WTF should I buy (A consolidated list of bad decisions)

[D_Eclipse9916]

I kept thinking z4 coupe, but you wanted room for doggo.

Z4 has a big hatch for a dog! It's right up his alley!

It's a liftback.

I hate all of you.

[Kaan]

What I'm looking for: Daily/Work Horse/Tow Pig - Used Truck
Price Range: $40k
Trans: Manual/Auto... i dont care, but maybe not a manual for towing?!?!
Engine: yes please... Diesel but I could stay gas
AWD/FWD/RWD: 4x4 required
Door # / Body Style: Crew Cab (not crew max, not single cab)... 6.5 foot bed or bigger
MPG: whats this!?!?!

basically any used truck under 50k miles and $40k that likes to tow/work... Tundra (not the best tower), Titan XD Diesel (cheap cummins/Aisin combo but a maintenance intensive truck), Ram 2500/3500 (no bro dozers, lol i know its either an abused truck or a dozer)... I dont see myself in a F150 or 1500, i just dont know why... maybe its the reliability stories... and the Ford/Chevy HDs are way too pricey

[Senor_Taylor]

What I'm looking for: Daily/Work Horse/Tow Pig - Used Truck
Price Range: $40k
Trans: Manual/Auto... i dont care, but maybe not a manual for towing?!?!
Engine: yes please... Diesel but I could stay gas
AWD/FWD/RWD: 4x4 required
Door # / Body Style: Crew Cab (not crew max, not single cab)... 6.5 foot bed or bigger
MPG: whats this!?!?!

basically any used truck under 50k miles and $40k that likes to tow/work... Tundra (not the best tower), Titan XD Diesel (cheap cummins/Aisin combo but a maintenance intensive truck), Ram 2500/3500 (no bro dozers, lol i know its either an abused truck or a dozer)... I dont see myself in a F150 or 1500, i just dont know why... maybe its the reliability stories... and the Ford/Chevy HDs are way too pricey

What caused the flip? Thought you had dug your heels in on this thing.

[Kaan]

What I'm looking for: Daily/Work Horse/Tow Pig - Used Truck
Price Range: $40k
Trans: Manual/Auto... i dont care, but maybe not a manual for towing?!?!
Engine: yes please... Diesel but I could stay gas
AWD/FWD/RWD: 4x4 required
Door # / Body Style: Crew Cab (not crew max, not single cab)... 6.5 foot bed or bigger
MPG: whats this!?!?!

basically any used truck under 50k miles and $40k that likes to tow/work... Tundra (not the best tower), Titan XD Diesel (cheap cummins/Aisin combo but a maintenance intensive truck), Ram 2500/3500 (no bro dozers, lol i know its either an abused truck or a dozer)... I dont see myself in a F150 or 1500, i just dont know why... maybe its the reliability stories... and the Ford/Chevy HDs are way too pricey

What caused the flip? Thought you had dug your heels in on this thing.

The deeper I go looking into trucks, the more i feel its a game of compromises. i've been told this is a terrible time to buy a truck and it feels like it. there isnt anything out there that fits everything i want to do without likely spending what i feel is a small fortune. 

The newer Tundras dont have an oil cooler anymore (WTF?)... They are reliable and easy going... maintenance is a breeze. it might just suffer going up afton mountain or towing in more adverse weather. when its time to switch, who knows what the market will look like... since Toyota is looking to go V6TT... but you dont get a lot of truck for the money. 

The Titan might be the most maintenance intense vehicle i've ever seen. 20k mile trans fluid changes, small diesel with big diesel maintenance (big 10k mile fluid changes, plus fuel filters, etc), axle and transfer case fluids every 50k, etc. but for the $$$$ you get everything. I mean $35k will get you a completed decked out Titan XD with maybe 20k miles. 

RAM trucks are a wild market. you have to jump on stuff immediately (which will be okay when i'm ready)... but people may or may not take care of them. they get clapped out with bro dozer stuff... while its a "want" i'm afraid i'll end up with a POS... maintenance isnt too bad in the grand scheme. 

Expanding to the F150, Silverado, and Ram 1500... looking at stuff... you can get a lot of truck for the $$ also. I'm just not sold on their reliability over all. My father in laws Ram 1500 is a POS... its rusty and on its second transmission (80k miles)...

[Jake]

Kaan - not sure what you are going to be pulling that will require a 2500+ truck. Even if you get an enclosed, if you keep it reasonably sized (20') a 1500 will pull it with ease.

My Ram 1500 is a 2016 and has been a bit of a warranty princess, although Mopar has been really good to work with and they got me set straight quickly. The 2019+ (current gen) Rams are quite nice and I think quality-wise will do better than the outgoing "DS" Ram generation (2013-2018, still sold as Ram 1500 Classic). The DS Rams were a heavy update of the Daimler-era trucks that first came out in like 2009.

For half-ton... Ford, avoid early 3.5L EcoBoosts (2014+ are good) or 2018+ 5.0 due to little issues. Both 6AT and 10AT are proven to be pretty good transmissions. Ram 1500 transmissions are ZF 8-speeds built by Chrysler, assuming you get a Hemi. Any Pentastar V6 Ram 1500 will have a ZF8 built by ZF but you won't buy one anyway. No comment on the current GMs other than the interiors feel ancient already and the seats are awful.

I found the Titan to be very lackluster given how proudly they have them priced - this was a little over a year ago when I was shopping for what became the blue Ram. If you like the Tundra you might as well keep what you have as they're barely changed, though 2014+ got an updated rear suspension design and Platinums have really nice seats. Worst stock sound system I've heard in a newer vehicle was in the Tundra Platinum, good lord.

TLDR: Buy a Ram 1500 with Chrysler MaxCare B2B warranty and if anything goes wrong, let them deal with it. They are really nice trucks and tow incredibly well.

[ViPER1313]

Hey, check out this car I found on Cars.com: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detai...hare_other


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[JPolen01]

Oof talk about the worst place to be on a 5 hour tow.


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[Tyler.M]

I'm hoping by June of next year market availability and prices will be pre-covid again.

[davej]

Get a 10k gx470 and throw another grand or two at Jason to bullet proof it and then use the extra 30k to buy things that go pewpew, or stonks or a fast race car (oh yes I did!)

[HAULN-SS]

Had at least 2 trucks sold out from under me, if they are priced right or close they'll sell. If I was going to spend 40k, I'd get a 2016 GM2500 with like 75k miles on it. Same fucking interior as the brand new ones, just fewer cameras. Also, you're gonna want a front camera. I think my truck would suck about 40x more if it didn't have the surround camera. The hood lines on everything is so high these days.

[ViPER1313]

Oof talk about the worst place to be on a 5 hour tow.


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Nowhere did I see a requirement that this truck also needed to be a luxury vehicle...

For me, a truck is a truck. It’s supposed to do truck shit. Rex’s Ford is about perfect. My dream truck is a 1991 Chevrolet S10, 4.3L V6, single cab, 2wd, Tahoe Package, Blue with a Blue bench seat. Please take all my opinions with a grain of salt.


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[Senor_Taylor]

Oof talk about the worst place to be on a 5 hour tow.


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Nowhere did I see a requirement that this truck also needed to be a luxury vehicle...

For me, a truck is a truck. It’s supposed to do truck shit. Rex’s Ford is about perfect. My dream truck is a 1991 Chevrolet S10, 4.3L V6, single cab, 2wd, Tahoe Package, Blue with a Blue bench seat. Please take all my opinions with a grain of salt.


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Requirements are different when you've been at the track all weekend, sweaty, tired, and now you're leaving at 6pm with a 5 hour tow ahead. I want to be in a nice place. It's definitely a luxury, but one that makes sense to me.

That said, I did 21 hours straight in one of those interiors and didn't die, so they aren't that bad.

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[Kaan]

Get a 10k gx470 and throw another grand or two at Jason to bullet proof it and then use the extra 30k to buy things that go pewpew, or stonks or a fast race car (oh yes I did!)

This is not a work horse... my Tundra hauls wood at least once a month.

[ViPER1313]

Install this + a 1 g entertainment system. Still on budget.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Silverado-...Sw5jBfPAXB


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[Kaan]

Kaan - not sure what you are going to be pulling that will require a 2500+ truck. Even if you get an enclosed, if you keep it reasonably sized (20') a 1500 will pull it with ease.

My Ram 1500 is a 2016 and has been a bit of a warranty princess, although Mopar has been really good to work with and they got me set straight quickly. The 2019+ (current gen) Rams are quite nice and I think quality-wise will do better than the outgoing "DS" Ram generation (2013-2018, still sold as Ram 1500 Classic). The DS Rams were a heavy update of the Daimler-era trucks that first came out in like 2009.

For half-ton... Ford, avoid early 3.5L EcoBoosts (2014+ are good) or 2018+ 5.0 due to little issues. Both 6AT and 10AT are proven to be pretty good transmissions. Ram 1500 transmissions are ZF 8-speeds built by Chrysler, assuming you get a Hemi. Any Pentastar V6 Ram 1500 will have a ZF8 built by ZF but you won't buy one anyway. No comment on the current GMs other than the interiors feel ancient already and the seats are awful.

I found the Titan to be very lackluster given how proudly they have them priced - this was a little over a year ago when I was shopping for what became the blue Ram. If you like the Tundra you might as well keep what you have as they're barely changed, though 2014+ got an updated rear suspension design and Platinums have really nice seats. Worst stock sound system I've heard in a newer vehicle was in the Tundra Platinum, good lord.

TLDR: Buy a Ram 1500 with Chrysler MaxCare B2B warranty and if anything goes wrong, let them deal with it. They are really nice trucks and tow incredibly well.

I was hoping you would jump in on his... I would prefer to have more truck than just enough. With a half ton and an enclosed, i would have to add 30 mintues to my VIR trips because i would not want to take the "short cut" over afton mountain... before the 151 got popular it wouldnt be a big deal but that area is flush with drunks riding around the mountain causing issues around blind corners (even mid day thursday on the way down)

I think i've settled on accepting the maintenance of a RAM 2500/3500... it might be a mind trick with all the free time COVID has provided. 

If i did get a tundra (i just dont want to tow hours with my current truck when we break 200k miles on it)... i'd need a TRD sway bar set and air bags. That seems to be the "hidden" mods the guys that tow with them are doing to sure them up. 

I was hoping you had a better view on the Titan... right now you can get the 2017/18 for abour $32k fully loaded. I just dont know if i'm down with trans fills every 20k miles lol... who does that?!?!

---

Oof talk about the worst place to be on a 5 hour tow.


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Nowhere did I see a requirement that this truck also needed to be a luxury vehicle...

For me, a truck is a truck. It’s supposed to do truck shit. Rex’s Ford is about perfect. My dream truck is a 1991 Chevrolet S10, 4.3L V6, single cab, 2wd, Tahoe Package, Blue with a Blue bench seat. Please take all my opinions with a grain of salt.


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It absolutely does not have to be a luxury vehicle for me. googling around, i can add anything i want to the truck... side steps, various cameras, head unit... hell you can add OEM premium carpet to a tradesman Ram for 3 hours of work and $200. 

The only thing my current truck has is two climate zones and bottle of Fabreeze... because when its 100 degrees out and you hustle some trees that fell across the road, you get a little smelly and so will your cloth seats. Oh and we added a head unit and backup camera (in the stock handle location)

I do required 4wd... i cant get around it where i live. The new folks in the neighborhood try and I end up pulling them out of the ditches for one winter and they are off buying the best 4wd they can afford.

[ViPER1313]

This is something I have mused on a lot. What luxury features really make a car “nice” to drive. Does leather seating really improve a car? Heated mirrors? LED lighting?

My list of must haves for a long haul tow vehicle would be

Adjustable trailer brake control system and camera system. Easily installed as an aftermarket item

Good radio and speakers. Again, easy to add and fix in the aftermarket.

Good headlights. $50 xenon kit fixes this in any car.

AC. Standard on everything

Cruise control. Standard on everything.

Remote start. Again, easily installed aftermarket.


Pretty much everything else is a status / wealth signal.


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[Kaan]

Oof talk about the worst place to be on a 5 hour tow.


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Jake would disagree... but even as I age... the Tundra interior is plenty fine for me. mind you its a 4 hour tow to VIR and a 40 minute tow to Summit...

[ViPER1313]

I just looked at the main differences between the $44k Custom Trim Silverado 2500 and a $64k High Country

Nicer seats
Better stereo **
Dual zone climate control
Park assist
Keyless open on doors (both have remote fob, this is the one where you leave key in pocket)
Lane change alert
Power rear window
Surround view and bed camera **
LED headlights **
Larger / prettier wheels
Variable steering assist
Integrated trailer brake controller **
Power Tailgate

All the features with ** could be added pretty easily to the Custom for $1k at Crutchfield or in your driveway.

The only feature in that list I would want or need would be the lane change alert. Everything else does not equal $19k in upgrade to me.


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[ScottyB]

thumbs up for actually doing the math, had no idea the option list was that short.

nobody's buying a $64k High Country to do work, its just a jacked up cadillac. so i'd have to assume those buyers aren't worried about value, it'll be out of their driveway in 3 years when the lease is up so they can get the next shiny chromed up thing. its no wonder US automakers survive on truck and SUV profits, they're utter cash cows.

[Jake]

More thoughts:

I towed my enclosed over Afton Mountain to JMU with an F150 EcoBoost XLT (cloth seats the horror oh save me jesus) and it was uh... fine? The EcoBoost with your foot hard down drinks fuel like we all did Natty Light at JMU but it was more than enough truck to pull 6500-7k lbs and the aero effects that come with an enclosed.



For features that I consider "must haves" for towing:

• Backup camera - federally mandated at this point so whatever
  
• Integrated trailer brake controller - these tie in so much nicer with truck brakes than an aftermarket unit
  
• Decent sound system - obviously
  
• Comfortable seats - material is less important than comfort, but cloth vs leather often are different levels of comfy, plus leather may mean more adjustability for lumbar etc. I like leather for ease of cleaning, too. 
  
• Headlights - I'd love to know where Adam is finding a $50 Xenon kit that fits properly, outputs more light than OEM halogens and can be aimed correctly. The halogen low-beam projectors on my '16 Ram relatively suck but to do anything "right" with HID or LED is close to $400 at minimum. My highs are good so it's fine on back roads for now.
  

The 360° camera setups are nice but like... eh? Just don't drive nose-first into anything and if you're unsure what's ahead of you, stop and get out. I had a 360 cam on my red Ford and it was nice but not a game-changer.

Ford and Ram both have really good trailer blind-spot monitoring. Ford added this in 2018 and Ram for MY2020. The truck can monitor blind spots for a trailer up to 33' long behind you. Really slick and especially nice with an enclosed at night. Ford's "Pro Trailer Backup Assist" is slow and useless if you've backed up a trailer more than twice. Ram doesn't have much towing tech but they nail the basics really well.

Ram does have the 12" UConnect screen as an option, "lower" trim trucks get an 8" screen with all the same functionality. I don't think the 12" screen is used well enough to be worth the cost unless you really want to stunt on everyone else at the track. UConnect remains one of the best setups on the market for infotainment.

And yeah, re: Titan... it just left me cold. I looked at brand-new ones and the dealership was like "yeah there's no incentives on these" and they were asking stupid money for a brand-new base truck compared to any domestic brand. That plus the fact that they look like a Wish.com clone of an older F-150 and I walked.

It has to be said that a modern half-ton truck is more capable in every way than a 15-20 year old 2500-series. I don't feel like my enclosed is being pulled behind "just enough" of a truck with a 1500-series from any brand. It towed well behind Taylor's 2011 F-150, even, and that's "old" compared to what's on sale now.

I have also pulled it behind a Ram 2500 w/Cummins and while it pulled incredibly well – mostly due to all that turbodiesel torque at like 7 rpm – it felt a little silly to use such a huge truck for that trailer. A 28' enclosed, absolutely. But buying a 2500/3500 to tow a Civic in a reasonable-sized enclosed seems a bit excessive unless you want a huge trailer or to say you've got a big bad diesel. This truck was positively badass (and expensive, this was a loaded Laramie) but maintenance and ownership costs of a diesel are hard to justify vs a gasoline-powered truck unless you're doing an assload of miles per year.