Sell me a new truck

[pre6422hornet]

Fin,
Have you looked into the F150 diesel coming out? My partner at work has the dodge and two of us have 350 dieels and love them but thought the dodge diesel was a bit gutless. Ford did a good job on the super duty diesel I expect good things for the halfton as well. And it's American made in Kentucky I believe. Some articles have estimated 30 mpg for that truck.

Just remember that the EPA mileage rating is 2wd regular cab with nothing extra ( weight), in an enclosed laboratory environment at the optimal speed for MPG. I have worked in the automotive field for my entire adult life, with the last 17 years as a manufacturer rep. Volvo, Harley, and currently Nissan.

I have had to talk to upset customers regarding mileage more than I can admit. Harley for instance set the MPG using a 180 pound test rider, inside on a dyno, at 55 mph, unloaded ( nothing in saddlebags, tour paks, etc...). Once you started adding up rider, passenger, and the usual 15-20 pounds in each saddlebag, you could pretty easily reverse the argument over MPG.

I currently run a 2017 Titan XD Diesel Crew Cab SL (5.0 liter Cummins) and just yesterday turned 4000 miles. I keep a detailed mileage log and I am averaging 16.1 miles per gallon. On the highway I have seen 19 mpg. When we debuted the Titan two years ago we touted 24 or 25 mpg if I remember correctly. Now I bet a 2wd single cab can do that.

I am hoping to demo a gasser XD next. My personal vehicle is a 2014 F250 but that is because we have a 13,000 lb fifth wheel.

 

[whiskeydog]

Let's also not forget that this thread was started in 2015... pretty sure he already upgraded his truck last year some time.

 

[GlockZ]

what i'm gonna say is going to come from my personal experiences. i currently work at a large rental company and have been there for over 12 years. we rent all types of construction equipment including pick-up trucks. that being said, the people that rent our equipment put our stuff through sometimes unbelievable abuse. from personal experience this is what i've seen and had to repair. first off the chevy/gmc trucks, don't even waste your time or money, absolute garbage, my company stopped buying from gm because of the constant issues with them. most problems with them start to appear not long after 15k miles. you name it, from front -ends that need replacing to transmissions, rear-ends that blow up, i could go on. however i will say other than the ignition issues they had, very little electrical issues as a whole with gm trucks. now the dodge/ram trucks. surprisingly very little issues with them. they hold up well, most repairs to them are body damage., yes we do have the occasional catastrophic failure but surprisingly that is a rarity. the 2500 series and up from ram do have a front end issues, but its a Spicer issue,( the company that builds the front axle), not a ram issue. we've had a few that have over 250k on them and still running good, but look they've been driven through a minefield! now to the fords. they make a good truck, the issues with the new 1/2 ton series,(aluminum bodies), is that the body parts are expensive to repair and the bed really doesn't hold up well at all. all the new trucks coming in have gotten bed liners installed to try to make the beds last longer. also no v8 engine anymore. all different sized turbo charged v6's now. biggest complaint is lack of power from our customers when towing relatively light trailer loads, i'm talking under 8k pounds.however they do seem to get pretty decent mileage and spacious cab room, but the rear seating is uncomfortable for long distance driving, same as the gm's, the ram trucks were the most comfortable. so that is all i have to say. hope this helps, have had no experience dealing with the toyotas or the nissans. the only thing bad i can say about the toyotas is that the mileage is terrible and when towing its even worse, this coming from 2 friends of mine who owned tundras.

 

[Keeptrying]

Wonder how many Nissan's Randy will sell by just walking us through his thought process? I'll be needing a new rig in a few years and the Titan is now on the list.

Halfway through this thread.

For the record I wouldn't even think about a Nissan truck if it wasn't for the influence of Randy Newberg. Always seemed, and advertised for, the Subaru crowd.

 

[Big Fin]

Let's also not forget that this thread was started in 2015... pretty sure he already upgraded his truck last year some time.

Correct. Post #285 shows what the final solution was.

 

[WapitiBob]

I get 16 mpg from a diesel crewcab with 388,000 miles.
That new Titan you got looks nice.

 

[Keeptrying]

Correct. Post #285 shows what the final solution was.

Did you have a picture with the parts transferred?

 

[Big Fin]

Did you have a picture with the parts transferred?

Here's a video with all of it transferred.

[video=youtube_share;vty2aKntj5w]https://youtu.be/vty2aKntj5w[/video]

 

[Gr8bawana]

Good to see you are able to chain up all four tires, so many new trucks these days are not capable. The equipment you have in the back is pretty much the same stuff I keep in my truck as well. Since I live in southern NV where temps can reach 110-115 on a regular basis I keep the 5 gallon water container you mentioned in my truck all year round. I just renew the water every couple of months, I don't know how long it would keep without getting some kind of stale taste to it.
Looks like you'll get a lot of good use from your truck for a long time.

 

[Keeptrying]

Very nice. I will need to stay with my 2003 F250 for a couple more years, but hope to find a replacement that does some of the things this one doesn't. Really need to look for a locking differential setup for the time being, and a second spare.

 

[Hookedonhunting]

Nice rig Randy!

 

[Hookedonhunting]

Fin,
Have you looked into the F150 diesel coming out? My partner at work has the dodge and two of us have 350 dieels and love them but thought the dodge diesel was a bit gutless. Ford did a good job on the super duty diesel I expect good things for the halfton as well. And it's American made in Kentucky I believe. Some articles have estimated 30 mpg for that truck.

This is very interesting! I've not heard of this.

 

[Brendan]

This is very interesting! I've not heard of this.

Available mid-year 2018.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2018-ford-f-150-revealed-with-diesel-power-news

The problem with this is two-fold (for me). First, Diesel is more expensive around here by about 25 cents a gallon (minimum, often more). And - there's a huge upcharge for the diesel engine. Doing the math - I'd need to drive a diesel close to 300,000 miles to break even on costs, even with the better gas mileage. Being that I usually trade up 7-8 years and 125-150k miles for reliability reasons - I'd be buying the diesel just because I want it, not because it made sense. It still doesn't make sense for me even if diesel cost the same per gallon, unless I want to bank on my trade in or resale being significantly higher 8 years down the road.

That said, I WANT one of these. No rational reason whatsoever...

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2017-ford-f-150-raptor-crew-cab-test-review

 

[Gr8bawana]

These new diesel trucks are barely broken in at 125-150k miles.

 

[Brendan]

These new diesel trucks are barely broken in at 125-150k miles.

I'm not worried about the engine - it's everything else that starts to land you in the shop with regularity... Same with diesel or gas. In fact - I've never had a vehicle of any make where the engine started giving me issues, they've all been sold or retired for other reasons.

 

[High Desert]

I purchased a Nissan Titan in 2004 and have been driving it in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho ever since - without any serious trouble. For several months, I have been trying to decide on a replacement. Because of my good experience with the Titan, I have been leaning towards a gas 2017 Titan (non-XD) with the off-road package. So, this thread - all 300+ posts - has been very helpful, particularly since you outlined criteria that are similar to my own - weighted heavily to durability and utility for real world western hunting use. Fin, I was anxiously awaiting the conclusion you reached about the 2017 gas Titan (non-XD) and am hoping you can shed more light on why you opted for the first generation Titan as opposed to the 2nd generation. I also find the column shifter disappointing but many other aspects of the Titan would seem to outweigh that. Can you provide more insight? Are there other features that would make it less useful for western hunting or less functional in general? Is there something that you feel might make it less reliable in the mountains or over time?
thanks,

 

[Big Fin]

Fin, I was anxiously awaiting the conclusion you reached about the 2017 gas Titan (non-XD) and am hoping you can shed more light on why you opted for the first generation Titan as opposed to the 2nd generation. I also find the column shifter disappointing but many other aspects of the Titan would seem to outweigh that. Can you provide more insight? Are there other features that would make it less useful for western hunting or less functional in general? Is there something that you feel might make it less reliable in the mountains or over time?
thanks,

At the time I made the purchase decision, accelerated by the fact we were heading on the road for another seasons, the half-ton gas model was not available. As such, I didn't have a chance to look it over and evaluate it for the demands we place on a truck. That said, when I was in Tennessee in March, I stopped by the Nissan HQ and the chief engineer gave me the full tour of the new gas version. It looked very good for my use. Dimensions fit my use for tight spots and approach/break-over angles, upgrade to the drive train/tranny will make my towing even easier, gas mileage has increased, and the off-road package of the PRO-4X has received some upgrades in the off-road equipment.

That tour really got me thinking about the new gas model. But, having already written a big check for the one you see that I bought last August, odds are I will not be writing another big check just to drive the new model.

I did halfheartedly tell the chief engineer, a serious hunter who grew up on a ranch in the Owyhee Country of Idaho, that if Nissan wanted to give me a new gas model to abuse and give feedback, I could probably rest my 2015 model for the season and let him know how well the new version held up. He smiled and commented that we would be as good of an endurance/abuse experiment as he could design. As I left, he said, "Let me see about that truck idea." Not sure if he was serious or not.

Given my complete satisfaction with how Nissan builds trucks that can withstand what I put them through, the new gas model Titan would have been very high on my list if it had been available when I was doing my research last summer. I've seen them on dealer lots this spring and I've decided to keep driving past, so to not be tempted to part with more money.

 

[High Desert]

Thank you for the detailed reply!

 

[Vikk]

buddy of mine has the new rebel, Ford just put in new heads in to. 7k miles on the truck.
My other buddy has a raptor, and its a very roomy truck and no issues with it yet, but very expensive imo.

 

[elkrchr]

+1 as to the Headwater Seat Covers. I've had them in my Titan for quite some time and they fit like a glove and are nearly bullet proof!