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Truck buying recommendations

clone4life82

clone4life82

Well-Known Member
Dec 17, 2008
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Hey all, figure there are a ton of truck owners on here and everyone probably needs a break from talking about the game yesterday so I should get some decent advice. I’ve owned a Toyota Camry for 10 years now and our other vehicle is a Pacifica. Looking at upgrading to something with a little more room for the kids and something that is bigger, handles better in the winter, can haul stuff like kids sporting gear or other items and has the ability to tow. Have looked at SUVs and am not sold on that route (owned two different ones before the Camry). Have never owned a truck before so I’ll take whatever advice you want to throw my way. I’m kind of leaning towards the dodge ram 1500 size truck or like model in the Chevy, ford, or gmc. Any input is appreciated! Alright. Go!
 
I've driven 3 F150s and have little complaints. I just bought a 16 four door with 5.0 V8.

Not much difference in the MPGs in the 3.5 V6 w/EcoBoost (Ford's) and the V8. Torque is actually very close. If you're doing a lot of town driving is go with a V6, but I don't really like the sound it makes.

Also, the four door F150 has a lot of room in the back. Get a bedliner and a bed cover and you're set.
 
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Gunnerclone said:
Idk if this is out of the realm of what you’re looking for but the Jeep truck is freaking cool.
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I actually looked at those today while looking for a car for the 14 year old. They are neat but not 44k neat for a base model. If I remember the Rubicon model was 48k.
 
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I owned Ford trucks for years until my last one was a lemon. I drive a Toyota Tundra now and it's been a great truck.
 
Bret44 said:
I've driven 3 F150s and have little complaints. I just bought a 16 four door with 5.0 V8.

Not much difference in the MPGs in the 3.5 V6 w/EcoBoost (Ford's) and the V8. Torque is actually very close. If you're doing a lot of town driving is go with a V6, but I don't really like the sound it makes.

Also, the four door F150 has a lot of room in the back. Get a bedliner and a bed cover and you're set.
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Horsepower is close, torque of the 5.0 is no where near the 3.5L. The 3.5L has ~20% more torque available at lower RPM and a broader torque curved.

The 5.0 is a screamer of a V8 and is no slouch. I wouldn’t pay extra for the ecoboost over the 5.0. I’ve had no issues with my 3.5 and the work fleet has many trucks with the 5.0 with minimal issues.
 
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From everything I’ve heard, stay away from the twin turbo Fords. There’s a reason the used truck market is flooded with them.
 
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I have a double cab 1500 and I love having the extra bed length. I know you said you have kids, but need to haul stuff, so look into that as well. True extended cabs are quite a bit pricier and you generally lose the bed length.

I also get 21-22 MPG pretty easy when I go 4 lane, have gotten up to 27 on a stretch.
 
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JP4CY said:
I would stay away from Dodge and follow this advice.
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cmjh10 said:
I have a double cab 1500 and I love having the extra bed length. I know you said you have kids, but need to haul stuff, so look into that as well. True extended cabs are quite a bit pricier and you generally lose the bed length.

I also get 21-22 MPG pretty easy when I go 4 lane, have gotten up to 27 on a stretch.
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Pardon my ignorance but what brand and model is the double cab 1500? Chevy?
 
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Test drive them all and pick what you like. I'm currently driving a '18 chevy 1500 for a work truck and really don't like how tall the hood and dash are on it. Feels like I'm having to strain to see over the front. The mirrors suck as well.

The '14 F-150 I had at a previous project definitely felt easier to see out of and I think was nicer inside than the current chevy (note that I'm driving WT fleet models on both).

With kids you are going to want a true 4 door truck. Even though most of the extended cabs have 4 independent doors, rear seat space is pretty tight. Especially if you are going to keep the truck for 10 yrs like your last car. I know one guy at work couldn't get a rear facing car seat in the extended cab. Friend had a crew cab F-150 (was a 2012?) and I think the back seat actually had more leg room than the front seat did.

Trade off with the crew cab is you loose a good chunk of bed space. Most crew cabs are only 5' beds. Shouldn't be a big problem for you though.

My '18 Chevy 1500 has the V6 and gets right around 20-22 mpg, with a lot of high way driving (my commute is 50 miles roundtrip, all highway). I do bounce around a lot on the job at lower speeds as well.
 
jdcyclone19 said:
Horsepower is close, torque of the 5.0 is no where near the 3.5L. The 3.5L has ~20% more torque available at lower RPM and a broader torque curved.

The 5.0 is a screamer of a V8 and is no slouch. I wouldn’t pay extra for the ecoboost over the 5.0. I’ve had no issues with my 3.5 and the work fleet has many trucks with the 5.0 with minimal issues.
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Whoops you're right. Got that mixed up. Thanks
 
I had a 2014 F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost and have a 2017 now. Give me the 3.5 Ecoboost over any other engine in the trucks I've driven (I've driven basically every make from the 1/2 tons to the two tons). No chance in hell I'd get a 2.7 EcoBoost.

And I'd definitely get the super crew instead of just a super cab. They so cost more but they also trade better.
 
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