New truck considerations

[trphyhntr]

Isn’t Toyota Camry the most American made vehicle? 

[HuntHarder]

26 minutes ago, PRDATR said:

I don't see how people can afford the $$$$ for a new vehicle.

Get a different job

[naturebob]

Can't see paying 80k for any truck unless your a multi millionare.............BOB!

[Lucafu1]

Ford trucks made in murica 

[452b264]

12 hours ago, MULEPACKHUNTER said:

I had a 69 cougar that had parts made in mexico so don't think a ford now days is American made. I think its hard to go wrong with just about any vehicle these days but if I was looking for a half ton type 4 x 4 I would be looking at the tundra. Two neighbors have them and they are doing really well. We have a scion xb with 300,000 on it and I drive it daily and have been really happy with it so Toyota has something right. our 1990 Tacoma made about 400,000 and 25 years before I sold it for 75 % of what I paid.

We pick up a 4 x 4 ram diesel in 2016 and now we are looking for a new one since the deals are so good right now so if you were looking for a tow rig I cant say much bad about the ram.

I have a hard time buying a tundra though for the same price as a ram 2500 diesel. but I cant use a 1/2 ton much so just not for me either.

The down side to the tundra is the rear wheel bearings, they have to be pressed off/on and it takes expensive specialty tools to do it,  if it isnt done correctly it causes rapid wear,  The starter is also a SOB to get to. If you do a bit of searching on the internet you find it.

[452b264]

11 hours ago, muledeerarea33? said:

Stick with Toyota. Some foreign stuff is made here now, even Toyota.

Toyota is moving to Mexico. 

[muledeerarea33?]

1 hour ago, 452b264 said:

Toyota is moving to Mexico. 

Most are already there. Pueblo plants produce decent vehicles. I’ve toured one for work and it’s the same as any other. Workers were eager.

[Jimmer Negamanee]

If you don’t need a bed maybe a Toyota 4Runner or the even bigger Toyota Sequoia would work.  Everything locks inside, no dust, and a roof rack can help haul extra cargo if necessary.  My mom has a Sequoia with over 300K miles on it.  The thing won’t quit.

I agree with Mulepacker that it’s hard to go wrong with just about any vehicle these days. 

The design, machining, and tolerances are so much better than they used to be.   Some of us remember the Merle Haggard song Are the Good Times Really Over?  One of the lines goes “Wish a Ford and a Chevy would still last ten years like they should.”  Well that song came out in 1981 which was if not the low point, very near the low point, of American automobile design and manufacturing. (Those of you who remember the Chrysler K cars will understand.) 

That’s when the Japanese got their foothold.  Post-WWII Anti-Japanese sentiment had started to fade, the Japanese cars were cheap and once purchased, proved reliable and long lasting, and, as Merle Haggard observed, American cars were lacking,   

The media would bemoan the decline in “American workmanship” like it was the workers’ fault that American cars tended to be uninspired and unreliable.  That always pissed me off.  It wasn’t American workmanship that declined.  It was American design and engineering that declined (no doubt assisted by the bean counters who saw more profit in designing a car that needed more frequent replacement).  That trope of the decline in American workmanship was proven false when Japanese companies started manufacturing some of their cars here.  Those vehicles, assembled by Americans, were just as good as the ones assembled in Japan. 

My family is originally from Michigan and it used to not be an issue of buying an American car, it was a matter of which American car you bought.  If your neighbor worked for Ford, you bought a Ford.  If they worked at the GM plant, you bought a GM. 

I agree with every fiber of my being that it's important to buy American goods whenever possible but in a globalized world, the issue is nuanced. 

My 18 year old, 1st Gen. Nissan Xterra is still my daily driver and huntin’ rig.  I had the transmission rebuilt at 200K miles but it’s still chugging along.  (When I bought it, I wanted a 4Runner but couldn’t afford it.)

When I bought my Xterra, my dad gave me a hard time about buying “Jap crap” I told him my Xterra was made by Americans in Tennessee.  When I asked him where is Chevy Tahoe was made he had to admit is was made in Mexico.  So which is the American car?

So here’s my preference, in order:

1.        Made in America by an American company (Obviously)
2.          Made in America by a foreign company (I value American workers over American CEOs)
3.   .       Made abroad by an American company (I value American CEOs over foreign workers)
4.          Made abroad by a foreign company

Not only is this a preference, meaning it will break a tie if the choice is close, but I’m willing to pay more, significantly more, to support American workers.

For those complaining about the decline of America today, I’ll post a link to the Merle Haggard song.  So if you want to go back to a better time, you’ll have to go back more than 40 years because Ol’ Merle was complaining about the same thing back then. Enjoy:

 

 

[DUG]

All my vehicles are made in Japan and end with A. Well at least two of the makers..........

[Roosevelt Mark]

On 5/23/2020 at 7:01 AM, wellhead said:

Based on a couple coworkers experience with a Ram the service manager is their new best friend.

ill stick with Chevy or Ford

Ya right, you talking gas or diesel?everyone I know with a newer dirty max has had problems with them. 1 friend has a fleet of 50. Over half has has problems with less then 50k.

[Heat]

Get whatever you like! They are all good in some ways and bad in others. I have a 19 Chevy Trail Boss 1/2 ton. I don't care what anybody else thinks or says, that truck is bad butt! I get 18mpg around town 20 loaded down on the highway, with all the power I would ever need. I've had it in mud, sand, rocks and it just goes. I went places I never should have been in my 04 Z71 and this truck blows that one out of the water by a longshot. None of that auto start stop crap, has a 6 speed tranny not 8 like a lot of newer trucks. I thought hard about getting a Jeep Gladiator but this is way more truck for a lot less $. Like I said buy what you like and forget what everybody else says. They all have their little issues. Mine was made in Indiana but I'm sure it has some foreign parts.

[trphyhntr]

5 minutes ago, Heat said:

Get whatever you like! They are all good in some ways and bad in others. I have a 19 Chevy Trail Boss 1/2 ton. I don't care what anybody else thinks or says, that truck is bad butt! I get 18mpg around town 20 loaded down on the highway, with all the power I would ever need. I've had it in mud, sand, rocks and it just goes. I went places I never should have been in my 04 Z71 and this truck blows that one out of the water by a longshot. None of that auto start stop crap, has a 6 speed tranny not 8 like a lot of newer trucks. I thought hard about getting a Jeep Gladiator but this is way more truck for a lot less $. Like I said buy what you like and forget what everybody else says. They all have their little issues. Mine was made in Indiana but I'm sure it has some foreign parts.

If anyone told you that truck wasn’t bad butt you’d know they were gay. 

[wellhead]

8 hours ago, Roosevelt Mark said:

Ya right, you talking gas or diesel?everyone I know with a newer dirty max has had problems with them. 1 friend has a fleet of 50. Over half has has problems with less then 50k.

I don’t recall the mix of gas vs diesel, the common thread was either break and/or electrical issues. 

[azbirdhunter88]

On 5/23/2020 at 6:22 AM, MULEPACKHUNTER said:

I had a 69 cougar that had parts made in mexico so don't think a ford now days is American made. I think its hard to go wrong with just about any vehicle these days but if I was looking for a half ton type 4 x 4 I would be looking at the tundra. Two neighbors have them and they are doing really well. We have a scion xb with 300,000 on it and I drive it daily and have been really happy with it so Toyota has something right. our 1990 Tacoma made about 400,000 and 25 years before I sold it for 75 % of what I paid.

We pick up a 4 x 4 ram diesel in 2016 and now we are looking for a new one since the deals are so good right now so if you were looking for a tow rig I cant say much bad about the ram.

I have a hard time buying a tundra though for the same price as a ram 2500 diesel. but I cant use a 1/2 ton much so just not for me either.

I’m in the same boat as you. I’d love a half ton for ride quality and other reasons. Just not practical for my uses. Those new Toyota’s are super nice though. 

[hunter4life]

You get alot more for your money with Ford/Dodge/Chevy.  I like Toyotas (I own a 2019 4runner) but you get a lot more truck for your money with a Ford F-150 (I own a 2004 that is still going strong).