anson89

iTrader: (1)

So I'm looking for a daily, coming from a Honda Pilot and I carry lots of my detailing stuff around for work.

I've come down to either the F150 or Chevy Silverado 1500. At first it was the Toyota Tacoma, but most suggested a "real truck". Some say the Dodge is not bad as well. The F150 seems to have a better interior than the Silverado. And there's also 10 different models on the F150 so I am very confused... Owned Japanese cars most of my life.

I test drove a 2007 F150 Lariat, pretty decent.

Looking for a four door, decent range (don't have to be top of the line), leather seats, reliability, good amount of power. I don't need all those fully loaded options etc etc. I'm spending that extra $$$ on my F and GTR

J.P.

I picked up a silverado 1500 at a tow rig when they were giving them away, would rather have the f150 at any time of the day and yes the interior in the ford is nicer unless you find a used denali cheap

caddyowner

One of the problems with pickups is that unless you get at least a 6.5' bed, there just isn't much storage space in them. Most 1500 crewcabs have short 5' bed. Then there's the question of how you plan to secure what's in the bed from theft with some type of low or high cap.

If a 5' bed is enough room for you, also check out the Honda Ridgeline and Chevy Avalanche with the integrated bed covers.

Also consider vehicles like the Ford Transit Connect or Sprinter van which could net you more storage, better security, and likely better MPG than a fullsize pickup.

J.P.

yeah that is the issue with the 4 doors you get a short bed....

you can get the 6.5 box in a crew but you have to buy a 2500 \ F-250

84Cressida

Tundra Double Cab? Plenty of power, high tow ratings, 6ft bed, lots of room, & reliable.

caddyowner

One of the problems I have with modern full-size pickups as work vehicles is the difficulty accessing the bed. The high stance have made it virtually impossible to reach over the side of the bed when standing beside the truck. One of the few redeeming virtues of the 02 RWD Dodge Dakota I owned was the ease of access to the bed.

FrankReynoldsCPA

The F150 seems to be doing really well in the half-ton market. Alan Mullaly has really turned Ford into a reliable line of vehicles. The new Eco-Boost engine gets great MPG and power at the same time. I've never driven one, but they do have really good reviews. My personal taste would be an F350, but that's cause I grew up around construction where anything less than a one ton was not a real truck for us.

Justin2JZ

Wait you're looking at brand new trucks or the previous gen?

J.P.

one other thing to note, a crew cab with a 6.5ft bed will not fit into most garages unless they are extra deep

I had to change my house plans to make my garage deeper for that same reason, also have several freinds that simply cannot park their trucks, even supercabs, in their garages

mmarshall

And its corporate brother Honda Ridgeline pickup is not large or strong enough? It certainly has the build quality and reliablity.

I reviewed a new Dodge Ram not long ago, and was quite impressed with its new road manners. They have redone the suspension on the latest models and gotten rid of that harsh, uncomfortable, bouncy truck-ride.

Given the choice of an F-150 or Silverado, I'd go with the Ford, primarily because of somewhat better reliability. But, while I respect your positive view of the F-150's interior, I generally like the Silverado's latest interior more....interiors seem to (still) be a weak point on a lot of Ford products. Interior plushness, though, can vary enormously on pickups, even on the same model, from the base-model to the high-end one....as for example, on the base F-150 vs. the King Ranch model.

And, on both the F-150 and Silverado, RWD models have generally had more reliable drivetrains than the 4WD models.

I generally don't recommend the Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan, primarily because of build-quality and defect-issues. Full-size pickups are still one of the few things that American-nameplate brands do better than the Japanese. The Titan has had reliability issues for years, and the Tundra seems to uses a number of flimsy and/or lightweight parts.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Ford all day every day. The tried and true 5.4L Triton V8 gets the job done, and (subjectively) the 2004-2008 F-150 lariat is one of the most handsome trucks to date IMO and yes the interiors are far better than what you will find in Dodge or Government Motors BLEH...

I <3 the Blue Oval!!

84Cressida

The domestics have more than their fair share of issues, and their trucks were just as bad as their cars, they just sold better due to America's love affair with the pickup. Ford SuperDuty transmissions, F-150 airbags going off, Dodge transmissions, GM intermediate steering shafts, thin sheet metal that rusts prematurely, pre-mature wear of tie-rods and ball joints. I can't speak for the Titan, but there has been nothing wrong with my uncle's 2010 Tundra and he's far from a perfect owner.

Conversely, my dad's '05 Silverado 2500 Duramax that has less than 50K on it has gone through 2 intermediate steering shafts, has thin sheet metal along the bed rails that dents VERY easily, and has absolutely terrible interior quality. The plastics are all junk and the lower dash rattles like heck over any bump. The "leather" is actually vinyl, so GM should very well be sued for lying. The power extendable tow mirrors won't extend anymore, which is a hugely common issue on these trucks. My Grandpa's 04 Sierra which is the same mechanically also has the failing mirrors and the symptoms of the ISS clunk...with 32K. Did I mention the Silvy cost $47K new? The only reason he bought this truck was because Toyota doesn't have a Diesel. His '01 Tundra Limited was a better truck in every way, and cost less. The "issues" with the Tundra are overblown. My Grandpa also has a '95 T100 that he will not sell that has held up absolutely perfectly over the past 16 years.

Not to mention the 'yotas kill both the GMs in off-road performance. There's a reason why the rest of the world laughs at the trucks sold in the US.

J.P.

I guess my question is what kind of performance did one expect from taking a heavy duty \ work truck (2500) off road?

If you want to go off road buy a ford raptor

FrankReynoldsCPA

These aren't baja trucks. It's obvious that a truck that weighs less and has a more flexible frame is going to do better off-road. But our F350 has done JUST FINE where we've needed to take it. By your description our 20 year old truck should have blown up or died years ago. After 20 years we've only had to replace an alternator and a couple of starters. The engine itself has never had any problems. We've never been left on the side of the road by it. It's made it home every time we've driven it, and we've taken it across the country several times. My dad is terrible about maintenance on top of that. He goes well over 10,000 miles between oil changes.

I'm just not buying all the bull**** about american trucks being so horrible. I don't see Toyota or Nissan building 1 ton trucks that can tow upwards of 20,000 lbs.

bad co

F450 I love mine