We have a mix of Chevy's and Fords at the shop, with the older ones (the Ford 7.3 diesel is a tough engine, one has 600,000 miles on it now) it's a toss up with the Chevy's. We have about 25 trucks in our fleet.
With the newer ones the Ford (6L and 6.3L) diesels are a piece of junk, turbo's/waste gates/EGR valves/heads and rear ends only lasting 10,000 miles or so before the breaking again . Ford did fix them under warranty, I will give them that much, but after the warranty was gone the repair cost were in the thousands. The boss said no more Fords.
I believe there is a class action lawsuit in the works against Ford.
It's Chevy's and Dodges being bought now. The Duro-Max Chevy's and Cummings Dodge's just keep hammering along.
I drive Suburban's and get around 300,000 miles out of them.
All our trucks get regular oil changes/filters etc., the guys have to give the receipts for the routine maintenance to the ladies in the office to get their pay checks.
I do all my own work on mine.

I bought a 2005 Tacoma 4 door new. I don't put a lot of miles on one. last year I decided that I did not need a truck anymore. I traded it on a 2011 Subaru Outback that I love. They gave me 15,500 trade on a truck that I paid 24,000 for and drove for 5 years. If I need another truck, I would buy another Tacoma.

I compared the Tacoma to a friends 1997 F-150. They were almost the same size. Now the new F-150 is just too large for my taste.

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Corripe Cervisiam

Doug M, I mispoke alright, meant to say lone star, not western star. Thanks

File:InternationalLoneStar.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Even older, even crankier....

Want a Toy buy a Toyota, want a truck buy American made. enough said

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M&P 9mm Shield
M&P40C, 686 6

Just a little something to set my F150 apart from the others ...

Early on all I ever had was Ford.My Dad was a Ford man so I was too.They were all great trucks but I kept 'em for 2 years and traded them on new ones.Times were good then.Then the lean years hit and I had to buy old beaters and work on my own junk.Then I became a mechanic to replace my steel mill job and discovered that the General Motors products were a whole lot easier to work on,at least from my viewpoint.I really loved the way Fords rode and they always seemed to be quieter too.But I became a GM guy about 1987 and been that way since.They're all good but consider this,most of the Toyotas are built here and I personally know two people who have had their Toyota trucks bought back by Toyota because of frames rotting making the vehicle unsafe.My best friend had a 1998 Isuzu bought back by Isuzu for the same issue.I now own a 2007 Chevy extended cab which I bought new in Feb 2007.I get 23 mpg on the highway and 16 mpg around town.Just rolled 54,000 miles and only 1 set of front brakes at 48,000.It is 4wd but at my age it's a sissy truck,no off roading
anymore,just ready for bad weather and hauling my quad during deer season.But if the frame ever rots out I really don't expect a phone call from GM telling me they will buy it back.

My best buddy tells me his Ford F250 Powerstroke Diesel is the greatest truck on the highway and my lowly little Dodge Dakota is a piece of junk. He still says that, even though we had to ride home once in a wrecker towing his F250 and I have pulled this same F250 home behind my "junk" Dakota with a tow strap on two separate occasions.... I have had two Dakotas that went 150k+ with nothing beyond the normal maint schedule.
That said, a truck needs to be sized to the use you will give it and properly maintained. Buying a light duty S10 or Ranger and trying to haul around two ton loads ain't gonna give you long service. Poor driving habits can increase mechanical failures.

Killing a Toyota part 1 - Top Gear - BBC
Killing a Toyota part 1 - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube
Killing a Toyota part 2 - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube
Killing a Toyota part 3 - Top Gear - BBC - YouTube

Great!!!
Guy22

got to love that Aussie Hilux

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it just needs more voltage

Everyone KNOWS that blue trucks are the best....
My wife told me so - It must be true.

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In dog years I'm dead.

Dodges are fine Trucks and Mercedes-Benz are fine SUVs in my opinion...

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Jorge

Don't be in too big a rush there. You will be surprised at where some "american" vehicles are made. Check your VIN. a "1" is US made, "2" is Canadian made, "3" is made in Mexico. Sure those made in Mexico or Canada benefit the corporations, but how do they help the american workers? The Dodge charger for example is made in Canada with an engine/transmission made in Mexico.

For that matter, to my knowledge most police cars (Crown Victoria, Charger, Impala) are made in Canada.

Some Tacoma's are made in Fresno CA.

I've owned Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks over the last 35 years. Of them my favorite was the Ford Ranger. When I went shopping last year I bought a Tacoma due to it's legendary longevity. It towing and hauling capacity meets my needs (3,000 pounds or less). If I needed heavy hauling capability I would have gone Chevy/Ford.

it is obvious to tell that I am indeed a Ford guy. you know obviously that chevy and GMC is part of GM (general motors, or as i like to call them, Government Motors), and Chrysler, (runs dodge, ram, chrysler, jeep, etc.) needed government support too. that leaves two truck brands, toyota, and ford.
ford has never taken government support. thats why i like them. they have good quality and they never needed support. I like American-made trucks, not intentionally discriminating toyota but I like to support American businesses building American cars in America.

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Git-r-done!!!

My first pickup-- 1981 Toyota 4X4



My second pickup-- 2000 Toyota Tundra 4x4



My third and last pickup - Year 2020. Make Toyota. Model unknown.

Do you mean truck, or do you mean TRUCK?

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Trucks are what's on top of a ...........?

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Dum vivo cano

Since this is kinda turning into a show & tell, here's a couple of my good ones from back in the day.

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God spelled backwards is dog.

Chevy Silverado; my current one is a 2008 model. adequate everything, comfortable and reliability to boot; reliability is king.

After littering the highways of the NorthWest US with the fluids and innards of any number of GMC Suburban transmissions and engines towing things around, I finally decided I had had enough and bought a (used!) Ford Super Duty 7.3L diesel long bed extended cab that gets used for everything from commuting to trailer towing, and it's been great. About 17-18 mpg empty, and never under 13-14 towing. Box stock, no tricky chip mods or anything else -just like it rolled out of the plant.

Great truck, hope it never wears out!

I enjoy my truck. Chevy Colorado. I own it, it gives me no trouble, and it gets me where I need to go.

I'm going to have to go with the other Ford Super Duty guys here. I just donated my old '93 Suburban to a needy family, and it had 228K miles on it; but my '99 F250 7.3L Diesel SD has over 415K on it, and still runs like a champ, with 19.5-20 MPG! (and by the way, it's still on the original transmission, too!)

I doubt if any of us have bought a truly "American made" vehicle for quite a while. "American assembled"...yes. I worked as a counter clerk, and later as parts manager, for a Ford dealership back in the early 60's, and even then, it was scary the high percentage of parts that were made outside the US. Mostly Mexico and Canada for body parts, with numerous other parts coming from various oriental countries. At the time, China was probably the only place that did not supply US auto parts.

After a number of years of driving used Volvos, VWs, and even a couple of Peugeots, I decided to go American when I bought a new car, a Ford Escort. When I insured it, I found it ironic that the policy included a disclaimer, saying State Farm would not be liable for any losses occasioned by delays in getting parts from foreign sources. A few years earlier, Escorts used to come with a decorative strip on the bodywork that depicted the flags of all the countries that supplied parts for the car.

The Escort wagon, BTW, was one of the best cars I ever owned, and by far the best winter car.

fullsize gmc sierra,cause i own one.it's a 2009 and so far so good.

I currently work at a Ford dealership. Previously, I worked at a GM dealership. Not knocking foreign pickups at all, I'm sure they are great. But domestic automobiles have made great strides in quality. They just don't get the positive press by those who are biased for the foreign vehicles and against the domestics. Every manufacturer has had their share of recalls.

That said, if it is a choice between a Ford and a Chevy, I look at the warranty. In South Dakota/ the average mileage driven is 15k. Ford offers a 5yr/60k powertrain warranty. GM offers a 5yr/100k warranty. That means for S. D. driving, I would be covered for 4 yrs with a Ford, 5 yrs with a GM. Enough to sway my decision.

I don't know if you are in a rural area or have to travel to rural areas a lot or not. Here in S.D., I see too many people that break down from around here or those that are travelling through that drive foreign autos. The nearest foreign repair shops are 80-120 miles away. When you break down in a foreign auto, good luck getting a diagnosis or repair.

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otis

What's best is personal opinion and what fits your usage. However, in 1997, I hit about a pine tree dead center of the grill on my 1992 Dodge Dakota at 60mph. Moved the engine back against the firewall and U shaped the front end but the cab never deformed. I walked away with a scratch on my hand and a bruise on my chest from the seatbelt. I still have the 1998 Dodge Dakota I replaced it with. Salesman called from the dealer a while back and wanted to "get me into something with less miles." Told him that my truck was only at 200,000 miles so I just got it broke in good and I didn't want to go through the trouble of breaking in another one. I think Chrysler made a big mistake when they stopped production of the Dakota.

CW

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μολὼν λαβέ

Quite a lift kit on that one in the back.

Andy

The Tacoma *IS* American made - at the San Antonio, Texas plant, which employs more than 2,800 Texans.

Ditto...Big mistake to drop the Dakota. It is the perfect size for me and was a really big seller in this area. S10 and Ranger were just too tiny.

I think we have a winner...My two boys couldn't destroy their Tonka trucks, so they must be tough...

with all its profits passing through Tokyo.
its the same story with the HiLux only the stage is set in Australia
while you'll have to jump though some hoops to get one they can be had.
Toyota HiLux homepage
while there are some similarities between the HiLux and some of the US market toyotas, none have the fully boxed frame heaver suspension and more in favor of (but not limited to) diesel engines.

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it just needs more voltage

As for longevity, any of the small Japanese trucks made before 1985. Neighbor has a diesel one (Nissan?)with 600K on it- even though it's seen better days, it still cranks every time. I don't think he's ever serviced it other than putting more oil in it (never changed!)

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Lost it all in a boat accident

And electric to boot!

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... fortunate son...

Everyone picks a brand of truck based on what appeals to their sense of style and immediatly that becomes the best brand of truck in their eye. Forgetting that I can attest that the dependibility of a Chevrolet is far greater than that of a Ford. Before the grumbling begins let me explain myself. I have driven an ambulance for the last 18 year. An ambulance goes from sitting still to wide open in just a few seconds and does this dozens of times a day. They are driven harder than anyone drives their personally owned vehicle. They also weigh 12-15 thousand pounds. That is a lot of strain on a drivetrain 7 days a week 365 days a year. When I first started at the ambulance service all ambulances were Ford f350 0r 450s or Internationals or Freightliners. As all government agencies in the world do, my service always goes with the cheapest. Which meant Ford instead of the medium duty chassis made by International and Freightliner. We used F350s at my service. For many years Ford was the only pickup chassis that had an ambulance prep package. Chevrolet and Dodge didn't offer one because there are only 6000 ambulances in the united states. With such a small number of vehicles it really wasn't profitable for the other two manufactuers to offer an ambulance prep package, so the ambulance market basically belonged to Ford. In 2001 I think, Chevrolet came out with the Duramax Diesel. The Duramax was more powerful than the venerable old 7.3 liter Powerstroke. So Ford increased the fuel injector pressure of the 7.3 powerstroke from about 5000 psi up to 20000 psi to try and match the Duramax in power. The headbolts and head gaskets on the Powerstroke could not handle that massive increase in injector pressure, so the good old 7.3 Powerstroke lost its dependability in its last year of production. It was a stop gap until Fords diesel could be redesigned to properly compete with the Duramax. In 2003 Ford released the 6.0 Powerstroke. That engine had a Massive amount of power and got pretty fair fuel economy. Soon every ambulance around had a 6.0 liter Power stroke in them. It wasn't long until the problems with that engine started. It had the same issue that the last version of the 7.3 liter had. The head bolts and head gaskets would blow without any notice. On top of that Fords new variable vein turbo gave lots of issues as well. Suddenly ambulances all over the country were undependable. From my personal experience I can assure you, it was not unusual to have 1 or 2 ambulances in the service shop at the ford dealer every week. We actually ended up purchasing a couple of extra ambulances at $130'000 a piece just to assure we could keep enough on the road and some days we would still be short a truck because of break downs. This went on until 2008 when we finally bought some 4500 Chevrolets. Immediatly the engine problems went away. The Duramax Diesel is bomb proof as is the Allison transmission that comes in the Chevrolet. The Chevrolets are not perfect. They have some electrical issues fairly regularly, but in comparison to losing A ford ambulance for weeks at a time to have the top end of the engine rebuilt replaceing an electrical connector that only takes an hour or so is vastly better. Sorry if I offended any of you Ford guys, but I base my statement on having driven many hundreds of thousands of miles in Fords and Chevrolets.

I've owned Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota trucks through the years and never had any major problems with any of them. I think the Chevys are finished better, "better looking". The Fords seem to be sturdier, "more durable". The Toyota that i owned was very economical. The Dodge Ram i owned was a 1500 series 4wd and never had any problems at all. They all make lemons from time to time. Consequently they get it right and make good trucks most of the time from "Most" makers. Just my HO.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

My Ford F-250 Super Duty with PowerStroke diesel has done very well for me. Great power, very reliable, very capable.

Here in the Intermountain West, where people use their pickups for work, at least 50% of all the pickups on the road are diesel Super Duty's. Dodge (now Ram, apparently) seem the second choice. Not many "Toy"otas here - city trucks

The profits go to the Japanese Corporation. The country of japan allows a very limited number of foreign autos in to their country. Each auto needs to undergo vigorous testing, not each model, but each auto. Why trade with those who do not play fair?

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Front sight and squeeze

Honestly, I've owned Ford, Mazda, Dodge, Chev, and Toyota. A good buddy had an old Toyota HiLux that lasted forever! My brother has a Nissan with about 300,000 miles that is still going strong! Truth is, drive them all and see what you like. Each have great reputations, each have a few lemons. Ford trannys seem to be an issue, Dodge fit and finish is not the best. Chevy has honestly built the best small block engines available, but Ford and Dodge have some great diesels. My personal choice is Ford.

BTW, the father of a friend of mine says Studebaker is the only way to go!

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Even older, even crankier....

if one has the means for an old stud, he won't be outclassed in any environment.

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it just needs more voltage

[QUOTE=A10;136578291BTW, the father of a friend of mine says Studebaker is the only way to go![/QUOTE

Oh yeah.

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Dum vivo cano

Made in America?

Cars.com puts out a yearly American-Made Index Top Ten list (AMI) of vehicles assembled in America and with the most domestic parts content. Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are on top. Toyota Tundra also made the Top Ten, #9. Noticeably absent were Ford and Chevy trucks. The article explained that the F-150 made in Missouri and Michigan had a mere 60% domestic content rating similar to the Chevy Silverado. The cut-off for AMI was 75% domestic content. I looked at the previous report for 2010 and found the Toyota Tundra was again among the Top Ten but no Ford or Chevy trucks. There was an accompanying article saying that in past years the F-150 and Silverado had been on top of the AMI.

What is the best truck in the US? I duknow... But if you're looking to purchase a new pickup and your top priority is American made, then your local Toyota dealer has what you're looking for.

You haven't lived till you've drove one of these. You also get to go off road everyday.

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No idea which is best, but the "big three" have all stepped it up in recent years.

I can tell you that the 2011 F150 is a really nice truck. I didn't want the twin turbo's in the EcoBoost engine because I keep my vehicles too long and turbochargers are expensive to replace, so I opted for the 5.0L engine. NICE motor... 18+ mpg on the highway and rated at 360HP. The electronic 6 speed transmission ain't too shabby either!

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"I also cook."

My favorite truck?? My 2001 Peterbilt...riding in style. My second favorite is my Made in America (San Antonio Texas!) 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7l. Now has 96,000 trouble free miles, has never had to go back to the dealer for any repairs. Best pickup I have owned in over 50 years of driving, bar none.

Not sure if Toyota made you aware of it, but you mentioned your 2007 hasn't had to go back for repairs. but my father has the same truck (2007 5.7l) and he had to take his back for a recall on the brakes. May want to contact your local Toyota dealer just to check.

My VIN only shows two recalls....one for floormats and one for the gas pedal...both were issued during the "Runaway Truck Panic" a few years back. I have declined to have both of them done...still waiting for my truck to take off on its own.....

"Safety Recall A0A - Accelerator Pedal Reinforcement Bar Installation This is an important Safety Recall. Please contact your authorized Toyota dealer to install the precision-cut steel reinforcement bar into the accelerator pedal assembly as soon as possible. A0A


Safety Recall 90L - Potential Floor Mat Interference with Accelerator Pedal This is an important Safety Recall to make it less likely that an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat can interfere with the accelerator pedal. Please contact your authorized dealer to have this remedy performed."

Thanks for your concern.

I don't get it....
Why not get these taken care of?

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In dog years I'm dead.

I've been a Ford guy since 1986. Started with a Ranger, then a '94 F-150, now a 2000 Excursion Limited. I love the looks on the "tuner"'s faces when I smoke their 4 bangers with the V-10. The Ex took the '96Expedition (which is still running, despite her best efforts to run it into the ground). They have all given good service.

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SV,14,17,21,28,29,39,66,586

No problem, couldn't remember if it was the brake or the gas pedal. I don't believe my father took his in for either recall either.