get big cab,bed and diesel.

 

What part of the country are you in? How mechanically inclined are you? I just bought my son a 95 F1 50 4 x 4 with a 351 Windsor. Paid about 4,000. That leaves a whole lot of money available for doing the customizing.

 

I've been real happy with my 2006 GMC SIerra Huge crew cab with 4WD. small 4.8 L V-8. Gasoline.
The 4WD is a manual shift lever on the floor.

I would avoid the newer ones with variable valves that reduce the cylinders for economy. Nothing but trouble .

I would avoid Diesel unless you plan to haul a huge trailer a lot. (Expensive oil change, expensive heavy engine, and if you don't run it enough, you will regret it. ). Also they inject Urine to meet emission controls.

 

If my upper limit was $20K I'd consider buying new. Your top contenders are all very good vehicles. Chose based the best deal offered. Be brutal with your offers. Never a better time, in fact we are thinking of replacing my wife's 2009 Honda Pilot.

 

I have a 2013 F150 supercrew 4x4 lariat with the ecoboost V6. Rides like a car with plenty of off road capabilities. Wouldn’t need the lariat, could get the xlt, if you don’t want/need all the gadgets. Easily in your price range.

The ecoboost is easily tunable for about 500 bucks and will get your horsepower above 400 (stock is 365)and then some. More torque than the V8 too for towing. I had an FX4 model which has the skid plate and stiffer suspension, I believe. Loved that one too.

I’d stay away from dodge. Lots of tranny problems from what I hear and a buddy whose had a few of them.

 

I have a 2016 ram1500 4x4 hemi, and I absolutely love it. The inside is luxurious like a high end car...unlike my ford f150 (albeit the model I had was about as low as they came). They have great pickup, lots of options, hauling, etc.

edit- there are a bunch of different models as with all. I got a bighorn package because I liked they layout much better than the others. Has the dual exhaust coming out of the back instead of the side, more various storage areas inside including the back seat and both back floorboards, has the center console and the middle has storage and cup holders (not the console), has the dial knob for your driving options (park, rev, drive, etc)

 

Eco-boost is a Mazda engine. And lots of complexity. Think I would pass on that.

 

Interesting, I have been watching and local to me anyway, with gas prices down. gasoline trucks have shot way up.

Diesels have stayed the same though.

 

OVER the last 50+ years I have owned Fords, Chevy/GMC Dodge/RAM

I presently own 2 Chevys just because I have found them easier to live with over time. a 2006 Silverado extended cab 4x4 and a 1994 3500 dually with 454 big block and 5 spd manny tranny.

The reliability experience with the GM products is just far and away a better experience.

I have a 1999 Ram 1500 that is the plow truck now. Why? because the tranny went weird at 150,000 miles, way out of warranty and while the engine is good, the tranny once you try to drive faster than 40 decided it did not want to shift at all. A "fix" would cost more than the truck was worth, but as a plow truck it works fine.

I like the older Chevys just because they actually have room in the engine bay for more than a paper towel.
I like to add things to my trucks
extra lights, extra batteries, every truck has 2gauge welding cable running the length underneath so I can have good 12V juice at the rear as well as the front for winches etc.

Over all those years, my GM experience is much better than with any other breed.
opinions may vary
but
you couldn't pry my present 2006 1500 Silverado out of my hands unless you wanted to give me a brand new 3500 4X4 dually, with the big GAS motor... as an even swap.
otherwise I will keep my 94 3500 big block 454 dually with the 5spd manny tranny for the heavy lifting and go smiling down the road in the Silverado.

I would never go diesel unless you drive for a living.

When I was looking for a heavy, everyone kept saying "diesel"
SO,
I was pricing comparable used trucks, basically same packages and equipment, and the diesels were about $10,000 more.
Now,
I did the math. Diesel costs more than gas. Just on that point alone I figured I would have to drive over 140,000 miles before the diesel would be paying for itself. I just do not need to drive that much in a heavy truck. For what I need one for I wouldn't hit that mark in 15-20 years.
Then diesels cost more to keep running. If something breaks on them they get VERY expensive.
If my 454 blows up I can replace the motor cheaper than I can have new injectors replaced on a diesel.

My only neighbors kid is a certified diesel mechanic. Went to one of those 18 month schools for it. He got rid of his own diesel pickup because he said it cost too much money to keep running right.

 

I was at a Jiffy lube getting my truck's oil changed.
Another guy there was getting his diesel truck oil changed. His bill was $550 !! for an oil change.

He said it wasn't that bad, because he didn't have to get it changed as often.

 

$165 at the dealership, $70 if I do it myself.

NW Guy almost made the point. The diesels retain their value longer

Compairing my 2013 2500 with the 6L Vortec to my 2015 3500 with the Duramax. The 15 was DRW and weighed almost 2000#s more. The Vortec got 11 mpg empty and 9 pulling the racecar. The Duramax got 16 empty and 12 puling the racecar.Put the point is moot as the said he didn't want a diesel.

Ford, if you want rugged go up to the F250. The F150 is more a car with a box in the back. Ride is car like and the off road capability is left wanting.

The Ram has made great headway and I would have no problem recommending one. My work truck had a little over 200K on it when they took it away from me and gave me the ford.

No first hand experience with the Toyota.

The Silverado/Sierra would be my first choice were I in the market for used truck.

 

I have 3ea F150's. All supercrew.

2009 F150 4x4 Lariat 5.4L V8. The nicest driving one! 13mpg 145,000 miles

2011 F150 4x2 XLT 3.5 V6 Ecoboost. Sounds and feels like a UPS truck 17mpg 100,000 miles

2018 F150 4x4 XLT 2.7 V6 Ecoboost and 10sp auto 18-20mpg (highly dependent on fuel quality/winter-summer blends) Rip-snorting faster than the others. Sounds great. 25,000 miles.



The 5.4L V8 in the 2009, while amazingly pleasant, can be (for some) a troublesome engine, with cam chain tensioner leaks that subsequently starve the camshafts of oil, and occasional cam phaser problems. These problems are mostly avoided by using 10W-40 oil in that engine.

NOTE: None of the trucks have had any significant failures. The 2009 did need an AC compressor after 10 years in FL. I did the work myself and the OEM part was about $250. No other failures on any of the trucks.


"IF" I were to purchase a used truck, I'd choose a mid teens F150 with the robust 5.0 V8.

 

I am on my 5th Ford F150. Do your research on the engine before you
buy one. I don' t like turbos. So I have less problems.

So if you skip the turbos, that leaves you with the 3.7 v6, 3.5 v6, 3.3 V6,
(which are all the same basic motor), and 5 liter Coyote. I would recommend
all those except the 2018 5 liter which did not use liners on their Aluminum block.

2015 was the first year for the Aluminum body. I use a drop in bed liner to
protect it from dents. I believe in the F150 that was made from 2011-18 for
your price range. Before 2011 the 3.7 V6 had a water pump problem.

The Problem with buying a used Toyota Tundra, is that,

1. They want too much for them.

2. When they get up in miles, they are hard to work on, and expensive to
work on.

3. They suck a lot of gas, more than Ford or Chevy.

But the Tundra is a well made truck, and if you know someone who takes
care of it that wants to sell it for a reasonable price, they may be your best
bet.

 

Valid point about the ecoboost complexity. More stuff on the engine, more that can go wrong. Still love it all the same

 

I’d honestly try to find a pre EFI carbd truck, any of the big 3. Made back when cars were simpler. Manual windows, manual tcase, solid axles. I’d it’s not gonna be a daily driver then it should be fine.

 

Well, this is confirmation bias on my part I'm sure.

But I would always go with a Toyota if given a choice.

My truck is a 2000 Tundra, with 320k miles on it.

I think the first gen Tundras, 2000-2006 are ideal as after that they, and all the other half ton trucks too, got too damn big.

Also, Tundra's are undervalued used (by toyota standards) as everyone is always looking for older Tacoma's because of their smaller size, but an Old Tundra, is almost the same size as a New Tacoma, except it has a 4.7 V8 in it and 1700lb payload.

In the $10-20k range you could get a really nice first gen tundra without all the extra computer crap newer vehicles have, with less than 150K on it probably, which means the engine and tranny are still practically new.

Being a Tundra, and being that old, you will mostly be able to compensate for the 'toyota tax' that normally keeps used Toyotas expensive.

Pretty much ALL these trucks are still on the road and very popular so parts, services etc will not be a problem. (good luck finding them in junkyards though)

They are not gas sippers, although that isn't much of an issue these days.

Ones from high rust states can have frame rust issues. Mine doesn't as its always lived in MT but I've seen pictures from the the NE that looked bad...although I understand that every vehicle up there gets that way after 20 years.

 

I have had my Ram 1500 for about 3 years now and I love it, very comfortable and very capable.



While I do not off road like a bad ass, my truck drives all over different ranches in Texas filling feeder, fixing fences, and other chores.



I am going to drive this thing till the wheels fall off

 

I've been looking for a pre 86 Brono or full size Ranger with a 300 straight 6. A friend of mine had a Ranger back in the day. Messed up his oil change and the plug fell out while driving and locked up the motor. We filled it back up, dragged it with a tow strap and popped the clutch. After a tire chirp it fired up and ran for a few more years. Convinced me this was the truck to get.

 

Thank you everyone for the feedback so far. It's all being taken in and evaluated. Keep it coming.

 

I forgot I love these in the back. Perfect for a small ammo can

 

I love that about my 1500 Ram among other things that I am terrible on Upkeep Oil Change etc. I beat them to death and never had an issue. Though I wasn't going to post in this as my current truck is a Diesel and on the open Road I get 30MPG and around town average 21mpg

 

I own a 2011 F150 supercrew XLT. Has the 5 liter V8 and 4x4. It’s a very comfortable ride and I average 18 MPG. Only major issue so far is a bad HVAC actuator ($30 part, $600 labor!).
3 of my co-workers have Tundra crew cabs and love them, but 2 have had a computer problem that put their engines into ‘limp mode’. Dealer wanted $2k to fix but they bought an aftermarket module ($120) that overrides the issue.
I think it really boils down to what you can find locally and, of course, condition and price.

Since you asked, I’ll suggest something entirely different: for the money you’d spend for a 7 or 8 year-old truck, you could get a classic 4x4 pickup that’s been restored, or maybe even an original survivor! I keep a 1970 Chevy C10 (2x4) that was already restored and slightly modified. I enjoy it and like the simplicity. It should also appreciate in value with time.
Just throwin’ out another idea....!

 

I have a friend that says: "You lease a Dodge, and you buy a Chevy."

But then, he sells Chevrolets. I'm very happy with mine.

2018 Silverado 2500 HD - had been outfitted for an oil pipeline company in Canada and they never picked it up.

CSM101

 

I suggest that before you buy any pickup, look for
a forum for that truck where you can find out about
all the Technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the model
you are considering.

One of my customers has a 2015 F150 Lariat that had
a TSB regarding his tail lights. They cracked and let water
in, this caused a major problem with his computer. He was
driving with his sunroof open and the power sunroof would
not close (in the rain), Ford paid for everything, but it was
a major hassle.

Anyone who says one brand is better than every other
brand when buying used does not know what they are
talking about. Every brand has issues. This is why you
are doing the right thing not buying new.

If I had known my 2018 F150 with 5.0 did not have
liners in the cylinders, I would have never bought it.
It used some oil, I went round and round with the
dealership, they ended up reflashing the computer
and putting in a different dipstick. They tell me a
couple quarts of oil between changes are normal
but I don't like it.

My 2014 Mustang GT has the same basic Block with
liners. I am completely happy with it, but I don't put
many miles on it because I want to keep it forever.

Like you, I have considered going back to Toyota.
But I have heard bad things about my local Toyota
dealers.

If you are not a big guy, I would suggest looking into
a Tacoma with a manual Transmission, because
some Toyotas of the years your looking at have
issues with their Automatics. There is a reason
they have stuck with their old 5 speed auto for
their Fourrunners, everybody trusts it. Toyota
has had a problem getting their 8 speed Transmissions
to shift right, along with their 6 speeds that are in
the Tacoma. But one driver on YouTube said all you
need to do is keep it in sport mode.

My guess is that Toyota wants to have its Trucks
get the MPGs of their competition and that's why
their trucks hunt for gears. This may or may not
bother you.

I have been working for the same family Farm since
2007 and they have always bought Chevys. Some have
had problems, some have been good trucks.
In my Area you can buy a Ford farther below MSRP than
a Chevy. Until recently Ford F150 was rated more reliable
by Consumer Reports than anything other than Toyota.
Before you buy, obviously look it up on Consumer Reports.

 

I went through a 2011 Ram and a 2016 Ram and both were troublesome. Just traded for a 2018 F150 with the 5.0. We'll see how that does

 

Looks like a couple of recalls on that model year.


plus the engine cylinders that may lack cast iron sleeves.

Not sure why it would not let me post the CNET article. Said it violated the rules.

I'll try to post this one.
11 recalls.

https://www.cars.com/research/ford-f_150-2018/recalls/

 

I'm looking REALLY hard at the Tundras, with the 5.7L V8, model years around 2010-2014 ish.

Is a Ford F150 in that era a better truck?

I learned last year Ford had some real problems with their truck motors and needed to have them all bulletproofed because of a lot of trouble. I cannot recall the deets.

 

IF you are going Ford..

JUST be sure you get the one THAT DOES NOT break off the sparkplugs when you are trying to remove them. I don't recall exact engine it is just have seen a lot of complaints about the engine design and they break plugs in the block. If I recall correctly the engine was a Triton 5. something liter something

 

Toyota Tacoma, manual transmission. They are the SFs of pickups. Run forever, never quit, never let you down. May be hard to find one in your $$ range as their resale value is high.

Godspeed.