA has been excluded from 'robust' Toyota trucks for over 30 yrs.
Want a recreational truck to haul a canoe and some kayaks? Going camping this weekend? Got some light work to do around the house? Buy a Toyota or a Nissan truck.
Do you have some serious crap to take care of? Work in construction or own a farm? Gotta tear down a building or put one up? You need a Ford truck.
Actually I'd say in looking at American trucks they are much better than American cars. That is because they are much more important to American makers because they makeup such a large portion of sales and profits. One only has to look at new sales figure to see Ford has suffered because of the eco-boost problem they failed to solve. Add in Toyota's sales to other truck sales and they have made huge gains as have all SUVs. SUV sales made even larger gains in Europe.Take away US makers truck sales and they would be really hurting.
I have no data, but have also heard US trucks hold up much better than American cars. Any data out there on this???
Locally in San Diego "East County area" it's truck country out here. Everybody and there momma gots a lifted pickup. It's like Texas in California, rednecks in all, but sprinkled in with "Bro's" that are desert rats and love off roading, and ATV's.
So from an everyday point of view, the most common trucks on the roads out here are Fords. Hardly any GM trucks, or foreign nameplates, some Dodges, but mainly Fords are all over in places like El Cajon, Lakeside, and Santee. Which are very white working class "blue collar" area's in the county where a lot of people are contractors, landscapers, construction workers, so you see tons of F250's-350's, guys hauling all kinds of heavy stuff like concrete bricks, tools, wood, work equipment, etc..... in the truck beds. Also you see tons of Dodge Cummins Diesels.
Some Silverado's, but I don't understand why so many people love the Ford pickups? It's like Chevy is such in the minority.
You also see lots of old school 60's-70's Chevy-Ford pick ups around here too. These are usually beat up looking and used daily for work, or hauling junk. The heavy gauge steel bodies can withstand more abuse and damage from dents and heavy objects than the cheaply thin gauge new trucks of today. So you have people that own a beater truck thats tough, and a new one for maybe traveling and some contractor work.
At my job, we drive Ford Rangers for parts deliveries, they are decent trucks which are abused from harsh stop and go driving, and being on the road most of the day. They feel solid, but they ride extremely harsh and it becomes very uncomfortable for me after a days drive. It's like the suspension doesn't absorb any vibrations at all, therefore the vibrations enter the cabin so violently and shake the entire cabin where you think something is going snap in half!! It's that bad. All the Ranger transmissions, from the lowest mileage truck, to the highest mileage one, all shift very harshly, and sometimes will lag to upshift. A common problem I am told.
The brakes also squeak all the time, even with new pads and rotors! The interiors of the latest Ranger is extremely outdated. They look like they belong in the 90's. The 2.3 4 banger is ok, just does terrible on gas and lacks power badly especially when using the A/C.
Not refined trucks whatsoever. I hope we get the new Frontiers soon, as these Rangers have so many small issues, including a problem where the trucks have such a hard time starting after the engine is warmed up. Something has to do with the fuel pumps or the gasket seal at the pump which somehow causes the truck not to start properly. 2 trucks already went through starters and both trucks don't even have a 100,000 miles on em yet! They feel old beyond there age.
I will say, the older 60's and 70's trucks definitely look tougher, feel tougher, and can withstand a hard beating. I knew a friend that owned a 88 Dodge Ram. The ones that look like a Bronco. Very tough truck, all steel but was crashed into by a sleeping driver which totaled it.
My neighbor has owned a 69 Chevy C10 straight 6 250 pick-up for 20 plus years, which has over 200,000 miles on it, and it hasn't given him any major problems since he has owned the truck. Just a valve job and some manual clutch work, but the truck is very practical and simple. No power steering, no A/C, no power anything so his repair and maintenance cost has been low over the years. But man is that truck a tank! Very solid, high quality, and well constructed. They sure don't make them that tank like anymore which how a truck is supposed to feel like. Not like some cheap plastic toy with plastic panels and trim which fade and crack over time.
The new truck bodies, sheet metal, doors, door handles, hood, feel so weak in comparison.
I've owned every brand of truck except a Tundra. But a close friend owns one so I've had a lot of experience with it.
The Ram I owned was the biggest pile I've ever owned. Paint peeled, dash busted to pieces, radiators failed, transmission failed, but I couldn't kill that 318 engine no matter how much I tried. It would crank every day and never left me stranded.
I've owned 4 F150s and an Expedition, all with the 5.4L. In all of them total I've replaced ball joints once (expy), an alternator (03 F150), one fuel injector (expy) and coil packs. Nothing else and many were at or over 200k miles.
I've owned a Chevy Avalanche, a couple S10/Sonomas, a Tahoe, and a Silverado. In all of those I've fixed the instrument clusters in the Avalanche and Silverado, a fuel pump in the Tahoe, and that has been it.
I've owned two Tacomas and let me say for a small truck you can't really beat them. They last forever. I don't think I ever worked on either of mine. With that being said, I've also owned a couple of Ford Rangers (one into the 300k mark) and all I ever did on that one was put in a clutch and a starter. Nothing to the others.
I just traded my 05 Titan last week for a 2006 F150. Why? Electrical shorts, ignition problems, peeling paint, rear end problems, suspension problems,etc... The list goes on and on. Some mornings it would start, others it wouldn't.
My Titan would out pull all of my friend's 1/2 ton trucks including my F150. But it was unreliable.
My friend's 2007 Tundra is pretty nice and has 180k miles on it now. So far he has replaced the ac clutch (twice), a radiator, the water pump, secondary air pump, and it has piston slap when it's cold. It has also developed a slight knock at idle. He works for the Toyota dealership and the service manager told him this was more common than you might think.
In short, my personal experience has shown that for 1/2 ton trucks the American brands are superior to the Japanese half tons. Sure, they're fine for putting around town and for light use but if you intend to really work these trucks, the only Japanese truck capable in my experience is the Tacoma.
I think they finally got it right again. I own one of the last 7.3L Power Stroke diesels in my '02 F-250 Super Duty. By the time I bought mine new in Oct '01, they had been perfected and it's arguably the best engine Ford ever put in a pickup......
Until now.........
By the time I need a new one again, hope the 6.7L is as perfect as my 7.3L is/was.
Hi Gentlemen,
I recently sold my 67 ford 2wd, because I wanted a 4wd, I am looking at a 71 for 1/2 ton 4x4 that is full time 4wd. I have never had any experience with these trucks, what are the pro's and con's, any info would be greatly appreciated.
I love trucks. Own a raptor. Tow my boat with it 10 times a year but in truth I could just rent a truck. No practical reason to own it, just love it.
As a truck lover I'm willing to admit the following..
They're selling a lifestyle delusion to lower middle class white men (I mention race because I know demo's having worked in the industry, it has to be mentioned).
Studies have shown women find young men in particular more attractive in trucks than in sports cars.
Trucks make men want to pursue a life of towing the bass on saturday after work (which they can't afford), doing extensive around the house work that they don't really do much/can't really afford, burn extra fuel (that they can't afford), and generally portray an image of a guy who "gets stuff done."
Practicality? For most people? It's a joke. People invent reasons to use their truck "like a truck" so they cannot be accused of being "that guy" who buys a truck to do non-truck things.
They're selling a lifestyle delusion to lower middle class white men (I mention race because I know demo's having worked in the industry, it has to be mentioned).
Studies have shown women find young men in particular more attractive in trucks than in sports cars.
This is certainly true. It reminds me of the new Chevy Colorado commercial where they show the guy standing next to the Corolla and try to portray him as being less than manly. It's pretty sad and pathetic that people fall for that.
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