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Looking for a new Truck


Doctrt

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My trailblazer has just about had it so I'm looking to buy a new truck this year. I'm focussing on the Sierra 1500 crewcab, as well as the Dodge Ram and F150 in the same class. I'm assuming prices may come down towards the summer as the 2012s come out. I'm hoping incentives improve like they did last year. I've got two small children and do a lot of fishing, trailering a small boat. I figured this would be a great place for advice. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

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you can buy a quad cab V8 powered 4WD fullsize truck for under 30K with 0% financing. there has never been a better time to buy a truck. i like the chevy myself but the f150 seems to provide more bells and whistles than the chevy in the same price range. the dodge seems to be the cheapest of the 3 but also seems 'big just for the sake of being big' if you know what i mean. the toyota and nissan are other options but historically dont offer the incentives of the domestic manufacturers. our local dealer had a well equipped chevy 4WD crew for 27k, cant see them going any lower regardless of time of year. previous model vehicles often dont get the incentives of the current year models, so its only the dealership that will sell them cheaper. obviously the best price will be to pay cash, if you're not in that position consider paying cash with a secure line of credit - its always proven to be cheaper for me to pay the cash price as opposed to get '0% financing' and pay off the line of credit in a hurry.

good luck nothing more fun than truck shopping! ill bet everyone here tells you the best truck is the one in their driveway! ;);)

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I got a Silverado last March, always had GM/Chev, but I drove a Ford for a week and didn t care for it too much, the seating in the cab is much higher,and didn t care for the ride, but thats just my op,I got a good deal on the Chev, list at 48000,got it out the door for 37000

taxes in.tonneau and boards in. and fairly well loaded,leather and all the unecessary gadgets.

gl in your hunt,if you are in the market pm me and i ll give you a good contact in Toronto region,nobody has come to his price in the last 4 trucks iv e had in the last 12 yrs.

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I'm driving a 2010 F-150 Super Crew with the 5.4 and after 1 full year now I can honestly say it's the best vehicle I've ever owned and would highly recommend it to anyone. It pulls my heavy 19' glass boat effortlessly and the ride is extremely comfortable. I've got a few friends with the same truck and they all say the same thing.

 

But for what it's worth, I think any of the big 3 put out good trucks right now so it may just be a choice of who gives the best deal.

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this is the best truck i ever had, a 2001 gmc sierra

 

IM000095.jpg

 

then i got a 2004 and while it was OK the 2001 was way better.

 

so in 2007 i got this.

 

2wd.jpg

 

its a suitable replacement for the full size trucks im used to. two car seats and the boat no problem. all things being equal my next truck will be a sierra or avalanche. as there is almost no fuel savings with the tacoma might as well go full size!

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I got into a 2010 SCrew F150 in October, and I really like it.

 

I came from a 2008 GMC Sierra.

 

In my reasearch I looked at the Chev's/GMC's, Dodge's and Ford's. The GM products were the most expensive and were not heavily discounted like the Fords and Dodges. I attribute that to GM's financial troubles and not opening the floodgates on production, therefore lower inventories. There was virtually no choice out there in the GM the inventory was so low across the Province. Lower inventory means higher prices.

 

I (almost) immediately rulesd out a Dodge. They just aren't made like the other two brands. The door skins are thin and the truck rattles like a snake. It just doesn't feel solid. The asthetics of the truck are nice though.

 

The GM products are due for a redesign in 2012 (I think). It is long overdue, They are the worst looking of the 3 major brands.

 

Now Ford vs. GM - the Ford is heavier and flat out tows better and has a better suspension than the GM. You sit up higher and the ride is more like a truck should be. The ride in the GM was more like a car and is not as "tight" as the Ford. There were times I would go over a set of rail tracks in the GM and feel the tongue weight of the trailer, no way do I feel that in the Ford.

 

The gas mileage in the GM is better because it is a lighter truck. I really don't think there's much difference in the fuel efficiency of the motor, it is just because the motor is pushing around less weight (about 800 pounds, I think). Really, if anone basis a decision on buying a truck on fuel efficiency, they shouldn't be buying a truck.

 

The interior of the Ford is more polished.

 

The fuel tank in the Ford is 120L, the GM was only 90L. I like the larger capacity in the FOrd.

 

A few things I would like in the Ford that the GM had - standard rear window defrost and the GM would flip into 4wd automatically if there was slip in the tires, Ford doesn't have that.

 

I would buy a Ford over the GM in a heartbeat if I had to do it again.

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I have a 2008 Ford F150 5.4L, 4 door with 6' box. I absolutely love it and have had no problems at all in almost 3 years. My father-in-law used o be a Chevy fan and hated Ford. Now that he has been in my F150 and driven it, he loves Ford. He will be looking at a Ford when he buys his next vehicle, something he thought he would never do in his lifetime lol.

 

My neighbour owns a Toyota full size 4 door truck, and he is now currently looking at the F150 since looking at mine across the road all the time knowing I haven't had any trouble and how much I enjoy it. He had trouble with his Toyota and wonders why he spent so much more money on his truck than mine.

 

I have friends who own 2010 F150 trucks, and they love them as well. They haven't had any isues, and the fuel economy is remarkable in the new F150 trucks. My bud gets about 1000k per 100L tank! Quality and fit and finish are excellent on the Ford trucks.

 

I have buds with newer Chevy trucks, and they love them as well with no isues. Not as good fuel economy as the Ford, but still not bad compared to the older trucks. Quality and fit and finish are excellent on the Chevy trucks as well.

 

I have seen and driven in Dodge trucks with the famed Hemi. The power was greater than both Ford and Chevy trucks, but fuel consumption was not as good. The quality and fit and finish was good in one Dodge, but brutal on the other.

 

IMO if you want the peppiest truck and don't care as much about quality or fuel consumption, Dodge is the truck you will like. If you want well rounded power and fuel economy, quality, Chevy or Ford is a good choice. If you don't mind paying top dollar, the Toyota is a good truck from most people that I have spoken with that owns one.

 

I would shop around and put the salesmen to work if buying new. Ask them why you should purchase their truck over the other brands. But don't take their word for it, I was in new car sales for a short while and saw first hand what some slime balls told potential customers to make a sale. Do your research before you go into any dealers and know as much as possible about the trucks and all the brands you are looking at. You will realize quickly if a slime bag salesman is giving you a line of crap to make a sale. Things on trucks change every year, so make sure you have the most recent data before you go shopping.

 

Research things like power, performance, fuel economy, quality, etc. Check out JD Power and other reviews etc. It will be one of the biggest purchases you will make next to a home, so make sure you do your homework on the year you are looking at and ask lots of questions while shopping, especially how you will be treated after the sale if buying new or from a used lot.

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Ford seems to have stepped up recently especially with the engine choices. Go with the base V8. The 5.0 coyote and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I am not looking for a truck right now but Ford seems to be offering a bunch of insentives as well. just my $.02

 

PS I am not a ford guy and my Dad actually drives a GMC duramax crew cab

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My top pick would be the dodge ram. the power for pulling, incentives, and comfort is what comes to mind. One thing when choosing any product is .check gear ratios. that can be a major factor in fuel economy. if you need 4 wheel drive you will sacrifice some economy. if you dont need 4 wheel check out the posi-traction rear ends if you launch in iffy boat ramps. all 3 you picked . dodge ,chevy or ford are good vehicles.

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New is nice but even with the incentives a 2011 F150 XLT is over 600 a month, I`d buy used and save a ton of money!

 

With the amount of interest you will pay for a used truck (assuming your not paying cash), it works out to be roughly the same. So you may as well buy new with 0% financing IMO.

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..i dont think i've ever bought new and don't think i ever will. just about the worst investment out there. i let you guys finance, pay interest and take the depreciation hit.. cash wins.

Edited by Raf
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When looking at a new truck, my initial go to was to purcharse a chevy, and just replace the 1997 chev 1500 4x4 that I had, which is an excellent truck. The new chev has many blindspots however, and my wife had difficulty driving it. This put me on fords doorstep, and I have to say, I am very pleased with the 2010 Screw that I am driving. I paid 30 grand out the door, all taxes and fees included. Good truck!

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With the amount of interest you will pay for a used truck (assuming your not paying cash), it works out to be roughly the same. So you may as well buy new with 0% financing IMO.

 

To each his own and everybodies situation is different, the long term 0% loans are a little harder to find with a vehicle that is loaded with incentives.

I am looking at replacing the wifes truck with something a little smaller and we are looking used and I know I can get a 2 year old smaller SUV that is still capable of towing my boat for well under half the original price and I can get 4% financing if I want it.

Some people don`t mind dropping 40,50 grand on a truck because they have the coin others write their vehicles off and so on, frankly the average working stiff probably can`t afford and should not be dropping 40 grand on a vehicle.

 

I am with Raf vehicles are a bad investment especially a domestic vehicle.

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VEHICLES ARE THE WORST INVESTMENT THERE IS!!! Unless you need a truck for work that is. They are a depreciating asset and most people spend waaaay too much money on them. Try to take the emotion out of your purchases. Your bank balance will love you for that.

That said, I recently drove the new Sierra 2500HD with the Duramax Diesel and the new F250 SuperDuty with the new diesel. The Ford won hands down on the drive. It drove like a truck, not a big truck, the GMC drove like a big truck. I was impressed, I've driven the RAM 2500 with the Cummins diesel too and ruled that out off the bat, it drove like a semi. My fillings hurt. We've been kicking around the idea of travelling across Canada pulling our 30' travel trailer that is currently parked so I'd need the 3/4ton diesel to do it right.

I don't think you can go wrong with either the GMC/Chevy or the Ford 1/2tons. Make sure you get the right engine for your needs in the forseeable future. Just get out there and take a few out for test drives and see who offers you the best deal.

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Can't go wrong with the F150, definetly the best overall package on the road in the truck segment. Just picked up a 2011 with the new 6.2l V8 and am getting the same mpg as I was out of the old 5.4l with a 111 more hp.

The new 5.0l is getting better mpg than the old 5.4l with a nice boost in hp aswell.

I am looking forward to checking out the new eco-boost when it hits the floor very shortly as its out towing the competition and getting best in class fuel economy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCQ6Du0fFag

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Thanks to everyone for the responses. Lots of great info. I'm leaning towards the Sierra 1500 with the crewcab but lots of good things have been said about the F150. I have heard some negatives about both the 4.8 302 in the gmc as well as the body of the Fords. I'm not sure if anyone can confirm these rumors or not. I don't pull a big boat so I don't need to oversize the engine. That being said I do like the 4x4 in the trucks and I don't think I'll ever go back. Fuel economy is important but I'm coming from an 8 yr old Trailblazer so it can't get much worse and it looks as though it's a wash between the GM and the Ford. Thanks again for all the great info and I'll keep you up to date on my progress.

T

Edited by Doctrt
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If you can afford it,go the gm 6l.I know a few people that have this engine and say it's

the best thing since sliced bread.On the hiway it get almost the same gas mileage as the diesels

and in the city it's just as good as the small 8's.With enough power to tow a house.

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