Buying a used truck/tow vehicle and looking for advice please
Hi all, I have about $18,000-$20,000 to spend on a used truck. I'd like something that will be a decent daily driver but will also be able to haul a heavy boat (Super Air 230). I'm open to any variety of brands and both gasoline and diesel engines but reliability is a huge factor for me. Would also like to know what to steer clear of. Any thoughts you guys have would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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I just bought a 2016 Ford F150 ecoboost last fall. I bought it new and it was expensive but I cannot say enough about how powerful this thing is! It will tow your boat no problem. You should be able to find one of the earlier models in that price range I would guess.
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Tundra
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Diesel probably isn't an option unless you go with an old truck like an old F250/350 7.3. That's not going to be a good DD though.
I just sold my 2011 GMC Sierra 4X4 for 18K. It was a great truck. Only a 5.3 but the 6 speed auto made up a lot of towing power. I towed into the mountains with it many times and it did a good job. I ran it to 130K miles and it was still going strong. I would be looking at any of the Ford, GMC/Chevy, and Dodge 1/2 ton V8 pickups. They're all going to do a good job. If you only need 2 wheel drive you can probably get one with low miles in your budget. |
You can find an 07-08 sierra denali like I have for that kinda of money. All denalis from 07 to 13 come with the 6.2 V8 with 405 hp It pulls great.
I would look at a tundra too, those come with a 4.30 rear end which would be great for towing. |
20k 05 duramax 110k
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I second the 05' duramax. I had one as my daily driver. Averaged around 16mpg mixed driving and 20 highway. I also got 20mpg towing my 23' Enzo. Couldn't tell it was back there.
I would not count out a 03' or 04' duramax or an 03' Cummings. They did not have as much emissions stuff and got better mileage. |
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Have a 03 3500 cummins 140k for 20k too. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3546432b7d.jpg 25k can get a 07 mega cab loaded 140k |
Buying a used truck/tow vehicle and looking for advice please
I've got a 2013 RAM Hemi 4X4 I'll let go for $16000 double cab half ton
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Duh, Toyota. Buy it and you will have it for your kids to drive, even if you don't have any kids yet. 13 years, 155K and mines only needed two sets of brakes, 2 batteries, and a CV boot.Plus Toyota's are often more "made in america" than the American brands, if that matters to you.
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My 2011 tundra has been outstanding. 155k trouble free miles and plan to put atleast another 50k on it.
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'80-'97 F-350 with either 460 or diesel. My daily driver is an '86 crew cab F-350 4x4 with 6.9 turbo diesel and 5 speed manual. Great truck, it's a simple and reliable workhorse. If reliability is your #1 concern I'd be looking at '82-'87 460 trucks or '83-'94 diesel trucks. Reason being in '88 they went EFI on the 460 and after '94 the diesel was EFI. For reliability I will only have a carburetor or mechanical fuel injection on my daily driver, I need it to just plain work every time so EFI won't cut it.
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I DD my 05 6.0 powerstroke. I personally don't think you need a diesel to tow the 230 unless you spend a lot of time towing, or tow long distance, then a diesel is nice. I love driving something big so my F250 is a great DD for me but unless you are like me I'd stick to the 1/2 ton for best of the DD world
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Don't need a diesel to tow <6000 lbs, but keep in mind short wheelbase trucks can get scary towing anything with appreciable weight. 1/2 ton may be fine (though less forgiving) but at least have a regular cab long bed. Tail wagging the dog is a lot of pucker factor. A 300 six will tow a SAN 230 adequately, it will suck but it'll get the job done. For it to be pleasant you'll want a big block or a diesel and you'll appreciate 3/4 ton or bigger brakes on a long wheelbase truck.
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Hey Josh, congrats on the bigger boat! OK so since we both live in same area, how far do you intend to tow (which lakes etc) also as dd what is your round trip commute? Both of these things would help determine which route to go. But I'm leaning towards petrol, and that's coming from a diesel dude.
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I vote Tundra or used Cummins or Duramax . Never liked Ford but you know what they say about opinions hahaha
I really hate this conversation all the 1/2 ton guys will say us 3/4 ton guys are compensating lol Then all of us 3/4 ton diesel guys swear we would never go back to a half ton gas truck . Ive had lots of trucks and as far as feeling safe and capable goes I'll stuck with my Dmax . I think those Ecoboosts are pretty cool but I'd never own one . |
Diesel is a luxury unless you're towing bigger things than a boat. I love my Cummins but in this case I think a newer truck with gas is smarter than an old Diesel.
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Diesel cost about 20% more in this area, which must be considered when using fuel mileage as a justification.
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Really a 20k ram 1500 sounds perfect. Lol.
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I had a 2008 duramax with everything upgraded but turbo and injectors as my last truck and a 2008 6.2 denali 1500 as my current truck. I loved the duramax BUT there is something for the peace of mind that if something does break in a modified truck it won't cost 4,000 to 7000 dollars. I'm upgrading the fueling in my 1500 now for up coming LSA supercharger swap or PRO charger. Used injectors and a fuel pump are only 600 buck. Injectors on a duramax are what 2000$.
All that said after pulling a 24 foot boat with lead. With both truck a 6.2 gas engine pull almost as good as the duramax. Now up the side of a mountain of course the duramax was better but for a wake boat once a week a 1500 with a bigger engine or gears will be fine. I pulled this boat with an 03 5.3 Silverado for almost 2 years and it did fine but I wouldn't want to do it any more. |
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Suspension arms: The vehicles I suggested don't have control arms, regardless control arms and other suspension arms are not wear items unless you park and drive in a salt mine and don't maintain your vehicle. AC: I've never owned a vehicle that had air conditioning so I can't speak to the reliability or maintenance of such systems but a failed air conditioner will not leave you stranded. Wheel bearings: Are regular maintenance items. Front bearings on Dana 44 and Dana 60 axles should be inspected, repacked and adjusted at least every 30k miles or whenever you have water above the axle. I've never had a wheel bearing failure and even on trucks I've seen that had wheel bearings badly neglected I've never seen a failure that left anyone stranded. Frame: Is not a wear item unless you park and drive in a salt mine and don't maintain your vehicle. Wiring: Main under hood wiring should be inspected periodically and any wiring with cracked insulation replaced. Grounds should be inspected and cleaned as part of regular maintenance. Replacing some wiring every few decades, namely battery cables, is a normal maintenance item. Wiring wiring issues are typically caused by previous owners hack jobs, but are quick and easy to fix on a 35+ year old vehicle and won't leave you stranded. Gauges: In all my years of driving 30+ year old vehicles I can't think of any chronic gauge problems. Occasionally a sender fails, they're cheap and only take a couple minutes to replace. Failure will not leave you stranded. Fuel pumps: Are wear items that may fail every few decades. In my experience failures are very rare. $15 and 10 minutes to replace, if you're worried about being stranded keep a spare in the truck or proactively replace every dozen years or so. Heater cores: Chronic failure is a result of replacing with cheap aluminum replacement made in China. Buy OE brass/copper heater cores for replacement and you don't have chronic failure. Aside from that not using proper coolant or maintaining the coolant system will cause premature failures. Regardless, on the trucks I suggested heater core replacement is a 5-20 minutes job depending if it has factory air conditioning or not. Radiators: See heater cores Shocks: Are wear items. They typically last 30k-50k miles depending on quality and use. Failure will not leave you stranded. I'm not really following what you're getting at... Some parts eventually wear out with use and must be repaired or replaced, and with enough neglect and abuse things can fail prematurely? Check your owners manual, there's a maintenance schedule specifying service intervals for various major components. Take care of your vehicle and it will take care of you. Quote:
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I see you're pushing buying a new Toyata every couple years, and hope nothing breaks in those few years that maintenance is neglected. You mentioned a 30k wheel bearing repack interval being ridiculous... That is the recommendation from Spicer, I've seen trucks go 100k+ before they start to get wobbly... Or you can maintain your vehicle every few years and have original bearings last decades, far longer than "sealed for life" (however short that life may be) unit bearings that cost an arm and a leg. With a solid axle you don't have control arms because there are none to rust out.. Furthermore, tie rods are big and meaty, they don't rust out, unlike tiny car sized components on a modern IFS truck that rust through or snap like twigs, and of course no numerous IFS bushings to dry out, crack, and result in a truck that wanders all over the road. No worries about ball joints either, king pins last decades and hundreds of thousands of miles... But, if you want to go a few hundred thousand miles without any parts replacement, you need to maintain the axle. That means repack bearings every few years, grease the tie rod ends and king pins every oil change. If that's too much you can just buy a $20k Toyota every few years though.
I've never had issues with frames rusting out on the trucks I recommended. They are C channel frames, open on the inside so easy to hose the salt off now and again through the winter. Shocks lasting 150k miles? Keep dreaming. Sure they're still bolted on but they do not work like they did when they were new. My go to brand is Bilstein, very high quality, and they simply don't last that long before losing significant and appreciable effectiveness. You likely don't notice it because they wear out gradually. Nothing difficult about getting an OE quality heater core, you just walk into any Ford dealership and order one or look it up online and order that way. Real easy in this day and age. Some parts are worth getting OE, others the aftermarket companies make fine replacements. Regarding being a mechanic, electrician, or ASE certified to do basic maintenance and repairs... Well that's simply not necessary. We're not talking about rebuilding transmissions or diagnosing complex computer controlled electrical and emissions systems, just basic maintenance. I'm a desk jockey and I'm perfectly capable of maintaining my vehicles. In this day and age with the internet at your fingertips there's no excuse to not learn. I work hard for my money, too hard to spend a fortune on a brand new vehicle that's going to nickel and dime me to death with one expensive repair after the next and suck up all my time due to maintenance or downtime. For me, an under $10k truck that will serve me well for the rest of my life hands down beats a $50k comparable new truck that I couldn't even order how I would want it. TCO of a simple reliable truck is a fraction of a comparable new truck. I'd rather save my money to retire earlier and spend more time on the water doing what I enjoy both before and after retirement. And yes, it's all in good spirit. Different strokes for different folks. |
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If I sold it right now, I'm around $90 a month all in over the 10 years I've owned this vehicle including all maintenance and repairs (other than taillights and mirrors that have been knocked off). Not including gas of course. Best of all I've swapped the headlights, taillights, radio, and wheels to versions from the newer toyotas and people only think the car is a few years old, when it is 13. I'll have this thing for my kids to drive and I'm not even married yet. lol. Once thing I hate about older cars is rattles and loose steering, even if everything checks out. I could put someone behind the wheel of this thing and they would think it's new. So yea, as you say, I will do mostly only the required maintenance, which is next to none, enjoy hassle free operation, and will buy my new Toyota every few years (few years being 20). Just saying, they are awesome vehicles. So are the old trucks as you say, just depends where you want to invest you time I suppose. Typically, as it works out, I get a girlfriend that owns a BMW, so I get all my fun fixing that, however new it is. Plus then I get to pay for everything else because they spent all their money on the car. Sigh. If I wanted to waste money I would buy a Cayman or 911. I will fully admit that is a waste of money though and it would only be when I am in a position to buy it with cash and have paid off everything else. |
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