Looking at trucks
 

ok guys, i'm not looking for bias opinions here because god knows we all have them. looking at 4 door pickups and have a few questions. looking in the 2002-2006 range/whatever i can afford.
the dodge ram 1500 seems to be the cheapest, why?
the chevy sierra 1500 would be my favorite. also like the ford f150 but it is far from the cheapest.
the toyota tacoma appeals to me but dont know if it will handle a 24-25 footer with no problem.
what about the nissan frontier?
alright gents, lets the facts fly.

Well, that's a great way to forget about the game-> BUY A TRUCK!!!!

:beer:

I have always been a "Ford truck guy", but my previous truck was a 1996 Dodge 1500 4x4 (2 door). It had 160-170k miles on it when I sold it and it was still a very strong truck. No rust with the aluminum body.

If you can get a good deal on a dodge, I say for go for it.

Therm
I have looked at the foreign trucks and what I saw was they don't have the steel in the frame as the Ford and Dodge. Chevy is beefer than the foreign guys but not as thick as the dodge and ford. After that each has it's own thing that is different than the other.

I have a 98 F 150 gas that I pull all my landscaping trailers, 2 wd with 166,000, no trouble with the motor or tranny (knock on wood). 1 of my trailers is a dual axle 25ftrn that I haul a Kubota 3540 tractor and power rake and tiller with. A lot of weight and it pulls it fine.

My next 1 will be a 4 wd diesel, I like the chevy combo motor and tranny and I like the older ford 7.2, dodge I think has been using the same eng tranny combo for quite a few years.

I own a Chevy 06 crew cab 5.3L gas, I love it, Here is some facts when I Trailer my V at 60 MPH my RPM is NEVER over 2k, Same trailer and Boat on a foreign truck which I will not name because of recalls at the moment is close to 3k pulling the same weight...

The guys I know who have foreign full sized PU's all say the get terrible gas mileage, like low teens all the time and single digits pulling.

I know for a fact that Chevy 5.3 w/ whatever trans they put in the Pursuit Rated Tahoes can take a real beating....and get suprisingly good MPG while being trounced.

DODGE's low resale is a reflection of how poorly there interiors tend to hold up long term. They are known for squeeks and rattles in the 01+ full size trucks. The 4.7L is a good engine and so is the HEMI, and they are both backed up by the 545RFE in those years which is MUCH better than the old 4 speeds they used to have. FORD does have a decent truck as well, and with the 5.4L they are a stout tow vehicle. FORD also has a very high quality interior in them that seems to stand the test of time. One other thing though is the FORD will be the heaviest out of the big 3, and gas milage seems to reflect it from what I hear. I may be biast here, but I saved GM for last as I feel they are the best for an all around truck. There interiors are not as heavy as FORDS, but they are pretty well built and much better than DODGE's interior. There new LS series engines are stout performers and get good milage, as well as having proven themselves to stay in it for the long run. They are still using the same time tested and proven 4 speed auto behind all of them that has been refined to be pretty good for reliability.

The biggest thing is to pick the one you are most comfortable with and fits your needs. All 3 of them are pretty good trucks and will fit the bill. And as you see I didn't emntion the imports, one is I'm trying to help out the US's economy, and two I feel the first 3 letters of TOYota spells out the other reason.

The last I heard the new TAHOES for law enforcement were getting the new 6.2L which is a friggin BEAST for HP and still rakes in good milage.

chuck, my .02 worth, i have owned dodge trucks since '72, slant 6's to present 5.9. they never held the re-sale of the others, but that makes them cheaper to get into, but harder to get out of. biggest complaint is gas mileage. they all are bad when towing, but if your gonna put a lot of non towing miles in, i'd suggest chevy. if you really don't need a pu, have you thought about a tahoe or a suburban.?