Advice Needed:: Tacoma owner considering a ZR2

[Tex68w]

I don't think being economically rational has anything to do with buying new or used. In all honesty people that use their vehicles in a passionate manner shouldn't be worried about any of those issues. They should buy the tool that best suits their needs and that provides them with the most enjoyment. All vehicles depreciate, some more than others of course, all vehicles need maintenance and have issues from time to time, again some more than others. At the end of the day those vehicles that break down less, hold better value, and provide more options and capabilities, almost always cost more. Pay now or pay later, you decide, but most importantly just buy what makes you happy, life is too short to give a ******** what anyone here or anywhere else thinks about your choices.

 

[nwoods]

For those that switched from a Tacoma to Colorado, how do you feel about the interior storage capabilities? Similar, better, worse? My brief flirtation with a Colordo I was not impressed with the Fisher Price interiors and lack of storage. It was very comfortable and ergonomic, but not very utilitarian. Am I wrong?

 

[Tex68w]

My brief flirtation with a Colordo I was not impressed with the Fisher Price interiors and lack of storage.

My sentiments exactly and with GM as a whole.

 

[Buliwyf]

My sentiments exactly and with GM as a whole.

+2. I don't know how GM can come out with interiors any worse. One of our service trucks has the pass air bag warning light on the rear view mirror where it blinds us at night. Not to mention that the mirror is absolutely huge and blocks the view in right turns. No passenger leg room. No flash to pass. have to click high beams on, then on again. Lame.

I'll bet that the guys responsible for GM's design, don't drive GM's.

I never buy American cars used. Nope, nope, nope. Forget that. I'll take the deprecation hit, over the downtime at the dealer, repairs, and sitting in the middle of the hwy in a broke down Suburban.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

I don't think being economically rational has anything to do with buying new or used.

An economically rational person looks at the life cycle cost of durable goods purchases. Most consumers are not economically rational. That keeps the marketing guys very busy, and quite happy.

 

[Tex68w]

I don't think being economically rational has anything to do with buying new or used.

An economically rational person looks at the life cycle cost of durable goods purchases. Most consumers are not economically rational. That keeps the marketing guys very busy, and quite happy.

Agreed, but that doesn't necessarily translate into buying used being the most economical choice on that statistic alone.

 

[OIIIIO]

A economically rational person...

Who said people are rational? Rational choice theory is questionable...go read Kahneman and get back to us.

 

[lchavez]

My buddy had 280k on his colorado. Used and abused off road, hauling a trailer, traveling across country. No major service and he’s the kind of guy that thinks an oil change is just topping off the dip stick. He still got a heck of a deal when he traded it in for a full size Chevy.

My dad is a diehard Chevy fan. Chevy in one form or another is all he has ever had. He gets 10-15 years out of them before trading up. He did have one lemon that was always in the shop.

My experience with Chevy was not so good. An avalanche that I truly enjoyed needed a transmission at 60k and sold it at 80k, basically for parts, because it needed a motor.

I typically average 60% highway, 40% off-road. A Nissan Xterra replaced my avalanche and has been amazingly reliable. I had to upgrade the suspension for my use, but that’s it. I truly appreciate and use all of the cubbies, bins and storage nets. Xterra is getting high in mileage, and they no longer make them, so over the last few years I have been watching.

Criteria for new vehicle.
- truck
- diesel, just because i wanted to try one. No other reason whatsoever.
- comfortable for the long highway miles
- able to handle my off-road time
- able to handle all weather conditions. It never fails that I have to go through Flagstaff or Heber when there is an unexpected snow storm. Then there’s the brutal Phoenix summers.

The ZR2 checked off all of these boxes and one box that wasn’t even on my list.....it was just a blast to drive. Came home with one this past weekend.

I do not buy vehicles with resale in mind. a vehicle is not an investment item for me, it is a necessity for my career and hobbies. I drive them hard in all conditions. they get scratched, dinged, bounced down wash board roads and long hours of constant highway miles.

PS: I still have the xterra and will not be parting with it.

 

[Dalko43]

Agreed, but that doesn't necessarily translate into buying used being the most economical choice on that statistic alone.

You're right, but speaking in general terms, you will save $ if you buy used versus buying new. This is especially true for the optioned-up pickup's, which are in hot-demand throughout the country. It's a seller's market right now. You can't tell me that you won't lose money on a $65k-$70k brand new pickup when it comes time to sell 6-7 years down the road.

I understand not everyone cares about the depreciation factor though. I agree with what was said earlier: a vehicle is not an investment in the financial sense (with perhaps a few exceptions for ultra-rare cars). You buy it, you use it and, at some point, you replace it...at no point are you making money on it, rather you are putting money into it from day one of ownership.

Edit: And I really don't get all the GM hate. Are they the Lexus of car world? No. But certainly their quality has improved in recent years. And it's not like other brands haven't had equally atrocious reliability issues...ahem....6.0 Powerstroke anyone?

 

[NevadaLover]

[QUOTE="Dalko43, post: 2481296, member: 117116"
Edit: And I really don't get all the GM hate. Are they the Lexus of car world? No. But certainly their quality has improved in recent years. And it's not like other brands haven't had equally atrocious reliability issues...ahem....6.0 Powerstroke anyone?[/QUOTE]

You can't take dulwyf serious, he's one of those people who are total haters and anyone who doesn't agree with him is an idiot, that's why he gets on here and pirate4x4 spewing his hatred and venom, a perfect example of tiny pee-pee syndrome!!

 

[Tex68w]

You're right, but speaking in general terms, you will save $ if you buy used versus buying new. This is especially true for the optioned-up pickup's, which are in hot-demand throughout the country. It's a seller's market right now. You can't tell me that you won't lose money on a $65k-$70k brand new pickup when it comes time to sell 6-7 years down the road.

I understand not everyone cares about the depreciation factor though. I agree with what was said earlier: a vehicle is not an investment in the financial sense (with perhaps a few exceptions for ultra-rare cars). You buy it, you use it and, at some point, you replace it...at no point are you making money on it, rather you are putting money into it from day one of ownership.

Edit: And I really don't get all the GM hate. Are they the Lexus of car world? No. But certainly their quality has improved in recent years. And it's not like other brands haven't had equally atrocious reliability issues...ahem....6.0 Powerstroke anyone?

Well said, I agree with you on all fronts.

In regards to the GM "dislike", it's not a hatred, I've just seen too many of them in recent years amongst friends and family cause multiple headaches and nightmares in the reliability and resale department. All of the big makes have had their day in the sun, GM is just behind the other two when it comes to trucks at the moment. I don't care for their interiors, I never have, that's a personal thing. From design and layout, to tactility and function and materials used, I simply don't care for their interiors. I don't expect a Lexus level trim on the Colorado or or 2wd base 1500 Silverado, but on a $70K+ SUV or HD truck I do and at a minimum I expect those materials to hold up better over the life of the vehicle.

 

[Dalko43]

In regards to the GM "dislike", it's not a hatred, I've just seen too many of them in recent years amongst friends and family cause multiple headaches and nightmares in the reliability and resale department. All of the big makes have had their day in the sun, GM is just behind the other two when it comes to trucks at the moment. I don't care for their interiors, I never have, that's a personal thing. From design and layout, to tactility and function and materials used, I simply don't care for their interiors. I don't expect a Lexus level trim on the Colorado or or 2wd base 1500 Silverado, but on a $70K+ SUV or HD truck I do and at a minimum I expect those materials to hold up better over the life of the vehicle.

I agree. For a $70k truck, I'd expect a $70k style and quality of interior. But the flip side of that coin is that you can still buy fairly basic and utilitarian trucks for $45-$50k from the big 3 (GM, FCA, Ford). Are the interiors for those trim levels great? No. But for the money you're spending, you still get decent enough quality and fit and finish.

I guess I have no reason to dislike GM for its comparatively unrefined interiors because I know what to expect from that brand. If I want a GM product with a high quality interior, I'll buy a Cadillac. Just like if I want a Toyota product with a high quality interior, I'll buy a Lexus.

And while it's cool that Ford can put such refinement and high quality materials into its F-250/350 lineup, I honestly view those as $50k trucks with $20k-$30k in additional amenities and goodies.

 

[NevadaLover]

And while it's cool that Ford can put such refinement and high quality materials into its F-250/350 lineup, I honestly view those as $50k trucks with $20k-$30k in additional amenities and goodies.

That's very true, we have 2 2017 F250 xl diesels in my fleet, and they are just as cheesy as any other base model we have, alot of the haters here like to talk up their favorite brand but fail to make apple to apple comparisons, instead they cherry pick what they hate about the other brands and talk great about their favorite no matter what!
When it comes down to making a choice about which brand to buy you need to look at the choices and compare equivalent models, not 1 brands work model to another brands top of the line model and then decide which makes YOU happiest and ignore the brand loyal cry babies who constantly try to convince everyone that you need to like their favorite and only their favorite!

 

[AlexCold]

Really in the grand scheme no one should expect to buy a new vehicle and get exactly what they paid for it after a few years. Especially over even longer spans. Technology just changes too fast. My 2011 GMC Sierra is a pos when I compare it to my 2018 ZR2.

Buy what you like and can afford. If you know he rules you can break them.


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[Tex68w]

That's very true, we have 2 2017 F250 xl diesels in my fleet, and they are just as cheesy as any other base model we have, alot of the haters here like to talk up their favorite brand but fail to make apple to apple comparisons, instead they cherry pick what they hate about the other brands and talk great about their favorite no matter what!
When it comes down to making a choice about which brand to buy you need to look at the choices and compare equivalent models, not 1 brands work model to another brands top of the line model and then decide which makes YOU happiest and ignore the brand loyal cry babies who constantly try to convince everyone that you need to like their favorite and only their favorite!

I'm not sure if this was directed towards me or not. In no way am I trying to compare apples to oranges or in other words a base model of one make to the top trim of another, give me some credit here. My comments about the interiors of GM vehicles cover the entire line from the cheapest car they make to the top of the line trim level HD truck or Suburban/Tahoe. Their materials and designs suck IMHO, flat out, no sugar coating it. Go look at the interior of the Corvette Z06 and then compare it to the interior of a GT350 Shelby or Hellcat, there's no comparison, the Corvette looks like a chinese hot wheels knockoff next to them, it has no soul, no character. This applies to the Colorado as well, while the interior appointments of the Tacoma aren't exactly stellar, they are certainly better.

At the end of the day I really don't care because I am not in the market for a ZR2 and I will never be for that matter. I think it's a great truck with many neat options, but it's not for me and I listed the reasons why I don't like GM products, the interiors are only one aspect of that reasoning. It's ok for others not to agree with you or prefer another option and most certainly so when they provide valid reasons for their rationale like I have done in this thread. Not everyone must drink the kool-aide and jump on the bandwagon to get approval. I'm certainly no brand loyalist, I have a Super Duty and a Power Wagon and we've owned many Toyotas and are likely to add a Land Cruiser to the mix soon as well, so there's no cry baby loyalist here.