Chevy vs Ford vs Toyota pickup

[DevilDodge]

ON 2nd thought, please do not buy a Dodge or RAM. Please, no one buy a Dodge or a RAM. Please...let them sit on lots and tell everyone you see that they should not own one. Tell them this is especially true of the ones that say Powerwagon or power ram or Tradesman or ramcharger.

Tell them it would be in their best interest to ship them to a man who goes by devildodge in Pennsylvania.

He says the worst of them have manual transmissions and have badges like V10 or 6.4l on them. 8 foot beds and crew cabs are especially terrible. Stuff like 440 or 360 are also horrible ideas to buy. Just leave them sit. Tell everyone how terrible they are.

 

[Billiebob]

I'd also be interested to know which is easier to repair yourself

Think 1960s, 1970s for ease of driveway fixes., maintenance.... there is nothing easily servicable about any new vehicle.

Fords really are built Ford Tough.
Chevies really are built to ride like a Cadillac.
Toyotas are fabulous urban pickups which gives them a marvellous reliability rating.

I'd buy a base Ford, F150 or F250 XL..... with the locking rear dif.

 

[Patman]

These type of threads are always entertaining.
I always answer the same way. Drive them all, buy the one you love. Whatever the reason for your love is, that’s yours. You really have to TRY to buy a bad vehicle now a days. Peoples opinions are based on theirs or someone else’s bad experiences.
Its like customer service. One happy customer generally tells no one. One unhappy customer tells EVERYONE.
Now throw in personal preference, ranging from “I know a guy and his truck is cool” to “my entire family, 6 generations drives brand XXXXX”
I have a deep seated LOVE for all things FIAT. When I grew up in Sweden, my family drove FIATS. My core experiences with cars were based on mid to late 70s, brand new, EURO spec FIATS. Try making that argument in the US with your “average” car guy. I still LOVE them. I have a list of buy sight unseen cars, and that list is almost 80% FIATS of one form or another.
Back to the subject at hand. I have ownership experience with all three brands, and NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, would make me pick one by the make.
When I bought my Gladiator the deciding factor outside of my Love for all things Jeep, was the offroad capability in stock form. I drove the Ranger, and love the truck, but not the 3 wheel motion for my type of wheeling. I drove the Bison and had the same thoughts. I drove the Taco and while I am a HUGE Toyota fan, just not my cup of tea.
If you have no brand/loyalty/emotional preference, and only buy a vehicle for a tool, make a spreadsheet, enter all the variables, and make an informed decision using whatever metrics are important to your tool’s effectiveness.
Average Overlander (is there such a thing?) the ZR2/AT4 is probably the best box stock midsize truck out there right now, but I don’t drive one because I have no emotional “need” to own one.
My two cents. What’s that with inflation? Like .000000000000000000000002

 

[leeloo]

I am curious what the guy who started this will choose. Things are much clear now I think.. :)

 

[DevilDodge]

Don’t mean to disappoint you @DevilDodge but RAM trucks go to the serious off-pavement workers.

Professional crews in construction, utilities, landscaping, hauling, and similar services avoid downtime whenever possible.

I drive from 9 AM until 7:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, for work, so I see numerous work vehicles at dirt work sites along my work routes.

I want to see the Rams

I want to the rams! Preferably 1500s but it doesn't matter. Here is my '14 Ram 1500 lonestar 5.7 4x4 crew cab with the 5'7" bed (the only thing I dont like about it) 20x10x -24 wrapped in 35x12.5x20 2" leveling kit Body armor bumper and lights Cowl induction hood Led headlights Tuned I have...

www.overlandbound.com

 

[DevilDodge]

Going along with all your many posts on the subject...this is what I would buy.


This is for sale about 3 months too early for me...man I wish it would not sell

 

[GLOCKer]

I can only speak to the Ford, so bear with me. The Ford Ranger is a beautiful product when you consider that it didn't make it to the North American market until it had done YEARS of sales in Australia, Asia, and Europe. Not only did we get a proven truck (ute) over here with the Ranger, but there were some improvements made to it specifically for the North American market (chiefly the beefed up frame and full steel bumpers). On top of that, the 2.3 EcoBoost is a great motor and is actually fun to drive. That said, there are things that will disappoint.

The North American Ranger doesn't come with the diesel options that the other market get (and they don't get the gas engine). The suspension really does benefit from upgrading the shocks and struts. In fact, in comparison to the aftermarket stuff, I can't believe Ford lets these trucks out of the factory with the FX4 shocks and struts. Garbage! Another issue is the damn 2.3 EcoBoost's alternator location! It's at the very bottom of the motor, and subject to being dunked during creek crossings. I've never had an issue with this after several water crossings, but I know several people that have. One even had a problem after they drove into the creek behind me!

I have a Ranger and I absolutely love it. It's one of those vehicles that I look back at in the parking lot. When I get to drive it, I get excited. I can't wait to get out on more trips in it! It is not perfect, however. But I've learned to live with minor let downs and I've enjoyed the truck immensely!

 

[MidOH]

Oops! I forgot to add “serious overland adventurers” too. Point is, if they’re popular with “dirt site” workers then it’s logical to believe RAM is ideal for overlanding.

Depends. Ram almost always means Cummins. And it's impossible to sleep in an idling Cummins. Henceforth why some of us slide in camper guys prefer gas in the winter. And Ford is crushing it with gas engines right now.

 

[Billiebob]

Going along with all your many posts on the subject...this is what I would buy.


This is for sale about 3 months too early for me...man I wish it would not sell

This would be a top pick for me and $20K is a fair asking price....
These are soo simple to work on.

 

[ZRex]

Depends. Ram almost always means Cummins. And it's impossible to sleep in an idling Cummins. Henceforth why some of us slide in camper guys prefer gas in the winter. And Ford is crushing it with gas engines right now.

I actually found it quite soothing sleeping with my ISX15 idling low for the warm summer nights keeping my bunk cool when I was driving trucks over-the-road. I also have slept in my truck with the old 6.5 Detroit idling away. I guess that's just a truck driver thing though.

As far as the brand arguments go, I would suggest that there is a reason Tacoma's and 4Runner's are a dominant player in the overlanding game, but there are reasons for that that may not line up with your ideal truck. I can say that as a mechanic I found myself putting front ends under many more domestic trucks than I ever did Toyotas, or imports in general. Everyone is going to have an ideal truck, and what's ideal to me may not match for you, just like I would have no interest in an Xterra or Frontier because of my experience with Nissan, or that even though I owned and built a 92 Bronco it's unlikely that I would go back with a Ford and even though a crew cab dually Cummins would be my ideal truck for towing my camper, cars, and tractor around I still don't think I would build a Dodge for overlanding. Not to say that Ford, Dodge, Nissan, or anything else are bad vehicles (I'm running a GMC now and wouldn't build a new GM, either) they just don't suit me for what I want.

All that to say, what truck is ideal for you is really hard for us to decide, at the end of the day pick out your favorites, compare the options, find what you like and go drive them all! One is likely to stick with you be it for price, amenities, aesthetics, or what have you, and that's probably the one YOU want!

 

[MidOH]

My Cummins likes to go to high idle and back a few times when I start to fall asleep. Sounds like a 747 spooling up to fly to Fiji. Then shakes light a paint shaker for a bit.

I think the first step is to pick trail size and AO.

 

[Renaissance_Man]

Depends. Ram almost always means Cummins. And it's impossible to sleep in an idling Cummins. Henceforth why some of us slide in camper guys prefer gas in the winter. And Ford is crushing it with gas engines right now.

I actually found it quite soothing sleeping with my ISX15 idling low for the warm summer nights keeping my bunk cool when I was driving trucks over-the-road. I also have slept in my truck with the old 6.5 Detroit idling away. I guess that's just a truck driver thing though.

As far as the brand arguments go, I would suggest that there is a reason Tacoma's and 4Runner's are a dominant player in the overlanding game, but there are reasons for that that may not line up with your ideal truck. I can say that as a mechanic I found myself putting front ends under many more domestic trucks than I ever did Toyotas, or imports in general. Everyone is going to have an ideal truck, and what's ideal to me may not match for you, just like I would have no interest in an Xterra or Frontier because of my experience with Nissan, or that even though I owned and built a 92 Bronco it's unlikely that I would go back with a Ford and even though a crew cab dually Cummins would be my ideal truck for towing my camper, cars, and tractor around I still don't think I would build a Dodge for overlanding. Not to say that Ford, Dodge, Nissan, or anything else are bad vehicles (I'm running a GMC now and wouldn't build a new GM, either) they just don't suit me for what I want.

All that to say, what truck is ideal for you is really hard for us to decide, at the end of the day pick out your favorites, compare the options, find what you like and go drive them all! One is likely to stick with you be it for price, amenities, aesthetics, or what have you, and that's probably the one YOU want!

Thanks Zrex

 

[samba]

Okay @Renaissance_Man I saw your different threads and many of your questions.
I absolutely understand that if someone invest money, you don't want it to be a shit investment, but you totally overthinking this whole thing.
For me, its easy... Walk around, read a bit about it, drive it... Does your heart beat faster? Buy it!
And quite a few people tried to tell you this with some sort of nice description...
I'm saying it loud, buy, the heck, whatever gets your blood pumping!

Totally agree with this 100%. Opinions change with time and the only one that will keep you happy is yours.