Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Toyota guy vs. Ford man vs. chev man

I was a ford man myself - owned more than five of them.

I got tired of them putting junk parts on them, and me having to fix the crap all the time. I couldn't aford a decent ford truck growing up, now that I can I don't want one anymore.

Spot

Your a smart man! A buddy of mine has an 06 CTD and he took his to the dealership and had the second oil change done. Dropped it off that night after the oil change at another buddies (a mechanic friend of ours with a lift at his house) so he could install a lift kit on the truck. When my buddy got up in the morning to start on Brents rig, there was an oil slick about 12 ft in diamter in his shop under Brents Dodge. Long story short, oil filter was loose as hell. Oil all along the underside of the undercarriage, Scary! If Brent hadn't taken the truck to get the lift put on theres no telling what coulda happened. And they charge how much an hour????

Have one friend who recently sold his new Toy, the big model, forgot, don't care what it's called. Third tranny in 25000 miles was all he wanted. Wife's friend sold her 1 yr old pathfinder after they couldn't get the horrible shimmy (vibration) out of the front end after being in the shop numerous times. A co-worker, 260,000 miles on his tucoma and never a stutter. I have around 230,000 miles on two dodge cummins that I use the piss out of. Only put a lift pump on one at 120,000 miles.
Do I think Toyota makes bad vehicles, absolutely not! They make great vehicles. Do chevy, dodge, ford make good vehicles? Sure, although some models better than others, same with Toyota and Nissan, etc, etc. All I'm saying is you can get a lemon no matter what brand you buy. I wouldn't judge Toyota off of one bad experience. Although I see plenty of people who do with other brands, ALaskaCub?
Does brand loyalty exist? Hell yes, Alaskacub and myself are two prime examples!

Where are you a firefighter Alaskacub? I work a medium size city here. Seven stations, all paid, about 10,000 calls a year.

Bill

Just so you understand my loyalty is not just from owning some of each, its from 6 years working in the car business running dealership service departments or at least trying to. Worked for Toyota/Subaru, Ford LM, Dodge/Crysler, and GM. That experience was way more impressionable and way more enlightening than owning a few rigs and comprising an opinion of whats best. Those were the worst days of my life, talking about fighting fires, thats all I did from 7 AM to 6 PM day in and day out. Most fun I had was working for Toyota/Subaru, folks just seemed a lot happier to own what they bought when they walked through our doors.

I work for the Army as a DOD civilian. Not a lot of action but some. Pay is very good(for what we do), as is the time off.

Well, I just fixed the weak points of my DMax and love my 2002. However, it is a long ways from stock--I.e, lifted and beefed suspension, hopped up engine, and beefed tranny just for starters. If I were buying new today and they made one, a 3/4 ton Toyota Diesel would be high on my list--assuming they hit as much of a grand slam with it as they did with the 2007 Tundra gas rig.

I ordered a 2005 Toyota Matrix to replace a 1999 Ford Escort Wagon. I was looking for a little better economy, performance and reliability. Didn't get any of those. 2004 and 2005 were Toyota's lowest reliability years. The matrix never made a 3000 mile oil change without requiring service. Dealership tried to tell me that to scan a "check engine light" at 6000 miles, I had to agree to pay $96 if it wasn't covered by warranty. Why? its Free at Autozone!
They had to replace entire serpentine belt assy at 18,000 and that night I traded it on a GMC pickup. 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. Not a single problem in one year and 13,000 miles. Knock on wood.

Could be worse, the local Dodge ripoff artist charges $70 minimum labor fee. Tighten a hose clamp on the coolant system? That'll be $70, plus shop fee.

I S#!t you not. Not buying a vehicle there, and if I can get somewhere else, they're not working on my vehicle, either.

Toyota's aren't perfect. Just google sludge and Sienna van's..... However, problems are fewer and farther between. JMO, Dutch.

Between myself and my family, we have owned over 10 Chevy full size 4x4 trucks over the last 15 years. These have been for hunting, regular drivers and ranch/farm work. I have been reading this thread, trying to think of any unscheduled maint. or repair that we have had in well over 500k of mileage on those various Chevys and I am not coming up with any. The trucks had anywhere from 40k to 140k when they were traded. For me, you can't argue with that track record. I am sure there are good trucks made by the other makers. I have a friend with a F-150 with 180k and no major problems, for example.

Ford gets my $$$$$


Mike

I'm a Ford man even though they keep screwing around with their diesels. The truck it's self is still the toughest work truck IMO. But until Ford gets their diesel straightened out, I'll keep driving my 94 F-450. I bought the wife a new Fusion so far I'm very happy.
My daily driver is a 79 Bronco.


Quite possibly the best 4x4 truck ever built.
Would I buy GM no except to re sell.
A Jap truck maybe more Samurais other than that no they don't fit my style and parts cost much.
Dodge a diesel yes gas burner no way.
Like I said I'm a Ford man, My heart is a blue oval cut me I bleed Rotunda oil.

Pat

Again, you do not see ANY foreign made trucks with snowplows on them. Toyotas of any size, Nissan, etc. You do see Jeep, the S-10, Rangers, the big three half tons and up with them. MI VHNTR

Although I live in an area where we do get harsh winters,I have never seen any truck other than a full size with a plow mounted.However,I have seen several 2007 Tundras pulling 5th wheelers and trailers,and several are being used as work trucks by companies in my area.

The first true half ton Toyota hasn't even been out for a whole winter yet. Keep your eyes open am thinking you'll start seeing them. Especially with the massive drivetrain they have in em. Everything is bigger than in its Big 3 competitors. The last Tundra was a mid size not a full size, this new one is quite impressive. I have humiliated a GM guy and a Dodge guy (w/ a Hemi) so far and wasn't really trying, think some of these guys dont realize what this truck has in it when they pull up along side me with their loud azz exhausts and start reving back and forth, I am not into street racing or anything but watching them in my rear view mirror is quite fun. One even tipped his hat to me (Dodge w/ Hemi) after I blew his doors off in a little 30-90mph sprint side by side on a straight away coming off the highway, he never got past my tailgate. I was enjoying it much! I know he was doing some research after our little encounter to figure out whats under the hood of this new Tundra, it has mucho power!

theres a 1980s toyota pickup around here with a 3 foot wide snow plow lmao. I guess he cleans up sidewalks?

The guy down the street from me has a new Tundra. I'm STILL looking to see the "massive drivetrain" in it. I still don't see what's so "impressive" about it either. The vast majority of work trucks here are Ford Super Duty's and some Chevy 2500s, but no Toyota's in any way, shape or form. MI VHNTR

I just don't see how plowing snow is the be all end all quality of a truck? Maybe the folks that drive Toyotas are smart enough to get somebody else to move the snow

Well, hang approximately 1000 pounds on the front end of the Toyota and see how long it lasts. There may be an outside chance that the Toyota drivers are smart. Perhaps they know that their trucks cannot do the job and they must get someone with a proper vehicle to move the snow. The Toyota might make a cute little grocery getter though. MI VHNTR

No kidding! I dont see very many intelligent half-ton owners attaching plows to their front ends. In our area that is done with 3/4 tons and bigger trucks. I dont need a snow plow on my truck , never considered buying one. I push snow with the 4 wheeler and or we dont plow at all. The roads are plowed by the DOT guys which is paid for by my taxes. Didn't know that snow plow attachment capability was a primary selling point in 1/2 ton pick ups, unless of course thats your business and if it is a half-ton wouldn't be a very smart option.

AlaskaCub, you brag about the Toyota construction, its "massive drivetrain" (a joke right?), the power it has, along with your street racing "conquests" and that they'll soon be sporting snowplows on them. Then you backpeddle like a DB in prevent coverage. Maybe buying a Tundra isn't that smart of an idea after all. There are enough intelligent 1/2 ton truck buyers here that actually use their 1/2 trucks to move snow. They don't buy a little 4 wheeler to do it, because their truck cannot. They actually also tow and haul with the same truck! Heck, if you can't use it as a truck, what good is it? Again, a "cute" little grocery getter and nothing more. That's a real big selling point, isn't it? MI VHNTR

I am willing to bet that any 1/2 ton Toyota truck can and will be able to do anything that one of the Big 3's 1/2 ton trucks will do. I am also fairly certain that anyone with half a brain for how to properly operate a vehicle in the situations you outline above, will do equally well with any of the given trucks.

I think, and in my experience with the small trucks (I know, I know no actual experience with 1/2 tons and that's what we're talking about) the Toyota's will and do everything the Big 3 trucks do, they just seem to do them with a lot less down time and maintenance costs. Your milage may vary, but in my experience this is where the difference lies and why my dollars go to Toyota when it comes to buying a truck.

It seems that Toyota has a better grasp on engineering and quality control (their trucks are made in America by Americans just like the Big 3) that the big 3 just don't seem give a damn about. When Ford, GM or Dodge can make a truck that doesn't bother me on a daily basis with little nagging problems, then they stand a good chance of seeing my dollars again.