Fullsize Pickups; Half Ton Trucks.........Which & Why

[SDDiver5]

Then about a Ford

LOL

hahahahaha ok touche.

 

[ZMagic97]

I have a GM truck, an 05 Silverado to be more exact.

The 5.3 are a great motor: I believe this has been proved for some time now. The rest of the truck GM makes always seem very sturdy, and easy to work on or modify. Also, I feel like they make the most of the room and ride very nicely.

My vote: a Silverado/Sierra.

 

[2025 deleted member]

As far as I know Escalades with maybe the exception of the 1gen models, have always had the 6.0 or 6.2

Heres my opinion.

Chevy's bumpers hang down too low and the interior doesn't impress me that much. I do like the 5.3L that came in the Escalades, which I believe are the same engine that you can find in a 1500 (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). My dad put about 250k on his escalade and it ran great with the many miles. It also towed our 23 foot mastercraft with ease and its a pretty big and heavy boat. The 2014/2015 Chevy 1500's didn't impress me at all. I specifically didn't like the size of the dash and the placement of all the controls and 4x4 buttons.

The dodge- Mixed opinions. I like the power wagons of all years for obvious reasons but they are hard to come by and get something like 12mpg if you're lucky. I really like the generations with the 12V cummins. But other than that they are more of a fufu truck.

Toyota- Good trucks. Very spacious. My dad just bought one and it has a strong engine, good interior, tows well etc etc. But I feel that they are Tundras are too much of a "look how big I am" and "look at me" truck. The front end is very boxy and very bulky. And I dont like the guy who makes his voice way too deep and tries to be manly on their commercials.

Ford- I'm biased to a certain extent but I definitely like ford. The FX4 packages are awesome and there is a lot of aftermarket support. Strong engines and reliable. I have 260k on my 4.6L and still runs strong. My family used to own an excursion with the V10 and it was based off a F250 platform. Great rig. I drove it in high school and owned the parking lot. Towed our family and boat every summer to various lakes. Lots of road trips. I miss it to be honest. You can find a good F-150 for a pretty decent price with low miles. Top notch in my opinion. Certain years could have used a little more thought in the interior but the new interiors are spot on IMO.

 

[cleanEG]

For what it's worth, I own a 2011 1500 crew cab Silverado LTZ 4wd with 6.2L and 3.73 gears. 45k miles on the truck and it's a beast. With a leveling kit up front and 275/70/17 tires, I have enough clearance to tackle the trails I'm willing to travel. As for mileage, 13mpg around town and 17mpg on the highway @70mph. Any faster and it drops to 15.5mpg. The gas mileage goes down further if I take off traction control and mash the pedal, but the smile and throw back in the seat is worth it to me

 

[NitroExpress]

Ahh, The great debate. It's good fun to talk about all the good and bad regarding brands and models. I can offer good and bad points about all and learned long ago to not be a blind loyalist in regards to trucks. They are all expensive and all break down. The great thing about all of them is aftermarket support is good and you can generally upgrade or fix known issues. Don't second guess your gut feel, go with what appeals to you and your needs. Maintain it properly, drive it, enjoy.

 

[Rustlin']

Id go pre 2010 if you arent a fan of imperial probe droids (black boxes) in your vehicle. I know, big brov has our phones tapped, but weve got to curtail this surveillance state wherever possible.

Vote with your dollars folks.

Get a pre 97 ford if you like functionality and are cheap.

 

[Rustlin']

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Ben Franklin

 

[73datsun]

Why weren't you impressed with the Ram 1500?

I just picked up a 2014 Ram 1500 QC, 4x4, 8sp, Hemi. I've been pretty impressed with it. Rides well. Awesome fuel economy. On my trip to the cabin, I was pulling 23mpg. I average 18+mpg per fill up. 395hp/405lbft

Granted, I'm not planning any massive off road ventures, so I can't comment on that. But we've been well pleased with it so far.

 

[wrmmt]

I would echo what has been said above, go with what you like. They are all good options, I think a lot comes down to personal preference. I just got a 2013 Silverado 1500 and really like it, have been getting 15-16 city, haven't really tested on the highway yet, but the little bit I have driven I have been hanging somewhere around the 21-23 range. May not have the fanciest interior, but I like the styling of the whole truck and there is something about the simple but useful interior I like (I have the base version, looked at the fancier interior as well, but was not a fan of that). My dad has a 02 Silverado that he's put somewhere around 200K on and it has been great for him, been really reliable and he's never had any complaints. Briefly drove a pretty recent (I would say 2012+) F150 that my company has as a work truck, I liked the interior and it seemed like a great truck, but the exterior Ford styling has never really done it for me. Looked at the Tundra when I was getting my new truck and liked it, but they just seem big for a half ton (if interior cab room is your first priority, this is probably the top option), and I just didn't like the interior as much as some of the other trucks I checked out. Find what you like, set it up how you like, and hit the dirt! I don't think you will be disappointed with any of them...

 

[ZJARCHER]

I've driven several of them (both as rentals on business and friends trucks)... here's my order of preference:

Ram Ecodiesel if you can swing the diesel premium. If not, the Hemi is a VERY well built truck.

F150 Eco boost is AWESOME.

Tundra- gutless, but a well rounded truck otherwise.

Chevy- I'd never buy one personally. Two buddies have them (13 and a 15), they get crappy mileage, having interior crap fail non stop, and they aren't the most peppy things on the road. But they, they ride smooth.

 

[mobob]

I went through this last year looking at new trucks and after driving every type of 1/2 and 3/4 ton I chose a Raptor. The F150 is solid and the 6.2 made it that much better. It will get 15 mpg if you slow down, I don't because it has a big tank and will go 450 miles on a tank anyway. 4.10's and 35's with better shocks and the softer longer travel suspension makes it ride like the Chevy on the highway and not need modification for off roaring. Locking rear and limited slip front Diffs along with the ability to turn off the ABS make it a very capable stock off-road vehicle. Turn on off-road mode and the computer actually does good things for off roading. It also seems pretty durable (20k in first year), if you don't drive it like a madman doing stupid things too fast. Add more/better skids and a winch and drive it almost stock into most places. The used parts market is also good since everyone with too much coin upgrades a few suspension weak points so they can drive faster to the wreck and then part them out after they figure out it's not a trophy truck.

Downsides are price, payload capacity (I didn't need it), and width on some of the trails.

Used ones are coming down in price, the issues are all known at this point and the first Gen used market should get even cheaper as the 2017's get close in about a year. Entire suspensions are available on eBay/craigslist relatively cheap and fit on the standard f150 with few mods if your the project type, but you would loose the computer enhancements and heavier duty rear axle.

Like a few have said, buy what you like for what you need and can afford, while still being able to drive it.

 

[snowfiend]

I went with the F150 and optioned the Heavy Duty Payload Package. With my loaded Lariat 4x4 ecoboost, I have a GVW of 8200, payload rating of 2,003 lbs, and towing rating of 11300 lbs. MPG sucks, but that's why it has a 36 gallon tank

 

[Cyclone.1983]

I have a 2013 ram 1500 4 door with the v6 that gets 24mph and has a 28 gallon tank. People make fun of my v6 until they find out it has more power than their older Hemi V8. We also have a new f150 and a couple year old chevy silvy for work pickups, there is no comparison in quality, on road performance, noise on road ect. Thing is amazing and this is from a Ford guy/family.

 

[sdwhip]

I have a 2013 ram 1500 4 door with the v6 that gets 24mph and has a 28 gallon tank. People make fun of my v6 until they find out it has more power than their older Hemi V8. We also have a new f150 and a couple year old chevy silvy for work pickups, there is no comparison in quality, on road performance, noise on road ect. Thing is amazing and this is from a Ford guy/family.

More HP than a 318/360 Magnum and the 02-07 4.7L but less TQ, and less power than any Hemi ever built. I have nothing against the V6 and it would probably work just fine for a majority of people but it doesn't compare to the 5.7 Hemi. The 8spd transmission is what really helps the V6.

 

[D45]

I can get an LEO discount on the Rams and save $5,000-$12,000

However, I have no interested in the Rams, just seems cheap and thrown together...........not a Hemi fan