Time for a new truck.

[HoLeChit]

Average 16 MPG That seems really good to me in a truck.
What does this current truck not do for you?
What is the current truck?

I am one who likes to build my own vehicle and drive them until the things fall apart.
My favorite was a 1980's chevy truck 1/2 ton that I stuck a 455 olds into with ported and milled J heads and Qjet carb
and a stock cam from a 403.
Stupid amounts of TQ it got 15 MPG no matter what.

Busted the 10 bolt rearend and replaced it with a 12 bolt from a 3/4 ton and that 3/4 ton still had the springs on it so
I cut the eyes off the main leaf and removed some of the smaller short leafs from the 1/2 ton spring pack and stacked all those springs under the 1/2 ton.

Fill the bed with shingles and it would barely squat.

Wish I had some of those 455 olds I gave away I the early 90's. I would stick one in this current 1980 Chevy 3/4 ton.

I’m not complaining too much about the fuel economy, if I wanted amazing fuel economy I would drive a car. But with the current situation of being a one vehicle man, having a truck comes first.
The current truck is a nice vehicle, 2015 Silverado LTZ z71. Has every option but a sunroof. It goes where I want, and tows most of the stuff I want. I think we can all agree that I’m just too picky, but here’s what I dislike:

I had to have the engine rebuilt from a short block at 86k miles. Really put a bad taste in my mouth with this truck. I can’t seem to get past it.

I just hit 100k miles, and have to replace the faulty AC condenser due to poor manufacturing practices. Both this and the engine have class action lawsuits being filed. Chevy just doesn’t stand behind their product anymore. It just doesn’t feel like a truck I can drive for the next 10 years. That doesn’t sit well with me.

all the alarms and dingy crap. Corrosion or road dirt in my trailer plug? Notifications, dinging, and other annoyances until I clean it out. Typical Chevy thing now. I can’t turn off other alarms and stuff either, because it’s built into the ECM.

the GPS is useless, and I don’t like having it anyways. Call me paranoid, but the entire onstar vehicle shutdown thing weirds me out.

the towing capacity is ok, but I’m having to pass up on things. My buddy owns a blasting business. If I had a 3/4 ton or better I could catch jobs for him while he’s out of town working on the primary job. I have a buddy in Texas that asks if I could come down and drag his second detailing trailer around and do work for him on the occasion. I can’t tow that trailer with my current truck. I have another buddy who works a side job with his cousin, and when they buy equipment/materials in Oklahoma, I could hot shot it to them in New Mexico. Not being able to do these things hurts my bottom end. Im currently working on starting my own business, but having some side work here and there would be nice so I could bring in some extra cash.

I don’t know much about working on gas engines, but I have over a decade and a half of experience working on diesels, and some of the specialty Cummins tools. I just feel more comfortable in a diesel. Plus, who doesn’t love the noise?

Buying a 3/4 ton or better would make dragging a camper around much easier, and would allow me to get a decent sized setup. Campers that you can tow with a 1/2 ton or smaller command a serious premium, so being able to buy something a little bigger would be a bonus. The old lady has shot down my idea of a utility trailer with a roof top tent, so a camper is on the honey do list. I’ll built the utility trailer for my own adventures.

at the end of the day, I want a truck that I can go most places and do most things with. I’m biased, favoring diesels. Yeah, the repair cost is higher typically. But the maintenance compared to what I have now is similar if not cheaper. Typically, the diesel is going to last much longer than a gas engine, and should, over time, be more reliable. Which offsets the higher price tag and repair cost. I want a truck that I can keep for the next ten years. I hate dealerships, I hate selling vehicles, and I hate how much money you lose changing vehicles. I wouldn’t mind taking a break from that cycle for a decade or so.

 

[HoLeChit]

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/d/oklahoma-city-1996-ford-f150-4x4-73/7462095955.html

That’s nice, I would totally drive that. But… if I bought an “old crappy truck” and parked it in the driveway I would likely be murdered. If not, she wouldnt ride in it anyways.

 

[dennishoddy]

I’m not complaining too much about the fuel economy, if I wanted amazing fuel economy I would drive a car. But with the current situation of being a one vehicle man, having a truck comes first.
The current truck is a nice vehicle, 2015 Silverado LTZ z71. Has every option but a sunroof. It goes where I want, and tows most of the stuff I want. I think we can all agree that I’m just too picky, but here’s what I dislike:

I had to have the engine rebuilt from a short block at 86k miles. Really put a bad taste in my mouth with this truck. I can’t seem to get past it.

I just hit 100k miles, and have to replace the faulty AC condenser due to poor manufacturing practices. Both this and the engine have class action lawsuits being filed. Chevy just doesn’t stand behind their product anymore. It just doesn’t feel like a truck I can drive for the next 10 years. That doesn’t sit well with me.

all the alarms and dingy crap. Corrosion or road dirt in my trailer plug? Notifications, dinging, and other annoyances until I clean it out. Typical Chevy thing now. I can’t turn off other alarms and stuff either, because it’s built into the ECM.

the GPS is useless, and I don’t like having it anyways. Call me paranoid, but the entire onstar vehicle shutdown thing weirds me out.

the towing capacity is ok, but I’m having to pass up on things. My buddy owns a blasting business. If I had a 3/4 ton or better I could catch jobs for him while he’s out of town working on the primary job. I have a buddy in Texas that asks if I could come down and drag his second detailing trailer around and do work for him on the occasion. I can’t tow that trailer with my current truck. I have another buddy who works a side job with his cousin, and when they buy equipment/materials in Oklahoma, I could hot shot it to them in New Mexico. Not being able to do these things hurts my bottom end. Im currently working on starting my own business, but having some side work here and there would be nice so I could bring in some extra cash.

I don’t know much about working on gas engines, but I have over a decade and a half of experience working on diesels, and some of the specialty Cummins tools. I just feel more comfortable in a diesel. Plus, who doesn’t love the noise?

Buying a 3/4 ton or better would make dragging a camper around much easier, and would allow me to get a decent sized setup. Campers that you can tow with a 1/2 ton or smaller command a serious premium, so being able to buy something a little bigger would be a bonus. The old lady has shot down my idea of a utility trailer with a roof top tent, so a camper is on the honey do list. I’ll built the utility trailer for my own adventures.

at the end of the day, I want a truck that I can go most places and do most things with. I’m biased, favoring diesels. Yeah, the repair cost is higher typically. But the maintenance compared to what I have now is similar if not cheaper. Typically, the diesel is going to last much longer than a gas engine, and should, over time, be more reliable. Which offsets the higher price tag and repair cost. I want a truck that I can keep for the next ten years. I hate dealerships, I hate selling vehicles, and I hate how much money you lose changing vehicles. I wouldn’t mind taking a break from that cycle for a decade or so.

Why do you need a diesel?
The new 7.3 gasser in the Ford pulls great. We pull over 16,000 lbs down the road in a fifth wheel RV.

Since taking delivery of the truck in September of 2020 we have pulled over 36,000 miles from South Tx to the Canadian border in Montana over every mountain pass in between without issues while maintaining the speed limits and passing diesels sitting on the side of the road with steam coming out of the hoods.

Part of the issue with any truck that one wants to pull loads with is they select the wrong gear ratio for the rear end thinking like the old days that a high ratio will get them better mileage. Not true.
The new transmissions are computer controlled and adapt.
My cousin bought the same F-250 I did but he bought the 3:56 gears as he doesn't pull much now, but anticipated buying a RV in a year or two. We get exactly the same gas mileage which is about 13.3 combo city/highway, mostly highway. With the specifications that Ford puts out, he lost many thousand pounds of towing capacity with that higher gear ratio.
Determine what you want to do with your truck and size it accordingly.
Personally, I'd never need nor want a diesel for our requirements. Your requirements may be different.

 

[PBramble]

That F150 is a 250. Broken marker light, door doesn't close and the bed is already a different color. And they put those stupid SDuty towing mirrors on it, looks like 05 or newer. Hard pass there. Given the condition of the outside, I'd love to see the extra stuff under the hood.

 

[Profreedomokie]

That sounds like a play out of Lynn Hickey's playbook. A guy I know had to pick up the phone and start dialing OCPD's number to get his keys back.

ditto

 

[CutBaitNBlowSh*tUp4ALivin]

I worked the returns counter at the biggest parts distributor in OKC. Ford diesel blocks were warrantied and cored out almost 3-1 to any other engine. That alone tells me not to get one. The second biggest warranty part coming thru the doors were Ford turbos.

I'm editing to add cores, meaning a replacement motor or turbo was bought.

 

[Okie4570]

I worked the returns counter at the biggest parts distributor in OKC. Ford diesel blocks were warrantied out almost 3-1 to any other engine. That alone tells me not to get one. The second biggest warranty part coming thru the doors were Ford turbos.

What years were you working there?

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

I have a 2017 F250 6.7L with only 25K miles on it. It's in perfect condition and I really like it...it's likely my most favorite truck out of the 20 or so I've owned over the years. Been paid for a long time. I had a need for a heavier duty truck when I bought it but not so much these days. I'm tempted to sell it but I'm worried about what I'd replace it with in this market.

It's like selling a house when the market is soaring. Great money on the sale but then you have to turn around and find something to replace it with. I'm not seeing a whole lot out there that seems like selling my truck would be a good idea.

 

[CutBaitNBlowSh*tUp4ALivin]

Well I quit in '16 but Im related to and/or good friends with the last two returns managers. I can ask if my claim still holds water? I had my replacement over for cards and drinks two nights ago.
Edit: I contacted some folks. Still more Ford diesel and turbo cores and warranties than GM or Mopar

What years were you working there?

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

That doesn't necessarily mean that Ford trucks are any worse. To start with, there are more Ford trucks sold than the other brands. Some warranties run longer than others. Some could be replaced under extended warranties. It could also be there is a difference in how each company categorizes replacement parts. You'd have to know the rate at which these parts fail for the numbers to mean anything.