In the market for a new truck

[Pistol Pete]

time for a new truck,but what to buy. I usually by a f-150. The one I have now has been good and get resonable milage. Does anybody here drive a Toyota Tacoma?? Toyota's web site says 18-21mpg with a 6cly 4x4. You can add a tow package and tow up to 6500lbs. What are people really getting for milage with these trucks? Would be nice to get better milage while on a prairie dog or pheasant hunting trip yet still be able to pull the boat.

[iffwalleyes]

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Yes that's all I wanted was info on a truck. What I didn't want was a smart a** reply about some web site I've never heard of. What I did want was answers to a question that was important to me. If it wasn't important to you do not reply to this thread.

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Right On Man.

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You probably can't afford to wait, but the big three are all going to offer diesel's in 1/2 ton models within the next 2-3 years. Should get solid gains: highway in mid 20's mpg and low 20's in town. Tow better than the gas models and have 30-45% better mileage.

The only downside I see is all the extra emissions equipment they will come with. Who knows how much maintenance they will require.

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If that comes out I will have to consider looking into one. But I have heard they were going to be doing this for the last about 3 years too and still haven't seen it. They still need to come up with a diesel crew cab half ton with 6.5 box to satisifiy me.

[Walleye Guy]

I just bought a 2007 GMC Sierra SLT Crew Cab tonight. Earlier today my wife and two daugthers were in an accident that totaled my Silverado. No life threatening injuries. My wife has a sore hip and my two daughters have abrasions and bruises from their seat belts. By the looks of the two vehicles you would swear somebody was seriously injured or worse. Somebody was looking out for them and the driver of the other vehicle.

I went with the 5.3 L with the active fuel management system. I considered the Toyota but the $3400 in GM Card bucks I had kept me with GM. My 2001 Silverado had 140k miles on it. During its 6 year life I had to replace the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and the power steering pump. Other than that I only experienced routine maintenance costs. I have been really happy with the truck given the abuse I have given it. The new 100K powertrain warranty on the new truck is also nice.

[upnorth]

Good to hear the family came out of the accident OK.

[BLACKJACK]

Glad the family is ok!

I also have the GM card, those dollars really add up!

[Fishbreath1]

[Please read forum policy before posting again, Thank You]

[cold one sd]

I'm in the same position as yu are, but I'm looking at 3/4 ton trucks. After looking at the prices of the new ones I think looking for one a couple years old with low miles would be best. You really get whacked by depreciation when you drive off the lot with a new one. I was talking to a friend yesterday and he told me that the local Chevy dealer had just sold an 05 Duramax/Allison with 30k on it. That would have been a good one for me. Good luck in your search and buy what is best for you.

[Cabela10]

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You probably can't afford to wait, but the big three are all going to offer diesel's in 1/2 ton models within the next 2-3 years.

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The Big Three? Has in Toyota, Chevy and Ford? Not sure Toyota has a diesel do they? Unless you were talking about the 4th ranked truck, the Dodge Ram.

[Cabela10]

GM Bucks? How do you go about getting that? I've purchased 2 brand new vehicles from GM in the past 5 years and never heard of this GM Bucks thing. Both vehicles were over $35k new.

[LMITOUT]

Only a guess, but he may be referring to GM points from using a GM credit card.

[Valv]

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The Big Three? Has in Toyota, Chevy and Ford? Not sure Toyota has a diesel do they? Unless you were talking about the 4th ranked truck, the Dodge Ram.

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You must be disinformed since Dodge is coming out sooner with a diesel for the 1/2 ton and Chrysler has already many vehicles with diesel motors.

[Cabela10]

Oh, that makes sense. Like that GMAC program?

[BLACKJACK]

Thats exactly what it is, every time I use my Mastercard sponsored by GM, I get 5% credit toward my next vehicle. From the GMCARD site:

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This is where your journey begins. Start using your GM Card for everyday purchases, and watch the Earnings add up! Earn 5% each time you use your Card, then redeem your Earnings on one of more than 50 eligible, new GM vehicles. From the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Motor Trend Truck of the Year to the all—new 2008 Buick Enclave Crossover, we've got just the one for you.

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What I like is that you get 5% of your purchase vrs 2.5% on most other cards. Downside is that you're tied into a GM product. To find out more just goto gmcard dott you know what.

[Walleye Guy]

One other great thing about my recent purchase was the Rapala tackle pack. 2 spinning rod combos, 35 (yes 35 crank baits, including 10 X-Raps, 5 Minnow Raps, & 10 Shad Raps) a filet knife, digital scale, a hat, a mug, 2 spools of braided line, a clipper, and fishing pliers & scissors, a tackle box....I think I missed a few things too.

Supposedly worth over $600.

I cannot wait to try the stuff out this weekend.

[mntraveler]

I also have the GM card deal but thought they only allowed $1000 for the new silverado/sierra trucks. The "classic" model they allow $3000 though. Please let me know if I'm wrong, it may get me convinced to buy a new truck sooner.

[Walleye Guy]

When they started the GM card program it was set up so that you could apply unlimited dollars towards a vehicle purchase but only earn $500 per year in rewards. After a few years they changed the program which let you earn unlimited dollars per year but they put a redemption cap on each vehicle. I had a choice of staying with the old program or moving to the new one. I elected to stay with the old one because I hold onto my vehicles for at least 5 years.

The cap on the Sierra I bought was $1000 but because I was on the old program I could apply all $3400 I had earned.

Each year I use my GM Card until I have earned my $500 and then I switch over to my Northwest Airlines card.

[mntraveler]

Thanks. We got on the program after the switch but now I have over $4000 I can't really use all of. I should get a different card I guess to earn towards something else.

[Whoaru99]

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For what its worth, I get 16-18 towing and 20-22 regular in my 04 Silverado WT. I never drive over 70mph and always use cruse.

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I find that hard to believe. I could drive 55mph in my '05 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab and be lucky to get 18mph and pulling a boat would be around 13mph at that same speed. I just don't see how this 20-22 regularly in a full size truck. Especially since city driving drops those numbers down a lot.

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That's about the mileage I get with my 94 K-1500 Ext Cab Chevy (5.7L). 13 MPG, give or take, pulling the boat and 17 MPG, give or take on the highway.

My buddy has a much newer Suburban and got about the same mileage.

A month or two ago, I rented a nearly new Chevy truck that had the advanced fuel managment thing. I watched that little display quite a bit and it ran in V8 mode probably 95% of the time. About the only time it seemed to go V6 was downhill or on flat road and a tailwind. Mileage was in the 17-18 MPG range on the highway.

[BLACKJACK]

When I bought my Silverado in 2004 I redeemed about $1700 worth. Now when I look at their site, here are some of the redemtion values:

Pickup

2007 Chevrolet Avalanche $1,500

2007 Chevrolet Colorado $1,500

2007 Chevrolet Silverado $1,000

2007 Chevrolet Silverado Classic $3,000

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I guess it depends upon which vehicle they're pushing. I'm at about $2100 in points now and will probably run it up to about $3000 and then start using a different card - or buy a new car or truck! Its still a pretty nice discount. Remember these redemption points also work towards Buicks, Pontiacs, ad GMC's.

[Cabela10]

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The Big Three? Has in Toyota, Chevy and Ford? Not sure Toyota has a diesel do they? Unless you were talking about the 4th ranked truck, the Dodge Ram.

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You must be disinformed since Dodge is coming out sooner with a diesel for the 1/2 ton and Chrysler has already many vehicles with diesel motors.

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misinformed about what? Dodge is the 4th ranked vehicle, thats all I said.

[Fishbreath1]

OK, I see now I can't refer you to other sites. So here goes. I have experience with the Tacoma powertrain, as its in my 4runner. The runner, however, is not a Tacoma frame, its much different. The Taco frame is made by dana, while the runner's frame (120 format) is made by Hino and is fully boxed. The two are very different vehicles so I can't comment about towing, handling, safety and the like.

If you get a Taco v6 auto, you will get the toyota 1GR-FE v6, basically a stroked out Camry engine for trucks. Its all aluminum and uses a timing chain, vvt-i on the intake side, has a knock sensor for running regular fuel (what I do), and assorted technical goodies. Most folks report poor gas mileage until a few thousand miles have passed, as the low tension piston rings take awhile to break in. I have found the engine to be smooth and powerful when I need the power, and I get around 18 mpg in mixed driving in the runner (Taco's are lighter). Its rated at 236 hp at 5200 rpm (239 for premium fuel) and 266 ft-lbs torque at 4000 rpm (278 at 3600 for premium fuel). I think with a tranny cooler and wd hitch (factory towing package), the Taco tows 6,500 lbs. (my runner can tow 6,300, but the tranny cooler and wd hitch have to be installed after market, by me of course, v8 runners come with those goodies and tow 7,300 lbs. ).

The transmission is made by Aisin, model A750F for 4wd, and A750E for 2wd. Its a 5 speed automatic (Taco has a 6 speed manual for Taco's with v6) and I think it's the runner's best feature. Its ultra quiet, you can't hear gears at all. It shifts very smoothly and is eager to downshift when you punch it. If you floor it, it will downshift 2 or more gears, no problem, while if you apply moderate accelerator pressure, it will downshift one gear or unlock the torque converter for moderate acceleration. Since I've had it it has adapted to my driving style, its supposed to be intelligent. I didn't believe it at first, but I do now. Its used on v8 runners and 4.7 liter Tundras so it can easily handle the v6 torque curve and handle hard Tacoma towing.

The folks on the banished website are reporting 150k and still strong with this powertrain. Its very quiet and smooth, but there are a few minor downsides.

Toyota recalled some '03 4runners due to engine fires related to intake problems. This is now fixed.

The engine makes a ticking noise, even when brand new. This hasn't affected longevity and is exhaust manifold (driver side only) related. Tacomas pronounce this noise more than 4runners (sound insulation in semi-lux SUV) and there is a fix for Tacomas with this issue performed free at the Toyota dealer. Tacomas also have a low payload. They are more fit for towing than hauling, it must be the composite bed.

I don't know anything about the 4 cyl. models or manual transmissions. I don't know anything about the interiors. I know they come with a rear locker if you want as an option for offroad use, along with the TRD package, but the ride is supposed to be excessively stiff with this package. The hood scoop on sport models is non-functional, for looks only (bad looks, imo).

Is that enough information now? Have I redeemed myself? Or am I still being a smarta$$?

[iland99]

Yes, Dodge will be coming out with a 1/2 ton diesel for the 2009 model year. Right before I left Cummins they were in the process of hiring 600 new workers for the new engine to be used in the 1/2 ton Ram.