Best Rig to Start a Build

[ThundahBeagle]

8 months later I’m going to give the bison a chance after I test drive one. I’ve been watching videos and looking up the aftermarket world and I’m believe that’s what I’m going to go with. I found one in Sand Dune Metallic.

Just found this thread and had an opinion after the initial post. But I wanted to go through every page before posting.

My thoughts on the mid-size would be the Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon. Quality of this platform is quite solid - some say as good as a Toyota Tacoma. The build quality gap between these two manufacturers has actually been closing since the late 1990's. The bison may not be necessary. The zr2 would probably be great. Even the z71 could do well with minimal modifications (read: remove the chin strap under the front bumper)

I know you said fuel economy doesnt matter, but if it did, the diesel options should do you well.

As others have said, the Ford is too new, and is not quite the same as the international version. The Tacoma is overly expensive for no better economy than the chevy, and is possibly living off outdated quality reviews. Sorry to say this but the Nissan would be a non-starter for me, due to known oil consumption rate problems with the 3.5 and later by engines. And while Jeeps are cool, everyone I know who has one seems to spend more time or $ on maintenance or repairs.

Though you wont go wrong with a Tacoma, I'd go with a Colorado or Canyon, if it had to be a mid size

 

[BCMoto]

Hey all,

New to the forum. I got a 2019 Ranger, the first one my dealership sold back in March of 2019. Of course I'm biased but I'd definitely recommend the Ranger... FOR the price. You can get the FX4 on any trim level, and all of the levels have the same best-in-class powertrain, the 2.3L ecoboost. It's a proven drive train in the Ford Mustang, Transit and Focus RS and has the 10 speed out of the F150 so it really is reliable.

If you can afford a Bison for 60k, or a Gladiator for 60k, or a TRD Pro for 55k, then yeah those are definitely better until Ford comes out with a Raptor Ranger. But you can get a very capable truck NEW in the ballpark of 30-40k. All I'm doing is adding a small level, bigger tires and some lights and I think my truck is very capable. I think the cost/benefit of the Ranger is there for sure if that's what you're looking for.

Im really waiting on the new raptor its supposed to get rid of the leaf springs in the rear

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Bison is a great rig. Not sure what the extra parts are thst you are looking at. But it's plenty capable and built off the showroom floor. I would add some lighting and a cap on the pan of the truck and drive the wheels off

 

[joshjunior]

I’m new to Overlanding and I’m in the market to start a build. I want a mid size truck with heated seats (the wife will be driving it as we travel in between jobs and she requested it have heated seats). What do y’all think? I’ve been looking at the new Ranger but also considering a Tacoma or Colorado (due to the Duramax). Help!

Trim level? How rough are you planning to wheel?
I'm in a Tacoma Offroad package but if I could do it again I might have gone with the zr2 Colorado for the factory front locker and sliders etc.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

The Colorado ZR2 is $35k to $45k depending if you go 4 years old or new. The Bison adds considerably to that price, especially since it has only been offered the last couple years. One of the 3 best offroad "out of the box" vehicles made, clearly. But it is an extreme.

I admit I want one, but I'm not sure the OP is saying this is what they need, nor what they want to pay

 

[joshjunior]

Agreed. Kinda need more parameters/context to make a good suggestion

 

[huachuca]

The Colorado ZR2 is $35k to $45k depending if you go 4 years old or new. The Bison adds considerably to that price, especially since it has only been offered the last couple years. One of the 3 best offroad "out of the box" vehicles made, clearly. But it is an extreme.

I admit I want one, but I'm not sure the OP is saying this is what they need, nor what they want to pay

For 2021, the Bison package is a $5,750 option. Definitely not cheap but it depends on what upgrades you'd want to add to a stock ZR2. A few cosmetic things are included but the primary mods are a front bumper with winch provisions, a rear bumper with recovery points, lightweight full underbody skid protection (except transmission), fog lamps and (to me) nice looking wheels (Matching spare is included but not the TPMS module - Strange). These are all enhancements I'd add to whatever truck I bought. Could it be done at a lower cost? Probably but, at my age, turning wrenches just isn't as much fun as it used to be and I haven't yet found any aftermarket products which I felt looked better or would perform better than those provided in the Bison package. Having everything covered by the GM warranty and knowing the mods have been NHTSA certified are other huge positives for me.

Is the Colorado zR2 Bison a better truck or a better buy than the new Ranger or Gladiator or ???????????? - I have no idea.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Well, maybe I stand corrected. The OP was also looking at a $36k Toyota Tacoma. So maybe a 36k or 40k zr2 or Bison isnt out of the question.

All I know is, MY perfect garage would consist of the following:

- '75 - 88 K5 Chevy Blazer like Sheriff Brody or Chief Hopper
- 1994 FullSize Blazer K1500 on GMT400 platform. Already had 2 of these. Love 'em. Newer version of the above.
- My current 2014 GMC Sierra z71 double cab
- 2013 Chevy Tahoe Z71. Closest thing they made (until recently) to the GMT 400 Big Blazer
-2018 -ish Chevy Colorado ZR2. Bison would be nice, but not even necessary. I sure wish they made a standard shift option
- Jeep YJ Wrangler standard shift
- 1980's Land Rover Range Rover The big one, with the long rear overhang.
- Subaru Forester, standard shift

 

[huachuca]

Sorry ThundaBeagle, my reply 'wasn't meant to challenge anything in your previous post. My intent was to point out that anyone planning to make ALL the mods included in the Bison package might spend close to the cost of that option, especially if they had someone else do the work as I would have. Someone not wanting to add armor, bumpers, and wheels would be best served to skip the Bison. I expect a 21 gas Bison would go for around $44-46K out the door around here.

I like your vehicle list except for the British Leyland product but I could be a bit prejudiced, I had a 98 Discovery spin a rod bearing on the GW bridge late on a Friday afternoon once when heading to Canada with the family for vacation. Never knew New Yorkers to be so nice - danged near everyone who passed waved and shouted a greeting of some sort. On the other hand, the big Healey I owned for a few years was the best looking vehicle I've ever had.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Sorry ThundaBeagle, my reply 'wasn't meant to challenge anything in your previous post. My intent was to point out that anyone planning to make ALL the mods included in the Bison package might spend close to the cost of that option, especially if they had someone else do the work as I would have. Someone not wanting to add armor, bumpers, and wheels would be best served to skip the Bison. I expect a 21 gas Bison would go for around $44-46K out the door around here.

I like your vehicle list except for the British Leyland product but I could be a bit prejudiced, I had a 98 Discovery spin a rod bearing on the GW bridge late on a Friday afternoon once when heading to Canada with the family for vacation. Never knew New Yorkers to be so nice - danged near everyone who passed waved and shouted a greeting of some sort. On the other hand, the big Healey I owned for a few years was the best looking vehicle I've ever had.

Nothing to be sorry about. I'm no authority here. Just my 2 cents is all I can offer. And you may be right about the bison, in terms of time and money spent vs the cost of just buying a bison. The OP did mention a 36k Toyota, so it may not be that far a stretch.

 

[4wheelspulling]

My advice to all the above responses is this. Take your bride with you when you check out any vehicle. If she is happy, you and life will be happy! Vance.

 

[madcratebuilder]

The most capable vehicle on your list would be the Colorado ZR2. The #1 user complaint is the trans shudder, there is a TSB that fixes it. As far as Toyo reliability you need to read the Toyo forums before believing that, plus Toyo just recalled over 5 million rigs with faulty fuel pumps.
I've had my ZR2 for 3+ years and it's been trouble free other than the mods that you just have to have. Tuned and geared makes the truck a different animal from stock.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Yes, Toyota is "legendary" for reliability. However, as you mention, 5 million trucks for fuel pumps. There was the frame issue some years back. And people tend to forget about the unexpected cceleration issue, which came down to a single faulty sensor, but a number of people crashed over it. Locally, a woman went off the road and into a pond. She called her husband as the car was sinking, but nobody knew exactly where she was. Didnt find her until spring.

Anyway, maybe no more or no less issues than anyone else, but certainty people tend to forgive Toyota for things they dont forgive other makers.

That's not to say they aren't quality. Just, as MadCrate states, others may not be lesser quality.

I was very glad when the newer Colorado and ZR2 were released. Take back at least some of the midsized market share that Toyota was dominating. And for years, Fird and Chevy said there was no good market there, and I kept thinking "how could Toyota continue to build good mid-size if there was no market?" Well, here we are with Ford, Toyota, and Chevy...even Jeep, all with very good mid sized offerings and I'm glad to see it, even though I prefer my full size

 

[Louiston]

I don't know, but I think Ford has got it down to a science!

 

[MOAK]

No because they didn't have to. Their chassis are built out of steel. Not pot metal.

I’ve two horror stories of getting the shaft from Ford, then a bigger shaft from Chrysler. I’d rather eat worms than drive a Chevy, ( tongue firmly in cheek ) and I do not trust any small modern Diesel engines. Euro vehicles are complete nightmares when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Neither Honda, Subaru or Nissan build a suitable platform for “overlanding”. So in all reality, What am I left with?

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I’ve two horror stories of getting the shaft from Ford, then a bigger shaft from Chrysler. I’d rather eat worms than drive a Chevy, ( tongue firmly in cheek ) and I do not trust any small modern Diesel engines. Euro vehicles are complete nightmares when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Neither Honda, Subaru or Nissan build a suitable platform for “overlanding”. So in all reality, What am I left with?

As long as your not in the salt belt your fine. Up here, they turn to dust in 5 years or less.

 

[MOAK]

As long as your not in the salt belt your fine. Up here, they turn to dust in 5 years or less.

Yup, I was raised in the rustbelt and I can remember betting on what brand pickuptruck would rust out first. Everything rusted out in those days, 5 years or 75,000 miles, whichever came first. Sadly, Chevy was always a loosing bet. I've two small rust spots on my 80 that I need to address before they get out of control.

 

[tjZ06]

Asking the "best rig to start with" is like asking blonde, brunette or redhead; or 1911 vs. Glock, beer or whiskey etc. (my answer on all of those is: all of the above ;) ).

All of that said, out of the 3 you have it narrowed down to I'd do the Colorado for the diesel, like you said. You can also get a ZR2 so you're pretty much good to go right out of the box. The Tacoma platform (especially trans) is really showing its age IMHO, and the Ranger really got the short end of the stick for the USDM. When the Taco gets a full update, or the Ranger gets the best of Ford's global parts for it perhaps my opinion would change.

-TJ