Truck Decissions *UPDATE* NEW PICS! SOUND CLIP

[LakeMaryKid]

 I will be purchasing my first truck in 3 months. It is going to be a Ford and it is going to be a FULL SIZE. I am just in a bind on which kind to get. I was lookin at getting a 92-96 with the 5.0 or Windsor but reading they only get 10-15 mpg at best scared me with gas prices what they are. Then i reverted to looking at maybe a Deisel as they get better mileage and last longer and I just love deisel. I was sticking to 92-96 because those motors seemed to have less problems from what my mechanic friend told me. The triton motors seem to have head gasket and timing chain problems and thats not what i need for my first truck. I want it to be 4x4, i want it to have power, i want it to last, i want to take it mudding every now and then and i will want to lift it. I have started to considered something after a 97 but i need something that will last as i will be getting something up there in miles. What do you suggest? I want it to be a v8 no matter what, and i know i wont be getting that great of mileage but i want it to be reasonable. Please assist me with what you think would be the ideal truck for me.

[Ida_Mann]

dunno about the other years, but you know my truck, and it has the 5.4L in it,,,,,,my last tank of gas I got 18.7MPG.

almost got to 400 miles before the idiot light came on telling me to find a gas station ;-)

Id@

ps: it's an '03

[MuddFreak77]

I will be purchasing my first truck in 3 months. It is going to be a Ford and it is going to be a FULL SIZE. I am just in a bind on which kind to get. I was lookin at getting a 92-96 with the 5.0 or Windsor but reading they only get 10-15 mpg at best scared me with gas prices what they are. Then i reverted to looking at maybe a Deisel as they get better mileage and last longer and I just love deisel. I was sticking to 92-96 because those motors seemed to have less problems from what my mechanic friend told me. The triton motors seem to have head gasket and timing chain problems and thats not what i need for my first truck. I want it to be 4x4, i want it to have power, i want it to last, i want to take it mudding every now and then and i will want to lift it. I have started to considered something after a 97 but i need something that will last as i will be getting something up there in miles. What do you suggest? I want it to be a v8 no matter what, and i know i wont be getting that great of mileage but i want it to be reasonable. Please assist me with what you think would be the ideal truck for me.

Hey LMK,

     If you want to take it mudding, I woudl stay away from a diesel unless you have alot of $$$$ to be replacing axles, turbos, intercoolers, trannys, front and rear end gears, etc, etc...  The weight of a diesel makes them sink in the mud so you need larger (taller and wider) tires to make it "float" across the mud.  Also the power that makes them great for towing and pulling can also hurt you ALOT in the mud, cause you sink the front much faster due to the 2000lbs of diesel engine over the front axle. 

     Trust me I know ALL to well, been ther done the owned the broken truck, it was an 83 F-250 4X4, 6.9ltr International Diesel with the Banks Sidewinder turbo kit, lifted 8", 5.90 gears, on 38" Swampers, 15000lb Warn winch.  Had all the power in the world, but would dig itself down REAL fast. 

     The perfect mud truck is an older Toyota with mud tires and geared low.  Remember you can make a 4 cylinder have the balls of a V-8 with the right gears.

Freakk

[Tomfqno]

i agree with freakk if ur lookin for mud go with a gas. ive had my own experiences with gettin my dads 03 f250 diesel stuck to the frame.  also, front hubs arent cheap (trust me i learned the hard way) and if u dont hav a nother truck the same size or bigger to get u out when u get stuck ur sol.  if u can forget about the muddin part u should look for a upper 80's to lower 90's diesel because newer diesels are expensive (but i dont know your budget so i cant say what is and isnt too expensive). just look around for somthing thats been regularly maintained and it will last a long time.  just make sure that if u get a newer ford 6.0L diesel thats used that it isnt blown up or has a programmer in it because everyone that i know that has put a programmer in their 6.0 has blown the head gaskets.  good luck and lemme kno what u come up with.
-Tom

[TRX450R_Racer]

I prefer GM trucks but they are the most expensive. In my professional opinion as a parts man for 22 years, I think you can't go wrong with any full size American truck. That being said, Dodge is the cheapest out there as far as used truck prices. I would keep an open mind to all three GM ,Ford or Dodge. Just try to find the nicest one for the money. If you look around you might get something newer that you think. 

[LakeMaryKid]

Yeah, Im going to put the budget at a tops of 8000 at this point. Gonna also be lookin for a manual to help with gas a little also, even though they arent the greatest for what i want. Im keeping an open mind to anything, but lookin mainly for a Ford.

[MuddFreak77]

I searched for 3 years before I found my truck.  Manual trannys are hard to find in newer trucks.  From what I have found, those that have them will not get rid of them.

Freakk

[TRX450R_Racer]

My opinion get an automatic.

[LakeMaryKid]

My opinion get an automatic.

Why do you say that? See this is what i need......opinions.

[backwoods boy]

auto definently i've got a bronco w/ a 302 V8 + 5 spd granny gears [most 4x4 manual trans. of those years where up to about 95 ] it gets worse mpg than an auto cuz it's geared so low 4 off-road it gets about 9-11 if i don't push it too hard + you got too keep it at high rpms in 4wd or it stalls but thats all up to you + you get better w/ practice BTW i'm sellin mine if you're interested P.M. me

[SoFlaEiger]

if you love a diesel, get a diesel.  You won't get a newer body style 7.3 or 6.0 for less than 14,000, especially if its 4x4 and diesel.

I would go with, like you said, a 92-96.  The 250s come with a dana 44 and the 350s come with a great dana 60.  You won't break axles so much with the 60 and you can run some pretty monster tires and lift it pretty cheap.  12" for around $1200 and a set of 40's or 44's would run fine iwth that truck in the mud.  Gear it down a little bit.  Make sure you have some streeet tires though cuz 40s or 44s get pricey to run around on teh road all day!

[TRX450R_Racer]

My opinion get an automatic.

Why do you say that? See this is what i need......opinions.

Automatic is easier in the long run to take care if. All the new clutches are hydraulic systems. They are very expensive to fix. Especially if it is a 4X4. If you can do the labor yourself than don't worry about it. I think overall you will be happier with an automatic.

[Fox17]

i perfer auto. i got a my friend has a bronco with a manual tranny and its real hard to drive offroad in the mud the way its geared. i have a tundra and its auto. its much better.

[MadMudder]

i agree with freakk if ur lookin for mud go with a gas. ive had my own experiences with gettin my dads 03 f250 diesel stuck to the frame.  also, front hubs arent cheap (trust me i learned the hard way) and if u dont hav a nother truck the same size or bigger to get u out when u get stuck ur sol.  if u can forget about the muddin part u should look for a upper 80's to lower 90's diesel because newer diesels are expensive (but i dont know your budget so i cant say what is and isnt too expensive). just look around for somthing thats been regularly maintained and it will last a long time.  just make sure that if u get a newer ford 6.0L diesel thats used that it isnt blown up or has a programmer in it because everyone that i know that has put a programmer in their 6.0 has blown the head gaskets.  good luck and lemme kno what u come up with.
-Tom

Hey by the way, is the truck still there? Cause u might want to get that out..... Na on a serious note, u said ur lookin at the possibility of a diesel. I just want to let you know that diesel is allot more expensive than normal gas. On my exit just south of jacksonville, gas is 2.85 and diesel is 2.91 cash. So thats somethin to consider. But diesels do last longer and tow better. But hey im 14 so i cant really give out an oppion.....

[mikeE36]

get a toyota. our van has 257,000 miles and still running strong. and its a 4cyl and tops out at close to 100.

[qt314nfla]

I'm a ford girl myself but I had to go for the best truck I could find for the  money I had so I went w/ dodge.  I love my truck but I got the big v8, 4wd and the gas at 10 mpg isn't fun.  I'd hate to see you nickel and dime yourself to have a full size truck.  You'd be better off to go w/ a toyota cause they run forever.  They are also some of the best off roading trucks out there.  It also won't kill you in gas while in HS.  Last thing you'll want is to finally get your license and the truck you want and not be able to afford to drive it.  Or even worse have to chose between taking a date out and driving the truck.  Also, while diesel lasts forever it will be god awful expensive to maintain it over a gas engine.

Go w/ a toyota and wait till you're older and have more finances to get the ford you want.  Also easier to find a manual transmission in a yota.

[Fox17]

get a toyota. our van has 257,000 miles and still running strong. and its a 4cyl and tops out at close to 100.

get a toyota. we had a toyota celica that had 325,000 miles on it and it ran great til it was totaled. we have a sequoia and tundra now. they run great!

[greenmachine]

I have a 99 F150, it has the 5.4L Triton v-8. It is a 4x4 not lifted & I can squeeze 14MPG on the highway, sometimes 15 but my average is 13 on Highway or city. Pulling a 16' trailer with 4 quads it goes down to about 9-10. I have flowmaster exhaust & k&n filter kit. None of the add ons helped my gas mileage like they promised. If you get the F-150, dont waste the extra money on the 5.4L engine, get the 4.6L & save some gas money. I had a 92 Toyota king cab 4x4 with the v-6, lifted 4" & 33" BFG tires, it ran forever & got about 17 MPG. You could get a lot nicer Tooyota 4x4 for less than a Ford of the same year.  The newer F-150's get better gas mileage, but the engines are more restricted with emissions I have been told. Hope this helps.

[Pro52R]

Ok...

Who cares what your toyota has kileage wise and this and that.

All these people talk about how much better foreign cars/trucks are...BullSHyt.


take care of anything and it will last..granted there are some lemons out there...I know of at least 20 diffrent american vehicles that have well over 150K hard miles on them...some even 220K plus..


Also...Lkmary..

If you go w/ a older diesel cool...but they don't have near the HP/TQ the new Common Rail V8 diesel's do...If you want a older Diesel the best way to go is w/ a 12V Cummins...you can easily get 500K miles outta them...and they can make gobs of power...There's a few making 800+ HP..1500+ Ft Lbs...But granted that requires lots of money..but lil things can be done for extra power..

Also w/ a Diesel the trannies need to be upgraded if you plan to do anything serious


IMO..I'd go w/ a OBS chevy..but i am Biased to Chevy..

The fords are nice too...can't beat the 5pointOhhh

[gearhead400]

too bad foreign cars ARE engineered better than American. but we wont get into that.

I'm a Chevy guy, but im not a ford or dodge hater. Whatever truck you decide to get, just be sure to always keep up on its maintenance and it will be fine. I've seen chevy's with 150k on them blow a motor and then tranny, BUT my grandpa owns a late 80's gm 1500 with 400k on it that has only had a rebuilt tranny. Take care of a vehicle and it will take care of you.

BUT, id go with a Toyota too. Cant beat the reliability of those trucks.

[Prairie Master]

Go with 95/96 truck or bronco, I would also go with the 351w its got the power you need, if you keep it around 70 on the highway and keep it tuned up It should get around 16-17 MPG on the highway. 95/96 trucks have roller engines in them . Get an automatic the e4od in those years have all the upgraded components in them get a tranny temp guage too with a bigger tranny cooler

[Ida_Mann]

I have a 99 F150, it has the 5.4L Triton v-8. It is a 4x4 not lifted & I can squeeze 14MPG on the highway, sometimes 15 but my average is 13 on Highway or city. Pulling a 16' trailer with 4 quads it goes down to about 9-10. I have flowmaster exhaust & k&n filter kit. None of the add ons helped my gas mileage like they promised. If you get the F-150, dont waste the extra money on the 5.4L engine, get the 4.6L & save some gas money. I had a 92 Toyota king cab 4x4 with the v-6, lifted 4" & 33" BFG tires, it ran forever & got about 17 MPG. You could get a lot nicer Tooyota 4x4 for less than a Ford of the same year.  The newer F-150's get better gas mileage, but the engines are more restricted with emissions I have been told. Hope this helps.

I can tell ya the one thing that WILL squeeze more gas mileage out of that truck is the superchips programmer,,,not the chip, but the programmer.

With regular gas in the city I am lucky to get about 14MPG and highway about 15MPG with my 5.4L.  Switch over to premium gas and put the performance setting on the programmer and my highway mileage jumps to 18.9MPG and city is never below 17MPG.  AND I can feel a big difference in the power/transmission.

on a side note, about the 4.6L V-8's, my dad just bought a '03 Supercrew with a 4.6L and only puts regular gas in it and typically gets about 16-17MPG in half-highway and half-city driving.

and I'm sure someone better versed in Ford trucks can tell you exactly how much, but I know that a Supercrew weighs more than a short-bed regular cab like mine.

Id@

[MuddFreak77]

LMK,

     After thinking about thais for a few days, your probably MUCH wiser to find a Toyota pickup.  They are much better on fuel, they have plenty of power for the truck if you get the manual tranny, they run forever, and they will not kill you with the current fuel prices.

     Think of it like this, you can have a great looking jacked up fullsize truck with a hugh engine and not afford to take it anywhere or you can have a jacked up Toyota that is just as nice and still have cash to drive it, take chicks out on dates, etc, etc.  if you can't drive cause you have no $$$ then you cannot take the girls out on dates 

[backinsaddle]

o.k. you foreign truck lovers...foreign cars are NOT engineered better in my opinion...they just use better quality steel...japanese in particular are known for their high quality steel while american steel is crap.  use jap steel in american cars, and i'd put money on it the quality differences would go away.

[Fox17]

the 22R and 22RE engines are THE BEST hands down! jap cars are THE BEST hands down! get a Toyota!!!!!