narrowing my choices....

[THEFERMANATOR]

My choice would go to a 99-06 GM with a 5.3L in it. It will end up needing an idler and pitman arm in the front end around that milage, but other than that they are pretty solid trucks with only a few other issues(nothing major). Not alot to say about FORDS as I don't have alot of first hand experience with them. I would steer clear of FORDS from the mid 90's to 03-04 with the 4.6L and 5.4L engines due to the spark plug problems as it can get REAL costly REAL quick fixing spark plug holes in teh heads.

[phatdaddy]

chevy/gmc better ride, better fuel mileage ( i know you only drive 2 miles to work), & better resale, due to the plug issue ferm mentions.

[jasoncooperpcola]

I replace pitman and idler arms in my GMC every year. Make sure you buy a lifetime warranty product. My truck is a 2wd and has hardly been offroad since I quit hunting three years ago and still eats front end parts. I know dads F150 has been very reliable. Both are good trucks and I would not hesitate to buy either. But I do not need or want a newer truck.

[smokeonthewater]

put MOOG on that gmc..... unless you have some huge offset wheels they should outlive the truck and you

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by jasoncooperpcola

I replace pitman and idler arms in my GMC every year. Make sure you buy a lifetime warranty product. My truck is a 2wd and has hardly been offroad since I quit hunting three years ago and still eats front end parts. I know dads F150 has been very reliable. Both are good trucks and I would not hesitate to buy either. But I do not need or want a newer truck.

you get what you pay for, and those lifetime guaranteed parts from AZ and ADVANCE are just the warranty your paying for and some cheap chinese junk. I do quite a few of these, and the cheapos we get today are junk. Buy MOOG and you won't have to do the job for another 100K miles, or go with the ones with a lifetimne warranty and spend a lifetime replacing them. And I reccomended a 99-06 which is a COMPLETELY different front end from your 96. I know somebody with well over 300K miles on his 05 3500, and the only front end work done to it was a hub bearing at 85K miles. This trucks list of repairs in the 300K miles has been 1 water pump, 2 alternators, 1 hub bearing, blower motor resistor and plug, 3 sets of plugs, 2 sets of plug wires, 2 sets of front brakes, trans service every 75K miles, oil changes every 5K miles, and a couple of air filters. It does now need the guage cluster repaired, but for 300K miles it has been a SOLID truck with very few repairs. And this has pretty much been the norm with the newer trucks instead of the oddball.

[jasoncooperpcola]

They are MOOG. That is all I will put under my truck. I was running LT265/75R16E tires and now running LT285/75R16E tires. All on stock steel wheels.

[THEFERMANATOR]

Originally Posted by jasoncooperpcola

They are MOOG. That is all I will put under my truck. I was running LT265/75R16E tires and now running LT285/75R16E tires. All on stock steel wheels.

You've got some other issues tearing them up then. I've got over 50K miles on AZ ones(back before they were chinese made, will be going with MOOG when they go) in my BURB with a few boosted launches on them, and they're still holding up. And one of them boosted launches was all 4 spinning on a track treated with VHT(I was trying to leave WAY to hard at 12 pounds of boost, was an eery ride spinning em 1st, 2nd, and catching in 3rd and taking off).

[smokeonthewater]

what he said... no reason in the world for them to be going out... what grease are you using on em?

[Curapa]

I have 260,000 miles on my 2006 silverado 4.8. Still runs great. Just had to put an engine in my sons 99 F-150 with only 130k on it.

I got 210k out of my 4th gen LT1 Trans Am (I gave it hell too), my buddy got 160k out of his 4.6 mustang. I'm a GM fan all the way.