Buying a Vehicle - Chapter 2

[DaRube]

Several months ago, I posted a thread here regarding my need to purchase a vehicle to go with my new rural lifestyle. The help provided by the members of this forum was tremendously useful - I would have really struggled without it!! After checking out the suggestions here, my wife and I purchased a 2002 Subaru Forester, which we love.

The day after taking delivery, we brought my wife's 88 Nissan in for some much delayed maintenance. Our mechanic, who has done great work for us for over 10 years, presented us with a list of $3000 worth of items, some which were safety issues, and most of which would fail state inspection. Needless to say, it was time to shop again, and now we are ready for a light truck.

We have looked at the Ford F-150s, and the Dodge Dakotas, Ram 1500s, and Chevy Avalanches, but have brought our list down to the Chevy Silverado 1500 and the Toyota Tundra, both in the 4 door cab, short bed versions.

We anticipate that the Soobie will be our primary commuting vehicle, although the new truck will accumulate some highway miles in the short term, until Pam becomes a fulltime housewife...or gets a local job. After that, the truck will see mostly local use.....and help in maintaining our 10 Northern Virginia acres.

The deciding factors are:

* The Silverado is a little beefier, and quite a bit roomier, particularly in the back seats. I wonder if parts might be cheaper down the road, but I question whether it is built to last.

* Toyotas have a wonderful reputation for longevity, and we seek to get 10 years of more from our vehicles. But the rear seats are all but unusable for passengers other than very small children. The Soobie would have to be the primary family car.

I would love to hear what you folks think between these two vehicles. For those of you who have kept your vehicles for a long time, is it because you are scrupulous about maintenance, do the work yourself (I, alas, am not very adept), or have some other "secret".

Thanks in advance,

Dave

 

[Jeff396]

I think Toyotas are the finest vehicles built in the world today. They will run forever and probably won't need any repairs for a good long time. That said, I went American for the same reasons you are considering the Silverado. I wanted the roominess and I am willing to put up with the added possible repairs that will come up to get it. Parts are cheaper and more than likely the truck, for what you get, will be cheaper also. My first 5 new vehicles were Toyotas: 83 Corolla SR5, 84 4x4 extra cab, 85 Land Cruiser, 87 Corolla FX16, 89 Camry but they finally became too expensive to justify what with the American quality getting closer all the time. That said, I have no experience keeping a vehicle for 10 years though I have seen many keep a Toyota for that long with 250k miles plus and very little repairs. I'm not sure I could say the same for American built cars. They seem to have a planned obselesance (sp?) around 100K miles. Anyway, I'm sure I confused you more but shopping is half the fun./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

97 Ford F350 turbo diesel crew cab long bed monster

 

[ChrisR]

Hi Dave

Over here in Australia, the Toyota Hilux Duelcab (diesel) is by far the prefered vehicle of most of the major mining companies, and the conditions on some of these minesites must be some of the toughest in the world. (I can atest to that) also these vehicles carry four or five full grown adults, and at the auctions I often see examples that have done 2 to 300,000 kms and they still fetch good money. I bought my wife one about 3 months ago and she finds it perfect for her and the two children, her only gripe being the height of the doorway, but I fitted sidesteps and all is well. Also Toyotas over here hold their used value very well, which is also a plus.

Hope this might Help

Regards

Chris

 

[RichZ]

Dave, I have a 2001 Silverado, that I bought just about a year ago. It has the extended cab and the off road package. It's got 20,000 miles on it, and, so far, not one problem. We give it very heavy use, as it's a farm vehicle. I transport large loads of hay (about 20 bales at a time) at least once a week, sometimes several times a week. It handles that and everything else extremely well, and is great in the snow. I HIGHLY recommend it!

I have always bought either Chey or GMC trucks (same thing) and have always put over 200,00 miles on them, and have never had a serious problem or breakdown. I replaced my GMC full size van two years ago with another, only because it had 310,000 miles without a major repair, and I figured eventually something would give.

Buy the Chevy, you won't be sorry!

Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."

 

[dmccarty]

DaRube,

Whew, what a bunch of questions...

Ask around where you work and see if your company is involved with GM or Ford purchase programs. My company does particpate and on the Ford F350 trucks the discount was 1.5% UNDER invoice. If there are incentives from Ford they usually apply to the purchase plan so the price can go lower. I saw some incentives on the F150 the other night. GM's plan was similar. There are organizations that might participate in these buying plans as well.

There is a Ford Truck website called www.ford-diesel.com[/url/ that is r...problems..... Hope this helps... Dan McCarty

 

[JeffRey30747]

I don't really know what you are planning on using this truck for in terms of actual "truck" tasks. However, the Toyota Tacoma Duble Cab actually has more room in the rear than the Tundra Access cab. This is a smaller truck, though and can't be expected to do some of the things that a full sized vehicle will. Bed length is also about a foot less than the typical Tacoma. The 195hp V6 moves it well and I usually get around 18.5mpg in my 4WD. If you are going to be doing less hauling than riding, you may want to look at the Tacoma D-cabs before you buy.

 

[Jeff396]

I don't think those are available over here. Nirq's is the first crew cab Toyota I have ever seen. Gotta think it's just a matter of time though what with the success of the other mid size crew cab pickups.

Jeff

 

[JeffRey30747]

The Tacoma d-cab is the americanized version of the Hilux crew cab. I think that the Hilux retains the pre-'86 type leaf spring front end that is tougher and more capable off road than the easier riding IFS front end that is on the current North American Toyotas. Here is a pic of my d-cab.

 

[Jeff396]

Very nice! Toyota still has it with their truck styling. I'm not real fond of their cars style anymore with the exception of that new spyder. I loved my wifes '84 4x4 extra cab. Back then you could still get them without carpet. Great to just hose 'er out after muddin'. I also remember that odd sitting position with your legs sticking straight out in front of you. Great vehicle! The Toyota I wish I still had was my '85 Land cruiser. It was the station wagon type with a manual choke and weighed close to 5000 lbs. Problem was that when I suddenly had to commute 35 miles one way to work, its 11 mpg combined with a 12 gallon fuel tank signed its death sentence. Anyway, I gotta think that the Tundra crew cab can't be too far away.

Jeff

 

[cp1969]

It's strange how people's experience varies so widely.

The only Toyota I had was a fair car, but certainly no better than anything else I've owned. At 140,000 miles it was basically shot--everything from connecting rods rattling to window mechanisms that had failed thousands of miles before, front end needed completely rebuilt, heater didn't work....I can't remember what all else had failed, it's been a number of cars ago.

I've had quite a few Amercian cars and trucks go much farther than that with fewer repairs.

 

[poorboy]

The f-150's haven't got the suspension that the chevy's have. Especially with the Z71 package. The brother in law went from a quad cab 1500 dodge which looked good but stunk with the small v-8 and automatic. It just wasn't set up right and sucked the gas with 10 to 13 mpg. His 01 chevy ext. Z71 with a 327 is one of the best half ton packages out there and I think from 18 to 20 mpg. My family is a "Ford" family and I tried not to be impressed but I am.

I have began trying to get my wife interested in the idea of a diesel in a F-350 crew cab with an eight foot bed when the van plays out. I figure when she tears the bed off in a parking lot I can put a steel flat and really use it for what it was meant for.

Patrick

 

[DaRube]

You guys continue to Rock & Roll!!! No wonder I love this place.....even tho I haven't been around as much as I was a few months back. Anyway, thanks for the great feedback, and keep it coming.....

Actually we did look a bit at the Tacoma, and the biggest cab on that certainly is roomier than the Tundra. It probably isn't justified entirely by the work that I will be doing with this thing.....but I just WANT the bigger truck. I'm sure you guys know how THAT is.....just like the next size larger tractor.

I will probably do several more test drives, and some serious soul searching.....and see if I still feel that way.

I am still curious about who here does their own maintenance on their vehicles, and whether that gives you an additional level of comfort.....

Alas diesel will not be a great option for me....although we did discuss it at one dealership (and I was glad to learn more about that possibility). But I am curious....do these gas critters drink regular unleaded...or do they sop up hi-test?? At these low gas mileages, that 20c/gal can add up real quick.

 

[DocHeb]

My 2001 Silverado 8.1L uses regular 87 octane gas. I just traded my 1994 Taurus in since the dealer couldn't find the reason for it's stalling without notice. Although I loved that Taurus (3.2L SHO), I couldn't trust the car to work. This is the first pickup that I've owned, and it is great!

 

[JeffRey30747]

I really can't tell any difference in performance or mileage when I use different octane levels, so I normally use regular unleaded 87 octane. I have an old '85 Toy 4WD beater truck that has 200K+ on it and have thought about replacing it with an older (late 80s, early 90s) F-250 or F-350 for those jobs that the little Tacoma doesn't seem to be up to. Good luck on your search, Jeff

 

[Buck]

Dave,

A couple of posts have validated that there really isn't that much differences today in American vs. Japanese longitivity.

I'm going to buy an American pickup truck. The reason is that I love pickups. Pickups are an American invention. When I take my family out for ice cream in August, I'll be [censored] if I will be seen in a Japanese pickup truck. I am sorry if this is not politically correct, but on the other hand, I would never want to go to a Japanese Shushi bar, either.

Buck

 

[njrqs]

Jeff396

Gee you have a good memory.

Yep I like my Dual Cab Hilux but the room in the back seat is a bit tight.

The sort ChrisR has bought is newer than mine, much like the photo someone else has posted here. It has slightly more rear legroom than mine, but the tray gets consequently shorter.

Mine has a silly 6' long tray, making it a real long overhang at the rear. OK for campign gear etc. but I scrape the rear sometimes.

Go the toyotas !!

I have attached another pic again !

Cheers

 

[Jeff396]

I have a good memory.......for vehicles. At least that's what my wife would tell you. As for everything else....well/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif.

If you remember we ended up buying our F350 crew for the rear doors. I have a feeling that the Toyota crew would have been too small for us. We have the car seat issue. At the time I don't think any small crews had made it to our shores with the possible exception of the Nissan. That had a 4 ft bed which was way too small for my needs. No, the thought of taking the truck on a trip with the kids constantly kicking the back of my seat didn't sound too appealing. Being able to tow up to 10,000 lbs was also a requirement. Maybe at the next purchase we will be past that issue and I won't have to drive a land yatch anymore......but then again there's always a Hummer!!!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Sure would be nice to get another Toyota, unfortunately, the Land Cruiser has turned into a Yuppie overpriced mess.

Jeff

Oh, and I still have your "truck in water" pictures on disk.

 

[smilingreen]

Dave,
I have a 2000 Tundra I bought brand new in 2000. Has the 4.7 L gas motor and two wheel drive. I have not had any problems with it except for a cracked exhaust manifold, which the dealer replaced under warranty. It rides great, has plenty of power, and I think the back has plenty of room. We took 2 12 year old to Florida last summer in it and no complaints. I have a 26' sailboat that I pull with the Tundra, Which the boat and trailer weigh in at around 5500 pounds. Here in Tennessee, we have some pretty steep boat ramps, and the Tundra pulls the boat out without even spinning a wheel. Plenty of power. I also have a JD790 FWD/FEL and multiple implements I pull around with it on a tandem axle 12000 pound rated trailer. The tundra pulls it no problem out of fields and up steep, narrow country roads. As for the chevy, I can't compare, since I have never owned one, but I can say, /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I have pulled my buddies FWD silverado out of the mud 3 times with my JD 790./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Take your time buying and have fun doing it. I sure did.

 

[fishman]

DaRube,

My 2000 model Chevy Z-71 uses 87 octane unleaded. Towing I get about 14-14.5 mpg, about 15.5 all around, and 17.5 on the highway at 75 mph. Not the best mileage, but not bad for a 4wd.

I really like it, and think it is a quality truck. As to the "built in America" theme, my Chevy was assembled in Canada, and the little Dodge Neon I commute in was "hecho in Mexico". Given the fact that many Toyotas are built in the U.S., I really wouldn't know which one to buy if you were trying to "buy American". I tried twice, and failed both times./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif-

My advice is to drive them both, with your entire family in tow, to see which is more comfortable. I suspect that neither back seat will be entirely satisfactory. If I had it to do over again, I would get a full-size, four-door pickup. People I know that have the Chevy 6.0 liter in the HD series are only giving up about 1-2 mpg.

 

[njrqs]

Jeff

I only have one small child at present. When/if I ever have 2 teenagers I am sure the Toyotas then will be too small.

I'd like a wagon (Eg. Landscruiser or Nissan Patrol (Don;t know if you have that?)) but the ute is so handy. Just the dust and water I get in the canopy is a real pain. It was built to sleep in but now we have a camper trailer so that really isn't the issue anymore. I do have a fridge in the back of the ute so it is really set ut for what we want.

Decisions decisions - Maybe that's why we have had over 16 cars between us in 13 years !!!

Cheers