New Trucks / SUV's

Doc_Eggerton

Pretty satisfied with my 2005 5.7 hemi Dodge Ram.  Towed a few heavy loads with it, at highway speeds.  Cannot testify to the current generation.

sumoconnell

Smokinpig said:

I am with @jeepster47. I have a 2014 grand cherokee limited 4x4 but with the V6. I love it, no problems in 18 months and I can get 25 miles to the gallon on the highway.

I got the 2014 grand cherokee 3.0L turbo diesel.  Love @ 22 mpg with plenty of juice.

Dobie

Jeremiah said:

I have a 6.7L Diesel, F-350 Ford (2011) and love it...will probably trade for a new one sometime next year.

I get 20mpg, and I don't baby it.  I can also tow anything out there.

I wanted that truck bad. But settled for a 150 with the 5.4. Don't regret it but man I'd love a new 6.7 f250. Just don't want the payment. Lol. @Dobie‌ I wish I could help but seeing how they quit making the 5.4 i can't really give first hand advise. If you're looking to keep a truck longer than the warranty I'd stay away from the 3.5 ecoboost. The main issue owners are having is on real humid hot days and while towing at the upper levels of the trucks ability the inter cooler builds up with condensation and locks up the turbos. This is bad. What's worse is ford is being **** about it. I love my 2009 fx4. But as I said it's got the old gas hog motor (that last forever). GM had a great motor in the LS series (5.3/6.0) but the new models are having issues with their new fuel injection system. Here again GM is being **** and ignoring it.--this info came straight from GM dealer mechanics. Hope that helps.

This is the kind of info Im after, thanks. I had a F150 Supercrew Lariat 2W drive long bed with the 5.4 Triton back in 2003. Very nice truck but wife didnt like parking it so she didn't drive. I started working from home and she needed a new car so I traded it a couple years later to get her a new ride.

ksmyrl

@kennylee and @little Steven I get it and understand. My comment was more about the fact that Chevy Ford and Dodge have been making trucks a lot longer with more success than the others. At least with "full size" trucks. I appreciate that they employ local folks as well. But in the end the profits go overseas. The R&D is done overseas. And most of the benefits go overseas. Just the way I choose to buy. Not judging or pushing my views.

Dobie

TheShaytoon said:

I tow my boat all over the country.  Have an F250 (4x4), a 4-Runner (4x4), and an FJ Cruiser (4x2)...

When we go anywhere with the boat, the truck stays home.  I like having somewhere secure to put all the crap that we take.

Just pulled the boat from Dallas to Tampa, 1100 miles, with the FJ Cruiser, once we got there we all appreciated the fact that we didn't have to take everything out of the bed and put it in the cab. I will say that the tank on the FJ is too small for towing.  Had to stop too often. 

If I had to get another tow vehicle, NOT EVEN A QUESTION... a 4 Runner.  Runs on Regular gas, so it's cheaper at the gas pump. We get 18 mpg in Dallas.  Comfortable...and right at your price point. 

I need to research the 4 Runner more. Thought they were over my budget. My brother just bought a used FJ and wants me to buy Toyota. The mileage isnt there with the FJ and discontinued after the 15 model and I dont want a two door. He loves his though. You have quite a collection of vehicles at your disposal.

Jeepster47

sumoconnell said:

I got the 2014 grand cherokee 3.0L turbo diesel.  Love @ 22 mpg with plenty of juice.

@sumoconnell ... How long have you had it?  Would you buy the diesel again?  I just couldn't bring myself to add that option ... stayed with what I had in the past.

sumoconnell

Jeepster47 said:

sumoconnell said:

I got the 2014 grand cherokee 3.0L turbo diesel.  Love @ 22 mpg with plenty of juice.

@sumoconnell ... How long have you had it?  Would you buy the diesel again?  I just couldn't bring myself to add that option ... stayed with what I had in the past.

It freaking rocks! great decision.  It was buggy in the beginning, there was a bad design on whatever that afterburner blue stuff is in the equivalent of the 'catalytic converter' and we had engine lights for a couple months.  Once that got a new design, we've been trouble free. 

Dobie

Truth be told I hate buying vehicles with a passion. No offence to any here but car salesmen and the finance people are snakes. I know how to deal with snakes but its not something I enjoy and when Im done they dont like it or me either. Vehicles are a bad investment that unfortunately most of us need IMO. Rant off. >-

ksmyrl

I agree for the most part. If you are a credit union member check out their car service. Tell em what you want they find it and call you w the vehicle. Agree to the price (no haggle). Go to the credit union, sign the papers...easier than the car lot game.

Jeepster47

@sumoconnell ... thanks ... will look at a diesel a little harder next time.

@Dobie ... Since the dealership sells more vehicles in one week than I buy in a decade, it doesn't seem like an even match does it? 

Dobie

ksmyrl said:

I agree for the most part. If you are a credit union member check out their car service. Tell em what you want they find it and call you w the vehicle. Agree to the price (no haggle). Go to the credit union, sign the papers...easier than the car lot game.

Yeah CU member here, havent been a bank customer in 25,years. Once I figure out what I want I will give that a try and see what they come back with, but its in my nature to make sure Im not overpaying and its in the deaperships interest to empty my pocket so its always a battle.

KennyLee

ksmyrl said:

@kennylee and @little Steven I get it and understand. My comment was more about the fact that Chevy Ford and Dodge have been making trucks a lot longer with more success than the others. At least with "full size" trucks. I appreciate that they employ local folks as well. But in the end the profits go overseas. The R&D is done overseas. And most of the benefits go overseas. Just the way I choose to buy. Not judging or pushing my views.

Totally understand and didn't take your post the wrong way at all.  You're, right....the big three have been building trucks for generations longer than Toyota has been in the biz of building full size.  And I've owned and driven quite a few (though never owned a Dodge).

I did a lot of thinking and research when I bought my Tundra since it was my first truck from a non US company after driving trucks for 30 years.  The thing that stuck out to me when looking at the dollars was how much stayed in the US economy.  The wages (right here in Texas actually), parts, investment in local facilities (on and on and on) in terms of dollars I found were far greater than what profit might go to a company that was not US-based.  The corporate profit on a vehicle is quite small versus the cost to produce it from beginning to end.  Plus this was around the time of the bailouts which Ford opted out of, but GM and Chrysler did not.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't ever see the CEO of Toyota sitting before a congressional committee begging for our tax dollars to rescue them from their own poor management.

And to each his own and my decision was mainly about what was best for me at the time in terms of my needs and the deal I could get and I never begrudge anyone else for making their own or a different decision.  However I did have to defend my purchase even with some of my buddies who came just short of accusing me of treason.....of course until they drove it AND found out that it was built right here in Texas      

Mickey

I have sold these for 40+ years and this is what I bought when i retired in March. Very happy with it. Drove them as demos forever. Toyota Tacoma 4X4 4 door short bed.

Jeepster47

The best experience I ever had buying a car happened in the 80's.  Took my Honda Accord in to a dealer to negotiate on buying a new vehicle.  After all the, "let me check with the manager" stuff, we were too far apart to waste time continuing to negotiate.  I simply got up and walked out.

Then about four months later, I decided to try again with another dealer in another town.  Drove up and who walks out but the original salesman from the other dealership.  I asked him if he remembered me ... he said "yes" ... I asked if he remembered that I left 'cuz he wouldn't give me a good deal ... he said "yes" ... I asked if he was going to do the same thing today ... he said "no."  And damn if he didn't give me a fantastic deal ... surprised me to no end.

nolaegghead

Mickey said:

I have sold these for 40+ years and this is what I bought when i retired in March. Very happy with it. Drove them as demos forever. Toyota Tacoma 4X4 4 door short bed.

The sweetness of your truck is inversely proportional to the ability of the football team (logo on tailgate) to win games.  That is a sweet truck man.

Mickey

nolaegghead said:

Mickey said:

I have sold these for 40+ years and this is what I bought when i retired in March. Very happy with it. Drove them as demos forever. Toyota Tacoma 4X4 4 door short bed.

The sweetness of your truck is inversely proportional to the ability of the football team (logo on tailgate) to win games.  That is a sweet truck man.

Go Bears..........

nolaegghead

Sorry, had to.  You know I'm an aggie, right?

KennyLee

Dobie said:

Truth be told I hate buying vehicles with a passion. No offence to any here but car salesmen and the finance people are snakes. I know how to deal with snakes but its not something I enjoy and when Im done they dont like it or me either. Vehicles are a bad investment that unfortunately most of us need IMO. Rant off. >-

Man, I could not agree more!!  One thing that I like about today is the ability to handle everything via the web.  The last truck I bought, I picked what I wanted including color, equipment and every last detail, then contacted probably 20+ dealerships within a 200-mile radius via e-mail asking for their best price on that specific truck with a specific price in mind.  Ironically, the best deal was about a half hour from the house.  We struck the deal over the phone and I showed up a few days later to pick it up once it arrived.  I even had prearranged financing which they ended up beating. 

They did try and sneak in the extended warranty in the finance paperwork though which I caught immediately.  Did they thing that I'd miss the fact that my payment was $30 higher than what it should be at the amount financed and interest rate?  That still pisses me off.  

Mickey

nolaegghead said:

Sorry, had to.  You know I'm an aggie, right?

My daughter is an aggie, her husbend and two little agates as well as his family. Thanksgiving we had 18 in the living room watching A&M and three of us in the bedroom watching Texas.

Mickey

nolaegghead said:

Sorry, had to.  You know I'm an aggie, right?

And no I did not. Did you meet my daughter last year in Salado? I think class of '93 (could be a year off). 

nolaegghead

I took some of my senior level chemistry and math (minor) there, but I graduated from Texas State.  I raced last month in Houston with my buddy and a few other Aggies.

nolaegghead

Mickey said:

nolaegghead said:

Sorry, had to.  You know I'm an aggie, right?

And no I did not. Did you meet my daughter last year in Salado? I think class of '93 (could be a year off). 

I don't think I did, or I was too inebriated to remember (in which case, sorry).  I was there in '86.  Class of '87.

TheShaytoon

@dobie Stay away from the Limited, and you should be able to get a very nice 4Runner at your budget.

Little Steven

ksmyrl said:

@kennylee and @little Steven I get it and understand. My comment was more about the fact that Chevy Ford and Dodge have been making trucks a lot longer with more success than the others. At least with "full size" trucks. I appreciate that they employ local folks as well. But in the end the profits go overseas. The R&D is done overseas. And most of the benefits go overseas. Just the way I choose to buy. Not judging or pushing my views.

Dude, we all have our opinions. No problem. I buy a lot of vehicles, mostly vans but some pickups. Over the past few years we have switched the whole company from Ford to GM. The Fords were dropping trannys between 5 and 10 K out of warranty and we got no joy from Ford. Our maintenance/repair costs have dropped to almost nothing. I thought long and hard about going to a foreign vehicle but the fact that they were made in the US and Toyota just opened a huge facility close to our office justified the choice.

Dobie

They did try and sneak in the extended warranty in the finance paperwork though which I caught immediately.  Did they thing that I'd miss the fact that my payment was $30 higher than what it should be at the amount financed and interest rate?  That still pisses me off.  

Yes they did, most people are idiots that cant do basic math and they prey on them. Funny thing is I warn them upfront that the math is done to the penny and they still try to punk me. It doesn't end well.

Dobie

Guess this thread doesnt bump anymore :-??