New offroading truck!

[Santino]

About a month ago I totaled my 05 Tundra, and im in need of a new truck since my only other vehicle is a 2010 corolla.

I want to use this new truck for
-hauling rocks that my dad and I are building a rock retaining wall with for my Cabin in the California San Berandino mountains

-offroading in hot/dry conditions (desert) and wet/icy/cold conditions (when it storms/snows up in the mountains)

-hunting out in the desert or cali brush canyons

Im looking for a truck under or close to 20K, my priorities are gas mileage and power. Ill also be looking to add a opening/closing full rear window and a sunroof, a metal bed cover, and an auxillary audio input to play music from my droid phone

Ive been considering a number of vehicles...

Ford F250
pros-everything I think I need, top choice
cons-usually too far above 20K, and bad gas mileage

Toyota Tundra
pros- usually comes with that cool opening/closing full back window
I see alot of guys on these forums with tundras so are they great offroad trucks?
cons- ?

Chevy silverado...?

GMC sierra...?

Some other truck?

Hummer H1 alpha
pros-big, powerful, cool
cons- old (NOT going to get a newer H2 or H3 because those are not made from the sturdy military HMMWV chassis, they are made from the car-like Tahoe chassis)
really expensive, hoping to get one cheap because I heard people/dealers are selling them crazy low because nobodys buying

Ford F150
pros- good reputation, plenty of space and convenient bed
cons- pehaps not enough power for optimality

Land Rover defender
pros- more space and power, good offroading rep
cons- reputation for unreliability (can someone confirm?), perhaps still not enough space/power

Jeep unlimited
pros- cheaper, good reputation for offroading
cons-small, probably not enough space or power for the work im doing

NOT a Dodge... Ive heard they arn't build well among other things

Ill be lifting the truck/jeep and trying to get custom axles/tires all in an attempt to give it more clearance and better traction on the deadly icy mountain roads and better offroad capabilities. As well as adding other accessories and aftermarkets for my new hobby of offroading

So, any suggestions on what a good new truck would be for what I need? The list is just what im thinking I want, I don't know for sure!

 

[INSAYN]

Out of all of the ones you have listed, the F250 would have the hauling capacity for sure, and would probably be the cheapest and most reliable to lift out of the 3/4 ton trucks, as it has a straight axle in the front.

 

[Santino]

Unfortunately all of the F250s that ive found on carmax and autotrader are too expensive or have too many miles on them... an F250 would be best but because of price and gas mileage im starting to lean towards another tundra, an f150, or a tacoma...

 

[maxama10]

If this plays out to be everything it's supposed to be then maybe check out the new F150

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q3/2011_ford_f-150_ecoboost_v6-first_drive_review



If not my vote goes to a Tundra.

 

[shovelbill]

how much do these rocks weigh? you need to buy a rig that has a higher GVWR than what you plan on carrying.......why not look into a proper trailer to carry the load and and have a more comfortable vehicle when not hauling? your choices are all over the map.

 

[Ron B]

Hummer H1 alpha
pros-big, powerful, cool
cons- bad MPG, old (NOT going to get a newer H2 or H3 because those are not made from the sturdy military HMMWV chassis, they are made from the car-like Tahoe chassis)

it's funny that the hummer/bad mpg myth still sticks -- there was an mpg thread listed here a while back and there weren't very many serious trucks that got past the mid teens.

 

[GreenMtnTaco]

You should look into dodge also. They are not built bad. They are good trucks.

I only have anecdotal evidence, but I would disagree. I worked for a tow company for about a year and probably once or twice a month we would have calls to tow almost brand new(less then 10,000 miles) Dodge trucks with busted transmissions. If you got an older one you'd probably be fine but I'd steer clear of the new Rams.

 

[toylandcruiser]

I only have anecdotal evidence, but I would disagree. I worked for a tow company for about a year and probably once or twice a month we would have calls to tow almost brand new(less then 10,000 miles) Dodge trucks with busted transmissions. If you got an older one you'd probably be fine but I'd steer clear of the new Rams.

An I can make the same claim for Chevys and fords

 

[GreenMtnTaco]

An I can make the same claim for Chevys and fords

Sure, we towed plenty of Ford's and Chevy's as well. Just not nearly as many with such serious problems at such low miles.

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

:ar15: Now then...what were you sayin' about Dodges? :REExeSquatsHL1: Actually, there are some earlier Dodges that will meet your needs. Nothin' like a pre-'98 12v Cummins for simplicity and good mileage.

 

[zidaro]

I watched a stock Kia Sportage run the Rubicon, it was sick and you should get one of those.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Sure, we towed plenty of Ford's and Chevy's as well. Just not nearly as many with such serious problems at such low miles.

I can claim anything in the Internet. My friend works for our state Motor pool and they have had all kinds of issues with 10 brand new chevy trucks. This is a Pointless debate. I have owned nothing but dodges and have had good luck. Just traded in an 07 ram that I wish I kept. But I was tired of 100 dollar fill ups bthe truck was taken offroad and never had an issue so your opinion is your opinion and that's it.

 

[2500ak]

I'll weigh in on this one

I'd argue chevy has the best transmissions in all trucks heavier than 1/2 tons. The 4L60e has a bad tendency to grenade it's sunshell on the 1-2 shift because it's the weak link and the jump between ratios is too wide.

I like 4L80e, good flat clutch driven transmission. Reverse is the only band driven gear, also got big overrun clutches that engage when you put it in low range. The one in my truck has about 140,000 on it, it's lived through a lot. Including my knee hitting the gearshift and knocking it into reverse at 45 mph on dry pavement. If I hadn't been wearing a seat-belt I probably would have had broken ribs to show for it. That was back at 80,000 miles. I put in a Transgo HD2 shift kit at 100,000. Shift great. I still floor it from every red light, just keeps right on ticking.

The Allison is great trans but the Ally/Duramax combo is probably going to be out of your price range. The early ones had problems with leaking injectors leading to catastrophic failure. If you could find a Ally/496 8.1L gas combo (stopped production at the end of 02) that would work, but it'll be a little hard on gas. Not much harder than the 6.0L 364cid engine like my truck has, and perhaps better on gas when hauling.

Dodge transmissions are alright too. I've been mildly impressed with the 46RE and the 48RE. I'd almost say that the 48RE is the 4L80e's equal. I like the 80e design better though. Installed a shift kit in a friends 46RE once, I found it to be a pain to work on, but overall it was alright.

I do not like ford transmissions. In my experience they break, and when they're not broken they have soft, lazy shifts when hauling.


I'm inclined to say that ford makes a better suspension and frame. On the newer trucks at least. Chevy 3/4 trucks are designed for the express purpose of towing, and flat pavement ride quality, with a lot less consideration to off-road capabilities. The frames, and the differential housings are low hanging, and need fairly tall tires to achieve decent ground clearance. They do however have a factory option rear locker called the G80. The 14FF axles that have it work nicely. The 10-bolt versions have a tendency to explode (quite literally).

I think chevy has had a one up on ford in terms of their engines since they discontinued the 460. I have an RV with the V10, and I've driven RV's and trucks with the 460 and the V10 doesn't hold up for what it should be. Neither does the 5.4L in it's 24 valve or even the 32 valve incarnations.

They've got more valves, more cams, cam phasers, in theory they should blow the chevy engines and their predecessors out of the water. Instead I find that they scream at high rpms to pull anemically over hills at WOT, in a most unsatisfying manner. I've yet to find a ford engine with a powerband that I've liked since the older generations like the 351, and the 385 series big-blocks, gas hogs though they were.

As to dodge? I've wrenched on a few because some of my friends have them. My last dodge (my first truck) was an 1986 ram, and it really was an excellent truck. I've ridden in one of the newer ones with the pentroof heads (which they insist on calling a Hemi, which bothers be because they are not hemispherical heads), seemed decent. Interiors are even more ghastly than the fords though. I really like the old Magnum 360. Better than the GenII 350 chevy counterpart. The dodges seem to be built well, they don't ride nicely like the chevy though.

That's just my opinion. Depending on the year range a 3/4 ton chevy would be my preference. Either an early 2000's Duramax, or a later model with the LQ4 6.0L. If you end up going with a 1/2 ton make sure you get the 5.3L, not the 4.8L. There isn't any difference in gas mileage between the two, and the 4.8 will get worse with hauling.

If not chevy I'd pick dodge over ford. Maybe I'm biased. If you're willing to get an older one a 12v, or early 24v cummis would probably be in your price range. I have no experience with that engine, but I've never heard anything bad about them though.

 

[Santino]

ok, to answer a few people...
I wouldn't buy a Hummer unless it was the legit H1, based off of the military HMMWV... I dont want to buy a car-like Hummer... if its a truck or jeep thats fine. Id be looking for one that would be close to my price range, but obvi id go above it alot more than i would for an F250. I figured since the Hummers are out of style people and dealers would be selling them very cheap to get rid of them. I heard that the H2 and H3 were built off the Tahoe, and I didnt look into it myself just figured it was true.

@alexrex20, I sure wish my dad still bought stuff for me. Those were the days. If my noobness in offroading is a joke to you, I sure hope your getting a kick out of it

@2500ak im just skeptical about buying a dodge in general, ive heard bad things about them. Man are there some loyal Dodge owners here though! haha maybe I shouldn't have said that...

@maxama10, that F150 looks pretty nice, ill just have to look at how much weight it can carry. Thanks alot tho for not ridiculing a newbie haha

 

[shovelbill]

in all seriousness..............look into a mint '90-'91 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban. 6.2 diesel with a Banks turbo setup.....it's very comfortable. you can sleep in it, it'll tow and hual very well, great fuel economy and the drive train can be made bulletproof with selectable lockers and such for way less than 20K.