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It's finally time for me to get a new truck. It has to be four wheel drive since there's mud and snow around these parts, and my wife and I agreed on a standard extended cab with a short (6.5 foot) box. I don't particularly need much for cab space, just enough to haul a few passengers occasionally in a pinch. I'd prefer a regular 8-foot box, but an extended cab and an 8-foot box won't fit in my garage very easily. I don't care for a lot of frills- vinyl or cloth seats are great, I don't want leather and a navigation system and all of that crap. It's a truck, not a damned Cadillac. Engine will be some kind of V8, and I'd like a stick, but nobody offers one, so the tranny will be a slushbox no matter what.
The newest half-ton I've driven was a '98 F-150, and it was my dad's, not mine. It had its pluses and minuses (minuses mostly being the weak 220-hp 4.6 V8), although he got 200k on it before trading it in on a new Super Duty. I haven't even gotten behind the wheel of that truck (rode in it a couple of times is all) so I can't really use that as a benchmark. So I am a little out of the loop as to what maker currently makes the best truck. From what I see, here are roughly the pros of each:
F-150
- 5.0 V8 has notably more power than GM's 4.8, somewhat more than the 5.3, and about as much as the GM 6.2. The GM 6.2 is a bit hard to find in a reasonably-priced half-ton. Plus that 5.0 is in literally every F-150 I've seen on the lot that's not equipped with the more expensive 3.5 turbo V6, including the not-as-opulently-equipped models I'd be interested in. Most of the not-as-fancy Chevys have the 4.8.
- Come with modern six-speed transmissions across the line, all 4.8 liter Chevys come with four-speeds
- A few nifty useful features like an integrated trailer brake controller. My dad had an external one on his old F-150 and it always gave him trouble. He got a newer F-250 with the built-in one and he loves it. I will occasionally be pulling a trailer with brakes.
Silverado
- Powetrains have been around a while and have pretty well proven themselves; Ford's 5.0 is new as are the transmissions
- Looks much better than the F-150. All F-150s made after 1996 range from ugly to butt ugly.
- Should be easier/cheaper to service due to using a pushrod engine instead of a fancy DOHC mill. I normally do all of my own service. I've worked on both (probably more on the DOHC ones, my current vehicle has a 3.0 DOHC V6) and much prefer working on the pushrod engines.
So, at risk of starting a flame war, what would you recommend, and why?
Honestly the Fords I have looked at impress me. I would also test a 3.7 with eco boost. A V8 is nice, I think the eco boost engines are worthy of a closer look. My dad has and 11 Superduty with the 6.2, the couple of times I drove it I loved it. Good ride etc, but it isn't known for mileage.
Well, between those two, I would go with the Chevrolet. Although the way the rear fenders flare out is odd and ugly in my eyes, and ruins a otherwise great looking truck. On the exterior, what the heck has Ford came out with since 2004 that has been anything other than minor tweaks?
Out of all the full sized pickups out there, I'm partial to the Ram. This is just based on exterior design, I have only driven a Silverado and Titan, and a previous model year Ram. I hear the eco boost is great, but I can't get past that same old boxy design they've been using all these years.
One more thing I thought of, isn't the Silverado powertrain warranty 2 years longer than the F-150?
Last edited by Everest209; 09-26-2011 at 08:48 PM..
How many people who purchase a brand new pickup will work on them for the first few years?
I agree not a lot of people do but I figured since he stated the newest truck he had driven was a 98 that the op is the type of person that holds on to things for more than a few years.
I agree not a lot of people do but I figured since he stated the newest truck he had driven was a 98 that the op is the type of person that holds on to things for more than a few years.
Yes, and as time goes on the price for special tools goes down and part stores offer tool use or rental as needed.
The special tool thing is a major issue to me. I did nto know that Ford did this with the new F-150. . I hate the special too thing. When I work on a car, I usually squeeze it in where I have an opening. I want to be able to get tools from my workbench. I do not like running to the parts store repeatedly. Nothing makes me madder than buying a replacement part, get home and find out I need a special tool and they did not tell me. Sometimes I take the old part out, but usually not. If I know what I need, I pick up the parts on the way home from work. The other problem is that when the truck gets old and they discontinue using the special tool item, it can get hard to find the tool and the price goes back up. I keep my vehicles until they are beyond repair. Thus, I look at the long term picture.
Between Ford and Chevy is is hard, it is close, but if I decide on a new truck, I will get a Dodge Ram. If ford and Chevy were the only options, I would wait to 2012 and get a Ford. If it had to be 2011, I would go with Chevy.
Honestly the Fords I have looked at impress me. I would also test a 3.7 with eco boost. A V8 is nice, I think the eco boost engines are worthy of a closer look. My dad has and 11 Superduty with the 6.2, the couple of times I drove it I loved it. Good ride etc, but it isn't known for mileage.
The EcoBoost is the engine Ford is trying very hard to sell in the F-150. It looks good on paper and I've seen comments by people elsewhere who have gotten them and liked them. However, it's a very new concept to use a small-displacement engine in a work truck and dump a bunch of boost into it to make up for the small displacement. Conventional wisdom would say that reliability would not be as good as with a naturally-aspirated engine due to the higher cylinder pressures and greater number of complex parts. I think it is a good idea for Ford to try this, but I'd let the engine be on the market for several years to see how well they hold up before I'd get one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by usafracer
I agree not a lot of people do but I figured since he stated the newest truck he had driven was a 98 that the op is the type of person that holds on to things for more than a few years.
Yes, I do The vehicle that will be traded in for this is a 1997 Cutlass; the other car in my garage is a 2002 Escape that will be with us for several years yet. I expect to keep this truck probably around 15 years or so, since that's been the general trend in my house for the past several cars.
Really tough one for me. I deal with a lot of trucks at work and have a lot of data on them to base my opinion on. In general I think Ford makes the better overall package, while GM builds the better (read more reliable and easier to fix) powertrain. For an optioned up "city" truck, I would recommend the Ford. For a more basic or work truck, I would recommend the Chevy. Both are really splitting hairs though and I think they are both very good trucks.
Given what YOU want in a truck and the amount of time you want to keep it I would recommend the Chevy, in particular a model with the 5.3 V8.
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The vehicle that will be traded in for this is a 1997 Cutlass; the other car in my garage is a 2002 Escape that will be with us for several years yet. I expect to keep this truck probably around 15 years or so, since that's been the general trend in my house for the past several cars.
