We went truck shopping today

[Dirtyhip]

<sigh>

Nothing there has changed.  Ugh.

Looking at another GMC, a Chevy, the Tundra, or the Ram.  Ford is out.  Don't suggest Ford.  I am not a Ford girl, and never will be a Ford girl.  ?

We saw that they have 0% financing on the Chevy.  Tempting.  We could continue collecting interest on the car money.  Although, the cost of the vehicle is likely higher when you talk free financing. We can pay cash if we want to for the truck and then the deal is just price.  No monthly payment baloney. Talking to these people are annoying.  

Our needs:

5.7 V8, nothing smaller

6 foot bed

Extended cab preferred and not the quad cab.  

4WD

tow package

No leather, or other loaded package vehicles.  

I considered diesel, but the difference in price seems prohibitive.

On a side note, I sat in the Sublime green Charger.  It felt very sweet.  I liked the way the door closed.  I felt so snug in that muscle car.  WooF!

[Razors Edge ★]

I gotta say, the Ford F-150 is a nice option.  Hard to beat the Ford.

I generally keep an eye out when camping to see what the trends seem to be in tow vehicles.  Our last camping trip a few weeks ago showed that Chevy was WELL represented.  Way more than I expected. Ford and Dodge were about neck and neck, but Chevy was about 2:1 to both.

[Dirtyhip]

1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

I gotta say, the Ford F-150 is a nice option.  Hard to beat the Ford.

?

Sharpening my talons ...

[ChrisL]

My sister has a 15 yo Chevy 2500 as she has horse property & tows a horse trailer.  It’s a solid truck and has served her well. Seems like you dig Chevy/GM.  

I’d say stick with a winner.

[Kzoo]

0% financing, that’s not a used truck.  Where’s your head?

[petitepedal ★]

6 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

Don't suggest Ford.  I am not a Ford girl, and never will be a Ford girl.  ?

Me too...loved my Chevies back in the day.

[maddmaxx ★]

I was very impressed by the Tundra but I have no idea if you can get the outfit you want.

[Parr8hed]

I know that you're not a Ford girl, but you owe it to yourself to at least drive an F 150 with the ecoboost twin turbo v6.  Mine pulls my camper like a boss.  That's all I will say on that.

If you are going to be pulling the camper I would really suggest a 2500 chevy.  That larger gas V8 is a great motor.  I think that the 5.3 is slightly anemic unless you get it geared really low and then it kills your mileage.  I would shy away from diesel if it were me unless you're towing in excess of 10K pounds regularly. 

Trucks ain't cheap, even entry level ones. 

[Parr8hed]

Ok, one more thing for me to add.....

One of the biggest things that you want to look at for towing a camper is the rear axle.  Especially if you're looking at the smaller V8's.  Don't take a dealership's word that it has a tow package on it.  Just because it has a hitch on the back does not mean that it's set up to tow.  Look for the transmission cooler.  Verify on the VIN number or build sheet if you're looking at new ones. 

[BR46]

1 hour ago, Parr8hed said:

Trucks ain't cheap, even entry level ones.

We were walking past the Ford dealership the other day and stop and looked at the price of a new truck.

When did trucks start costing more than a house? 

[Airehead]

I say buy the muscle car and a used truck

[Parr8hed]

17 minutes ago, BR46 said:

We were walking past the Ford dealership the other day and stop and looked at the price of a new truck.

When did trucks start costing more than a house? 

My truck is only an XLT trim with the ecoboost, 4x4, cloth seats and crew cab.  Nothing special and it was still 31 grand USED!!!  Granted it only had 25K miles on it but dang.  But I LOVE my truck.  I love driving it.  But hate the payment.

[Indy]

Like at Nissan Titans.  It's easy to tell if it's full tow package on a test drive.  Yes, it's smaller than 5.7L, it's 5.6L instead but not a big deal.

[Indy]

34 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

My truck is only an XLT trim with the ecoboost, 4x4, cloth seats and crew cab.  Nothing special and it was still 31 grand USED!!!  Granted it only had 25K miles on it but dang.  But I LOVE my truck.  I love driving it.  But hate the payment.

Mine fully loaded was less than that.  There is a huge reason I went Titan.

[Parr8hed]

4 minutes ago, Indy said:

Mine fully loaded was less than that.  There is a huge reason I went Titan.

Nice.  Honestly I had not even priced them.  Was yours used as well?

[Indy]

1 minute ago, Parr8hed said:

Nice.  Honestly I had not even priced them.  Was yours used as well?

Yes, I don't buy new cars.  I let someone else take the depreciation hit and risk of dealing with a lemon.

[Dirtyhip]

How many miles do you consider a viable deal when talking about a replacement vehicle. 

[Indy]

If you do decide to look at Nissan Titans.  Shoot me a PM and I'll give you a heads up on what to look out for.

[Indy]

Just now, Dirtyhip said:

How many miles do you consider a viable deal when talking about a replacement vehicle. 

Anymore, it seems I buying them somewhere around the 100k mark on them because I am cheap.  Modern vehicles should easily hit 200k with out to much issue now.  It's not like what it used to be where 100k was nearing the end of the life of the vehicle.  Several in the Titan groups I am in have surpassed 300k, lots of them around 200k.

[Dirtyhip]

Wow. I thought that 39 thousand was a deal breaker.  We saw one truck with 39K yesterday.  I liked it.  My husband is the one that is leaning toward a new one or one with less miles.  I bought my Toyota truck with about 39k and I loved that truck.  It just ran and ran.

We have owned the Sierra since it was new.  We were taking it around with us, and just talking.  The dealers were making comments about the excellent trade.  I guess there is a decent resale value for used trucks in my area, cheap ones that still run well.  They were all saying that we were a rarity, because most people don't buy a truck and keep it forever. Silver is almost 20.

Our truck is grinding her guts out.  K found a bunch of metal shavings in the front diffy during his last oil change.  We had it done not too long ago, but it appears that she is still chomping herself.  I guess we sorta fast tracked the vehicle purchase.  I would prefer to get rid of this truck before we have to dump another grand in it.  Putting over a 1000 in a truck that only books out to about 4-5 just seems foolish,

[Randomguy]

Have you looked at Ford, sweetie?   It sure seems like all the smiley chicks drive Fords and scowly unhappy people buy other trucks. Have you considered Fords ?  You really should, you know. 

[Parr8hed]

16 minutes ago, Indy said:

Yes, I don't buy new cars.  I let someone else take the depreciation hit and risk of dealing with a lemon.

Same

 

13 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

How many miles do you consider a viable deal when talking about a replacement vehicle. 

I usually have a rule of thumb of 2 years old and 25K miles when I look for a vehicle.  My Expeditions have all fit this.  My F150 was right on it.  My wife's explorer was 4 year old but only had 30K miles on it and it was loaded but I feel like we got a great deal. 

[Parr8hed]

3 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Wow. I thought that 39 thousand was a deal breaker.  We saw one truck with 39K yesterday.  I liked it.  My husband is the one that is leaning toward a new one or one with less miles.  I bought my Toyota truck with about 39k and I loved that truck.  It just ran and ran.

We have owned the Sierra since it was new.  We were taking it around with us, and just talking.  The dealers were making comments about the excellent trade.  I guess there is a decent resale value for used trucks in my area, cheap ones that still run well.

Our truck is grinding her guts out.  K found a bunch of metal shavings in the front diffy during his last oil change.  We had it done not too long ago, but it appears that she is still chomping herself.  I guess we sorta fast tracked the vehicle purchase.  I would prefer to get rid of this truck before we have to dump another grand in it.  Putting over a 1000 in a truck that only books out to about 4-5 just seems foolish,

I would not hesitate at all to buy a 39K mile vehicle if I knew that it had been taken care of.

[Indy]

3 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Wow. I thought that 39 thousand was a deal breaker.  We saw one truck with 39K yesterday.  I liked it.  My husband is the one that is leaning toward a new one or one with less miles.  I bought my Toyota truck with about 39k and I loved that truck.  It just ran and ran. 

We have owned the Sierra since it was new.  We were taking it around with us, and just talking.  The dealers were making comments about the excellent trade.  I guess there is a decent resale value for used trucks in my area, cheap ones that still run well.  They were all saying that we were a rarity, because most people don't buy a truck and keep it forever. Silver is almost 20. 

Our truck is grinding her guts out.  K found a bunch of metal shavings in the front diffy during his last oil change.  We had it done not too long ago, but it appears that she is still chomping herself.  I guess we sorta fast tracked the vehicle purchase.  I would prefer to get rid of this truck before we have to dump another grand in it.  Putting over a 1000 in a truck that only books out to about 4-5 just seems foolish,

That depends, if that is all that's wrong, put a new front diff in and may give you years worth of life.  And when you figure payment on a new truck, it will pay itself back in no time.  That's always the debate though between repairing versus replacing.  What I find it really comes down to though, is how much you like your current vehicle and whether you really just want something different or not.  Otherwise repairing almost always wins out because you can do a lot of repairs for the payment on a new truck.

[Indy]

2 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I would not hesitate at all to buy a 39K mile vehicle if I knew that it had been taken care of.

I don't hesitate to buy a 90k+ mile vehicle that I know nothing about if the test drive goes well and I am buying from a reputable dealer.

[Randomguy]

2 minutes ago, Indy said:

I don't hesitate to buy a 90k+ mile vehicle that I know nothing about if the test drive goes well and I am buying from a reputable dealer.

I bought my Landbruiser at 112K and it was a heroic beast. mechanically until I moved to NYC and sold it at around 200K.  They routinely go to 400K, though I wasn’t worried at all about it. 

[Parr8hed]

4 minutes ago, Indy said:

That depends, if that is all that's wrong, put a new front diff in and may give you years worth of life.  And when you figure payment on a new truck, it will pay itself back in no time.  That's always the debate though between repairing versus replacing.  What I find it really comes down to though, is how much you like your current vehicle and whether you really just want something different or not.  Otherwise repairing almost always wins out because you can do a lot of repairs for the payment on a new truck.

Exactly.  My parents just threw a rod in their Buick Enclave.  Put 8,500 into a new motor.  But it was paid for.  It had 133K miles on it and looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.  A lot easier to justify when you think about that one going for close to 60 grand new now.  I tried to talk them into a used motor for less than half of that but Dad was not having it.  He wanted a new motor with a  warranty. 

[Indy]

1 minute ago, Randomguy said:

I bought my Landbruiser at 112K and it was a heroic beast. mechanically until I moved to NYC and sold it at around 200K.  They routinely go to 400K, though I wasn’t worried at all about it. 

Yeah, and it doesn't take much effort to pull it off, just basic maintenance and they should last anymore.  I've had three vehicles fall short of 200k that were built in 1993 and later.  A Hyundai Scoupe which would still be early in Hyundai days, that thing was going to take major money at 100k so dumped it and a Ford Expedition that by a 130k seemed like it was in competition with my VW Touareg to rack up the most tow truck bills.  VW Touareg, well, it was a VW Touareg, notorious for maintenance later in life.  The Ford Expedition, transmission went, so I had it rebuilt, then fuel rail pressure sensor, then something else, finally gave up as it was becoming obvious the entire front suspension and steering needed rebuilt. 

But Jeep Cherokee, no problem, Dodge Dakota, no problem.  Wife's old Mittsubishi Galant has passed 250k and still going and has gone through all three of my nephews now.  Wife's current Acura MDX is heading towards 200k with no problems, only have had to have the alternator replaced.  I don't think my Sister and brother in law owns a single vehicle with less thank 200k on it.  My other sister is not so lucky though, she's good at killing vehicles early.

[Kzoo]

9 minutes ago, Indy said:

I don't hesitate to buy a 90k+ mile vehicle that I know nothing about if the test drive goes well and I am buying from a reputable dealer.

Of the last 6 vehicles I've purchased the lowest odometer reading was 57k and the highest was 110k.  All were driven above (some well above) 200k.  My current Honda has 210k and I plan on putting another 35k on it before a new (used ) purchase next year.  I probably wouldn't buy a vehicle that only had 39k on it.

Someone much smarter than me told me several years ago that when you are buying a used vehicle you are buy miles not years.

[smudge ★]

39,000 is not bad for a used vehicle especially if it's fairly new. Look it over well to make sure it wasn't abused. Look underneath too.

FWIW, HoSmudge and I like our Chevy's. Colorado and Silverado.

Happy shopping!

[Indy]

9 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

Exactly.  My parents just threw a rod in their Buick Enclave.  Put 8,500 into a new motor.  But it was paid for.  It had 133K miles on it and looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.  A lot easier to justify when you think about that one going for close to 60 grand new now.  I tried to talk them into a used motor for less than half of that but Dad was not having it.  He wanted a new motor with a  warranty. 

A lot of people will warranty used, rebuilt motors.  It amazes me how much people will pay for a piece of paper saying they have a warranty they will never use.

[Dirtyhip]

I guess the thing about the high mileage is that we now have a smaller radius that we are having to adhere to.  We would love to drive around and meet all you fine people, but we can't now.  I don't trust the GMC to not leave us stranded 1000 miles from home. 

Our silver has been breaking down just about every year and a half now.  The truck has 176K now.  That is starting to become annoying.

We love the truck otherwise. 

The dealers were all commenting about how nice our truck was for the advanced age. They wanted to give us 2k for her.  We laughed.

[Indy]

1 minute ago, Dirtyhip said:

I guess the thing about the high mileage is that we now have a smaller radius that we are having to adhere to.  We would love to drive around and meet all you fine people, but we can't now.  I don't trust the GMC to not leave us stranded 1000 miles from home. 

Our silver has been breaking down just about every year and a half now.  The truck has 176K now.  That is starting to become annoying.

We love the truck otherwise. 

Yeah, it's getting up there.  Lots of things worn, aged and tired.  If I remember right, it's older too.  Age does matter too.  That's why it's not just miles.  A newer vehicle with higher miles can often be better than older with lower miles.  In the end it's all a crap shoot.  Even with new vehicles.  A lot of people are having trouble with new GM trucks, apparently they have a lot of electrical issues.  They seem to be having all kinds of issues lately, that combined with the new truck is just uglier than sin is why Ram has finally surpassed Chevy in sales and is now number 2 behind Ford.

[Indy]

Honestly for me, if I was shopping for a new truck.  It would be a Nissan XD or a Ram.  I love the looks of the new Rams and I like how the XD was designed and built as a heavy half.  So it's a towing beast with out riding like one.

[Dirtyhip]

1 minute ago, Indy said:

Yeah, it's getting up there.  Lots of things worn, aged and tired.  If I remember right, it's older too.  Age does matter too.  That's why it's not just miles.  A newer vehicle with higher miles can often be better than older with lower miles.  In the end it's all a crap shoot.  Even with new vehicles.  A lot of people are having trouble with new GM trucks, apparently they have a lot of electrical issues.  They seem to be having all kinds of issues lately, that combined with the new truck is just uglier than sin is why Ram has finally surpassed Chevy in sales and is now number 2 behind Ford.

Everyone of the dealers all talked about body style, and what I thought about how the truck looks.  Funny.  I don't care so much about that, these days. 

Although, I don't want a black truck.  It seems like the black vehicles get hotter.  We don't use air too much.  I don't know why my husband prefers the windows open to a little air conditioning.  

[Dirtyhip]

My buddy is trying to talk us into a Ram.  He says they are great.  

[2Far ★]

Stay away from the Chevy Z71.

The company is on pace to replace every transmission from every truck purchased in the last 4 years (+/-25 units). Mileages range from 60,000 to 200,000. Most at about 150k. Towing seems to accelerate the issue.

[Indy]

6 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

My buddy is trying to talk us into a Ram.  He says they are great.  

Anymore, they are.  Ram has been killing it lately.  I'd love to get my hands on one and really put it through it's paces to see how they do because they are the only one running a coiled linked rear suspension.  I've always been curious how that compares to the traditional leaf spring setup.

[Indy]

3 minutes ago, 2Far said:

Stay away from the Chevy Z71.

The company is on pace to replace every transmission from every truck purchased in the last 4 years (+/-25 units). Mileages range from 60,000 to 200,000. Most at about 150k. Towing seems to accelerate the issue.

That's just crazy.  I remember Ford and Chevy co-devoloped a truck transmission, one used it and the other then decided to go a different direction, but can't remember which was which.  Obviously though, one made the right decision and the other didn't.

[Dirtyhip]

20 minutes ago, 2Far said:

Stay away from the Chevy Z71.

The company is on pace to replace every transmission from every truck purchased in the last 4 years (+/-25 units). Mileages range from 60,000 to 200,000. Most at about 150k. Towing seems to accelerate the issue.

Interesting. 

[Dirtyhip]

I hope that I will make a decision fast than @petitepedal.  

[Dottleshead ★]

1 hour ago, Indy said:

Anymore, it seems I buying them somewhere around the 100k mark on them because I am cheap.  Modern vehicles should easily hit 200k with out to much issue now.  It's not like what it used to be where 100k was nearing the end of the life of the vehicle.  Several in the Titan groups I am in have surpassed 300k, lots of them around 200k.

I agree. 200k on modern vehicles seems a reasonable expectation... and probably higher.

[petitepedal ★]

13 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

I hope that I will make a decision fast than @petitepedal.  

Buying a truck...aren't as many choices..and you already kicked Ford off the list...easy peasy now!

[Tizeye]

22 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

I gotta say, the Ford F-150 is a nice option.  Hard to beat the Ford.

Actually, it is quite easy to beat the Ford with a baseball bat, golf club, 2x4, etc. And I am told it feels good too, as long as it is not your truck.

[Wilbur ★]

10 hours ago, 2Far said:

Stay away from the Chevy Z71.

The company is on pace to replace every transmission from every truck purchased in the last 4 years (+/-25 units). Mileages range from 60,000 to 200,000. Most at about 150k. Towing seems to accelerate the issue.

A friend of mine owns a construction company that has 70 -Z71's.  He maintains they have all had transmissions fail, some more than twice.  He is going back to F-150s next year. 

[Tizeye]

While you noted 5.7 V8 minimum, may want to keep the diesel option open. Assuming you are looking at a 1500, and not the larger 2500 or higher trucks with the $10,000 Cummins diesel option. Next year all 1500's will have a diesel option. Ford currently has one. but meh performance and only in the higher trims. GM supposedly will have a 3.0L diesel in their trucks by the end of the year and rumored to be a no cost option (replacing the V8 at no cost - not the V6)  and in all trim levels. HP, torque and towing better than Ford. Then there is Ram. Just announced  last month that current 3.0L diesel being discontinued and replaced with a totally new 3.0L and teaser stats - Slightly more HP and Torque than GM and monster 12,500 lb towing which I think is better than their 5.7 Hemi. While will be available in all trim levels, not released was payload, MPG, or price which will be discussed closer to release date.

They have been making that new diesel an option in Jeep Wrangle type vehicles, including the new Gladiator, but sadly haven't noted returning the diesel to the Grand Cherokee. They NEED to! Wife doesn't want a truck, and questionable if she could climb up in. I have been looking at the Grand Cherokee for small travel trailer (19-23'). The Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 Hemi is the way to go...but looking at fuelly reposts, 16 mpg in everyday driving OUCH! They need to return the diesel because Mercedes and BMW are killing them. Their gas supercharged V6 in the similar size GLE and X5 (and Audi's slightly larger Q7) all have the 300+ horsepower and 300+ torque matching the 5.7 Hemi and all are rated at 7200lb towing, but return around 22 mpg on fuelly.

Unless GM pulls off  the no cost issue on diesel, yes, diesels cost more...but so does a V8 as the base price on a truck, except very high trim levels, is on a V6. I find it amazing that people act as if the sky is falling when see the $4000 add on for diesel, but won't even blink an eye with the $2700 charge for a V8.

 

[jdc2000]

One more thing to check is whether the vehicle has auto-stop/start, especially if it cannot be disabled.  GM is doing that to a lot of their vehicles.  Besides being extremely annoying in traffic, you will be buying a $650-$750 starter every few years.

 

[Rattlecan ★]

12 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

My buddy is trying to talk us into a Ram.  He says they are great.  

Just steer clear of the Eco Diesel. They are not so great.

[Dirtyhip]

6 minutes ago, jdc2000 said:

One more thing to check is whether the vehicle has auto-stop/start, especially if it cannot be disabled.  GM is doing that to a lot of their vehicles.  Besides being extremely annoying in traffic, you will be buying a $650-$750 starter every few years.

 

Traffic?  What the heck is that?  LOL

[Randomguy]

I am seeing truck advertisements now.   

Where is Old#7?  He has a nice truck.