Administrators SuperDan Posted April 4, 2008 Administrators Share Posted April 4, 2008 Well it looks like my wifes Magnum is not going to show up so I need to start shopping for a new truck. Insurance company will settle with us early next week unless it shows up before then. I have decided that what would be best for us is a full size crew cab truck. We cannot afford new so we are looking at 2006 - 2007 models. I have narrowed it down to 3 makes and would appreciate anyone who ones either what their opinion is: Toyota Tundra Nissan Titan Dodge Ram Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEvilrps13 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 the titan is going to have the best interior. the tundra is going to be the most reliable. the dodge is the only one you can get with a diesel. both the dodge and titan will have the most interior room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Well, am I biased cause I have 4 dodge trucks? 1933, 1994, 1999 and 2004. I have 350K on the '99, 195K on the '94 and 25K on the '04. Oh, the '33 has probably made it 3 miles, 200 feet at a time! Too bad alky is $200 a barrel nowadays. I like them dan, durable, no hassles, great fuel mileage. Don't get me wrong I'm a chevy man, but for out here you can't beat the cummins diesel for longetivity and great fuel mileage that beats the other two hands down! I hear very good things about the toyota tundra and the nissan titan. I rode in a nissan titan the other day and it had alot of cabin wind noise which I didn't like so if you drive one, then take it at freeway speed. Oh, I forgot your freeway speed is 15mph max! :lmao: Ok, well then take it to the drag strip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 It depends, are you going to keep it till the wheels fall off? If so I would get a ram with the cummins, i love my 2002. If you are going to keep it a few years, the Tundra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators RTz Posted April 4, 2008 Administrators Share Posted April 4, 2008 As Sparks hinted at, if you're only going to keep it for 3 or 4 years, re-sale value would weigh heavy in my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 My dad has a tundra that I've put at least 5k miles on myself. I believe it's an 06'. It's the 4.7 4 full doors and standard bed. I really love that truck. I've driven it long distances without problems. Quite comfortable, not perfect, but good. My dad is paranoid about the transmission, and it does seem to be the worst part of the truck. Sometimes it doesn't like to upshift, and turning OD off and then on again kicks it back up to it's last gear. Other times it kinda does the same thing from 2nd to 3rd around town, kinda odd. It's not like a HUGE problem, but it makes my dad worry about it going out on us. I keep telling him to bring it in since he got the extended warrenty and prepaid maintainence. Least they could do is check on it. I really like our local toyota dealer though. The service rep I've always dealt with has worked on 3 of our toyota cars and is ALWAYS helpful and never once have I felt ripped off in any way. Their prices have been comparable to any of the local shops, and they do much better work. If I didn't like our local toyota dealer I'm not sure I'd buy a newer car from them that they'd be working on. That being said, I think I like the new tundra motor better, and I've never been in a titan and worry I'd love that truck a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Well I used to fix Rams and now I fix Titans. My take on it... Nissan is way more reliable vs a 1500 Ram. You wont be in the shop every other oil change for an oil leak of some kind. Not to mention the Titan's tranny will last a lot longer than a Ram's will. Don't get me wrong Dodge has improved but they are still light years behind Nissan with their trannys! We have seen a few rear ends take out the center section on the Titan's but those are few and far between. Ram is definitely going to be cheaper. But you get what you pay for. You wont have any resale value when you sell it. Both have very similar sized interiors. I think the Titan has a slightly nicer interior. I not a big squeak, rattle, or wind noise person, so I can't be of much help there. Both trucks have tons of power right out of the box(5.7L Dodge vs 5.6L Nissan(Don't bother with the 4.7 in the RAM, it gets the same mileage and you'll be disappointed with the power of the 4.7L)). Both get like 15mpg. Neither engine has really any major problems. Titan definitely gets way less check engine lights. The only time it comes on is when the evaporative emissions vent valve gets stuck open and it sets a P0455(Gross Evap Leak) DTC. They have a TSB for this to install a filter kit so it doesn't get clogged with road deb-re/dirt/bugs again. I love the Dodge Diesels but it sounds like your looking for a 1/2 ton pick up. My vote is Titan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Get a Dodge cummins! the 3rd gens 03+ are comfortable and alot quieter for a family truck. Of course I love my 2nd gen 12v with a 4" straight pipe, and the cummins rattling loud as can be, but thats just me . Big reliable power is available easily, and u'll fall in love with Turbo diesels once u get one and hear the 35psi whistle and all the torque unwrap under ur foot. If u want a peppy truck get any of the gasser's, but theres a definent love once u get a diesel with some power. i average 19mpg in my dually around town, and it tows a 9k lbs bobcat/trailer like clockwork getting around 14mpg. Just do a search on youtube for Dodge cummins, and u'll see some good things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 My '94 dodge 2wd regular cab diesel gets a bonafide 25mpg. The '99 4wd extended cab 24 valve gets 22.5mpg and the '04 quad cab gets 19mpg. All are unmolested stock diesels. If your going diesel get the manual trans and the tallest gears, like 3.54's or 3.73's. Resale on a diesel is phenominal as compared to a gas. I talked with my oil patch buddy Odis McClellan yesterday and oil futures are at a low of $80/bbl and a high of $120/bbl so the average is $100/bbl. So don't look for gas to go down much if any. That's his opinion and he's in the oil and gas business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zV8 Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Diesel is $4.19 here. Premium unleaded is about 3.70. So I really hope diesel lowers back down or else the efficiency of diesel wont matter, u'll still have to pay alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.0Retroride Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 I strongly believe you will be more reliable going Jap. I bought an 03 quad cab hemi and had enough little stuff go wrong under warranty that it would have been expensive if I had had to pay. Alternator, rear seat belt (plastic ring cracked had to replace the entire setupI sold it before I had to start paying for all the crap as I figured the next 45k would be much more expensive than the first. Other than that and the 12mpg avg. on a 2wd, I loved the truck. Also to note, the doors would blow open slightly in strong sidewinds on the highway just enough to where you would hear air coming in. Not real impressive. My tailgate seam was starting to rust by 3 years old. Even in KC I was not impressed at all with the lack of rust protection. Dodge drove alot better than the Titan, however I never drove the Tundra. Hope that helps. Dodge is a great truck if you don't mind a little maintenance and are in a place where you won't rust. Very fun to drive and still good looking. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Make your own biodiesel like i do, 1.40 ftw! Putting a two tank kit on this summer then it will just be .60 a gallon, woot woot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Early Tundras 5.7Ls had a cam problem that caused the engine to go boom. They should have all been fixed now under warranty (Toyota replaced the complete engine in the recalled trucks). No problems that I'm aware of regarding the 4.7L engines. Have not heard anything bad about the Titans and they tend to be cheaper then the Toyotas. Dodge Rams are your basic Dodge truck. Sturdy and on the whole reliable except for little things. Cheap and easy to find. The are the least refined of the trucks out there which may be an issue for your wife (we already know were your level of refinement is Dan). FYI... you might want to look at a new truck. March was the worst car sales month in at least the last 5 years and trucks are stacking up on dealer lots like cordwood. I'm sure you can get 0% APR for 5 years with no money down and at least a $5,000 rebate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3.0Retroride Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Yeah I just saw some 29,900 Quad Cab v8 dodge for 17,900. Glad I sold mine when I did. Can't buy a used one and justify it if you can buy a new one like that. Hard to get a good deal on used trucks sometimes, plus unless you pay cash you get the good rates on new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators SuperDan Posted April 5, 2008 Author Administrators Share Posted April 5, 2008 FYI... you might want to look at a new truck. March was the worst car sales month in at least the last 5 years and trucks are stacking up on dealer lots like cordwood. I'm sure you can get 0% APR for 5 years with no money down and at least a $5,000 rebate. Yup, Nissan has some pretty nice rebates on the Titan and the Frontier right now, I went down and checked them both out. The Frontier Crew Cab has allot more room inside than I expected and that 4.0 V6 has some balls. Almost makes it as cheap as buying a used truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete84 Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Make your own biodiesel like i do, 1.40 ftw! Putting a two tank kit on this summer then it will just be .60 a gallon, woot woot Uh, how exactly do you make biodiesel for so cheap?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Dan I've had a Dodge Commins Diesel 3500 series for 3 years now and just got hit with my first major repair, which is a common known issue on the ball joints failing... Other than that, the truck has 68K miles on it and has gone thru one set of front rotors/pads and one set of rear pads. The truck performs great, has tons of interior space in the quad cab version (not the megacab, either) and is a great overall vehicle, and I say that NOT being a dodge man. I'm knocking down about 18mpg around town and up to 21 on the highway. The thing is a mega work horse and I expect to keep this truck for another 10 years. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Diesel is $4.19 here. Premium unleaded is about 3.70. So I really hope diesel lowers back down or else the efficiency of diesel wont matter, u'll still have to pay alot. Do the math, Gas truck at say 17mpg, gas at $3.20 gallon here = $0.188 per mile Diesel getting say 21 mpg, fuel at $3.85 gallon here = $0.183 per mile. Still cheaper, get 10K on oil filter changes versus 3K on gas, yeah it uses twice the oil but you get more than twice the life. Rotella T synthetic diesel oil is $17 gallon at walmart. They last 500,000 miles between rebuilds, have tons of power, I've got a combined 570,000 miles on them. I've never had a ball joint problem, must be a problem with all the salt on the icy roads. Replaced 2 starters, 2 fuel lift pumps, never had to replace rotors, been through brake pads and shoes, but they are easy to change DIY. Complete spring replacement kits for the rear brakes are $10 at Napa. You can get a quad cab 4wd diesel here for $27K brand new at the dodge house. There was an ad in the local paper here a couple weeks ago. I paid $32K for my '04 including tax, title, license, and extended warranty in '04! Just got back from Juarez, Mexico last night buying more ceramic tile for the house. Filled up there in Mexico and Diesel is $2.10/gallon. $56 to fill up the thirsty dodge with less than 1/4 tank showing on the gauge! Burned alittle over 1/4 tank getting back 200 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I've done the math on the gas/diesel cost comparison every time I've went to purchase a new truck. The break even point has always been 150K to 175K miles for my driving and fuel cost situation. For me, the diesel doesn't work out financially because I've usually worn the truck's chassis out at that mileage number (GCVW 18,0000 to 20,000 lbs at least two weekends per month). An engine that can go 300,000 miles is of no value to me when the truck the engine is in is worn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Uh, how exactly do you make biodiesel for so cheap?? I give .50 to the resturants per gallon for the oil, and I have to add 20% methanol by volume, and a catalyst KOH for reaction, it adds up to a little under 1.40 a gallon counting filters, chemicals, power, and fuel to go get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.