Divorcing the Tacoma... Let's talk turkey on my new truck

So, after over 215k miles (odometer quit, so that's a SWAG) it is time for me and my Trusty Taco to break up. We're getting a divorce. I know, I know. I am totally heartbroken, but it is time. I cannot be driving on the Steese and the mine access road in the winter time in the Taco (shhh! Don't tell her I said that. She would be so hurt). If I hit a moose, or god forbid, if one of the heavy equipment operators hits me in the Taco after he gets off shift, I'm screwed. The haul roads at the mine are all left-hand travel, and after working 12-14 hour shifts, they often forget to get back on the right side of the road. I almost got creamed a few times after I first got hired, before I figured out that the safest place to drive is actually in the middle of the road :/ Crazy, I know. Welcome to Alaska.

So, I'm saving to buy a new (to me) 1/2 ton pickup. I was considering another Tacoma since this one has been so very good to me, but I need a heavier front end with torsion control and all that good stuff because the access road tears up front ends. Also, my cousin Robert asked me to please get a 1/2 ton in case I hit a moose... You know, Law of Superior Tonnage and all that.

So, a 1/2 ton it is and I am waffling between a Ford, GMC and a Chevy somewhere in the range of a 2004 to 2007, but low mileage, fewest TSB's, positive reviews, ignition switch recall elimination, mechanical 4WD, etc. would be more important than the actual model year. Truck payments and Dodge pickups are against my religion, so I'll make my purchase before Thanksgiving and under $18k... that's about as much as I can stomach to spend on a new rig.

I work with two guys who used to be Chevy mechanics in Detroit and they say that the drivetrain is heavier duty on GMC pickups, which threw me for a loop because I always thought that Chevy = GMC... just different branding. Anyone else know anything about this? I cannot seem to find anything about it online and neither my dad or my cousin have heard anything about it but they're going to ask their buddies.

Full disclosure, I am leaning toward a GMC right now, and at the beginning of this project I thought I'd be looking for a Ford. But I am open to hearing you all's thoughts and opinions pretty much as long as it doesn't involve the word Dodge. Only things they got going for them are the Cummins and the Powerwagon, and diesels don't run good up here and I can't afford a Powerwagon, lol.

I have been a Ford guy so I would probably get the F-150, but the GMC is a great truck.  It costs a little more than the Chevy.

Comparing the GMC vs. GM pickemups, Autoaccessoriesgarage.com says:

Quote :

Chevy Silverado trim packages tend to be a little more basic, and so a little more rugged, whereas the GMC Sierra gives truck owners a more comfortable, luxurious option. Put another way: the Silverado is a perfect work truck, whereas the Sierra caters to a more discriminating truck owner.

Since 1999, the Chevy Silverado has become the "standard" model GM full-size pickup truck, while the GMC Sierra offers more luxurious interior options (like leather seats and a more intricate dash) along with a boxier trim, particularly in the wheel weels. As far as torque and horsepower are concerned, they feature the same exact capabilities. So then, to answer the initial question, from a purely power-focused perspective, there is no difference between the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado.

On the web, at Pickup-trucks.com link, they compared 1/2 ton trucks and picked the F-150... for the model year 2008.

On the web, at Autoguide.com link, for the model year 2014, they said:

Quote :

The real key is finding the right package for suiting your needs. Want a convenient bed step? Buy a Ford. Want low-end torque? Buy a Toyota. Looking for a mobile office with space for all your stuff? Pick up a Chevy. But if highway miles are your thing, the new 3.0-liter diesel equipped Ram is the best option.

I have always preferred Ford because I think they build a better work truck. I don't buy trucks to wax and polish or to be grocery-getters. But when you start comparing specs and features, it gets a little more complicated (some humor on that below).

The only reason why I care one whit about the trim package is because of my knee/hip/back situation. I almost had to divorce the Taco several years back because of the stock seats and ended up yanking them out, retrofitting the bracketry and putting in '07 Sequoia leather lumbar seats. I really hope that the seats in newer full-size pickups are a lot better than in an old Taco, because I sure as hell don't want to pay for a fancy pickup just because I need good seats. I wouldn't mind paying for a heavier duty drivetrain, but I'd damn sure mind paying that much more just for good seats.

LOL @the autoguide.com quote. My dad and I have joked for years that I really wanted a ToFoDoVy. I want the low end torque, Japanese engineering and maintenance of a Toyota, a Ford chassis, the Cummins turbo diesel (if I was in the lower 48), since no one makes a damn manual transmission anymore, the Allison transmission of a Chevy,... you get the idea: I want a custom-built pickup. lol

I'd be interested to hear what HG and the other guys have to pitch in on this subject.

Are you buying new? I'm partial to seventies ford trucks... they never let you down. The metal back then is awesome too... solid morales.

The Dude wrote:

Are you buying new? I'm partial to seventies ford trucks... they never let you down. The metal back then is awesome too... solid morales.

I like your style, Dude. I am partial to the following:

straight 6 motor
manual transmission
manual locking hubs
carburetor
manual crank windows
wind wings
no stinkin computer
The Law of Superior Tonnage being on my side

So basically, I'm shitouttaluck. lol

Last winter my cousin and I had to do some redneck body work on my Tacoma (that involves a sledge hammer and a come-along) after some asshole in a Little Penis Truck ran me into a ditch. While we were working on the Taco in his shop we discovered that the metal on it is remarkably beefy (read: I needed Robert to whack it with the sledge hammer because my girly whacks did not cut it) and that my pickup weighs about 1500 lbs more than his '09 3/4 ton 4WD Chevy crew cab pickup. Crazy, huh?? No doubt it has do do with all the aluminum they're now using, but we were still both surprised.

Anyhow, no... not brand new. I cannot stomach the thought of laying out >$40k for a pickup then losing $20k on it in depreciation as soon as I drive it off the lot. It'll probably be '04 or newer. In my original post I outlined why. Driving conditions at the mine are a little scary.

They still make stick shift pickups, but they are all smaller ones like the Tacoma... except for the RAM, which has stick.

I like my Nissan Frontier..tough little truck.


http://pensacola.craigslist.org/cto/4668201913.html

come on down and get this one...

http://pensacola.craigslist.org/cto/4639824686.html

Yeah, I knew that Dodge still made a manual, but they're already eliminated out of the gates.

T, I need a half-ton. Ford, Chevy or GMC? I forgot to mention that I used to manage a fleet of service trucks and I am also biased against Tundras. They are real POS's... totally disappointed in Toyota on that front. They are not a true full-sized truck and they have a lot of problems in the model years I'll be looking at.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=331950

Chrissy* wrote:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=331950

lol, that is the very definition of a Little Penis Truck, Chrissy!

Actually I am not a dodge man myself but I am surrounded by friends that love them..especially the cummins diesels...they are supposed to be real work horses...

Yeah, I know a lot of guys who drive Dodges but like I said above, as far as I'm concerned the only thing they've got going for them is the Cummins and the Powerwagon. It's too cold up here for a diesel ($$$$Maintenance), our diesel fuel is very dirty (more $$$$Maintenance), and I'm not buying a 3/4 ton or a 1-ton, so it's irrelevant. I can't afford a Powerwagon, and... see previous :].

Let me know when you need advice on the color.

Nooooo…..not the Tacooooooo

Well, aside from my grandfather owning a Ford dealership in the wayback, and the fact that I drove a Ford 150 in high school….(two tone blue/white, chrome everywhere…and it had a heater that made the sun wimpy)…..

I respect the heck out of Ford for having a strong enough product and business model that they didn't need a bailout in the 2008 recession.

Joanimaroni wrote:

Let me know when you need advice on the color.

lol,

I have always had white pickups and have always avoided grey and black because they blend into the asphalt. I have always avoided red because they are cop magnets. I no longer want a white pickup because they blend in to the snow, ice and fog. I'm hoping my new pickup turns out to be red. I am all about being high-visibility now!

SheSurfs wrote:

Nooooo…..not the Tacooooooo  

Well, aside from my grandfather owning a Ford dealership in the wayback, and the fact that I drove a Ford 150 in high school….(two tone blue/white, chrome everywhere…and it had a heater that made the sun wimpy)…..

I respect the heck out of Ford for having a strong enough product and business model that they didn't need a bailout in the 2008 recession.

I know, right... I am really sad about losing the Taco. Robert said maybe I should hang onto it for summer, but Dad said just to pass it on and that it would be a great first rig for a high school kid. I think Dad is right. I don't need two trucks.

I agree with you about Ford. Robert bought his Silverado for almost nothing in 2009... they gave it away for $29k. Deb's Outback cost more than his pickup. I have my doubts as to whether or not General Motors "needed" a bailout, but the fact remains that they took it. But of course I won't be giving my money to a dealership. This will be a private transaction and I will have my mechanic inspect it for me.

I have a picture of the Ford you drove in my mind. My first boyfriend drove an early 70s 4WD baby blue Ford... the stripped-down model. Man, that thing was a tank.

riceme wrote:

The Dude wrote:

Are you buying new? I'm partial to seventies ford trucks... they never let you down. The metal back then is awesome too... solid morales.

I like your style, Dude. I am partial to the following:

straight 6 motor
manual transmission
manual locking hubs
carburetor
manual crank windows
wind wings
no stinkin computer
The Law of Superior Tonnage being on my side

So basically, I'm shitouttaluck. lol

Last winter my cousin and I had to do some redneck body work on my Tacoma (that involves a sledge hammer and a come-along) after some asshole in a Little Penis Truck ran me into a ditch. While we were working on the Taco in his shop we discovered that the metal on it is remarkably beefy (read: I needed Robert to whack it with the sledge hammer because my girly whacks did not cut it) and that my pickup weighs about 1500 lbs more than his '09 3/4 ton 4WD Chevy crew cab pickup. Crazy, huh?? No doubt it has do do with all the aluminum they're now using, but we were still both surprised.

Anyhow, no... not brand new. I cannot stomach the thought of laying out >$40k for a pickup then losing $20k on it in depreciation as soon as I drive it off the lot. It'll probably be '04 or newer. In my original post I outlined why. Driving conditions at the mine are a little scary.

Excellent list..!! I even have a ford 300 motor for my truck for when the v8 wears out. There isn't much to go wrong. My grandad was an engineer... he used to say "the secret to consistency... is simplicity".

Red would be my choice!

I had a 05 Tacoma TRD, excellent truck but I didn't like the seats. Traded it on a 2007 Tundra TRD Off Road that is hands down the BEST truck I've ever had. I'll keep this thing as long as possible.

But I do like like the 2015 GMC or Chevy too........

I have always liked Fords.. The worst truck I ever had was a GMC Suburban.. GM (Vince Whibbs) never did anything to honor the warranty and GM wouldn't give answers when I contacted them, so GM would be the last thing I ever spend money on.. Right now, I have a 2007 Ford van and the motor home is a 2004 built on a Ford chassie with the V-10 engine.. The motor home had 16,000 miles on it when I bought it, that is why I bought one 10 years old.

riceme wrote:

Chrissy* wrote:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=331950

lol, that is the very definition of a Little Penis Truck, Chrissy!

explains why I love it.........

The Dude wrote:

riceme wrote:

The Dude wrote:

Are you buying new? I'm partial to seventies ford trucks... they never let you down. The metal back then is awesome too... solid morales.

I like your style, Dude. I am partial to the following:

straight 6 motor
manual transmission
manual locking hubs
carburetor
manual crank windows
wind wings
no stinkin computer
The Law of Superior Tonnage being on my side

So basically, I'm shitouttaluck. lol

Last winter my cousin and I had to do some redneck body work on my Tacoma (that involves a sledge hammer and a come-along) after some asshole in a Little Penis Truck ran me into a ditch. While we were working on the Taco in his shop we discovered that the metal on it is remarkably beefy (read: I needed Robert to whack it with the sledge hammer because my girly whacks did not cut it) and that my pickup weighs about 1500 lbs more than his '09 3/4 ton 4WD Chevy crew cab pickup. Crazy, huh?? No doubt it has do do with all the aluminum they're now using, but we were still both surprised.

Anyhow, no... not brand new. I cannot stomach the thought of laying out >$40k for a pickup then losing $20k on it in depreciation as soon as I drive it off the lot. It'll probably be '04 or newer. In my original post I outlined why. Driving conditions at the mine are a little scary.

Excellent list..!! I even have a ford 300 motor for my truck for when the v8 wears out. There isn't much to go wrong. My grandad was an engineer... he used to say "the secret to consistency... is simplicity".

I really miss wind wings

Your grandpa sounds smart. Based on my experience with wind turbine engineering I agree with him. When you try to get too fancy things get f'd up in a hurry.

nochain wrote:

I had a 05 Tacoma TRD, excellent truck but I didn't like the seats. Traded it on a 2007 Tundra TRD Off Road that is hands down the BEST truck I've ever had. I'll keep this thing as long as possible.

But I do like like the 2015 GMC or Chevy too........

Yeah, the seats in Tacomas SUCK... otherwise I wouldn't have retro'ed my pickup, lol! Glad you like your Tundra. I had bad experiences with them as fleet trucks. But we didn't have any '07's... '08 - '12.

Chrissy* wrote:

riceme wrote:

Chrissy* wrote:

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=331950

lol, that is the very definition of a Little Penis Truck, Chrissy!

explains why I love it.........

LMAO!

you liked it too, didnt ya? admit it