Comparison shopping: Colorado, Gladiator, Tacoma

[spectre6000]

I'll be pulling the trigger during the first half of September. Waiting for some "investments to mature" so to speak. It must happen and be in hand before snow flies, and I intend to order from the factory rather than settle for something on the lot. If I'm going to get my 500K, that month or so of waiting will be worth it to not be annoyed at some little thing that could have been avoided.

Today is a big home improvement day here in the canyon. The first few posts there were over coffee/breakfast, this is lunchtime.

In the interim, I've been mulling over the character element of the Colorado along the lines that have been discussed while I work on things around the house. When character initially came up, the gap between the Gladiator and the Colorado narrowed considerably. Now, I honestly feel like that whole strength/weakness visa vis character dichotomy has flipped, and I think the Colorado might have more potential for character. The Jeep will definitely have it, and in spades, but it'll be limited in its 'specialness' by the fact that every bro with a flat bill cap will have their own that's at least as built as mine, and likely much more. It's a bit of a risk on the assumption that sales numbers and the aftermarket by proxy will increase to allow me to really get it built the way I want over time, but as long as I'm positioned to get in fairly early while the market is the hottest, even a lesser aftermarket should suffice for my intent. Especially when my DIY/fabrication skills come into play.

So, while it's not over until the papers are signed, I'm back on the Colorado ZR2 Bison bandwagon. We have a ton of baby stuff, house stuff, and since we bought our house up here in the mountains, it's been like we're running a bed and breakfast with people coming in from out of town twice a month or so. In the next few weekends, we need to go take one last look at the Gladiator and the Colorado, my wife needs to get behind the wheel, and I want to see how I feel about dealers other than the ones that didn't give warm fuzzies the first time out. Pulling the trigger will happen the following weekend or so, then it'll be X weeks for delivery.

In the meantime, inlaws visiting next weekend, baby shower a few weekends after that, a ton of people in from out of town for the baby shower, and then depending on how long the build takes we're hosting the family Thanksgiving this year, and that could happen in the interim as well... All the while, we're supposed to be getting ready for a baby, and I feel like that has barely started. It's exhausting... Then we're having a kid, and all bets are off on everything ever throughout time and space for at least a few months... I need a nap.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I4's don't require balance shafts at all, and typically don't have them. Or at least they didn't used to... I don't really keep up with most cars running I4s to be honest... It was the engine of choice in old British roadsters, and I can't think of a single one with a balance shaft. I understand the 2.8 Duramax does, but it's my understanding that the intent was to de-deiselize the diesel for Americans who don't like diesels, and it's truly the only I4 I'm aware of with a balance shaft. The HUGE caveat there, again, is that there are very few cars that enter my radar with an I4. The Alfa Romeo 4C, Honda S2000, Toyota MR2... That's all I can think of from the past three decades with I4s that are of any interest, and I'm fairly certain none had balance shafts. I4s aren't totally balanced like a I6, but I don't remember off the top of my head which harmonics are off and how. I can imagine, especially these days where turbo 4s are in EVERYTHING including entry level luxury cars, that they're more common than they used to be.

The 4G63T in my old Eclipse had them and the 4cyl Ford Ecoboosts have them.

It is a critter comfort thing no matter what, many older I4's did not have them. A lot of newer ones do.

 

[Dougnuts]

The 4G63T in my old Eclipse had them and the 4cyl Ford Ecoboosts have them.

It is a critter comfort thing no matter what, many older I4's did not have them. A lot of newer ones do.

Balance shafts are more common in 4 cylinder engines 2.0L+ in displacement.

 

[Cackalak Han]

You may want to go take your rear facing baby seat and test fit it in all those midsize trucks. Hope you or your wife is on the shorter side. Then if you say you have visitors who will ride in the truck. That’s gonna get tight pretty fast back there.
If you want to keep it midsize, you may want to check out the seating room in SUV’s like the 4Runner and Jeep GC. Maybe even an LR

 

[jaxyaks]

Has anyone gotten close to 500K in a Colorodo? I know there are some Jeeps that have gotten close, and a lot of Toyotas, but I am genuinely curious about the Colorodo/Canyon.

 

[leeleatherwood]

Nissan Frontier.

It's old, but it's rugged and reliable. The interior is very utilitarian which is good for it's intended purpose. The seats and driving position are very comfortable even for extended periods. The engine and transmission are best in it's class.

The Nissan Frontier is the only true example of a trusty, reliable and durable pickup truck still being produced.


Jeep is tiny on the inside and drives like ********, they are not reliable at all.
Tacoma has a car engine, is uncomfortable and Toyotas reliability is a relic of the past.
Chevy? Hell. No. They are garbage straight off the lot.

Give the Frontier a shot, specifically the Pro4X model.

 

[leeleatherwood]

Just read a little more into this thread.

The fact that you are looking for 500k mile reliability but the Chevy and the Gladiator are even in your line of sight is a joke.

Your odds of winning the lottery are 1000x better than getting a reliable vehicle from GM or Chrysler.

If 500k is your goal, then the Tacoma even with the Tacoma's reliability going down the drain for over a decade is still leaps and bounds above the Chevy or Gladiator.

You won't even test drive a Nissan because their financials aren't looking that good? Last time I checked, Nissan has never needed a taxpayer bailout.

 

[Explorerinil]

Just read a little more into this thread.

The fact that you are looking for 500k mile reliability but the Chevy and the Gladiator are even in your line of sight is a joke.

Your odds of winning the lottery are 1000x better than getting a reliable vehicle from GM or Chrysler.

If 500k is your goal, then the Tacoma even with the Tacoma's reliability going down the drain for over a decade is still leaps and bounds above the Chevy or Gladiator.

You won't even test drive a Nissan because their financials aren't looking that good? Last time I checked, Nissan has never needed a taxpayer bailout.

I think you need to be more specific in your wording, there are many gm and Chrysler vehicles going 500k and beyond, just take a look at any gm and ram (Chrysler) heavy duty truck forum, you will see them for yourself. I also know of several gm gas trucks with over 500k on them, along with ford. I have not read through all of the posts, but Nissan’s sales of the titan are horrible, they are cutting a few options and revamping the titan to hopefully break the 20,000 unites sold per year marks again... which is horrible. I agree with him, I wouldn’t buy a Nissan at this point, they are in turmoil and sales are in a slump, at least in the US market.

 

[Mike W.]

Amazing thread..I drove the big 3 and bought a Nissan Frontier Pro4x..Solid and proven..

 

[LimaMikeMike]

Just read a little more into this thread.

The fact that you are looking for 500k mile reliability but the Chevy and the Gladiator are even in your line of sight is a joke.

Your odds of winning the lottery are 1000x better than getting a reliable vehicle from GM or Chrysler.

If 500k is your goal, then the Tacoma even with the Tacoma's reliability going down the drain for over a decade is still leaps and bounds above the Chevy or Gladiator.

You won't even test drive a Nissan because their financials aren't looking that good? Last time I checked, Nissan has never needed a taxpayer bailout.

lol, Ive had six new or used GM or Dodge/FCA trucks in 22 years not including what I drive right now, they were all reasonably reliable. Still no lottery win.

My first new vehicle ever was a 97 F150, electrical fire started behind the dash and burned in my driveway with 62k on the clock. You could count that as a lottery win I guess.

 

[LimaMikeMike]

You won't even test drive a Nissan because their financials aren't looking that good? Last time I checked, Nissan has never needed a taxpayer bailout.

No, but Nissan's CEO was arrested on corruption charges.

Or the alliance with Renault, which is a shining example of french best business practices.

 

[spectre6000]

With a century old house built in at least six identifiable construction phases cut into a canyon wall in the Rocky Mountains AND a baby on the way AND starting another company AND sorta liking to do stuff on the side from time to time, I have to "put some projects back" as my wife likes to say. A major build is not in the works for me right now. If I can get a truck that has a fully sorted (and not to mention fully warranted) drivetrain with all the off road aids I have had occasion to need up here, that makes actually owning such a vehicle considerably more likely. If I have to do major warranty killing work to get the traction aids I've been known to need (i.e. front locker), I can essentially write it off as 'nahgunna happen'. The Jeep and the Colorado are it for that. I entertained the Tacoma because I've wanted one since I saw "the Top Gear episode" (you know what I'm talking about), but between the above and the fact that Toyota doesn't give a ******** as long as they're selling them in droves, I'm not sure it was ever a serious contender. I love working on cars. Rebuilding a carburetor is my idea of a glorious and relaxing Saturday morning project. However, I'm at a point in my life where I can't quite afford the time required, and I can afford to just buy it already done without really worrying about it.

I'm sure your Frontier is nice (I didn't look, but I don't think anyone would push that hard for that truck without owning one), but it does not meet my needs, full stop. Also, there's all the reasons laid out previously. I'm sure it's great and fits your needs famously. As old as the platform is, I'm sure it's very well sorted and will probably go a long time. It just doesn't fit my needs.

Here's some more philosophical musings for all you who are digging that tangent: There's a collection of rare books in the NY Public Library that was donated by a tobacco baron around the turn of the 20th century. He was interviewed at the time for a newspaper piece, and was asked why or how he got into book collecting (I may be off on some of the exact details, but it's a nice narrative framing for the idea). His response was that when he was young, an uncle told him to take up many hobbies. Hobbies are what make life enjoyable and worth living. As you get older, however, that same life has a tendency to step in and make you incapable of pursuing those hobbies. If your entire pursuit of happiness is tied up in a single pursuit, and you lose the ability to pursue it, things can get pretty rough. If, however, you have other hobbies that you can turn your focus toward, that loss doesn't hurt as bad. I got in a really bad car accident, and I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around my classic car hobby these days. I'm not giving cars up entirely so much as tuning my focus, but it's the same overarching philosophy. Life has stepped in/is stepping in/nearly stepped out, and shifting the focus of a significant chunk of my time and energy, so I'm having to let some things go. In this particular case, it's the more involved parts of the build process. I still intend to modify the truck and make it my own to a significant degree, but if I can limit that activity to easy superficial bolt-on things, they're far more likely to happen in the coming paradigm. The 'bought not built' approach I'm taking is essentially an actualization of that philosophy.

 

[spectre6000]

You may want to go take your rear facing baby seat and test fit it in all those midsize trucks. Hope you or your wife is on the shorter side. Then if you say you have visitors who will ride in the truck. That’s gonna get tight pretty fast back there.
If you want to keep it midsize, you may want to check out the seating room in SUV’s like the 4Runner and Jeep GC. Maybe even an LR

That particular element has been taken on by my wife. We researched the crap out of (everything) car seats, and she brought a tape measure with us to the dealerships. We figured out that her Jeep is about the most limited back seat we've yet seen, so that's sort of the baseline. Things have all checked out so far. As for height, I guess we're on the shorter side. I'm 5'6", and she's about the same. We're both pretty svelte and fit; her more than me, though at the moment she's sporting a pretty serious baby bump...

Has anyone gotten close to 500K in a Colorodo? I know there are some Jeeps that have gotten close, and a lot of Toyotas, but I am genuinely curious about the Colorodo/Canyon.

I think I've seen reports up near 200K, but they're still pretty new. Not sure if gas or diesel, and the diesel is even newer. I've had several high mile GM trucks. Things have gotten better since the 80s, and I'm only interested in the diesel. The whole thing about character combined with my well equipped shop and wrenching capabilities means it's purely a matter of parts availability. That's the only thing that has me concerned at all, and that's really only dependent on GM selling quite a few and the Colorado getting a cult following. They're the second best selling truck after the Tacoma at the moment, and hopefully that trend continues as people realize Toyota's left them out in the rain.

 

[jadmt]

well I buy things that I like and one thing that is part of that criteria is looks and the Nissan Frontier has zero appeal looks wise. I spent a lot of time looking at the ZR2 and a ZR2 with the Bison package and it looks good but I also worry that the appeal would wane pretty fast. Tacos look ok but again I have never walked past one and then gave it a second look so not sure a Taco would work either. I drive a wrangler recon and after 2 years I have not for a second not loved how it looks, hell I will go out in the garage just to look at it. I think the Gladiator would be the same. But if i were buying a pickup it would be a Ford F250 not a Gladiator or a ZR2/bison.

 

[AbleGuy]

I drive a wrangler recon and after 2 years I have not for a second not loved how it looks, hell I will go out in the garage just to look at it.

♥? Actually that’s kinda sweet....a guy really couldn’t ask for much more than that?♥
Down deep inside, that’s what many of us yearn for, but are reluctant to admit.

Queen, “I’m in Love With My Car”