Time for a new truck - any opinions?

[flywasher]

Hi-

Looking into buying a new truck and Toyota Tundra is at the top of my list. Would be used for family long trips and towing 25 ft boat. Am looking for any feedback/opinions to help sway my decision (...either way!).

thanks for the help!

[spoonfed]

2500 hd duramax crewcab chevy. I have a 27' boat, I get 18 mpg pulling the boat and 23 on the highway without it! Rides good and ISNT a Toyota!

[firstin]

I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado and love it. My buddy has a Toyota Tundra and he likes my Chevy better as do I. It has a better ride and better fuel economy. Just my .02 cents, good luck and have fun!

[Paulywood]

I also have a Chevy diesel and love it. 22' boat and I get great mileage pulling the boat or regular driving.

[Nailer]

Dmax is a good truck. If you go that rout get nothing older than a 2006.

Tundras get bad millage.

My 2002 DMax is at 180,000+ miles and still pulling strong. 13 mpg with camper and boat both on.

And yes, the ride is very nice compared to other heavy trucks.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Nailer

[spoonfed]

Mines an 06, I was working in Mississippi for awhile and I was getting 26 on the highway. When I wear this one out im getting another!

[A-Fishy-Anado]

I have to go with the Dmax as well. I have a tundra, Ford f250, Chevy 1500, Dodge 3500 cummins and I will hop in the 2500 dmax over any of them for comfortable ride while towing and mileage is great!

[1mainiac]

Even though I am a Ford fan untill they get the mileage back up the Dmax is the truck right now. Unless you get a older Ford my 7.3 will likely out live me but the ride is not as nice as a Chevy. But i don't buy a truck for a nice ride it is a plus but I buy a truck to work to death and hard to work the older Fords to death the D Max is the best setup GM ever put in a pickup with the Alison trans it is pretty hard to beat today.

[Priority1]

I would buy a Chev GMC or a Ford. I own a 2008 Chev now.

[tltorrice]

I agree. The Dmax has the pulling power and the mileage. Ford needs to get with the program on the mileage.

[usmcpaul]

I absolutely love my 2006 Ram 2500, 6 spd, 5.9L Cummins, 4-door. It tows my 24 footer no problem, has plenty of room for the family and gets pretty good mileage for what it is.

Some people say the interiors are not as nice as the others and I suppose there is a little truth to that, however the Cummins legacy more than makes up for it in my mind. I have no problem driving in it for extended periods of time.

The older ones had transmissions (autos) that were not as strong as they should be, but I have heard that they have addressed that since then. Mine is a manual so there is no problem there.

Sounds like you might be looking for a gasser anyway, and the Hemis are tough to beat in my opinion. I am not sure how Tundras pull heavy loads so I can't comment on them (besides I live near Detroit and would not be caught dead in one of those things:D)

[Tad Pole]

Rick just bought a new silverado he debated long and hard on the duramax and finially went with the gas his reason was that the only real work the truck will do is pulling the boat to the lake and back and get this the salesman convinced that it would be a waste to go with the diesel(still trying to figure that one out)but all in all a very nice truck and very comfortable plus better mileage than the 98 with the 5.7

[Boltman]

When your looking for PULLING POWER stop talikng about mileage it's a Contradiction in terms....Semi's pull huge weights and pull 6 miles to the gallonif they are lucky...

I have a 1999 Ford F350 with 457,000 miles...Pulling miles too and it gets 12 unloaded and 6 when pulling the boat 20,000 pounds...

Ford makes a great truck and so does Dodge and chevy, but when you bounce up into a diesel.....It's about how much weight your going to be pulling.........Consider how much muscle you'll need, then consider the life span of the deisel your choosing...and If you can.. find a truck with a 7.3 litre, they just don't stop....

[Priority1]

This is a good thread. All boys love their trucks.

[spoonfed]

My Duramax will pull a house down, and I dont need to stop at every gas station!

[flywasher]

thx to all for their input.

this post was actually for my daughter and her family. i've always had 3/4 ton chevy's and my son 3/4 ton ford's. i guess she just wants to different.

she has 2 toyotas with no problems, and i'm very impressed with what a person gets "standard" on a toyota, compared to chevy and ford.

she really was concerned about any problems you guys were having, if any with the tundras. but all your opinions were appreciated.

thx again, lee

[anthonyyost]

The one thing I really like about my duramax is that you can actually hear yourself think in it. It is the quietest motor out there. The torque and power are great, no downshifting when pulling a load, just consistent rpm's and steady power.

[Deuce]

Dodge RULES, Toyota DRULES

[Side JOB]

The duramax is the best you can buy i had one and loved it. I know have a 05 yukon half ton and it pulls my 21 ft just fine. Chevy all the way

[Down-n-Out]

I must say I have always been a Ford fan, I help developed the diagnostics on the 7.3L and know they held up good. My girlfriend had a 03 D-max and I feel in love with it. Great mileage, nice ride, and lots of power. Funny thing, now I develope the diagnostic's for the new D-max. So keep me in a job an buy a D-max.

[tawood]

I've owned a few Toyota cars and they were awesome...then I bought a brand new '08 Tundra, and it was by far THE WORST vehicle I have ever owned. I had it for 6 months (yes, took a MAJOR bath on it) and I used to joke that I needed a sign that said, " __ days since Toyota was in for repairs" and the sign would only need a spot for one digit, since I don't think it ever went more than 9 days without a problem. On day 1, during the drive home from the dealership, the paint started peeling off the hood!

And as for pulling power, I know Toyota has all those Tundra commercials showing it pulling all kinds of stuff up to 10,000 lbs....that is all market hype. Look at the tongue weight limit: it was something like 180 lbs!!! How the heck are you gonna find a 10,000 lbs trailer with only a 180 lbs tongue weight???

The only positive things I can say about the Toyota is that it looks nice, and goes fast. The 5.7L in that truck is almost 400 hp, so it takes off like a fast car. Unfortunately, it also hauls like a car, sags under weight like a car, has a thin metal bed like a cheap car trunk, etc.

It's been almost 2 years since I got rid of it, but here are some of the problems I can remember: bad paint, downshifting to first while letting off the gas at about 30 mph (scared the heck out of me and a few times skid the rear tires before the recall fix that "sorta" fixed it), literaly dozens of engine codes, a horrible dash rattle (I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was LOUD, and they all do it), dash electrical failure (all gauges would quit at once), cracked brake rotor, burnt window drive motor...I know there were more, but I'm trying to forget the whole experience.

Like I said, it wasn't my first Toyota, but it was my last...some people like their Tundras, and maybe I just got a truck made on a Friday, but after that many problems, I'm spent.

Tim

[trollperchsand?]

I have sold Toyota's since 1993, Excellent product. I have sold 7 of the new body style 5.7's to close friends and people that I see at least once a month. Absolutely no problems, NOT ONE! I have one friend that pulls a trailer nearly every day for his living and has 60,000 miles on his truck in the last 24 months. No problems. I pulled out my 280 Boston Whaler Conqest with twin 225's on it with a Tundra with the 5.7 V8 and pulled much better than than 3/4 ton (name withheld) I put it in with. I can tell you is after spending the last 15 years selling Toyota's, Tawood is the first unhappy Tundra customer I have met, and I manage the highest volume Toyota used car department in the state of Michigan. I get to see unhappy customers... Tundra owners are not unhappy and more often than not trade their Tundra for another Tundra.

Some facts about the Tundra: It is rated at 401 ft lbs of torque. I can't believe you would have a problem towing with it. The tongue weight is not 180 lbs. The GVW of a Dobulecab 5.7 4x4 is 5460, the GVWR is 7100 lbs, Tongue capacity for towing is calculated by the GVWR of 7100 and subtracting the total weight of the truck (the GVW), the cargo and passengers. ie: if you have 740 lbs of gear and passengers you would have an available tongue weight of 800 lbs with this application.

If you would like to see more about the Tundra take a look at this website:

http://www.toyota.com/tundra/deconstructed/

Do I think you should buy a Tundra...

Only if you want one. Chevy, Ford and Dodge are all nice trucks as well, I think they all are putting out a nice product right now.

Good luck with your search and if you want to know anything about the Tundra, I know quite a bit about it.

Chris

[tawood]

My '08 said RIGHT IN THE MANUAL not to hook up a trailer, to the factory trailer receiver (with the factory towing package), with a tongue weight of over 180 lbs!

I had bought my Tundra to pull a small (23') 5th wheel....I had to make MAJOR suspension mods for the Tunda to handle the 650 lbs-in-bed 5th wheel hitch weight....

The first time I hooked up the fifth wheel, the rear wheels pressed against the fender wells. I've got picks of this, so I'll post them.

Oh, and I've heard the "Tundra never has a problem" from the dealer EVERY SINGLE TIME I WENT IN THERE! As their recent brake problem shows, Toyota has a habit of saying "there isn't a problem!!!"

[tawood]

Ok, guess I'm not able to post pics on this site....Basically, I had to install heavier springs AND a special rubber bushing "bump stop", that sits under the springs and comes into play when the bed is loaded (I can't remember what these were called....this destroyed the truck's ride.

My tow vehicle before the Tundra was an old Dodge 1500 that handled the little 5th wheel without any problems.

And since writting the last I just remembered another problem I had, twice, with the Tundra: don't put any weight on the tailgate. I broke mine twice just loading a dirt bike in the bed. And for anyone that would like to see it, I also have a letter, directly from Toyota, that says, "do not stand on the tailgate".

[Nailer]

For all the guys running Ultra low sulfur diesel, this is a must read.

Down load the pdf