Ford and Dodge full size truck questions...

[Martinjmpr]

So my brother emailed me and said he's interested in getting a full sized truck for hunting and camping (see my thread in the Toyota section about the Tundra.)

He's going full sized because he typically hunts with 2 or 3 others (often including me) and because he's realized that there is no significant MPG difference between a full size and a "mid size" truck, and the full size trucks tend to be more rugged (at least he thinks so.)

So he's looking for a full-sized, crew-cab truck with a short bed (he lives in the city and doesn't need a long bed, although 6' would be nice for camping.)

Anyway, I don't know much about the overall quality, reputation, etc, of domestic vehicles since I haven't owned one in about 6 years.

Right now he's thinking of either the Dodge crew cab 1500 short bed or maybe the Ford F150 SuperCrew. I pointed out to him that the SuperCrew only has a 5.5' bed, and IIRC the bed is made of plastic, not steel.

He's also looking at 1st gen Tundras, but we're disovering that there is a huge premium for the Toyota nameplate. For example, we found numerous Ford and Dodge trucks under $12k but could not find a single crew-cab Tundra for that price and the one we found under $15k has a salvage title!

So who can tell me about Fords and Dodges in general? Any particular engine/tranny combos to seek or to avoid? What kind of longevity can he expect? Any known weaknesses in the engine/drivetrain/electrical system?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[FROADER]

You're going to get bias opinions with a question like this, since some people are loyal to the brand they own and a lot of it's personal preference or experience. i have not been a fan of Dodge since the early 90s because of personal experiences, but I'm sure they're a little better now.

I own an '05 SuperCrew FX4 with the 5.4L and again, in my experience, Dodge seems to have a better drive train, but the quality of the rest of the truck suffers. The Ford drive train is pretty good and the rest of the truck follows suit. I have towed my off-road toy (explorer SAS on 36s) with trailer the combined weight was close to 7k and it did ok. Not as good as my old V10 van obviously, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. there are also tuners that are available to get the different power, shift points, etc... if you want.

The Dodge crew cab isn't quite a crew cab, and the mega cab is absolutely ginormous! You can get the Ford in the 6.5' bed, but buying used they might be tough to find. My 5.4L Ford gets 1-2 mpg more than my friends 5.7L Dodge.

Reliability is a crap shoot, because like any vehicle, it depends on factory build quality (that day...), maintenance and overall care of it. Mine has had only one problem being the cat. converter, but it was covered under warranty and replaced for free.

I love my truck and haven't regretted purchasing it in the slightest. Most of my friends and family own Fords, but I have a friend that feels the same way about his Dodge.

Then again, Pre '07 Tundras are great trucks as well. I'm not a fan of the body style, interior and 6 speed auto of the newer trucks.

I hope that helped at least a little.

 

[lstzephyr]

I've heard of some of the 5.4l spitting/stripping out sparkplugs in the aluminum heads. I've seen one in person with it(it still ran fine on 7 cylinders and the guy never bothered to fix it, he still drives it like that 3 years later as far as I know). I'd shy away a bit from that motor. As always though your mileage may vary.

Other than that I only have expierence with 3/4 ton fullsize trucks and I don't think that is what you are looking for. If you are I'd be happy to pass on my expierences with the work dodges, chevies, and fords.

 

[19psi]

the only thing i know about is dodge diesels, so unless he'd consider one of them, i can't help much. so far, at 191k miles, my diesel is running great, and the rest of the truck is holding up very well also.

 

[xwerx]

I own a 2005 SuperCab FX4. Have not had any problems with the truck, 75k miles. It's my DD and also the adventure truck. I have taken it to San Juan Mountain and driven lots of the trails there. Absolutely love the truck. Would not hesitate to buy another.. Decent gas mileage even with 33's. Think its around 16-17.

Daniel

 

[4Rescue]

I'd go dodge no question, but personaly the 1500/150's hold no intrest to me as they're are no diesel options. That said, the 1500 Ram is a far better truck then the F150 if for no other reason then it's an updated design. The coils in the rear are something that make me a bit skeptical, BUT you can always add Air-bags if you need them for load leveling... Plus, IMO, Ford interior's are absolutly hideous. (the super-duty espescially so)

Cheers

Dave

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I had a 1997 F-150 4 x 4 with the 4.6 and a auto. other than lacking serious pulling power it was a great truck and would go any where I wanted to go. I sold it at about 240K and I still see it around town years later.

 

[ntsqd]

I've heard of some of the 5.4l spitting/stripping out sparkplugs in the aluminum heads. I've seen one in person with it(it still ran fine on 7 cylinders and the guy never bothered to fix it, he still drives it like that 3 years later as far as I know). I'd shy away a bit from that motor. As always though your mileage may vary.

This was the early engines according a Ford Tech friend. Ford engineered a field fix for that and it does work. Later engines have slightly different heads that address the problem. No longer any reason to shy away from that engine.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

This was the early engines according a Ford Tech friend. Ford engineered a field fix for that and it does work. Later engines have slightly different heads that address the problem. No longer any reason to shy away from that engine.

"PI" heads eliminated hat problem, and added more power.

 

[UHAULER]

This was the early engines according a Ford Tech friend. Ford engineered a field fix for that and it does work. Later engines have slightly different heads that address the problem. No longer any reason to shy away from that engine.

A co worker just had his spit out a plug this summer while camping, his truck is a 99 f150 with the 5.4, it's a nice truck and thats the only problem in over 130k miles. He took it to the dealer to have it repaired, I think they used a heli-coil.

Edit- I don't think you can go wrong with any late model 1/2 ton truck. I think it comes down to personal preferance on looks and interior.

On 3/4 ton and up diesel trucks one of the main reasons I would want one besides power and fuel milage was the simplicity of a mechanical pump, no electronics and no smog but with the newer trucks i don't think the average Joe can work on them. My brother has an 03 6.0 ford diesel and had it in the shop a few times. The last time it was in they had to pull the cab off to do some repairs, thats fine when it's under warranty but can you imagine the bill if you had to pay out of pocket??

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

My '96 1/2-ton Ram has been a dream. Currently 205,000 miles on the original 5.9l V-8. The big difference for me...with the SFA, my Ram doesn't ride as well as the F-150. I guess it depends on what you're going to use it most for...higher speed runs on dirt roads, go Ford. Rough unimproved trails and roads, can't beat the Dodge SFA. My cab is the "extended" cab with no suicide doors...Dodge was late to the game with rear seat access. A full 6.5' bed, decent after market, you know where I stand.

Unless...I could find a Gen. 1 Tundra with 4X4...in Expo white. :sombrero:

 

[psdfrank]

I just picked up a ford 7.3L diesel and its pretty awesome, mine is a super cab though and a long bed. I've read that they can be mod'ed to get good gas mileage and these type of engines are known to run to 500k miles.

If you are looking for rugged go w/ solid front axle on leafs.

 

[locrwln]

I will say the same thing I tell people who ask me which truck to buy...

Go drive them and buy the one that you can afford and gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling. If you don't like on the first test drive, you probably aren't going to grow to like it either. And I would suggest driving all of them (Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Toyota). Like others on here, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the modern 1/2 ton trucks.

Jack

 

[bronconut]

You can get the Ford Super Crew F150 with a 6.5' bed and the beds are metal not plastic. If he waits a year he might be able to get a Super Crew Raptor but I doubt they will have the 6.5' bed option but they will have the new 6.2L with 411 HP :wings:

 

[brianjwilson]

It has already been said, but the crew cab F150 is available in either the 5.5' or 6.5' bed. The bed is not plastic and never has been. There is no reason to shy away from the 5.4L, it's a good engine. The only thing to watch for are the 2-piece spark plug can be difficult to remove, so it is best to replace early on.

The 04+ F150 is a strong truck, very solid frame. The crew cab is much more roomy than the standard dodge four door and easily hold 5 adults without being cramped, they ride great onroad and off. I am 6' and I can sit in the drivers seat with a 6' tall person in the seat behind me with plenty of room. In my experience, the F150s tend to have much fewer squeaks or rattles with a lot of offroad use than Dodge and Chevy. The Toyotas seem to stay fairly quiet inside, but the tundra frame is weak and the whole chassis shimmies on gravel roads and washboard, though not as bad as Chevy.

Interiors are subjective. Personally I prefer the F150 interior over the others, but I also have the FX4 with black/silver interior and center console. I'm not a big fan of the tan interiors.

Sounds like your brother needs to go look at both and see what he likes. When I'm looking at cars/trucks I tend to check out a few with higher mileage just to see how they hold up over time as well.

I would absolutely buy another one, I love my F150. Currently it is leveled 2" with bilstein 5100s on 35s, but eventually I'll install a "real" lift kit and re-gear. If he is planning on sleeping in the back of the truck, I'm 6' and sleep in the 5.5' bed just fine at a slight angle.