Why My Truck Sucks

[hank4elk]

I have 2 good trucks,1 is great still now.
I have had many thru trucks the years,mostly Fords & 3 Dodges ,one old GMC & one old Chevy same year,'52. One Dodge was a '37 flatbed.

My '98 Tacoma I got in 2000 w/36k now has 331k on it and has been everywhere I go. My 2nd Toy. 4x4. The 1st one ,an 82' got 556k before I sold it for more than I paid for it & got the '98. I was looking at new Tacomas & laughed when a dealer offered me more for the '98 than I paid for it at a dealer.....I still could not see the price of a new Toyota on my income. My 98Tacoma is tired & needed a back up so I found an almost new 2001 F-150 Lariat offroad4x4 instead of a new mortgage & a Toyota .
The 2001 F150 rides like a new Caddy compaired to my old favorite pair of '65 Fords, a Navy surplus F250 4x4 that went forever and an immaculate F100 that turned heads. Wish I still had them both now.
Had a '63 Dodge I got in MT for $300 that went forever. Had a '69 Dodge Powerwagon that was pure crap.....always broke down, in woods.

IF I had the dough,I would get a new Toyota Tacoma again and a 3/4T Ford for hauling,maybe a new Datsun or whatever they are................lol
I have not seen a new American truck not right back at dealers for a fix in a while or heard horror stories about gizmos going.

 

[BrentD]

It is interesting how rarely anyone even mentions Randy's favorite truck. Nissan. Never even been in one myself. I know nothing about them.

 

[hank4elk]

It is interesting how rarely anyone even mentions Randy's favorite truck. Nissan. Never even been in one myself. I know nothing about them.

I thought they were still making Datsuns.

 

[Hem]

I owned a '93 and a '01 Dodge Cummins. Got tired of driving big trucks that would get poor traction unless I had 500 lbs of weight over the rear axle.
I'm on my second Tundra. More affordable than the F-150. I honestly feel a nicer interior . It tows my camper,tool trailer, flatbed, etc just fine. I actually towed an 8000 lb ancient camper for a friend...truck pulled it fine but I'm not comfortable pulling something that weighs more than the truck itself.
Tundra head lights suck. Driving across abrupt rolling country at night with low beams is like driving with blinders on sideways.
Mileage isn't great.
Back up camera is okay...half the time I cant see the image with sun glare.
Reliable, comfortable, affordable, and trendy....half of Bozeman owns one. If I got 6 @#)(# and ball rod carriers for the roof i would blend in perfectly.
Nostalgic moment...i have always missed driving and looking over the front end of my '93 Dodge.

 

[BrentD]

Will anyone admit to owning a Honda? Some of the new ones actually look like trucks.

 

[dcopas78]

But all that weight comes at a price in the mud and snow.

You aren't kidding there. They'll sink on blacktop. I have a 2011 megacab with 160K on it. I've had it deleted, need new ball joints, also need the universal joints changed although they "appear" to still be solid. Better safe than sorry. I had to replace sensors on the DPF and EGR system pretty much as often as changing the oil in it before the delete. After, it has been great. Also had to replace to fuel rail pressure sensor which wasn't cheap. Overall though, it has been a decent truck. I'll probably go back to 1/2 ton for my next truck in a few years though. I'll keep this one for any heavy tows around the house, but it's western trip days are pretty much over.

I also have a 2009 Silverado with the 5.3 in it. That truck has been a major disappointment. Uses oil like it's going out of style due to the faultily designed valve cover/active fuel management system they put on the chevy trucks for a few years. It has had some major electrical system issues (computer), it has very poor power output, it has some sort of weird "lurching" back and forth deal it does when you are cruising around 50 mph (I've been told torque converter), and now it has something going on with the braking system that causes it to randomly lock up the right front wheel. I've had hoses, calipers and everything looked at and all are fine so still got to figure that one outIt's darn near rusted through on both rear wheel wells and I've always been a stickler about keeping a truck clean. It's just poor metal. At 140K, it's a work/local truck only. It was one that I had hoped to make a western trip rig, but I don't trust it to go to the local Wal-Mart. Probably the last Chevy I will ever own and I've always been a Chevy guy. I should have ditched this one long ago but I paid it off quickly and before the major problems started showing up. By that time, people had figured it out and it had very poor tradein value.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I drive a 2012 ram 1500 with the 4.7V8 in it. My biggest complaints:

• Motor struggles with stock size tires, but KO2 variety
• Millage is poor, 14-15 unloaded, 12-13 winter, 8-10 with small campers
• Sometimes wish I had the larger back seat, but I only have someone back there like once a year so it's not really a problem. The dog likes it just fine
• Came without limited slip differential, cost like $800 to have one installed
• Rear gear ratio is 3.55 which causes the transmission to hunt often. any slight incline on the highway and it has to down shift twice
• Tried to swap the gears to something more aggressive, found out Ram welded the gears to the differential on the front, so the only way to swap them is to buy a whole differential and the additional gear size you want
• The "chrome" package that was stock with my truck is chrome etched on plastic so it is all pealing off and brittle, cheap shit if you ask me

I always think about getting a newer truck, but not having a truck payment is real nice... So I will live with the problems for now.

 

[beginnerhunter]

My 2014 GMC crew cab 5.3 is fine. Just replaced CV axle since the boot tore. I dont like the plastic shield under the front, would rather have metal. Chrome parts are stupid weak and dent when you breathe on them. Acceleration is so-so. Ride is not great but I do have a leveling kit that may be contributing.

The G80 rear end works better than you would think but I still would prefer a locker that stays locked. I really like having auto 4wd (really its just AWD) for rainy/slushy days. And I like the front bench which is getting harder to find on newer trucks. Its spacious for me and my family with two car seats. Average 18mpg with 33" 10 ply tires and a leveling kit. Not bad.

 

[Brandon270]

It is interesting how rarely anyone even mentions Randy's favorite truck. Nissan. Never even been in one myself. I know nothing about them.

I've looked into them for a bit now and the biggest issue I've seen come up with the 2017+ is odd shifting issues with the new 7 speed transmission. Sounds like it's constantly searching for the right gear.

 

[beginnerhunter]

It is interesting how rarely anyone even mentions Randy's favorite truck. Nissan. Never even been in one myself. I know nothing about them.

I know I'm not supposed to say it, it's not supposed to matter, but I think they are ugly.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Of course $1 in 1970 is worth about $6.19 today, so that $0.65/gallon gas was the equivalent of $4.02/gallon in today's world. Gas has never been cheaper than it is.

I'll try to remember that when I fill my tank tomorrow....It's never been cheaper, it's never been cheaper, it's never been cheaper.

 

[p_ham]

The truck I use at work is an 09 f-350 with the 5.4. It has 88k on it and already needed a head gasket, and just this week it started ticking under throttle, sounds like a valve. I wonder how the 5.0 compares to the 5.4 in the f150. I like the idea of these turbo trucks but still a bit leary about them too.

I've got the 5.0 in a '13 f150. It's been great so far, minus a water pump. I usually get 17-18mpg around town and hangs around 20 on the highway. I think the newer generation of the 5.0 is better refined and definitely makes more power.

 

[BrentD]

I'll try to remember that when I fill my tank tomorrow....It's never been cheaper, it's never been cheaper, it's never been cheaper.

I'll go even further out on the limb and say that the 20teens trucks are far, far more reliable than anything made in the 60's, 70's, or 80's, all their electronics and plastic and aluminum not withstanding. I still want a 1950s chevy, but it's gotta come with a full time mechanic.

 

[shootbrownelk]

I'll go even further out on the limb and say that the 20teens trucks are far, far more reliable than anything made in the 60's, 70's, or 80's, all their electronics and plastic and aluminum not withstanding. I still want a 1950s chevy, but it's gotta come with a full time mechanic.

No, you don't need a full time mechanic Brent. Those old Chevies with the inline 6's are easy as heck to work on. If you need to. Try that with an electronics/computer/sensor laden 2000's truck.

 

[BrentD]

No, you don't need a full time mechanic Brent. Those old Chevies with the inline 6's are easy as heck to work on. If you need to. Try that with an electronics/computer/sensor laden 2000's truck.

I could tell you about my 1955 F250. yeah they are easy to work on too. I could crawl into the engine compartment with a light and wrenches and close the hood with plenty of room to work. But the point is that I would HAVE to crawl in there darn near every weekend. I found I had better things to do and bought new Ford Ranger on a grad student stipend. But did I learn? No. I bought a 1947 Ford 8n several decades later. Same thing. Nothing worse than wrenching at -20F. Unless it is wrenching at -25F. Finally smartened up and bought a JD 3039R.

I LOVE old stuff, but I don't like working on motors.

 

[grizzly_]

I always get a kick out of these threads as everybody makes declarative statements as though their luck, or lack of it, is indicative of a manufacturers quality. Now I'll eat my own medicine and do the same thing . I've had seven Ford trucks from 2000 - 2019 MYs that have been virtually flawless. The only time I've even had one in the shop was a brand new one that had a part fail due to manufacturers defect... obviously fixed under warranty and I was on my way. Ford even gave me a 5-yr maintenance plan on it for my troubles.

I'm glad there are so many trucks for so many folks, it keeps things interesting. I've gotta keep packing as we're heading to Wyoming for some antelope hunting this afternoon. I'm trying to decide whether to take the 2017 F-350 or the 2005 Sport Trac. One rides nicer, the other is more fun to bounce around in on muddy roads. Oh, the choices!

 

[Jmnhunter]

my 2000 ext cab 5.4 F150 sucks because:

• sucks to haul the family of 4 around
• exhaust header leak
• engine is a dog

..but I have to say it has been reliable and with basic maintenance and parts are alot cheaper than the new ones...

 

[Lone Elk]

I usually stay out of these 'conversations', but with that being said....

2006 Chevy 2500HD Duramax Diesel with the Allison Transmission
Replaced TurboCharger, ECG replaced, upper control arms replaced, AC system completely redone and replaced, Radiator replaced, idler pully on serpentine belt replaced,(along with 2 belts), body module computer replaced,
Heater control unit in cab replaced 3x and still doesn't work correctly, heater blower motor replaced along with resistor, bushing on steering column replaced ( after having a knocking noise no mechanic could find for 3 years),
tie rods replaced, pittman arms replaced, hydroboost replaced. And for some reason I'm thinking I'm missing a thing or two.
277k miles. Bought the truck 'used' in 2008. Also eats tires every 30-40k. I change the oil every 3500 miles.
With these Wisconsin winters and salt the old girl is starting to die of 'road cancer' (rust). Need to start looking for something different also, but same concerns at the OP, and they don't give trucks away either.....
I was a Ford truck guy for years, but just can't seem to separate myself from this fine vehicle...…… lol

 

[MT_Chad]

As others have said, I think the sweet spot is the 00-07 or so range for pickups, at least for gm as I'm a gm guy for pickups. I recently picked up a 99 3/4 ton suburban with only 53,000 miles, so I'm set for a long time. It was almost exactly what I was looking for since it is older with low miles. It does have the 454, but I put so few miles on it milage isnt a huge concern compared to vehicle cost. Stay vigilant and you might be able to find an older pickup with low miles, you just have to be willing to travel more than likely and jump on it quick.

 

[jryoung]

2010 Tundra Crew Max, weak rear leaf springs causing the truck to sag with a few feathers in the back. A motor that drinks gas like I did Rainier beer in college coupled with too small of a tank (26.4) paired with it's consumption. Add to that the stubby bed at 66" is another consistent sore spot.