Which Half ton Pick ups are yall driving?

[Bowhunter-tw]

Hi all,

Interested in what half ton pick ups yall are driving, what issues your having and what youd buy today if you were getting a new truck.

My 7.3 was stolen and now I have to figure out what to replace it with. I am reading issues about all the new trucks and dont know what to get.

Reliable, 4x4 and a 6.5’ bed are my only requirements as of now

 

[tony]

Short of a Tacoma and now a ranger.
All f150s, never had any major issues, water pump and some sort of trans sensor that ford paid for.
1995,1999,2013

 

[go4thegusto]

On my 4th F150 lease. Run them 75,000 miles. I have never had one in the shop except a clicking locking hub on one they fixed while I waited.
That said, it pisses me off you have to go to a Laredo package to get 4WD Automatic. If you live where you would drive in 4WD often like when icy here in ND it sucks. Might be enough to have me switch brands next time. Other climates may not care.

 

[wapitibob]

F150 XLT after I put 445,000 on a '99 f350 7.3; no issues

I drive uber and lyft, in/out of 4wd multiple times/day when snow is on the ground. Twisting that little 4wd knob on the dash isn't a big deal.

 

[handwerk]

2005 Tundra DC.

 

[JD Jones]

F150 95,99,2005,2017. Can’t beat ‘em. Sure I’ve had small issues. And a warranty claim for that 10 speed but I think the bugs are mostly worked out

 

[couesbitten]

I just came in the house from changing the oil on my 2008 Toyota Tundra double cab, 5.7 liter. I am the second owner, purchased it with about 120,000 miles and it's now at 246,600. In the 7 years that I've owned it, I've had to replace the starter, otherwise zero issues. It averages about 15 mpg, which isn't great, but it just keeps running without issue!

 

[Danny Hoey]

F-150

 

[Tmac]

Reliability is my #1. So I drive a 19 Tundra. Zero problems. Bought at a dealer as Toyota certified. But you need to be aware of the cam tower leak issue, it's why I went the certified route.

If getting another new to me, another late model low mileage Tundra, 16-18 preferred for the better tranny cooler. But I’d look those cam towers over closely and buy a certified one with an extended warrantee if I could.

The new model Tundra is going to need a few more years to be a viable candidate for me, has some issues, much like the Ford eco boost had some serious bugs early. But the Toyota hybrid drive train has quite a bit of appeal for towing. Tows diesel like in terms of torque, so may take that plunge in a few years.

 

[leachguy]

I'm an auto mechanic and own a shop. I can say, hands down, if I were to buy something for reliability, it would be a Tundra. Best truck out there by far. I dread seeing them on the schedule passed 120k miles because by that time they've usually had the brakes done, maybe already had the commonly leaky radiation fixed, and it's only oil changes for another 50k miles.
I personally drive a 2013 F150 with a 5.0 V8. I've been happy with it, but I also know what quirks to expect and how to avoid the common 4wd issues and valve guide issues.

 

[mt100gr.]

Tundra w/ 5.7L

 

[Scottyboy]

Came from a 2017 F150 (loved it) to a 2021 Tundra now (not my favorite).

 

[hiker270]

2018 Ram Laramie Quad cab as my long distance driver hunting truck, and a 2018 Nissan Frontier crew cab as my daily driver. Had no issues with either truck, The Ram gets better gas mileage.

 

[nobody]

Was a dyed in the wool Ford fan until 3 of our family's 3 Ecoboosts had major issues. My F150 had $10k in repairs in 7k miles of ownership, 61-68k. Grandma's Expedition caught fire at 55k getting on a freeway on ramp, replaced it with a Tahoe. Dad's F150 lost a trans at 20k (drove it as a commuter, never towed or hot rodded), and the replacement never did shift right no matter what Ford did. Plus it had the timing chain rattle. With fuel costs as high as they are, he just traded it in on a Honda Accord for the mileage. No more 3.5 Eco-bombs for our fam.

Dad sold his 2002 7.3 Lariat this summer with 120k on it (for the same money he paid for it back in 2008), those engines are awesome. But the trans was the weak point and the rest of the truck was starting to rust out. The new diesels scared him with all the horror stories on the DEF systems grenading and causing ridiculous catastrophic failures. Plus the ridiculous prices for the mileage, he wasn't going to have a truck with fewer miles on it. Luckily, grandpa (his father in law) decided to sell his truck and cut dad a smoking deal on his '07 LBZ Duramax with 50k on it, $28,000. But otherwise, he was going to dump a ton of money into the 7.3 to fix it up because he wasn't going to play roulette with the new trucks.

Currently I'm driving a half ton GMC with the 5.3, going on year 3 of ownership. Not many miles put on it so far and I've been happy with it, I'm almost to 135k. They're not bulletproof, but GM has been building that 5.3 for a long time so there's lots of mechanics who can work on them and tons of parts available, and their issues and fixes for those issues are well documented. Gets good mileage and it's very comfortable to drive.

That said, my next one will be a Tundra. Just hard to beat Toyota for the peace of mind. I'll never play the diesel game personally.

 

[rodney482]

 

[Runningwater]

2017 f150. Several friends have had good luck with the previous model (now classic) Rams. Oddly in my small circle of friends and relatives the most problematic has been earlier Tundras.

 

[adieatrick]

2021 Tundra. Love everything about it...except for the milage...which I knew going in. 9-11 MPG while towing...but know plenty of people with other half tons that are in the same boat when towing. 14-16 MPG not towing, which is OK. I usually only ever drive the truck to pull our boat, which is 90% of the time. The rest of the time I drive my little 4 banger that gets 40 mpg.

 

[digger]

Ford F-150

 

[Dos XX]

I personally drive a 2013 F150 with a 5.0 V8. I've been happy with it, but I also know what quirks to expect and how to avoid the common 4wd issues and valve guide issues.

What preventative steps can be taken on the valve guide issues? I'm on my second 5.0, 80k miles. I put 200k on my last one. No problems with either one, but if there is something I can do, I'm interested.

 

[leachguy]

What preventative steps can be taken on the valve guide issues? I'm on my second 5.0, 80k miles. I put 200k on my last one. No problems with either one, but if there is something I can do, I'm interested.

Seems to be a driving style thing from my experience. Engine braking, extended oil change intervals, and lots of idling have been the 3 biggest factors I've noticed.