So I'm buying a house, which obviously means I need to add another payment to my life and thus, I must buy a truck. This is sensible given not only what I do for a living (requires hauling stuff/people to and from farms on occasion), but also the amount of build-threading my house is going to require. Here are my particulars:
Budget: Between $5k-$8k
Style: Would prefer a pickup, but an SUV that can tow a trailer would be good
Needs: V8 power would be preferred, absolutely needs 4WD (Michigan!)
My inclinations: I really like the late 90's - early 2K's Ford F-150 for looks, but I know the Triton is no match for a similar-year LS truck motor. I don't know much else about Ford's build quality from the era, but likewise I have nothing against GM products. I'm inclined for reasons I can't put my finger on to avoid Dodge and rigs from across the Pacific, but I can be convinced. I'd like to keep maintenance costs to a predictable amount (i.e. want to avoid smoking transmissions or blown motors).
What say you, GRM? GMT800 something-or-other?
Is this going to be a daily driver or stricty a weekend lumber hauler?
You want an 8 foot box and a standard cab. I like GM stuff myself, much simpler than the OHC Ford stuff. I not a 4x4 fan but it's all paved roads where I'm at. You seem to pay a lot more for something you rarely, if ever use. A Lock-Rite diff will go a long way with good tires. Look at (GMT400) 96-99 Vortech trucks too. Lots of ability for less money. 88-94 TBI works well, just a little slower doing it. Anvil reliability though.
The Dodge stuff from that era isn't too bad, provided you can keep it from rusting apart and you actually maintain the trans.
I'd definitely get an 8 foot bed if you can handle the extra length, as it'll be far more useful in the end. Size the cab based on your wants/needs and tolerance for driving a 100 foot long truck.
In that vintage, there's a good chance that a gas powered 3/4 ton won't be much more expensive than a 1/2 ton. And if you can live with the somewhat lower mpg, you'll end up with a lot more truck (which may or may not matter for your uses).
In reply to Gearheadotaku:
Daily driver - I'm tall so I was thinking extended cab, plus room for groceries, dogs, etc.
Well, you'll get frustrated with a 6' box in a hurry. Studs and sheet goods are 8' long, pipe is 10'. ext cabs w/ 8' boxes aren't too hard to find, but yeah, huge.
Consider a Fullsize cargo van? Lots of dry lockable space, 10' deep inside, 12' if you get a long one. Smaller foot print than a pick up. The only downside is trying haul dirt or really tall stuff. Trailer for that?
GMT800, 2500HD. If you don't want the Duramax, the 8.1L also comes with the Allison transmission (which is magical when towing).
GMT800 and GMT400 are both good options. The older trucks seem to be built a bit better, but the newer ones are more comfortable. Not a big fan of Dodge trucks of that era, interiors are crappy and fall apart.
Ive said it here once before but in my family we currently own 700k+ miles on 3 ford modular motors with the only repairs being two alternators and one intake manifold (the crappy all plastic ones, think that was resolved by 01+). The fords dont have as much power as say a similar year gm product but they are cheaper and dont break. Dad tows a 7klb boat with his 300k mile 5.4 no problem, just slowly.
Just some food for fodder. Granted a brother owns a 01 5.3 gm 4x4 and its also been great for 200+kmi save for a fuel pump but it doesnt tow anything which is a shame cause that 5.3 would tow better than the 5.4 save for the weak 4l60 in the gm. Pretty much what im saying is anything would work fine just find something you like in your price range just don't discount the fords.
Any of the Detroit trucks will be great. That's what we earn our crusts on.
The only times this hasn't been the case, torches and pitchforks came out for the Six Liter Navistar.
More importantly, take a road trip down to Tennessee or further south and buy something from outside the salt/rust zone. Anything 15+ years old will need maintenance, doing it in a "less" rusty way is nice.
My Silverado has the six foot box and it's not a problem for hauling lumber. With the tailgate down the load surface is a bit over 8 feet long. I hauled all of the lumber to build the Grosh, including the 14 foot pieces, without any drama. I've never quite understood why people want to live with two extra feet of wheelbase all the time just so they can close the tailgate instead of stapping things down those few times a year they're hauling long stuff.
