7:46 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline
We are currently looking to get a new 1/2 ton crew cab 4x4 pickup. But man oh man, the decision is tough when you aren't brand loyal. Everything has their good points and bad points. Here's what I have so far...
Chevy:
Bottom of the barrel, no reason to discuss it.
Good gas milage, but only because it's geared so high.
Dependable and good warranty
Kind of old technology
I hate, hate, hate OnStar
Dodge:
Best riding truck
Best looking truck (my opinion)
Very nice interiors
Good powerful motors
But they are gas hogs!!!
Good Warranty
Cheapest prices
Ford:
Great mix of power and gas milage
Very comfortable and high tech interiors
Plain Vanilla looks (blah)
The MOST expensive, we are talking big bucks
The worst warranty but dependable
Toyota:
Very roomy and comfortable
Very powerful motors
Poor gas milage
Very dependable
But I already owned one, maybe want a change
I used to wheel a lot. . .
7:54 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline The truck I'm really interested in is the EcoBoost Ford. It's a twin turbo V-6 that gets 365 horsepower and 22 miles to the gallon. It pulls loads better than the other 1/2 tons, it's faster, and it's got the best gas milage. My issues are the high price tag and having such a poor warranty on a new turbo engine. Will the motor last?
I used to wheel a lot. . .
10:20 pm
Club Member
September 3, 2008
Offline Turbo will require premium gas. So think about that when buying gas.
Um...what?
10:45 pm
I'm intrigued by the Ford technology too. Premium fuel would be a real bummer.
Not to complicate things more, but my brother has an older (06 or 07 I think) Titan and it has been a good truck. I drove it the other day and it is head an shoulders above the Frontier in terms of ride and comfort.
10:48 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline Ecoboost in F150 does NOT require premium fuel. Ford specifies 87 octane for spec performance. They also make a chip for the F150 ecoboost that adds 3 mpg in the city and six on the hwy! Adds 60 hp too. Pretty awesome motor. Carmax has a loaded 4x4 2011 for mid 30's. Not. Cheap but a good savings over a loaded new one.
12:44 am
"BKGM Jeepers" wrote: Ecoboost in F150 does NOT require premium fuel. Ford specifies 87 octane for spec performance.
Good call. Ford's website says regular is fine. http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifi ... /view-all/
From here: http://www.f150forum.com/f38/ecoboost-u ... nly-82717/
From owners manual:
3.5L V6 EcoBoostTM engine
Your vehicle is designed to run on regular fuel with an octane rating of 87 or higher. For best overall performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel will be most noticeable in hot weather or in severe duty applications such as towing a trailer.
12:15 am
Club Member
September 3, 2008
Offline Well, what did we find?
Um...what?
6:39 am
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline We test drove a Dodge diesel and a Ford EcoBoost. The EcoBoost was a nice motor, strong and smooth. But, not a big fan of the Ford truck wrapped around it. The Ford is more like a sedan with it's fancy styling, blinging gizmos, and squishy ride. The Dodge on the other hand felt like a real truck with tons of power, sturdy ride, and real truck looks. They are pretty much equal in price but the Dodge has a much better warranty and gets better gas milage, not to mention that the Cummins is probably good for 300,000+ miles. Still haven't decided though, going to try more trucks...
I used to wheel a lot. . .
7:56 am
Club Member
September 3, 2008
Offline I really want a dodge diesel. The 5.9 cummins is the best motor and that ran in dodges from 03-mid 07. Nothing beats the mega cab IMHO.
I really looked at the ford diesels and older fords have nice cabs. But I'm with you, the newer stuff seems chinsey.
Well good luck and if the family doesn't want to go truck shopping with you let new know. I love wasting car salesmen's time.
Um...what?
2:11 pm
"JohnDF" wrote: ...not to mention that the Cummins is probably good for 300,000+ miles. Still haven't decided though, going to try more trucks...
The way you go through vehicles you'll sell it before 100k miles. 
2:15 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline "finder_87" wrote: I love wasting car salesmen's time.
I hate car salesmen. I will visit a lot of dealers in my searches; For instance, I'll visit several Dodge dealers. I will always buy from the dealer that has the most friendly salesmen and the lowest pressure to "Buy Today." If they do the siwtch-off routine, chances are I won't be back again. If they let me shop, test drive, and return several times, chances are I'll buy my truck from them if I decide on their brand.
Yesterday, the Ford dealer did three switch-offs trying to get me to buy te truck. The Dodge salesman let me test drive a couple of trucks, handed me his card and said call him if there was anything else he could show me. So right away, if I was torn between the two brands, I'd buy a Dodge for that reason alone.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
2:16 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline "Bender" wrote: [quote="JohnDF"] ...not to mention that the Cummins is probably good for 300,000+ miles. Still haven't decided though, going to try more trucks...
The way you go through vehicles you'll sell it before 100k miles.
Haha...You're one to talk
Besides, I've owned my Jeep for 10 years 8)
I used to wheel a lot. . .
5:59 pm
So would you test drive a Nissan Titan ? Or did you rule that out already. Just curious.
7:25 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline I would not buy a Nissan Titan.
I used to wheel a lot. . .
12:44 am
September 25, 2011
Offline
I would get a dodge power wagon, I'm not really brand or dealer loyal. I would identify all the options you want and look it up on kbb.com and nada.com to verify the invoice price then I would contact dealers via phone with my spec request and target price ( usually $500 over invoice). Dealer have kick backs from the manufacturer usually around 500-1500 per vehicle. So between the kick back and 500 over invoice they do ok. It's still a " skinny deal" or a mini but doable. Dealers sales targets are based monthly so purchasing on the last day of the month is better than the first...ie they are more motivated to sell for sales bonuses. Lastly, never buy after a test dive. It too emotional, sleep on it so there is no emotional tie and you are thinking clearly. To recap,
1) know your price point
2) call around until you get a dealer whiling to deal
3) best results at the end of the month
4) never buy the day of a test drive
There is a dealer out there willing to deal you just have to find them. I once bought a car from a dealer in Pennsylvania because he had the best deal. Also check eBay there are some amazing brand new car deals on there from time to time.
Huck
4:32 am
Club Member
January 19, 2011
Offline Hello John,
Huck made some good points above. I would add one more. Work through the internet sales contact for each dealership. This way you can negotiate back and forth until you get the price you're willing to pay. You can negotiate with multiple dealerships at the same time. Compare bids and work out the best deal from the comfort of your home. When I bought my truck I test drove everything out there to compare options. I made a list of what I wanted and then went to work on the price. Use the internet route it will save you time and money.
One thing I found out was that all trucks are best in their class. Then you read the fine print and they all have their own class. Don't get caught up in this. Stick with what you want in a truck and go with it. Good luck.
Regards,
Josh
Semper Fi
5:02 am
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline I am not sure if you are buying or leasing. If you are leasing you can also negotiate the money factor. This is a Formula that translates in to the interest rate on your lease. Most people don't know thar the money factor is often fifty percent more than what a loan goes for because they fail to negotiate it. Also the other factor in a lease is the residual of the vehicle bought. While you cannot negotiate the residual of a closed end lease, the stronger a vehicles resale the higher the residual and the lower the overall payment.
Anything you buy will be a great truck! All then new trucks, except GM currently, are state of the art.
5:10 am
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline "huck271" wrote: I would get a dodge power wagon, I'm not really brand or dealer loyal. I would identify all the options you want and look it up on kbb.com and nada.com to verify the invoice price then I would contact dealers via phone with my spec request and target price ( usually $500 over invoice). Dealer have kick backs from the manufacturer usually around 500-1500 per vehicle. So between the kick back and 500 over invoice they do ok. It's still a " skinny deal" or a mini but doable. Dealers sales targets are based monthly so purchasing on the last day of the month is better than the first...ie they are more motivated to sell for sales bonuses. Lastly, never buy after a test dive. It too emotional, sleep on it so there is no emotional tie and you are thinking clearly. To recap,
1) know your price point
2) call around until you get a dealer whiling to deal
3) best results at the end of the month
4) never buy the day of a test driveThere is a dealer out there willing to deal you just have to find them. I once bought a car from a dealer in Pennsylvania because he had the best deal. Also check eBay there are some amazing brand new car deals on there from time to time.
Huck
American car companies kick back a "marketing incentive" to dealers. Japanese companies do not offer this. The marketing incentive means no one should be paying invoice or higher for an American truck AND you should also keep any rebates. The largest Jeep dealer in the US is in Idaho because they Internet sell. I don't know how big they are in Dodge trucks however.
7:02 am
Club Member
September 3, 2008
Offline Ford didn't take a bailout if that counts for anything.
Um...what?
12:55 pm
Club Member
July 10, 2003
Offline The wife saw the price of diesel, so, "we" are NOT getting a diesel 😥
I used to wheel a lot. . .
6:31 pm
Club President
April 2, 2003
Offline "finder_87" wrote: Ford didn't take a bailout if that counts for anything.
I am a big fan of Ford for not taking the bailout (plus I made money from their stock because of it). That being said, it leaves you with questions.
Technically, we all own GM trucks (and used to own Dodge) becuase the government took stock in exchange for loan dollars to them. Dodge paid theirs back (at a loss of about $122 Million to the US taxpayer), while GM is currently about $55 billion upside down. So, isn't buying a GM truck a good way for John to help pay the loan down? AKA, John "doing his part"? 
All the trucks are currently made in the US and all gas engines are made here as well (Hemi's come from Mexico, Ford V-8's from Canada). This includes Toyota and Nissan. So anything really helps the economy here, right?
http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/ ... ta-tundra/
4:45 pm
January 7, 2003
Offline "JohnDF" wrote: The wife saw the price of diesel, so, "we" are NOT getting a diesel 😥
Unless you are going to be towing something over 11K you don't need the diesel. The new gas engines will work great. The days of making your money back on a diesel with lower fuel costs and better MPG are long gone. If you do find yourself needing the diesel you might want to wait until '13 on the Cummins as it looks like they will be adding the DEF which should help to lower the aggressive use of EGR and increase your fuel mileage with less regens. There is also going to be a minor face lift on the 2500 and 3500 trucks.
Avoid the Ford as they are having fuel system problems with the Bosch CP 4.2 HPFP because of the low diesel fuel standards here in the US. Once the fuel pump fails it scatters debris throughout the fuel system. Its a $10K to 25K repair that Ford it not covering under warranty. Better hope you have good comprehensive insurance or deep pockets. GM is using the same pump on the Duramax and they are failing at the same rate. You are not hearing about it however because GM is covering the repair cost under warranty.
4:49 pm
January 7, 2003
Offline "BKGM Jeepers" wrote: [quote="finder_87"]Ford didn't take a bailout if that counts for anything.
All the trucks are currently made in the US and all gas engines are made here as well (Hemi's come from Mexico, Ford V-8's from Canada). This includes Toyota and Nissan. So anything really helps the economy here, right?
/
The Ram 2500 and 3500 are built in Mexico and have been for a number of years. I believe the 1500 still might be made here in the US.
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