Oh powerful Great Hate: Learn Me Trucks

[D_Eclipse9916]

Time to bring back an old thread from the dead.

And start another debate.

Years: 2010-2012

5.7L SR5 4x4 Tundra Double Cab 6.5ft bed vs 6.0L Z71(is this package worth it?) 4x4 Silverado 2500 Extended Cab 6.5ft bed

Both have similar things you get. Similar cheap interiors. Ride fine. I'm not worried about stiffness so don't bother bringing that up. I daily a stiffer than usual car... And have ridden in Kaan's Tundra. It seems fine. Both tow similar weight. I'm more worried about maintenance and things to watch out for. I've looked at both in person just haven't driven them.

Budget: Mid 20s.

Can I ask why you want an extended cab? Always go crew cab even from a resale value. You would be surprised how much it becomes your road trip or even daily driver car and its nice to have those real 4-doors. (Plus more wheelbase is MOAR better)

Tundra vs GMC. I think in the 6.0L vs 5.7 category you are in good company either way. I am a GMC fan and prefer the way they ride and have very good reliability on them. I know others who are the complete opposite.

2 years on the 6.0L Yukon Denali from about 80-110k miles and an alternator went ($80 and was stupid easy to replace, like change air filter difficulty and they had 5 different brands of alternator in stock for that motor :lol: ). I also blew out the rear air shocks towing a 24' trailer at about 10klbs (truck is rated to 8200, oops). Jake has NOT had the same luck, and I am not sure if it's luck of the draw but none of my other friends with the yukons had nearly his issues.

3 years now on my "classic" 2007 GMC Sierra. The diesel is different obviously, but the chassis has been great. Owned from 98k to now ~145ish. Wheel bearing on the left is making some noise now and needs to be replaced, and shocks are gone. Just replaced them with fancy bilsteins for $240, but the wheel bearing was expensive at $135. Aside from fluids and brake pads, that has been the only maintenance.

Like before, I test-drove the Tundra back to back with the GMC and ended up with the GMC.

I think both are 100% overkill for an open trailer, and when you go enclosed you are going to want more than the Tundra (chassis wise). Mid-20s is a good price point., heck thats 2007 GMC Sierra DIESEL territory (and I know a super clean one for sale with all the bells and whistles with a maintenance freak). I don't like the dash/non-fold flat bench of the 2007+ (new bodystyle) of the GMC. And the seats suck major balls.

For an open trailer, have you considered at mid-20s going a little higher and getting a very new generation (think 2015) F150 or GMC Sierra 1500. Both outclass the Tundra in every way.

[D_Eclipse9916]

after putting similar miles on my Tundra that you have put on your Denali... i have NO idea why you are so anti toyota

:thumbup:

Jake also has like the WORST luck in the world when it comes to cars. His M3 has rusted out shock towers, bondoed fender rails, and every issue in the book. Same with his Denali. I feel for you Jake. I would have burned both of those to the ground.

[rherold9]

Can I ask why you want an extended cab? Always go crew cab even from a resale value. You would be surprised how much it becomes your road trip or even daily driver car and its nice to have those real 4-doors. (Plus more wheelbase is MOAR better)

That's what I'm battling with myself now if I need the crew or not. I've sat in the back of Kaans and it seems fine for me in the double cab. A 1foot difference in the bed size won't really matter as I won't be bringing that much. I'll probably be buying some sort of cover if I need to carry a lot of crap that can't get wet.

For an open trailer, have you considered at mid-20s a very new generation F150 or GMC Sierra 1500. Both outclass the Tundra in every way.

No I have not looked at those. I have no idea about Ford's. Haven't really paid attention to Sierra's either. How's Ford's reliability for trucks on those new generation?

[WRXtranceformed]

Time to bring back an old thread from the dead.

And start another debate.

Years: 2010-2012

5.7L SR5 4x4 Tundra Double Cab 6.5ft bed vs 6.0L Z71(is this package worth it?) 4x4 Silverado 2500 Extended Cab 6.5ft bed

Both have similar things you get. Similar cheap interiors. Ride fine. I'm not worried about stiffness so don't bother bringing that up. I daily a stiffer than usual car... And have ridden in Kaan's Tundra. It seems fine. Both tow similar weight. I'm more worried about maintenance and things to watch out for. I've looked at both in person just haven't driven them.

Budget: Mid 20s.

Having test driven a bunch of trucks the last few weekends, I've pretty much settled on a GMC. Most folks I've spoken to who have experience with long term ownership have said that they are much more reliable than similar Fords. They also top the charts from most long-term reliability studies. I did just read that if you are looking at used Ford F150s, avoid the 5.4L engines as they are almost all time bombs after 100k miles. Toyotas are also great trucks, I owned 2 mid-90s pickups and a 1st gen Tundra and they were all driven between 150k-300k+ miles. The newer Toyotas IMO carry overinflated prices for what they are when compared to their competitors. The Silverado is basically the same core as a Sierra, so imo you can't go wrong there.

[JPolen01]

To echo Dj's point, don't skimp on the cab if you can help it. My buddy just bought a brand new Silverado 1500 and got the extended cab instead of the crew. He kicks himself every day for not spending a little bit more for the added space. We took it to the beach and man it was only 2.5 hours but I had to sit in the back and it sucked (I'm short as fuck only like 5'8").

[Jake]

after putting similar miles on my Tundra that you have put on your Denali... i have NO idea why you are so anti toyota

:thumbup:

Jake also has like the WORST luck in the world when it comes to cars. His M3 has rusted out shock towers, bondoed fender rails, and every issue in the book. Same with his Denali. I feel for you Jake. I would have burned both of those to the ground.

Eh, it's what I get for buying slightly cheap. The M3 needed shock tower love but otherwise has been just as reliable as every other track-car E36 so :dunno:

The Denali was a 1-owner and exclusively dealer-serviced. The difference between mine and yours, DJ, was that yours was several years newer at the time, with fewer miles. I bought mine essentially 10 years old with 125k on it already. I crossed 141k yesterday. The biggest issue - which I think you'll get with anything 10+ years old - is chasing down leaks as gaskets get old. The entire steering system decided to stop holding fluid and I've had a few oil leaks (easy though - valve cover gaskets and oil filter "plate" adapter). Otherwise, I put front brakes and a set of tires on it because, you know, it's old.

Even with the "excess love" it's needed this first year, I don't know what I'd buy to replace it. It's absolutely fantastic. Great seats, solid drivetrain and tows easily. I'd feel bad about scratching/denting/throwing tires around a newer truck so I don't mind maintaining something older for the sake of "greater utility" long-term.

Also - I'm pretty sure anything else that was 9.75 years old and priced at $10k would have had similar sorts of needs, not really fair to compare it to a 2010 Tundra :roll:

[Kaan]

2008... i not ball'n enough (or willing to spend the extra $5k) to get the same miles on a 2010 truck

[Jake]

2008... i not ball'n enough (or willing to spend the extra $5k) to get the same miles on a 2010 truck

Damn, I almost typed 2008 but thought yours was newer.

[Kaan]

i think Navin bought newer but not this cheap ass.

[navin]

2010 -- so ballin' over here!

Tundra is an 'ok' truck, If I were to do it again I'd buy a 2011+ Tundra just because the 08-10's seem to have some ridiculous TSB's out there, and it seems like it's luck of the draw on whether or not your truck is effected by it. I bought the Tundra for house crap, towing, and possibily upgrading to an enclosed in the near future.

If you plan on sticking with an open trailer then just get a SUV that can tow... such as Jake's Denali, or v8 4runner if you want the Toyota reliability (just make sure the t-belt/waterpump have been done, and pick up some spare calipers). You can find higher mileage ones for 13-15k all day.

[Jake]

I didn't like the 4Runner just because I thought interior ergonomics were awful for anyone above about 5'7" in height.

If I had to pick a Toyota-based SUV to tow with, I'd look more at the GX470 or LXwhatever Lexii. GX is 4Runner-y but with an interior I could live with, LX is Yukon-sized and somehow doesn't carry the brand/model cachet that the Land Cruiser does. And neither is really that expensive from what I've seen.

I had some time to wander Carmax a few weeks ago. Sat in a 2011ish LX... good lord, it's pimp. And has some actual off-road chops vs. an Expedition or Tahoe.

[D_Eclipse9916]

The Denali was a 1-owner and exclusively dealer-serviced. The difference between mine and yours, DJ, was that yours was several years newer at the time, with fewer miles. I bought mine essentially 10 years old with 125k on it already. I crossed 141k yesterday.

Cool story (mine was older, a 2003, so technically 10 years old when I had mine). :dunno:

Sometimes we dont buy the best options. My Z06 with ~10k miles on it (now) has more issues than any BMW I have ever had. #rodehardputawaywet. Itll be super nice after I am done with it :|

[Evan]

Im completely opposite on the crew vs extended cab thing.
I very much prefer an extended cab, its a truck not a camry. Id never give up valuable bed space for a crew cab that rarely gets used. (and the cc+ regular ed long wheelbase sucks so bad to drive)
As a bonus, with the fold up seats its also a great place to carry large items that you dont want banging around in the bed like big screen tvs, art prints etc. Ive even carried my bike back there while I was at work and put plywood and MDF back there when there was a surprise thunderstorm looming .

[rherold9]

So what I'm seeing is get a low mileage as possible tow vehicle with a long warranty as possible?

[Kaan]

since i was cheap and got a 2008, mine was not certified. but i did have it sent to the toyota dealer across the street to be looked over like a certified. i think toyota will only certify a 2010-11 or newer, they only do 5 year old cars or newer for certified. that gets you 100k mile powertrain warranty.

I dont know what GM offers. and i think the only ford i'd look at (and it was out of my price range) was the Ecoboost. I just didnt like the 5.4L trucks at all. I did almost roll the dice on a 2012 Dodge cummins with 6 speed (3 pedal)... but i talked myself out of it.

[Jake]

Towing with a 3-pedal transmission sounds... less than fun.

[.RJ]

So what I'm seeing is get a low mileage as possible tow vehicle with a long warranty as possible?

If you an afford it, its a luxury not to feel like you ever have to worry about the truck and have something nicer to drive to work. The reason you have a tow vehicle is to tow your busted ass racecar home when you stuff it in a wall or your connecting rods exit the block.

When I was towing to the track my truck was 8 years old and I bought it with 80k miles on, it was in great shape and never had a problem and never felt I had to worry about it. More money for tires if you dont have a CPO truck payment, too.

[rherold9]

Yeah I know. That's why mid 20s for cost is what I'm trying to find. It will leave a lot of room for play money.

My Dad has said look for a certified, lowest mileage truck that's 5 years old max so I can not worry about maintenance on a tow vehicle for as long as possible.

It seems like the Toyota dealer when I was shooting some shit with the salesman looking at brand new ones were almost willing to budge down to low 30s brand new for what I was looking for because it was the holidays. Now if that's the case around the holidays I would not mind spending the extra money.

But we will see what happens. I was definitely from the start looking for the trucks to have between 40-60k miles and still have a warranty. It would definitely help a lot. There is plenty of room for a payment in my budget but I'd rather save as much as possible.

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[navin]

If you're looking at used Toyota's, create an account here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/history">http://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/history</a><!-- m -->

Just keep plugging in the VIN #'s from the for sale ad's and you can check on service history if they took it to Toyota dealers.

[D_Eclipse9916]

[
If you an afford it, its a luxury not to feel like you ever have to worry about the truck

:thumbup:

I used a cheap trailer for 1.5 years and it was such a pain. It constantly broke and I constantly put money into it. The next trailer I got (the one I have now), I spent money on and it has been worth every penny. Knock on wood, have not had a break-down since I have owned it. My stress level has dropped significantly :lol: