I sold my pickup truck. Now I need a different truck.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Countryboy59

If you’re in this for mileage you might be in the wrong hobby. Power and torque matter when towing and hauling, and it takes BTUs to get them. That takes fuel.

I do not NEED to squeeze every nickel until the Buffalo craps in my hand, but anyone who is happy with their Tundra might be Very unhappy to have dramatically lower mileage with an Expedition. Even my 2013 GMC 2500 Duramax gets better mileage, especially when not towing. (And unloading 600 lbs of stuff from the bed has helped too. Hoarding gene is strong, but I persevere and periodically purge. Down to 3 pieces of cast iron, zero fire pits and one small spare propane bottle.)

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by brokeboater

Not having all the bells and whistles was a big attraction for me. Abysmal fuel economy and barely adequate cargo capacity sealed the coffin. I'd like to hope 2022 Tundra will increase both payload and fuel economy without adding too much electronic clutter. Until then I'll keep my 5.9 Cummins limping along.

I, sort of, got your comparison of fuel mileage from this post. Perhaps I was reading things into it....


I get 17+ on the highway without the trailer, much less in town and as I said before, 10-12 while towing. I am glad that mine is not a daily driver and I do admit, and agree, that the mileage is a weak point of the 5.7. I also agree that if you need heavy, then you need to move up to something else.


I have a friend who bought a new Ford eco boost about 2 or 3 years ago. HE was left stranded on the side of the road in his first year with some kind of throttle body issue. Just last month we were going to meet up in the center of the state and I got a call from him that they would be late. His (about 60K mile) truck wasn't pulling up Steven's Pass and they might not make it. Even though he maintained his truck according to Ford's expectation, he had a fouled spark plug that basically shut down his engine. After sitting and cooling, he was able to limp into camp. The next day we took it into the Ford Dealer where he found that one of the super charger thingys had to be rebuilt at a cost of over a grand.



So, yes, better mileage with an eco boost. That $1200 on top of the $400 tune up he got would buy a lot of gas for my old out of date Tundra. Just saying. Save the comments that he paid way too much. Either way he was stranded for the second time.

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by aftermath

So, yes, better mileage with an eco boost. That $1200 on top of the $400 tune up he got would buy a lot of gas for my old out of date Tundra. Just saying.

I'm not here to defend Ford reliability. I had it narrowed to a Tundra for that issue. And the abysmal fuel economy isn't bad for old technology, which Tundra is. Fuel economy alone would not have killed it for me but then there's that issue of limp wristed cargo capacity. Toyota could solve both of those issues in the new version and hopefully they will.

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by uraljohn

Last 2 years of the smaller (right sized) Tundra. Great trucks. Couple of things to look for. Make sure the timing belt has been serviced. If the belt breaks with engine running it is toast. Pistons will hit the valves. Lower front ball joints are another issue. There was a recall a long time ago and Toyota replaced a bunch. The truck has rather small front disc brakes and drum brakes on the rear. They tend to go through front rotors/pads a little faster than most other trucks. The brakes are good, but not the strongest point of the truck. Higher mileage trucks are going to need Catalytic Convertors replaced at some point. Not cheap even if you use quality after market convertors. Toyota OEM convertors are laughably expensive. Other high mileage things to look for are the driveshaft carrier bearing and U joints, front struts and bearing plates, drivers door window moter, and headlight lenses that are milky white.

You may want to look for the lowest mileage truck in the best condition and pay a bit more up front. A really nice Tundra 05/06 with lower mileage (under 100K) can be had for less than $15k. Good luck with your search. There are some very informative Tundra Forums on the Web. Take a look. They will be very helpful.

I appreciate teh detailed response. It seems that most of these need a timing belt by the time the are being sold. a $1000k maintenance bill is a big motivator to sell.

I am trying to find something with leather and it is severely limiting my results. I have not seen many with under 100k miles on them, but when I have 15k is about right for an sr5 and that mileage. It is a little bit tough to find much below 200k. The sweet spot for me is about 150k. I am still on the hunt for that southern garage kept 4x4. I have a nice empty garage stall waiting.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by aftermath

I, sort of, got your comparison of fuel mileage from this post. Perhaps I was reading things into it....


I get 17+ on the highway without the trailer, much less in town and as I said before, 10-12 while towing. I am glad that mine is not a daily driver and I do admit, and agree, that the mileage is a weak point of the 5.7. I also agree that if you need heavy, then you need to move up to something else.


I have a friend who bought a new Ford eco boost about 2 or 3 years ago. HE was left stranded on the side of the road in his first year with some kind of throttle body issue. Just last month we were going to meet up in the center of the state and I got a call from him that they would be late. His (about 60K mile) truck wasn't pulling up Steven's Pass and they might not make it. Even though he maintained his truck according to Ford's expectation, he had a fouled spark plug that basically shut down his engine. After sitting and cooling, he was able to limp into camp. The next day we took it into the Ford Dealer where he found that one of the super charger thingys had to be rebuilt at a cost of over a grand.



So, yes, better mileage with an eco boost. That $1200 on top of the $400 tune up he got would buy a lot of gas for my old out of date Tundra. Just saying. Save the comments that he paid way too much. Either way he was stranded for the second time.

When you try to make horsepower by turbocharging a tiny engine something is gonna break. The eco boost works great for the majority of truck owners who use it for commuting and an occasional hardware trip but for frequent towing I would either trade them frequently or get something heavier.

[Foiled Again]

For Peter417 - re leather upholstery
I have noticed many replacement seats and seatbacks on Amazon.... not sure if there is anything for your make and model, but I was expecting the cost to be much higher than the asking prices, so it might work out well to buy one with cloth upholstery and upgrade. You could do just the front seats until the dogs or kids upchuck and ruin the back ones.

[AldeanFan]

I’ve owned a lot of cars and trucks and you can’t do much better than a late first gen Tundra.
05-06 are the best years.
As long as your not towing big weight, the 4.7 is more then adequate and the smaller body is much better for driving when not towing.

I’d rather spend $1,000 on maintenance on my 2005 paid for truck than have a $1000 a month payment on a new one.

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

For Peter417 - re leather upholstery
I have noticed many replacement seats and seatbacks on Amazon.... not sure if there is anything for your make and model, but I was expecting the cost to be much higher than the asking prices, so it might work out well to buy one with cloth upholstery and upgrade. You could do just the front seats until the dogs or kids upchuck and ruin the back ones.

I am open to a well equiped SR5. I did look up a couple companies that do produce leather replacement skins. I am finding installed prices around 1700 and down. If the right garage kept southern pickup showed up I would definitely consider the lower trim level.

[Peter417]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

I’ve owned a lot of cars and trucks and you can’t do much better than a late first gen Tundra.
05-06 are the best years.
As long as your not towing big weight, the 4.7 is more then adequate and the smaller body is much better for driving when not towing.

I’d rather spend $1,000 on maintenance on my 2005 paid for truck than have a $1000 a month payment on a new one.

The last catscale weigh put us right at 3k. I hope the 4.7 can do that with out breaking a sweat. We live in the ozarks and the hills are real.

I also prefer to pass on the truck payment. Scheduled maintenance is pretty easy to plan for.

[AldeanFan]

3k behind a tundra? No sweat,
I bough my 1954 Country Squire wagon in Pennsylvania and trailered it home in my 20’ enclosed trailer. The wagon weighs more than 3k by itself and the trailer is a big heavy brick being dragged through the air.
I didn’t hit any hills like you’ve got but it wasn’t flat either and the tundra was happy to do it.

[Peter417]

This still has plenty of time to fall through but I might be bringing this guy home today.

[AldeanFan]

Looks like a great truck!

[camp-n-family]

Originally Posted by Luke Grisott

Can highly recommend the 2020 Ram 1500 limited Hemi 4 x 4. Has all the interior luxury of a high end SUV. Easy to enter and exit the vehicle for us gals.
Towing capacity 12,050
Tongue capacity 1045
Air Suspension.
A beautiful ride. All the power needed. Oh by the way we tow a 2018 25FT FBT International serenity.
We had a independent broker search the United States to get us the best price. 15,000 .
We Couldn’t be happier. Never thought I was a truck gal .
Once the vehicle was located he had it brought to a dealership near us. Then Dealership delivered it to our front door. Never thought we buy a vehicle this way. It was a great experience. We only step foot on one dealership just to look at colors . And then gave our first second and third choice for colors. A few months of research on the Internet as to what we wanted.

Report back in 3 years when the warranty is up with your ownership experience. No offense but as a new owner of a new truck with little ownership experience your high recommendation doesn’t mean much. Rams do not have the reliability of a Toyota.

I’ve owned 5 Toyotas and 2 Rams. All the Toyotas were trouble free for 200K+ with regular maintenance. A 4Runner needed a caliper at 245k and a Tundra had a front differential replaced under warranty. All had high resale values and 3 sold for more than I paid for them after several years.
The first Ram was an absolute nightmare. 3 transmissions in the first year, seized brakes, electrical issues, rusting chrome, leather seats fell apart and more. Trade in value was half after 1 year of ownership. Dealer made a deal to trade it for a new Ram after only 60k kms. 2nd Ram (2017) is just out of warranty and has already cost me $2500 in repairs.
Can’t wait to see what the new 2022 Tundra brings. So ready to get back to a reliable truck.

[camp-n-family]

Originally Posted by Peter417

I appreciate teh detailed response. It seems that most of these need a timing belt by the time the are being sold. a $1000k maintenance bill is a big motivator to sell.

I am trying to find something with leather and it is severely limiting my results. I have not seen many with under 100k miles on them, but when I have 15k is about right for an sr5 and that mileage. It is a little bit tough to find much below 200k. The sweet spot for me is about 150k. I am still on the hunt for that southern garage kept 4x4. I have a nice empty garage stall waiting.

If you find the right truck but it doesn’t have leather consider upgrading it with Katzkins. They make a number or leather upholstery kits for reasonable prices.

[brokeboater]

Originally Posted by camp-n-family

The first Ram was an absolute nightmare. 3 transmissions in the first year,

Wow that's a pretty serious lemon report. What year Ram and what transmission?

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by brokeboater

Wow that's a pretty serious lemon report. What year Ram and what transmission?

Our work fleet has several late model Rams with the Hemi and they are quite reliable. We also have a Chevy and two Ford half tons, no problems with either except one was in a collision. The only caviat is they are all V8 versions. They are nearing 4 years old, at or over 100k miles and I suspect will be replaced soon.

Nothing gets tougher use than a fleet truck.

[Silvr_Bullet]

Originally Posted by camp-n-family

Report back in 3 years when the warranty is up with your ownership experience. No offense but as a new owner of a new truck with little ownership experience your high recommendation doesn’t mean much. Rams do not have the reliability of a Toyota.



I’ve owned 5 Toyotas and 2 Rams. All the Toyotas were trouble free for 200K+ with regular maintenance. A 4Runner needed a caliper at 245k and a Tundra had a front differential replaced under warranty. All had high resale values and 3 sold for more than I paid for them after several years.

The first Ram was an absolute nightmare. 3 transmissions in the first year, seized brakes, electrical issues, rusting chrome, leather seats fell apart and more. Trade in value was half after 1 year of ownership. Dealer made a deal to trade it for a new Ram after only 60k kms. 2nd Ram (2017) is just out of warranty and has already cost me $2500 in repairs.

Can’t wait to see what the new 2022 Tundra brings. So ready to get back to a reliable truck.

3 transmissions in one year, why did you buy another Ram? If I had such an experience like you outline I sure wouldn’t opt for another.

[Peter417]

Thanks for chiming in guys. The new 2020 pickup recommendations were a little weird considering the original post.


The truck is in the driveway. 117k miles. 14 years old. The mileage is Lower than what I was looking for and it cost a little more than I intended but the miles and trim are pretty stellar. The biggest issue is the owner lived on some gravel so I have some cleanup and probably a few suspension parts that will need some tlc. The timing belt is nearly 30k past due so no towing with it to the Buffalo Point rally.





I started a new thread for the build up:
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f46...ml#post2429689

[camp-n-family]

2014 Ram 2500 5.7l hemi. I believe it has the 65RFE

[camp-n-family]

3 transmissions in one year, why did you buy another Ram? If I had such an experience like you outline I sure wouldn’t opt for another.

I was very hesitant to get another. After trying for a year to trade the truck without losing my shirt I got a call from the dealer with the usual “we want your trade and have big sale” gimmick. I usually hang up but I was getting desperate as the warranty was almost up. The deal on a new factory custom order with truck with no charge Cummins was tough to pass up. I’d have a new truck with a full warranty. If it was junk again I could sell it for what I paid or more. It’s starting to look like I’ll be doing that as soon as the new Tundra comes out.