Good Truck

E

ErikD

Joined
Dec 5, 2000
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I will be looking to buy a used truck this summer to replace my car. I don't really have that much money so price is a definite issue. What I want is a pickup that is a true truck. Basically a full size bed, i.e. no crew cab, a V-8 engine, and capable of hauling a decent amount of weight. I would appreciate some recommendations as to experiences you might have had with such trucks. Basically what I want is something along the lines of a Ford F-250. The only reason I am using the F-250 as a reference point is that I have had some experience with it. I don't really know which models from Dodge or Chevy would be equivalant. I am not set on any particular brand, as long as it meets my basic guidlines.

All I really want at this point is some feedback about different models that you have driven for a time. Then when I actually start looking I will have something of a strting point to go from as far as what is worth looking into, and what isn't. Thanks for your help.
 
I will recommend Ford. I've worked with all of them at one time or another, and have never been too impressed with the competition. I know people who have been very happy and well served by GM but my family has not had good luck with their vehicles and I will never buy one.
Dodge seems to be building a better truck now, the Dakota is a nice little pickup if your looking for something more stout than most compacts but not a full size, but again if you want a full size I say go with the Ford F series they're just a more solid truck thats better suited to work if you ask me.

You can get a new F250 with the 5.4 liter V8, 2 wheel drive, tow package, and the XL trim package which is vinyl with manual windows and locks for less than $25000 without too much trouble depending on the time of year and the number of dealers around. Thats what I'm driving right now, tow rating is 9,500 lbs and the gross weight rating is 8800 if I remember correctly. That puts the payload in the neighborhood of 4000lbs. I've only had about 6000 lbs behind it so far but you didn't even know it was there. The new triton engines are quiet and get pretty good mileage, and the truck handles like a cadillac, very nice ride. I prefer a manual transmission but the E4OD auto hauls well and is nice to drive. After you've had it awhile it programs itself to your driving and shifts nicely. The first few times out it will seem like its got a funny shift pattern.

If your looking for used, I still say go with Ford. The 302 and 351 (these will be in trucks with the old body style) engines are good work motors. Its not punchy,but you can put a load behind it and it will move it. Mileage isn't as good as the new motors though. They're easy to work on also, the guys that built those engines had worked on engines. You can change the oil without jacking it up or contorting yourself at all, and most of the other stuff is right there easy to get too.
If you can swing it, get one with a powerstroke deisel. At least if its from after 93-94 when they started putting a turbo on them, the ones without turbos are powerful and get decent mileage but they can be kind of doggy with a load behind them from what I've heard. The turbos are a dream though, tons of power and its incredibly smooth.

Figure out ballpark what kind of loads your going to be hauling weight wise and let that help you pick what size truck you want. In general, if you want a cheap work truck though the F250 is the way to go. You can get it stripped down and have more payload and power than an F150 with a lot of upgrades. The redesigned F150's are a little expensive to begin with. Look at F350's too if your going used, they'll be about the same in terms of price as F250's but have an even bigger payload. Gas mileage and handling are on par with F250's. Gives you a lot more options to look into.
 
I will recomend anything that has a towing package, four wheel drive, and a larger torque monster motor.

I've had bad expeirences with a certain Ford F150... it blew sparkplugs clear out of the heads. Not rattling the plugs out, but blowing the threads and all out of the chambers! :eek:

A previous suburban ate oxygen sensors...

Ford, Chevy, Mopar, Toyota... any of those will do you well. Any of them kept outside of the warranty (years... miles not so much...) will give you electrical problems. New cars are best kept in warranty!

Try to track down a latemodel lightly used truck that fits your needs, and save a couple 10k on the purchase price :cool:
 
any of the big 3 (ie dodge/chevy/ford) are ok, i would look for a yr old one w/low mileage myself. i like the dodge 3/4 ton w/the cummings & 4WD, if i was looking for a truck, my bud just got one and its NICE, esp for the $$ ( about 25K). but the chevy or fords are ok too, i just like the dodge styling myself. all of the available V8's, V10's, and deisals are good imho, but in a truck imho the bigger the better, cant worry about gas/etc.

greg
 
My buddies who use 'em hard say the trannies in the Dodges are terrible. I used to use Fords before I downsized. I never did have a Ford let me down. Had problems with Chevies.
Bob
 
I would love to be able to buy a truck that is only a few years old, and low miles. Only problem with thatis I really am pretty broke. I need to replace my car due to a recent accident that did some body damage. It just doesn't seem worth what the body shop wants to get it fixed, and the car is 10 years old with 100,000 miles. I am figuring that I can probably spend about $5,000, or maybe even $6,000 if I stretch things tight. I will be needing to sell off some knives to even get that much. So unfortunately anything newer and low milage is out of my range.

I have one more year left in college before I get my degree computer science. So I am thinking I really only need something to get me around for a couple more years until I get a better job and can afford to buy something else. I have no true NEED for a truck. It would just be convient at times as I do alot of work around the house for my parents, and trying to carry 2x10's in a compact car isn't much fun. I wil start looking when I have enough money, and then if nothing that seems reasonable comes up I can always go for another car I guess.

As far as maintanence I will do all of that myself. I guess basically what I want is somehting that has a good track record, as far as longevity of the major components. I know the newer Fords hold up real well to abuse. The landscaping company I used to work for had one for about 4 years and never did anything (not even an oil change!) and it had no problems. I would never want to buy anything that had been treated like that though.

I guess I will be looking around to see what is in my area once I get a decent amount of cash together. Then it seems like basically a toss up between the major companies, and which one I can get for the best price. I would hate to finance any part of it, so I need something that I can pay off in cash when I buy it.

Thanks again for the help.
 
The farm I work for has 2 old F250's, one is a 78 and one is a 79. The 78 has a 400 cleveland in it and the 79 a 351 windsor. 78 is a 4 speed automatic, and the 79 is a 4 speed stick. The one with the 351 was overhauled but they both have over 150000 miles on them, mostly pulling a trailer and they run great. Very solid trucks.
Now the part you'll be interested in, they bought the 79 last summer for like $1100 :D Its not for sale, but if your willing to look its surprising how many of those old trucks are around and running. The body will be pretty shabby most of the time, but they could be cleaned up.

Personally, as another college student who drives to campus, I would recommend you look into an F150 since your going to be doing more driving than towing. Chances are you'll find one with a 302 and 3.55 gears, which will give you plenty of power for hauling things like you anticipate (plenty of payload too most of the time) but the gas mileage won't kill you. You'll be more likely to find an F150 that has been used lightly than a heavier truck, and trust me the increase from 10 miles a gallon to 15 miles a gallon doesn't sound like that big a deal but your wallet will notice :D Save money on gas and you've got more money to put inot cleaning it up or anything else you want to.
 
Just thought I should add a few more things.

If you can find a deisel in good shape in your price range you should definitely look at it, you'll get the most power and still get good mileage for a truck.
You need to know ahead of time about maintenance costs though. Fords powerstroke takes a whopping 16 quarts of oil and it has to be a higher grade to handle the heat of a deisel, I don't think oil filters are too bad, and you don't have to change air filters very often but they cost something like $50 or more. And you have to have the coolant tested and flushed from time to time as it will go bad and destroy the engine block. At least thats how it is with my dads truck which is an 02' , the powerstroke itself has been the same basic motor designed by international back in the early 90's when they started using it so the oil issue is going to be the same for sure. Fuel injection and all that has been revamped quite a bit so I don't know about the other filters and stuff on older ones.
Its a hell of a motor and I think you'd be capable of doing most of the maintenance yourself, but thought you would like to know some of those details before you got the truck :D

The old 302 and 351 on the other hand take about 6 quarts of oil, the filter is about $15 tops and air filters aren't bad either. They're easy keepers.
 
Thanks again for all the help. I will defenitely consider an F-150, you are absolutely right about having a better chance finding one of those that hasn't been beat to hell. I don't think I will be hauling any trailers anytime soon so that isn't much of a concern for me. Most of what I do around the house is construction and yard work. I think for my needs having a full size bed is more important than payload capacity as I am much more likely to need to haul bulky items.

As far as cost of oil changes I am not really all that worried about that. I will do it myself, and don't drive all that much anyway. If need be I could probably be safe with like 2 changes a year if it does hold 16 quarts. As for testing and replacing the coolant again thats no big deal. As an added bonus I can pick up coolant and oil wholesale from the place I work :D . I just want to be reasonably certain that whatever I buy won't be needing major work every week. As long as the truck is able to run well without needing any major work I am not all that concerned about the cost of routine maintence.

Thanks again.
 
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