New truck

[benchmstr]

In the market for a new daily driver

I have narrowed it down to the following:

1) Chevy 1500 trailboss
2) ford stx with 5.0 and 4x4
3 Colorado zr2

All would be brand new 2024/2025…I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about the 10 speed automatics in either of the full size trucks..the AFM in both of them is woefully problematic too.

Only real problems I see with the Colorado are the growing pains of the electrical system and sometimes I have to have 2 car seats in the back..which would still fit but be tight..

Anyone have any insight on this..getting burned out doing research..these post covid trucks appear to be shit

 

[KYAggie]

Yeah, doesn’t sound good. I’m not sure any of the new ones warrant their price especially considering the issues. I would be tempted to find a low mileage pre-Covid Tundra with that reliable 5.7. Sure, it likes it groceries and it’s not got all the whizz-bang of a new one, but it also doesn’t have the price tag, the issues, nor the future maintenance bills those other trucks will have and it will still be on the road when the others are in the junkyard.

 

[lonegunman762x51]

I bought an F-350 this year. The 10-speed needs three gears to get up to 10mph and driving slowly thru an intersection is miserable and herky jerky. The truck is having teething problems, the AC died in 525 miles in the dead of summer and now the forward camera is taking a crap. There appears to be no way to get it to stop applying the brakes when backing up. Good luck hooking up a trailer. The 7.3 gasser is a great motor so far. Lower gas mileage than the diesel but the $13,000 I saved on engine buys a lot of fuel.

The jury is still out.

 

[Herb Stoner]

I wouldn’t touch any of the Ford or Chevys mentioned for a daily driver. As mentioned above, look at a Toyota. A low mileage one a few years old would be ideal.

If it’s a Buy American thing it’s not clear as few vehicles are built entirely in one country anymore. Toyota builds most of its trucks sold in the US in Texas last I read. A lot of their other vehicles are built here too. Ford and Chevy use a lot of parts manufactured overseas (as do most).

 

[chevy_man]

Ford and Chevy 10 speeds are the same trans with manufacturer specific programming.


I refuse to buy half tons, cars with a box. Everything is designed to meet fuel economy goals so all the parts are lighter than they should be. Couple that with crappy things like turning cylinders off creating a time bomb in the valve train and I'll just buy a little more gas.


My 2000, 2003, and 2016 Chevy's are all over 250k miles. I also bought HP tuners so I could modify the ECM and TCM. They will shift like I want, and I can change anything I want for future mods (supercharger, turbo, etc.)
The 2016 6l90e finally grenaded the converter at 315k. The same generation 6l80e in the 1500s there's a ton of complaints about the same problem around 100k.

The 00 is the only one that burns oil. 270k miles in a 7000lb truck with a 260hp 5.7..... it's been run wide open for many of those miles. Also the first truck I fully ran out of power towing with. Had to put it in 4-low to get a gooseneck loaded with another truck up a hill.
Ran the shit out of that old 3500 and it's still pulling dump duty.




My coworker gets a solid 11mpg in his 5.7 tundra, while I get 15mpg in a 3500 crew cab long box. I still can't believe people buy Toyota, they are coasting on their 90s reputation.

 

[91Eunozs]

The issues with the 10R80 have finally been fixed with the new housing for the C-D-F clutches. After chasing issues with the one in my ‘18 for the past couple years, now at 112K miles, I’m finally getting it rebuilt (along with a new motor) and it ‘should’ be bulletproof with the new housing and updated solenoids.

I wouldn’t sweat any of the new 10-speeds; they learned a lot of lessons from spending a ridiculous amount of money in lawsuits and warranty work as a result of recommendations from penny pinching design engineers.

 

[91Eunozs]

Also, watch for deals that should be hitting soon… You should be able to get a smoking deal, and/or zero % financing on 2024 models pretty soon.

 

[AMGtuned]

Of your 3; F150 all day, twice on Sunday.

Especially with the Coyote.

My current daily is a 23 crew cab powerboost, so I'm slightly biased. But dig in, you'll find the Ford is a better truck. It's faster too. A lot faster. And the inside doesn't look and feel as though it's made from the plastic that California banned.

 

[wvfarrier]

I just bought a Ram 1500 last year and its been AMAZING. Zero regrets

 

[Whistlepigs]

Company vehicles, we have Ford, Toyota and Chevy over the last 10 years. Ford has been the most reliable with Toyota next, we will never by Chevy again. Matter of fact I don't recall any issues with our Fords at all.

We do have 3 of the new Tundras and they seem to be better than the 5.7's right now, but all of them are low mileage.

 

[TxWelder35]

Ram with a 5.7 hemi, skip the new twin turbo hurricane motor

F150 with a 5.0 coyote

Chevy/gmc with the 3.0 diesel. The new 5.3 and 6.2 motors ALL have lifter problems and WILL fail inside of 100k guaranteed. I’ve seen lots fail at 30k.

Toyota is having issues with their new 6 cyl turbo motor also

 

[lariat]

Toyota taco trd 2014 with 507k on it here. Runs like it always has and no complaints.

Question: given the issues of new vehicles, not that many new features compared to pre-Covid models that seem to be higher quality and the really high prices of these new vehicles, is a new car buyer really getting anything for the extra money spent other than more problems?

 

[ggmanning]

From that list, Ford 5.0

I would recommend a 00-15 Tacoma wil lower miles. We have an 03 3.4 and 10 4.0 in that family that just will not die. I cannot justify new truck prices for what you get. Yeah it's harder to stay on the search for low mileage trucks in those ages than going new at a dealer and you likely won't get some color your heart is set upon....but you'll get far more for your money and dead nuts reliable.

 

[EddieNFL]

I bought an F-350 this year. The 10-speed needs three gears to get up to 10mph and driving slowly thru an intersection is miserable and herky jerky. The truck is having teething problems, the AC died in 525 miles in the dead of summer and now the forward camera is taking a crap. There appears to be no way to get it to stop applying the brakes when backing up. Good luck hooking up a trailer. The 7.3 gasser is a great motor so far. Lower gas mileage than the diesel but the $13,000 I saved on engine buys a lot of fuel.

The jury is still out.

My last Tundra was built in Indiana...in a non-union plant...with Japanese parts. Drove it eight years, gave it to the kid. He drove it another seven and sold it for top dollar. Replaced the timing belt at 100k and again at 200k. Routine maintenance.

My grandfather was born in 1895, died in 1966. I wish I could tell him a pickup cost as much as 100 grand.

 

[UNRL Ghandi]

I was in the market for a "new" truck earlier this year (Feb) and decided to buy a low mileage used one. 2020 Toyota Tundra TRD Sport 5.7 V8 with 37k miles is what i ended up with after doing a bunch of research. First off, it saved about $25k on the price and everyone I talked to said to get the V8 and avoid the new ones. One guy uses his trucks to haul horses and he was a die hard Tundra guy. Traded his old V8 in and got the new V6 and hated it. Got rid of it a couple months later. My V8 has been great so far. Hauled our Airstream to Canada in May (about 2500 mile round trip) and it ran great and I didn't have any issues with power and in fact looked down a couple times while cruising down the highway and realized I was going way too fast because I could hardly tell the Airstream was back there. Loved the 38 gallon gas tank too which was a big upgrade from my Tacoma and having to stop every 150-175 miles for gas while hauling. I drive in the mountains and get about 13-15mpg so it does cost me $75-$100 to fill up.

My brother bought a used F150 for his work truck and he's been happy with it. Hauls a lot of stuff in his dump trailer from construction sites and his only gripe so far is the lights stay on after locking the truck for way too long.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Iffin I was gonna go gas, I’d pick the 5.0 motored truck.

I just picked up a 24 ram 2500 with the 6.7. Probably a little more truck than I actually need, but it won’t leave me lacking in towing power.

 

[Rookie]

2016 Tundra driver here. I don't know about now but in 2016 it was the most American made truck on the market and the most reliable. The 5.7 drive train is bomb proof. That truck has not been in the shop once. Beat that Ford and Chevy drivers. I'm aware the new v6 turbo hybrid has problems though.

 

[Riverlife87]

F150 out of those 3

 

[sirhrmechanic]

One of the guys at the shop just bought a Ford Maverick and I am impressed with it!

He still has his 2500 Vhevy (with anGMC bed fitted… we call it. “the Mullet.). So still has work truck.

But got rid of his F150 and got a nice Maverick. It’s not super huge. Was inexpensive and does most truck things fine. Especially commuting.

If I was looking for a general purpose truck ( aka. It plowing and towing) that little Maverick would be high on my list.

Cheers! Sirhr

 

[BikePilot]

Fwiw my wife has a grand Wagoneer with the HO Hurricane. It's been awesome so far. Huge power and super smooth and quiet. I would look hard at the Ram 1500 with that power train if I were in the market for a half ton.

Personally I go for 3500 diesels for trucks as others run out of towing and payload really quickly, and if I'm not doing truck stuff I'm in a car which I find much more fun to drive. My current truck is an '18 Ram 3500. That was the last year for the bombproof old school Cummins before they went to the new Cummins wrh hydraulic lifters. I put on Thuren suspension which makes it ride amazingly well without hampering payload.

 

[benchmstr]

I wouldn’t touch any of the Ford or Chevys mentioned for a daily driver. As mentioned above, look at a Toyota. A low mileage one a few years old would be ideal.

If it’s a Buy American thing it’s not clear as few vehicles are built entirely in one country anymore. Toyota builds most of its trucks sold in the US in Texas last I read. A lot of their other vehicles are built here too. Ford and Chevy use a lot of parts manufactured overseas (as do most).

Oh, I am never looking at a Toyota again..this truck is replacing a 2022 tundra that had 3 engines before it hit 45000 miles..tundra officially makes the worst full size truck on the market since they went with the new v6 platform..I am totally done with Toyota..terrible truck, terrible customer service, constant lies, and every time something would happen to that truck there would be 4 other guys besides me yelling at the service writers for the same damn thing

 

[benchmstr]

2016 Tundra driver here. I don't know about now but in 2016 it was the most American made truck on the market and the most reliable. The 5.7 drive train is bomb proof. That truck has not been in the shop once. Beat that Ford and Chevy drivers. I'm aware the new v6 turbo hybrid has problems though.

They don’t make that anymore though..I need brand new

 

[Charger442]

Ford and Chevy 10 speeds are the same trans with manufacturer specific programming.


My coworker gets a solid 11mpg in his 5.7 tundra, while I get 15mpg in a 3500 crew cab long box. I still can't believe people buy Toyota, they are coasting on their 90s reputation.

i have a fleet of vehicles for the company. we have a couple of Exploders for office/town work. they seem to last 300k. We have a couple f150s.... i cant stand the 10 speed transmission. just awful in every way.

Toyota isnt really worth the cost of admission when you see gas mileage being what it is, and the technology and comforts inside just suck. and this is coming from someone whose personally owned 4runners and Lexus Gx.

Company vehicles, we have Ford, Toyota and Chevy over the last 10 years. Ford has been the most reliable with Toyota next, we will never by Chevy again. Matter of fact I don't recall any issues with our Fords at all.

We do have 3 of the new Tundras and they seem to be better than the 5.7's right now, but all of them are low mileage.

for a company, Ford cost of ownership is just way too high. we are buying 9 new Ram 2500 trucks right now and the comparable Ford versions of them are atleast 10k higher, with parts being much more expensive when you can get them. tailight for $2500? mirror assembly for $1800? no thanks.

Ram with a 5.7 hemi, skip the new twin turbo hurricane motor

F150 with a 5.0 coyote

Chevy/gmc with the 3.0 diesel. The new 5.3 and 6.2 motors ALL have lifter problems and WILL fail inside of 100k guaranteed. I’ve seen lots fail at 30k.

Toyota is having issues with their new 6 cyl turbo motor also

we used to have nothing but Chevy for 15 years and then after 2014 they turned to complete garbage. trucks getting new engines or transmissions or both before 75k miles.

we had a 2020 Silverado that windowed the block at 6,000 miles. dealers told them to put it next to the line of 7 others that had the same problem.

Fwiw my wife has a grand Wagoneer with the HO Hurricane. It's been awesome so far. Huge power and super smooth and quiet. I would look hard at the Ram 1500 with that power train if I were in the market for a half ton.

Personally I go for 3500 diesels for trucks as others run out of towing and payload really quickly, and if I'm not doing truck stuff I'm in a car which I find much more fun to drive. My current truck is an '18 Ram 3500. That was the last year for the bombproof old school Cummins before they went to the new Cummins wrh hydraulic lifters. I put on Thuren suspension which makes it ride amazingly well without hampering payload.

we are swapping all our crew trucks to the Hemi 2500 Ram and have been very pleased with it. no issues, but one AC compressor in about 900k miles across about 8 trucks.

I DD my Ram 3500 SRW with the Aisin. People keep asking me when im going to trade it in for something newer. i say never. at 125k when i needed shocks, i put a thuren suspension in and its been great. last of the real trucks with a SFA and leafs in the rear.

 

[TxWelder35]

i have a fleet of vehicles for the company. we have a couple of Exploders for office/town work. they seem to last 300k. We have a couple f150s.... i cant stand the 10 speed transmission. just awful in every way.

Toyota isnt really worth the cost of admission when you see gas mileage being what it is, and the technology and comforts inside just suck. and this is coming from someone whose personally owned 4runners and Lexus Gx.




for a company, Ford cost of ownership is just way too high. we are buying 9 new Ram 2500 trucks right now and the comparable Ford versions of them are atleast 10k higher, with parts being much more expensive when you can get them. tailight for $2500? mirror assembly for $1800? no thanks.



we used to have nothing but Chevy for 15 years and then after 2014 they turned to complete garbage. trucks getting new engines or transmissions or both before 75k miles.

we had a 2020 Silverado that windowed the block at 6,000 miles. dealers told them to put it next to the line of 7 others that had the same problem.




we are swapping all our crew trucks to the Hemi 2500 Ram and have been very pleased with it. no issues, but one AC compressor in about 900k miles across about 8 trucks.

I DD my Ram 3500 SRW with the Aisin. People keep asking me when im going to trade it in for something newer. i say never. at 125k when i needed shocks, i put a thuren suspension in and its been great. last of the real trucks with a SFA and leafs in the rear.

I don’t think I’ll be getting rid of my 16 or 18 Ram 3500s with the Aisins any time soon. Both are still low mileage. Probably be in the market for a new truck in 10 years so. By then a truck probably cost 200k

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

The last 2 Rams have been great to me. I'm looking at another 2500 ram, either 2023 or 2024 model, I'm a little spoiled with my Longhorn so likely will be again or a limited. The interior is so much better in the rams and that is where I spend a lot of time so....

 

[JMGlasgow]

On your list is a Colorado. Why not a Ranger?

 

[Riverlife87]

Oh, I am never looking at a Toyota again..this truck is replacing a 2022 tundra that had 3 engines before it hit 45000 miles..tundra officially makes the worst full size truck on the market since they went with the new v6 platform..I am totally done with Toyota..terrible truck, terrible customer service, constant lies, and every time something would happen to that truck there would be 4 other guys besides me yelling at the service writers for the same damn thing

One of my buddies is majorly vested in the car market and says the only truck not to buy is the 22 + tundra

 

[benchmstr]

On your list is a Colorado. Why not a Ranger?

Hate it..test drove several..was seriously looking at the ranger raptor..driving them just wasn’t for me..big red flag was the one I went to test drive wasn’t possible because it was already dealing with a no crank no start condition that wasn’t battery related and it had 4 miles on it.

 

[Riverlife87]

i have a fleet of vehicles for the company. we have a couple of Exploders for office/town work. they seem to last 300k. We have a couple f150s.... i cant stand the 10 speed transmission. just awful in every way.

Toyota isnt really worth the cost of admission when you see gas mileage being what it is, and the technology and comforts inside just suck. and this is coming from someone whose personally owned 4runners and Lexus Gx.




for a company, Ford cost of ownership is just way too high. we are buying 9 new Ram 2500 trucks right now and the comparable Ford versions of them are atleast 10k higher, with parts being much more expensive when you can get them. tailight for $2500? mirror assembly for $1800? no thanks.



we used to have nothing but Chevy for 15 years and then after 2014 they turned to complete garbage. trucks getting new engines or transmissions or both before 75k miles.

we had a 2020 Silverado that windowed the block at 6,000 miles. dealers told them to put it next to the line of 7 others that had the same problem.




we are swapping all our crew trucks to the Hemi 2500 Ram and have been very pleased with it. no issues, but one AC compressor in about 900k miles across about 8 trucks.

I DD my Ram 3500 SRW with the Aisin. People keep asking me when im going to trade it in for something newer. i say never. at 125k when i needed shocks, i put a thuren suspension in and its been great. last of the real trucks with a SFA and leafs in the rear.

We had a entire fleet of silverados all loose motors at exactly 100

 

[kindabitey]

Ram with a 5.7 hemi, skip the new twin turbo hurricane motor

F150 with a 5.0 coyote

Chevy/gmc with the 3.0 diesel. The new 5.3 and 6.2 motors ALL have lifter problems and WILL fail inside of 100k guaranteed. I’ve seen lots fail at 30k.

Toyota is having issues with their new 6 cyl turbo motor also

My "new" company vehicle (that I can use as a POV) is a Yukon XL w/ 3.0 diesel. The 10 spd. is pretty smooth as far as I can tell. Can't really speak to longevity since I only put 7200 miles on it since Aug. 23.
Yeah, I should probably get out a little more often

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

One of my buddies is majorly vested in the car market and says the only truck not to buy is the 22 + tundra

Not the first I've heard of that. My buddy has a 23 and it's got issues too

 

[roostercogburn98]

Chevy/gmc with the 3.0 diesel.

My last two Fiat 3.0 turbo diesels died before 100k. One at 58k, and the other at 67k.

 

[NotByWorks]

I have a 21’ Colorado with 50,000 miles. Is been a good truck so far. Not sure what the changes are to the 24s/25s. I think mine has an 8 speed transmission. Takes a while to get use to all the gear changes. My daily driver had been a C6 Corvette with 6 speed manual. With the Corvette you barely ever change gears on the highway. With the Colorado, it is constantly changing gears on just about any kind of hill. I think it’s programmed to always look for the optimal gear. They are probably all like that now.

I looked at the Ranger and didn’t like the interior at all. Felt like the dash was in my lap. Also looked at the Toyota but the wife didn’t care for the cosmetics.

 

[rjacobs]

I bought an F-350 this year. The 10-speed needs three gears to get up to 10mph and driving slowly thru an intersection is miserable and herky jerky. the AC died in 525 miles in the dead of summer. There appears to be no way to get it to stop applying the brakes when backing up.

The jury is still out.

10spd in my 23 has much better programming than the 10spd in my 22.

There were a batch of bad compressors in the 24's so your issue isnt unique.

Turn off rear brake assist... I turned mine off day 1. I would have to go through the menu's again and find it. When you turn front and rear brake assist off(I might still have front turned on, dont remember) you will get a message every time you start the truck...annoying. Turn it off in Forscan.

 

[Arc Light]

I would never pay the kind of money manufacturer's are asking for new trucks nowadays. $60-$80K for junk, are you kidding me? That's why I have not sold my previous gen. Tundra with the 5.7L engine. The manufacturers have been forced to make these lightweight, 6 cylinder turbo shit engines due to stricter EPA mandates to help "save the planet". I'm hoping after Trump wins, they will be given the green light to start producing trucks buyer's actually want. You remember, trucks with V8 engines that Americans could actually afford.

 

[rjacobs]

Of your list the F150 with the 5.0 would be the way to go.

I believe in the STX you can get the 12" screen... its definitely the way to go over the 8" screen...

FX4 on any Ford truck is a waste of money. Its generally skid plates(that can be added later), shitty shocks(which are not much better than the base shocks), hill descent control(can generally be added later with a button and turn it on in forscan) and some stickers...

Max tow on the 150 gets you a better rear axle(9.75 semi floater vs. 8.8").

Building out a 150 STX is like 57k. Building out a 250 STX with 6.8/10spd is 60k. Add 1k for the 7.3 which also gets you a much better trans(10R100 vs. 10R140).

 

[Bantam1]

My roommate has a Colorado but with the V6. The differential took a shit at 56k. Then the output shaft on the rans took a shit right after. It has some weird electrical issues too. The GM copy of a Tacoma is not anywhere close to a Taco. I was a Toyota Master tech for a long time and laughed at how closely they copied the Taco suspension and brakes. And a tiny bed to haul a load of dresses around.

I have some friends with the new Ranger. So far no issues. One is at almost 100k and the other is a work truck with around 40k. Neither complain about them yet. The work truck is going to job sites so a mix of dirt and pavement driving. He has towed a Bobcat a few times in a pinch. He really likes it over the Colorado he used to have.

Another friend has the 1/2 Dodge/Ram diesel that just died on him. 158k the A/C went then on the same trip it stopped running. It's been at the dealer for over a month and they can't figure it out. Changed both fuel pumps and threw a bunch of other parts at it. $6k in repairs so far and it still won't idle or run longer than a minute.

 

[benchmstr]

Of your list the F150 with the 5.0 would be the way to go.

I believe in the STX you can get the 12" screen... its definitely the way to go over the 8" screen...

FX4 on any Ford truck is a waste of money. Its generally skid plates(that can be added later), shitty shocks(which are not much better than the base shocks), hill descent control(can generally be added later with a button and turn it on in forscan) and some stickers...

Max tow on the 150 gets you a better rear axle(9.75 semi floater vs. 8.8").

Building out a 150 STX is like 57k. Building out a 250 STX with 6.8/10spd is 60k. Add 1k for the 7.3 which also gets you a much better trans(10R100 vs. 10R140).

I can get any of the 3 trucks I listed at $46k..if I get the ford or Chevy I’ll do a mid travel kit and wheels and tires..if leave the Colorado stock…I will do nothing mechanical to any of them except the Chevy..when the warranty is done I’d do an afm delete

 

[adubeau]

Have you looked at the new Nissan Frontier?

 

[benchmstr]

Have you looked at the new Nissan Frontier?

Nah, they have more class action lawsuits than anyone and are consistently the worst rated vehicles…I want something I can keep a little after the warranty

 

[rjacobs]

I can get any of the 3 trucks I listed at $46k..if I get the ford or Chevy I’ll do a mid travel kit and wheels and tires..if leave the Colorado stock…I will do nothing mechanical to any of them except the Chevy..when the warranty is done I’d do an afm delete

I still stand by the Ford's.

The Gen 4 Coyote engine is solid. Cylinder deactivation on the Ford is a far better system than on the GM. The belt driven oil pump is a concern to some, but I think the recommended change interval is 150k miles and im sure the cam chain tensioners will go out before that.

The 10R80 trans itself is solid. Ford's trans tuning is not nearly as good as GM's.

Either rear axle in the Ford's is stout. The 8.8 has been around forever. The 9.75 had some issues early with the axle nuts backing off, but I think thats been solved. There have been a few front IRS axles exploding when in 4wd in reverse. The pinion tries to spit out the ring gear and cracks the housing.

 

[stevieb92]

Of those 3 you listed, I would go for the F150 with the 5.0 coyote. I'm a Ram guy, but I would stay away from the new Hurricane engine(s) in the Ram for now. Lots of reports of issues just after the 1k mile mark and the dealerships are stumped. My Ram has the 5.7 hemi.

 

[jrassy]

My Chevy 1500, 2020, crapped the transmission at 57,000 miles. I have had 3 Dodge Rams and no big issues with any except AC went out in my hunting truck, 1998 Ram, which i still use. 216,000 miles on a 360. I am biased towards The Rams, although i am getting a 2500 next.

 

[91Eunozs]

One of the guys at the shop just bought a Ford Maverick and I am impressed with it!

He still has his 2500 Vhevy (with anGMC bed fitted… we call it. “the Mullet.). So still has work truck.

But got rid of his F150 and got a nice Maverick. It’s not super huge. Was inexpensive and does most truck things fine. Especially commuting.

If I was looking for a general purpose truck ( aka. It plowing and towing) that little Maverick would be high on my list.

Cheers! Sirhr

This is a really interesting wild card… I never liked the way they look, but one of my son’s best friends is up to Maverick #3 or 4 now and loves them.

He puts 75K+ miles per year on his vehicles, and can’t stop raving about how absolutely perfect that vehicle is for his needs…he does aerial photography/drone video for oil fields, high-fence ranches, etc., and needs an extremely reliable vehicle with good storage and cargo hauling ability, along with some easy to moderate off road capabilities. He drove a variety of Jeeps and 1/2 ton pickups for years, but is really loving the better gas mileage he’s getting with the Maverick.

His current one is a hybrid of some kind, and he says it’s the best one yet.

I still hate the way they look though, LoL….

Another wild card for me would be the Hyundai Santa Cruz… It hearkens back to the original mullet of automobiles: The Chevy El Camino and/or the Ford Ranchero. I loved those things, and TBH, the Subaru Brat too!

My entire family’s fighting me on getting a Santa Cruz for my next commuter/drive into town/running errands vehicle, but I’m probably gonna do it anyway once I get my lift in, and get started on the engine and transmission R&R on my truck.

— break, break —

@benchmstr of your three, the F150 with the Coyote motor is by far the best choice. I’m actually gonna use a lot of the valvetrain bits from that motor on my ecoboost rebuild…a surprising amount of parts in the valvetrain is interchangeable between those two engines, and they took all those lessons learned from the numerous teething problems from the ecoboost V6 motors to make the Coyote top and front end extremely reliable. Same with the 10R80 transmission.

 

[Charger442]

I still stand by the Ford's.

The Gen 4 Coyote engine is solid. Cylinder deactivation on the Ford is a far better system than on the GM. The belt driven oil pump is a concern to some, but I think the recommended change interval is 150k miles and im sure the cam chain tensioners will go out before that.

The 10R80 trans itself is solid. Ford's trans tuning is not nearly as good as GM's.

Either rear axle in the Ford's is stout. The 8.8 has been around forever. The 9.75 had some issues early with the axle nuts backing off, but I think thats been solved. There have been a few front IRS axles exploding when in 4wd in reverse. The pinion tries to spit out the ring gear and cracks the housing.

the cam phasers solenoids on the coyote are still an issue. i couldn't keep a King ranch Eco out of the shop longer than 8 months but its a different engine.

id expect more than one cam phaser solenoid to fail on the 5.0 before 150k.

the internal belt oil pump is really something I would be worried about. i can't believe they would do that.

but, ive always said Ford hates its customers for basically their diesel Cp4 issues but the Super Duty guys love it, take that $10k hit and keep coming back for more abuse

 

[Whistlepigs]

Several F150's in our company with well over 100k on a few and one over 200k. We have not had these issues.

F250's we have the same story.

 

[91Eunozs]

the cam phasers solenoids on the coyote are still an issue. i couldn't keep a King ranch Eco out of the shop longer than 8 months but its a different engine.

id expect more than one cam phaser solenoid to fail on the 5.0 before 150k.

the internal belt oil pump is really something I would be worried about. i can't believe they would do that.

but, ive always said Ford hates its customers for basically their diesel Cp4 issues but the Super Duty guys love it, take that $10k hit and keep coming back for more abuse

I’m convinced Ford finally fixed the cam phaser issue with the newest revision… Just after the nick of time for my ‘18 that now needs set #4 at 112K miles (warranty expired at 100K). They kept replacing the bad part with the slightly redesigned, but still crap part until 2023 when they finally fixed it.

There was a ton of the old design phasers still in their system though, and more than one Ford tech who I know personally told me Ford was making them use up that old stock first before they could use the new part number. What drives me nuts, is that they also forced them to reuse some of the wear items like the chains and chain guides if it’s a warranty fix.

Without turning this into a Ford cam phaser discussion, short version is that as long as you have the new-version ML3Z (2021+) phasers, you should be gtg.

That king ranch with the ecoboost almost certainly had the old HL3Z (2017-2020) phasers. The new Coyote V8 motors should all have the new phasers…plus a much better cam follower/roller rocker and spring setup, as well as the new metal chain guides (old versions were plastic) that I’m going to put into my V6 ecoboost when it’s rebuilt.

 

[Bullfrog08]

Have you looked at the new Nissan Frontier?

Never again! I had a 4 banger 1990 Nissan pickup at 16yrs old. $7K brand new out the door. I could do anything in that truck, include pushing it out of a snowbank by myself. I could run circles around the V8 engines. I loved that truck. It got close to 300 miles per gallon. I don't recall actual gas mileage, but seems no matter how much or how far I drove. $10 would fill it up. Granted, gas was .90 a gallon.

Then I owned a bunch of other trucks. 2005 I bought a top of the line Frontier $32K, figured it would be like the 1990 version. NOPE.....it was one thing after another! Junk! After that is was Tacoma. I'm on the 5th one. Current is an 18', I went to trade it in last December for a newer one. My jaw hit the floor with the price.

I kept the 18' and bought a brand new Subaru Crosstrek to commute in. It was going to be a Camry, but when I rented a Subaru for work, I loved it. I mostly commuted in the truck anyway. I bet in the 10 months I have owned the car, I have only needed the truck maybe 10 times for hauling shit. Fucking car is more solid in the snow, mud, water, than any truck I have ever owned. I always thought Subaru's were for lesbian and queers. I would typically recommend Toyota, but not sure about this new version they have. We will see....... I suspect I will keep buying cars and see how long the Tacoma last now. It mostly holds the concrete down in the shop.

 

[Schütze]

Toyota taco trd 2014 with 507k on it here. Runs like it always has and no complaints.

Question: given the issues of new vehicles, not that many new features compared to pre-Covid models that seem to be higher quality and the really high prices of these new vehicles, is a new car buyer really getting anything for the extra money spent other than more problems?

Automatic transmission?

 

[lariat]

Automatic transmission?

Yup, 4WD. But I'm always downshifting due to hills, etc. Use it for everything from cruising to work and farm use, including hay hauling and an occasional cow transport when other options are allocated to other activities. It really has been a good purchase. When its time to get another I'm thinking it will be the same brand and year model.