Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Tac on October 02, 2008, 04:19:09 PM
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Never owned a truck, thinking of getting me one.
What I need it for is to carry the family and the 2 dogs around (big mastiffs). Its not for hauling heavy shtuff or to 'work' with it.. but there is from time to time the need to load boxes and large items so the flatbed on the back is great.
I'm looking for:
-ABS breaks & airbags (the more the merrier)
-Rear seat space comfort. Aka, not looking for the little door on the back. I need a BIG space on the back where the seats can fold flat and the dogs be there (or the groceries)
Price wise..of course the lower the better. My trade-in is worth $17k.
So far i've test drived and really liked the Dodge Ram 1500 mega-cab version (2008). Very roomy in the back and excellent stuff on it.
I'm not purchasing it yet because the price tag goes off the roof due to a lot of stupid luxury junk the dealerships have in them. I do not need XM radio or wood grain panels or any of that crap.
Trying to look at other brands but i'm not too familiar with all of this.
Suggestions?
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The GM employee pricing is hard to beat but I think it might have gone out on the 1st. My dad got a Silverado on the 29th, 2wd, extended cab, minimal goodies for around $21k
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Try looking around in the used car lots (the reputable looking ones). I mean, my family got a little Mazda pick up in '95, and that has done all we needed it to do and more. used car lots are good places to get some good deals, 'cept it may be a bit difficult to find a truck that still has large amount of airbags that you want. Just keep looking
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Don't buy a 4X4 Unless you plan on using it. It will cost you 4 to 6 MPG over the 2 wheel drive model.
If you plan on using it as a 4X4 and plan on doing anything but dunes and mud, dont buy a truck, get a jeep. :aok
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well i cant get a small cab. The trade-in is the family sedan :P
So in short, im trying to squeeze the 'truck' into the 'sedan' part. So the mega-cab from the Dodge is spacious enough and has the flatbed.
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Buy a car or wagon with a hitch and a used trailer. Use the trailer when you need it; park it when you don't. Save gas, save money. Safer in the long run too.
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Just so happens I'm new truck shopping now. I only looked at full size trucks. From what I've seen Dodge has the best deal right now. Better price (40% off sticker)and better warranty(lifetime powertrain). They also have the cylinder reduction feature that cuts it back to a 4 cylinder when cruising over 60. They offered me a $34,500 4 door Ram for $13,900 after incentives if I financed thru Chrysler.
Ford would be a close second place. 50% off sticker at some dealers, but their sticker is higher. Fewer incentives to go with the discount as well.
I like the F150's interior and ride better than the Ram. The Ram gets better milage. I think price will drop even more this month as dealers try to unload what's left of the '08 inventory before the '09's hit the showroom. Truck sales are down for all manufacturers, even import. Lowering the price is the only way to get sales jumpstarted.
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i have a old pickup but it is not a daily driver, it sits by the barn until i need to haul something.
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I've owned trucks my entire life, well there was that 6 month period when I was driving a Mercury Sable after my wife blew up the engine in my Suburban, but other that that, I'm a truck guy.
Stay away from the brand new trucks. I'll never buy a new one because they aren't worth the price tag. Look for a 4-6 year old truck with around 35-55,000 miles on it and one owner. Those are the guys that will have maintence records for everything, and the truck will be solid.
If your not looking to do any heavy towing look at a 1/2 ton truck. Chevy/GMC 1500 series, Ford F-150, Dodge Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra.
I've owned all of those and they are all good trucks in their own right. Out of all of them though, I would have to say the F-150 is probably one of the best as an all around truck. Get the extended cab 4 door version with the 302 small block V8 or similar engine and you have a comfortable driving truck that can haul a good sized load, tow a decent sized trailer (small camper or boat) with no problem, and will get pretty good gas mileage (15-20).
I'd also recomend a Suburban. Had a 1991 GMC 4X4 Suburban for 5 years and that was a great truck. Weekend camping trips with the wife, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and all our gear was no problem because there was room for everything. Got real good mileage with that one for as heavy a truck as it was, 17-20 on average. Towing an 18-24ft boat was no problem. All in all that was probably the best truck I've owned yet. Put over 100,000 miles on it in just over 4 years and it was a great running truck until my wife ran it out of oil on a trip I let her take it on. Cracked the engine block, so I had to put her down. That hurt. :cry
I currently own a Dodge Ram 1500 (2001) quad cab and ths one has been a great truck as well. Only downside with this one is the engine I have in it. 5.9L is way more than I need or use and it's a fuel hog. I'm actually looking to trade it in on another used Suburban if I can find one I really like.
Good luck with your shopping.
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Id go with the either the f-150 or a tundra both really good trucks. I know with four door they both have a lot of back seat room. But for the love of God get 4 wheel drive!! a 2 wheel drive truck in the snow is the worse than any vehicle... 4 wheel drive aint just for mud n' dirt :)
What do you mean you dont want XM? that radio is addicting! only $9/month :salute
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I live in Florida. Never snows here hehe.
RPM: how long ago was that? Some dealerships here have brought down a 41k ram 1500 mega-cab loaded with luxury junk i dont give a crap about 30k. Quite honestly, although I really like that truck that price is still too iffy for me considering other trucks are about the same and go for much lower. I really like their seating space though.
Trading in my sedan for 10k worth and I could even trade my SUV in for the same truck as it'd be replacing both vehicles (and not paying for 2 cars helps me wallet).
Next week i'll be getting more quotes and numbers and also looking into the Nissan trucks.
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the longer you wait, the cheaper it'll be
once they pass the bail out and oil shoots back up, truck dealers will just about pay you to take full size trucks off their lots
double the discount if obamaman wins in Nov and russia pulls its next stunt to boost oil, not to mention Israel hitting Iran
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I dare ya to get one of these. :D dogs won't thear it up, wife won't want to ride with ya, and your kids will have a ball. :aok
Just don't take it to the country club.....they frown on divets :lol (http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk121/TheAmish/Ford.jpg)
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I worked on a horse farm for a while and even in wet grass the 2 wheel drive f150 couldent make it up the smallest of inclines. And I guarantee you the second you get the truck everybody you know is going to be calling "I just bought a new sofa can you help me..." you never know :) :salute
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I've been happy with my '95 Chevy S-10 extended cab. This is my daily driver. I only tow things very occasionally, and it's not a "work" truck. I bought it new and I have 196K miles on it. Besides tune ups all I've changed is the exhaust and the alternator. I'm a big guy, but I'm comfortable in it, and it's easy to park, compared to full size trucks and SUVs. I'm glad I didn't get the regular cab. There's too many times I had to carry an extra person, or carry something in the cab out of the rain. I wish I had this vehicle in school.
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If you get a crew cab get 4WD. I've seen so many of those get stuck just trying to back up on a curb because of their weight.
I've had trucks all my life.
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I love my Toyota Tundra, and they make a 4 door version.
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RPM: how long ago was that?
Last week.
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Might be a little big but they're a steal right now. We have a '95 F-350 Crewcab 4x4. PLENTY of legroom and PLENTY of power (460 V8). We bought it for $5,500 with a 6" lift and new wheels and tires.
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/alohajoe_/027.jpg)
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Nice.
I went and looked at the Nissan trucks..even some fords.
Sadly, neither have the rear-seat room I was looking for. The only real option for what I need is the ram1500 mega-cab. its like a bed back there once folded flat *grin*
I'll definetely wait near december to see how the price drops. If not then I keep my sedan and wait a year more then get a much lower priced 2nd hand. This is really going to be my 'permanent' vehicle from now on so I really want something that will last and can multi-task.
the vroom vroom, the height and the bed on the back are just to sweet ...and worth waiting for. :devil
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Nice.
I went and looked at the Nissan trucks..even some fords.
Sadly, neither have the rear-seat room I was looking for. The only real option for what I need is the ram1500 mega-cab. its like a bed back there once folded flat *grin*
I'll definetely wait near december to see how the price drops. If not then I keep my sedan and wait a year more then get a much lower priced 2nd hand. This is really going to be my 'permanent' vehicle from now on so I really want something that will last and can multi-task.
the vroom vroom, the height and the bed on the back are just to sweet ...and worth waiting for. :devil
Check out the Tundra, if you dare. :D
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Go Ford, had mine 4 years now and love it :aok
(http://i320.photobucket.com/albums/nn343/SFCHondo1/CIMG0596.jpg)
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Check out the Tundra, if you dare. :D
I did. Not enough crew cab space.
I have 2 large mastiff dogs... lets just say the dodge literally has the biggest rear cab area than the others. I put both of them on the dodge mega-cab and they were happy campers. Put them on the biggest crew cab the others have (yeah them salespeople be desperate enough to let me load 2 dogs into their new vehicles hehehe) and them poor things were packed like sardines.
If it didn't, hell yea's i'd be getting either the Titan, Tundra or Frontier for the better price & same stuff (except cab space)
Wasn't impressed with the Ford 150's though. The moment I sat in it the first thing I noticed was the massive amount of cheap plastic used all over the place. Looked like an oversized ford focus.
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i like my Chevy, but then I've been driving them for thirty five of my forty two years, i hear good things about the Yoda's , as well, never really liked the fords, just a personal quirk, of mine, and yes i owned two fords, didnt like either one!
my 07 1500 got about 17 mpg before i put the 35's on it, now it gets average of 14,
it has the 5.3 ltr. but i do have some other goodies in it as well,(top secret)!
3.73 gears really lets the motor unload so as to get the best milage. ( i used to sell them as well, you wouldn't believe how hard it was to convince people that the lower gears worked better, so i sent three trucks out for a week on the same route all with diff. gear sets, 3.73s out preformed all others!)
if you don't mind shifting gears then get a five speed, for a little better milage as well. as far as 4X4 is concerned, the I.F.S. trucks don't hurt the milage all that much, and they hold there value alot better than the 2 wheel's. in case you wanted to trade or resell later. the dodge is the only ones that still suffer if they are 4X4 on milage, that i know of, but the solid axle trucks are tougher than the I.F.S., if you plan on going off road alot, but i havent broken an I.F.S. unit since 97 and i four wheel two or three times a week in some pretty tough spots, but i dont do any hard climbing in this truck.
i am partial too the chevy's myself, i got an extended cab this time, but the crewcabs are nice trucks to.
(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg229/WWhiskey/2.jpg)
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You should look at chevy. Always been reliable. My silverado is an 87, has 115000 miles consistantly tows one to two thousand lbs over what its sposed to. Never had a problem cept for getting a new ignition coil this year and a new alternator after my sound system was put in.
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We've gotten far better service as well as fuel mileage from the GM trucks. If you don't NEED a 8' bed, the GM crew cab short bed truck is one of the very best platforms on the market. It drives well, handles well, and fits in a lot of places nicely. The fuel mileage penalty between a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton is about 1-2 MPG in a gasoline powered truck. The fuel mileage penalty between 4x2 and 4x4 is also about 1-2 MPG. With diesel coming back down, but with truck prices in the used market still staying low, the GM 2500HD 4x4 DuraMax diesel is a great value. Unloaded we've had them get as much as 24 MPG on the Interstate, and hold up around 15-17 MPG in the city, depending on how much traffic there is. The ONLY drawback to those trucks is that in mud or soft ground, the stock tires are too narrow in the front. We've had incredible service out of those trucks since they became available, with some approaching 500K miles. The most that has ever been done to any of them is one truck had a set of injectors and the pump replaced, the factory covered it even though it had close to 200K miles on it. Another had a rear wheel seal leak, GM put a rear end assembly in it after the first repair didn't hold up. The gas engine 1/2 and 3/4 ton versions have done well also, albeit with less fuel mileage. With the bigger gas engines, they are stout, and still get decent mileage, much better than the Dodge trucks with the same size and a little less power, and still better than an equivalent Ford. Between guys that hunt, guys that race, guys that farm, and guys in construction, we have a good cross section of truck uses and abuses, and different models. So we get a good idea of what does and does not work.
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what brand diesel engine do they use?
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what brand diesel engine do they use?
The GM trucks? They use the DuraMax, it's a joint project between GM and Isuzu. I love that engine, it is quiet, smooth, powerful, efficient, and reliable. I much prefer it to the Cummins or the various Ford/IH engines.