Cobra4B

I'm thinking about getting a truck as soon as the car is paid for... I'm tired of my little beater toyota, and trailering the car to the track is so much more convenient than using the car to trailer the tires/supplies.

I figure I'd spend $10k to $15k

I've always liked the '97-whenever Fords and I love Tahoe's. So... I'm leaning toward a late 90's supercab F-150 5.4 triton of some sort, or a Tahoe in the late 90's variety, does anyone know when they changed to the newer, more rounded style?

I figure a 4x2 will tow better and get better gas mileage, and for the random time I do go to OBX I'll just go with a friend. However, having 4x4 is always nice, and I always said I'd never own a 4x2 truck... even my beater is a 4x4.

Opinions?

yellow01

Good thread! I've been looking and haven't come up with sh*t.

Big issue for me is it would have to be a daily driver and the mpg will kill me with a truck..

:

Oyishdog

I thought you liked the dakota's...I am sure you can find a newer one in that price range...tows great as you saw saturday morning following me to VIR

Cobra4B

^ I do... but if I can get a full size truck like a Ford F-150 supercab I'd rather have that I think. I need to shop a bit more I guess.

69autoXr

I think the F-150's changed to the newer rounded style in '97 or so. I'm currently towing an open steel trailer with an '01 F-250 4x2 supercab with the 5.4L and 4.10 gear. I love it, though everything could always use more torque and horsepower.

My dad tows his open trailer with an '02 F-150 4x4 supercab with the 5.4 and 3.55 gear (I think). He's very happy with it.

Although for a daily driver, I couldn't afford to use the F-250 every day at these gas prices, so I picked up an Escort.

XPC5R

I tried hauling the Z with a Dodge Durango (360, 4wd, 3.92 gears) and it was working way too hard pulling the Z on an open trailer, and did not have enough brakes. The Dakota's share the same chassis.

Before I bought the diesel excursion, I drove a v10 4x4 one, and it was very quick, felt like a slightly larger durango. The diesels add so much nose weight, they tend to feel bus like. A quick search shows one at carmax with 77k miles (4x4) for $15k. Gas mileage will be poor (10-13 I think), but it will have the power, stability, and brakes you need for anything short of an large enclosed trailer.

KCHOTBOAT

If gas milage is a concern go with a diesel. My 99 F350 dually powerstroke gets in the upper teens towing my boat on the highway.
F250 can be had in your price range.

gpm30236

The first question , is what is the combined weight of the car/ trailer / supplies / passengers,

Match the GVW and towing capacity to what you want to tow, , have experimented with several different towing setups over the past couple of years.

#1 Toyota Tundra 4/2 extended cab, 1/2 ton rating gr8 truck good mileage but would get blown all over the road by other vehicles and had trouble stopping the trailer . Very tired when trip over,

#2 Denali quadrasteer with blower, 1/2 tonHD rating Gr8 towing power better but still some white knuckles when passing or being passed by big rigs, Side note very easy to maneuver the trailer. Tranny went south quickly

#3 GMC topkick high GVW and tow rating, very easy to maneuver when you consider the size of it. Does not feel that you are on the edge of control . No fatigue after driving home to ATL from VIR .


Lesson learned, match the tow vehicle capability with the load planned . Much safer and more enjoyable.

My trailer 28 ft all aluminium , enclosed trailer, 19k lbs combined truck trailer supplies , truck alone 8.5k lbs

Cobra4B

I'm going to have an open trailer, the car, spare wheel/tires, and tools. I've seen how well Ryan's Dakota handles that w/ a few easy mods.

I think the F-150 or Tahoe will be adequate unless I jump into the enclosed trailer arena.

ErnieN85

Brian, Look for the towing package, (heavy duty cooling, Trans cooler for auto& bigger alternator). These things are not on all pickups, and if you want to be reliable with a smaller truck You will need them. Engine oil cooler is also a big plus.
My tow vehicle is a Z71 Chevy, engine oil cooler, big radiator, two trany coolers, Now that said I don't have a trailer for my car, so I usually need to rent or borrow one. gas is a big issue with a gas engine as fuel mileage is terrible when pulling a load at speed (isn't a lot better empty) Good luck

Lancer033

forhamilton

I did some quick searches and came up with plenty of trucks for less than $15k that would do the job.

As the owner of a construction company (many trucks) and a 28' bumper pull trailer for my Z, here are my recomendations:

- Buy a 2wd unless you know you will use the 4wd. Better mileage, less expensive and rarely gets used by anyone.
- If you will pull a trailer more than once/month or distances longer than 100 miles buy a 3/4 ton. The wear and tear on a 1/2 ton will be more and the experience will be better, as the heavier duty truck is designed to haul. Remember though, the empty ride will be harsher. Resale is also better on a 3/4 ton.
- If you plan on keeping the truck for more than 5 years or will pull potentially heavier loads (many end up buying an enclosed trailer at some point), get a diesel. Diesels are built such that they last longer, the resale is better, better gas mileage and the have alot more torque. One downfall is that maintenace on a diesel is higher. Although, typically you have less mechanical problems. Good diesels are Cummins- Dodge (any year), Powerstroke - Ford (any year) and Duramax - Chevy. Do not get the older diesels, as most were converted gas motors.
- Definitely make sure it has the towing package.
- If you haul with a 1/2 ton, use a stabilizer hitch.
- As far as brands go, I own them all. Dodges hold up well overall, interior is not that nice, diesels are awesome, but their resale is terrible. Chevy's ride very nice and holdup well overall, but the 3/4 ton is the smallest interior cab of the bunch. Ford's are good overall, but I am not a big fan of their late model gas motors (diesels are good).

My formal recomendation for a hauler on a budget would be an '00 - '02 Dodge 2500 Cummins diesel 4x2. You can pick one up at a reasonable price 12 - 16k depending on equipment. Previous owner will have taken the biggest part of the bite on the resale. The diesel is bullet proof and the overall drivetrain is good. The interior lacks and the ride is a bit harsher, but you cannot beat the 'bang for the buck.' The Cummins diesel is the only 6 cylinder on the market. The fuel mileage is phenomenal, the power is unsurpassed and you don't have to worry about high mileage.

For what its worth my current truck is an '05 F250 Crewcab Powerstroke 4x4. Like it pretty well. The size is great and the diesel pulls fine. My last vehicle was an '04 Dodge Cummins Crewcab and one of my field guys drives it now. IMHO the Dodge has a better diesel, but I like the room in the Ford (the Ford also cost me 8k more for a comparable truck).

Good luck and let us know what you do.

Cobra4B

^ Thank for the input... exactly what I was looking for.

The issue here is that I'm not looking for a "hauler" I'm looking for a nice SUV/Truck that I can drive around town, yet still has the ability to tow a car/trailer 3-5x a year right now.

I keep comming back to a 4-door F-150 or a Tahoe. A 4-door dakota is appealing too and seeing Ryan's in person I know it can do the job I'm looking for.

I'll keep everyone updated as I shop more.

gkmccready

I love our '01 Tahoe LT 4x4. We towed an open trailer with a 1st gen RX-7 on it for a while and it never let us down or caused us any problems. Not sure how much they're going for used, we've got nearly 100Kmi on ours now and the only issue has been a power window motor and a rear wiper motor connection...

Cobra4B

^ When did GM change to the rounder tahoe style?

A.D.Malmquist

2000

Gordy M

I had a 2001 Yukon 4x4 and towed an open trailer with a corvette for a short period of time. On flat highway I would get 14.5+ mpg and empty it would routinely get 19-20. I put about 42,000 pulling a 24 ft enclosed trailer and 7300-7400 lbs. This was about max for the 5.3L and other than going through the mountains, the engine could handle the load.

If you get one, a few suggestions. Get the Corvette Servo and a billit overdrive servo for the trans and the HD trailer package. Unfortunately I had to cruise about 76 mph to keep the trans in OD but got the best gas milage.

Cobra4B

Something like this would do the trick (minus the rear tail lights)

http://www.cars-by-design.com/produc...roducts_id/419

forhamilton

Best riding truck I ever had was a Chevy 1500HD crewcab 2wd. Could tow up to about 10,000 pounds and rode like a Cadillac.

I'm not a big fan of the last body style Ford 1/2 tons. I think they were all around inferior to the Dodges and Chevy's. New ones are different. Seem to hold up better so far.

Mopar Venom

Brian -

I bought that gold Hemi truck I was using last weekend @ VIR to haul my ACR. I bought it stupidly cheap, which means I can sell it stupidly cheap (like way less than NADA wholesale, which is over 17K). That's why I bought it - to sell it.

Here's the stats:

2004 Ram 1500 Quad Cab 4X2
22,000 miles, 1 owner
5.7 Hemi/5 speed automatic
SLT package (power everything, inc seat, mirrors, tilt, cruise, electric adj pedals, etc)
Infinity AM-FM-CD player
Automatic dimming mirror
FACTORY TOW PACKAGE
-3.92 Sure-Grip rear
-Hitch Receiver
-Plug-In Wiring Connector
-Trailer Brake Wiring Adapter
-Tranny Cooler

Alloy Wheels
Two-Tone paint
Bed Liner (factory plastic, not spray-in)
Fog Lights

In-service date was late '04, so still has almost 18 months bumper to bumper (or 36K miles) warranty, plus I think it has 70K powertrain warranty.

The truck towed wonderfully.

It did 14.5 MPG pulling the ACR on that ghetto-*** trailer (all steel - very heavy) from Suffolk to Emporia, and about 1 MPG less when in the hills west of Emporia. That was at 65 MPH. I'd say car & trailer was about 6500 LBs. None of these newer 4 door 1/2 ton trucks with 5.5 or so liter engines are gonna do 20 MPG dragging a load that heavy. I have lots of experience with Fords, and they're about the same. Still, you gotta think about gas mileage if looking at one as a daily driver. A Hemi is a serious gas hog if you put your foot in it. Diesels are great, but they only pay for themselves if you use 'em a lot. Remember: diesel fuel isn't free! I like the Cummins a lot, too, but the ones that are about 3 or more years old are loud as hell.

I know one of those Cars By Design guys, or at least used to. Haven't seen them around the auctions recently. Good folks, as I recall. I looked at a 97 Viper GTS they had for sale 3 years back. It was a favor to a potential buyer from PA, VCA member. It was a 3000 mile car! They ended up selling it for 35K. They generally have very clean stuff.

retrieved your phone message after I was almost finished typing this. Gimme a call Thursday AM if you want more info on this truck.

Had a blast @ VIR this weekend! Hope we get to play for more than a couple of laps next time. Your Dad's car is awesome. he got a great deal.

Remember Gashy Bear!

George