Truck - what do you drive, and why?

Wiley64 said:

I am on my 3rd ram, the interior, price point, and performance are tough to beat in my opinion, if you test drive one it's over. I tow by 21 foot whaler outrage with no problems, the split tailgate, heads up display, and adaptive cruise control are features that are worth the extra $- and the same build in any other make of car is 25K more

Click to expand...

rgsiii said:

I have a new model Toyota Tundra. I bought it because all my previous Toyotas were essentially problem free.
I would NOT buy a new Toyota Tundras, fuel line recall with only temporary fix available now, brake campaign, multiple broken seat side panels and the lists goes on.
I don't know what I would buy if doing it again.

Click to expand...

Kenn Loch said:

Still driving an ‘07 Tundra…cause nothing goes wrong. If I were buying newish would go with the 2022 Tundra…5.7l V8. Also hearing some bugs with the newest model…but Toyota will get it ironed out in a year or two.

Click to expand...

rgsiii said:

There is no 5.7 V8 in the current Tundra. I have that engine in my Lexus LX 570 and it is solid.
After just finishing the fuel line temporary fix recall and the brake campaign, I find out there is another.

Click to expand...

Ridge Runner said:

We, my step-dad and I, could be wrong but we just seen earlier today in the parking lot of the restaurant we ate at, actually parked 2 spaces down from his Tundra, a Toyota Tundra with an emblem showing it has the 5.7 V8. It looked to be a year or two older than my step-dad's 2024.

Click to expand...

rgsiii said:

The only engines in the current Tundras are the i-FORCE twin-turbo V6 engine and the hybrid version.

Click to expand...

• • Horsepower: 555 hp at 2,500 rpm
  • Torque: 1,230 lb-ft at 1,400 rpm
  • Transmission: Allison-branded 10-speed automatic
  • Block Material: Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) with aluminum cylinder heads
  • Internal Components: Forged crankshaft, forged connecting rods, and steel pistons

• • Power Increase: Delivers 85 more horsepower and 255 more lb-ft of torque than the previous 6.6L L5P.
  • Towing Capacity: Up to 20,000 lbs conventional and up to 38,000 lbs with a gooseneck hitch when properly equipped.
  • Low-RPM Responsiveness: Features an integrated water-to-air charge air cooler for shorter airflow paths and peak torque delivery starting low at 1,400 rpm.

BigSteve57 said:

Toyota Land Cruiser. I've had two a 2000 100 series and currently a 2018 200 series. It's the best built SUV on Earth IMHO.

Click to expand...

DrBob said:

Their V8 is the greatest engine for durability....as to why they went with a turbo V6.....well....costly lesson.

Click to expand...

mdwest said:

Im in the market for a new(ish?) truck...

To be honest, I have zero knowledge of what is "good" or not so good these days..

I typically buy something 1-2 years old (let someone else take the depreciation) and then drive it until the wheels fall off of it...

I bought my last truck in 2013.. Someone else had bought it new in late 2012 (its a 2013 model) and then turned around and traded it in 4 months later with 6000 miles on it.. Its now at the "wheels fall off of it" stage (215K fairly hard use miles and starting to fall apart)..

My priorities are must be full size, must have 4WD, must be able to tow a reasonable load long distances (I own an 18' center console boat that gets towed up to 300 miles at a time.. a 10' trailer and mid sized UTV that gets towed all over the place, regularly.. a "typical" trip is about 150 miles each direction.. but it will also get pulled from N TX to N ID later this year).. and the truck must be durable (again, my intent is to drive it a minimum of 8, up to 12 years.. until its falling apart.. only then would I buy another truck)..

Fancy options are cool and all.. but honestly arent a huge motivator.. pretty much any base level package on a 2022-2024 truck is going to have tons of stuff that my 2013 doesnt have (I have a CD player in my current truck lol..).. So neat stuff like oversized screens, sunroofs, etc arent really a big deal to me.. thats just something else to pay for that sooner or later will break, that I likely wont use much in the first place..

As long as it will last a long time, stand up to a pretty regular beating, can get me onto and off of our snow covered property in Colorado and our gumbo mud covered deer lease in E TX, can haul up to about 4000lbs without struggling to pull said load over the rocky mountains, etc... the biggest purchase motivator will be price (I really hate the idea of spending $60K - $80K on a freaking pick up truck... but it appears thats about where the market is right now)..

Currently Im looking at the Toyota Tundra, Dodge Ram 1500, and Ford F150.. My current truck is a Chevy Silverado.. and I have to admit.. while it has taken a beating and kept on running, I have pretty much hated the truck since the day I drove it off the lot.. I just dont like the handling, and its really struggled when pulling loads..

I test drove a tundra last night.. will probably go test drive a dodge tonight..

Does anyone have any insight or preferences I should know about? Any particular truck out there I should consider that isnt on "the list"?

Im not a car/truck guy.. I just put a key in the ignition and go.. this really isnt an area of expertise for me in any way..

Click to expand...

rookhawk said:

Not sure if you guys follow "the Car Wizard" on social media, but he's an amazing, salt of the earth independent mechanic in Kansas. He goes through cars/trucks to buy, and to never buy.

In the half ton pickup truck universe, He says GM 1500s were last "very good" in 2006 and I think Ford 150s were "very good" up until around 2004. I think the GM's issue was active fuel management and the Ford issue was the 3 valve engine. Both sorta bombs waiting to explode.

Tacomas I believe the last year of "exceptional" was 2025 with the V6. I don't recall the last year of the bulletproof Tundra V8.

In diesels, its even more problematic as of 2025 and later. Now all the brands "phone home" via cell and will force ECM firmware updates upon you overnight. That means you cannot delete them as they tattle and then immobilize your vehicle. They can also disable your moving vehicle "to assist law enforcement" which means in the future the government can disable your trucks for the rest of the month/year if you've used up all your carbon allotments.

Our family pays new-car prices for like-new used vintage cars and trucks to avoid the modern dystopian mess that is brewing.

Click to expand...