I still have this 2007 Tacoma, but my wife mostly drives it now. Almost 180,000 miles and I've done almost nothing to it other than routine stuff. Love the truck, but it is just too small for some of the things we need to do. I bought a F-150 Supercrew about a year ago and we decided the old Tacoma was worth more for us to keep. Amy loves it. She wouldn't drive a big truck but this is perfect for her to pick up stuff for her flower garden or stuff she finds at estate or yard sales.
Most people don't really want the truth.
They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
96 Dodge Cummins regular cab long box 5 speed....will pull like a tank and still get 20 mpg on the highway
290 K on the clock and its been beat to hell around the farm....., but I could spruce it up some and would not be afraid to drive it coast to coast anytime.....
It would have to be my current truck, a 2016 Sierra 2500HD Duramax. I have owned 9 trucks in my lifetime, but this one stands out by all metrics except one- longevity. I just haven't had it long enough to judge, but so far it is flawless. To win on the long life category, it will have to beat a '99 Ram 2500 Cummins, which never failed me in 100K miles and 17 years.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
Not sure how to define "best", but my 2006 Dodge 2500 Cummins was an awfully capable truck. Put 110,000 miles on it in three years, towing 8,000 lbs with it for at least 25,000 miles. Had to re-do the front end at 100,000 miles. That truck never missed a stroke, and did everything I ever asked of it.
Ex wife tried to drive it off an over-pass outside of Rawlins, WY on black ice while I was sleeping. Thank goodness the guardrail held..... Hated to see it go, but everyone in the truck was just fine.
My 1997 Tacoma was a very close runner up. Only once let me down (at the gun club due to a bad battery after 7years) in 360,000 miles. To this day I wish someone made a small pickup. Can't see the point of the mid-size pickups. or the side by sides, either one. Someone make a small pickup with a 2 liter 4 cylinder and a manual, please?
So far my 2011 F150 with the 5.0. About 55K (miles) on it, not a whimper yet. (just did front brakes). Empty and driving the speed limit I can get 27 mpg (imperial) on the hwy, low 20s in the suburbs. It could have more ground clearance but long ago I stopped trying hard to get my 4x4s stuck on rough ground! Previous 97 F250 with the 7.3 was good but was a beast to drive and not comfortable for long trips. Great towing platform though and before ULSD I could pull high 20s (imperial) empty.
I think my current 2001 Tundra is my favorite. It is an access cab, so I wish it had 4 door room in the back, but it is about the right size for me. It can't tow much, and it has limited payload, but I think of it as a hunting buggy. It has new frame, new radiator, brake lines, exhaust, battery, headlights, and always regular maintenance. It runs like new with 160,000 miles. I was thinking of trading it in on a new Tundra, but all my friends tell me to keep it. I think it is a great balance of reliability and cost. It is in great shape, but if I would bang it up hunting, that would be OK with me. I think I would get sick if I dented up a new 40K Tundra, so the 2001 is carefree. My second would be a 1994 F150. 300 -6 cylinder with 5 speed manual - no granny gear. It got really good mileage for the day, and had a ton of torque. I replaced a starter and a fuel pump relay in 100,000 miles. All plastic interior and floor, crank windows, buy it did have AC.
2003 GMC 2500 Sierra powered by an 8.1L (496 cu in) gas engine and 6 spd manual. Despite a few hiccups along the way, like a fuel pump and rebuilding the front end, it has 186K miles on it, and I still view it as new.
All the B.S. about Obama Motors is just that. My brother bought a diesel Ford F-250 the same year I bought my pickup. The turbo failed on his pickup within 6 months, he had the turbo replaced and traded it in. 14 years later, he is on his 4th Ford...
I would buy another GMC in a heart beat if I needed a new truck, but I don't. (Bighorn, I am jealous).
"I didn't realize we had so many snipers in this country." by J23
'68 Ford F100, 4 spd, 6 cyl. 2x4 That thing lasted almost forever. If it had had 4x4 & AC, I'd probably still have it. It didn't even have the 300 inch engine. It had a 240 which was identical except with a shorter stroke. All parts except the rods were interchangeable.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Current 2011 F-250 w/6.7L diesel crew-cab short box. I've put 108K on it and replaced a radiator and an EGR valve under warrantee. They had a bad batch of radiators back then, mine went 80K and replacing the EGR was sort of preventative as cleaning would likely have taken care of it but warrantee was almost up and the guys @ Ford have been very agreeable to work with. Just put new brakes all around. Other than that, just fuel, oil changes, tires, and cat-piss in the blue hole.
It's comfortable on the highway and spends a lot of time there pulling the boat or getting to/from hunting trips. It hauls/tows anything I want to hook to it without any sort of drama. It's got a ton of room when we want to go on a trip as a family. It pretty much goes anywhere I ask it to go, though admittedly I do very little true "off-road" driving, there's almost always some sort of "trail". All the weight really helps it get through deep snow which is probably the most challenging conditions it sees with any regularity. Every Dec-Jan I swear this is my last diesel because they become sort of a pain in the rump keeping the right fuel for temps and the long warm-up time. Then I hook up a 7-8K # trailer, set the cruise @ highway speed and never see a shift out of 6th gear and am reminded how much I like having the diesel. There's something to be said for making a deal on a 30' camper @ 2:00am while sitting around a campfire and then when morning comes, not having to worry, "How am I gonna get this summbitch where it needs to go?" Flip the drawbar to the 2 5/8" ball, take some headache medicine, get a big mug of coffee and set the cruise @ 68.
I really only have 2 "complaints" about the rig. Someone @ Ford shoulda been kicked in the nuts repeatedly until they figured out how to get a lot more than just a 26gal fuel tank under it. I bought a closeout model and REALLY wish I had a backup camera for hooking up trailers.
Last edited by horse1; 05/08/17.
I can walk on water.......................but I do stagger a bit on alcohol.
Probably have to say 1966 Series II Land Rover. Not fast (around 55mph flat out) and noisy in the cab, but rugged as all hell. What endeared me to "Old Thunderbolt Greaseslapper" was its ability to claw its way over stumps, logs, rocks- or maybe it was just the spare tire mounted on top of the hood. Had to double clutch when shifting up and down ( synchronizers?haha!), and braking required multiple stabs of the brake pedal to build up a little hydraulic pressure- you had to think ahead about shifting and stopping. Low range gearing made "granny gears" in other 4WD's seem like overdrive. The gasoline 4 cyl. engine was based on an agricultural diesel engine- absolutely bullet proof.
I drove that thing for years back in the 80's to the utter dismay of my wife (another reason I kept it around ). I doubt that any "snowflake outdoorsman wannabe's" today could even figure out how to start it let alone drive it.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
It would have to be my current truck, a 2016 Sierra 2500HD Duramax. I have owned 9 trucks in my lifetime, but this one stands out by all metrics except one- longevity. I just haven't had it long enough to judge, but so far it is flawless. To win on the long life category, it will have to beat a '99 Ram 2500 Cummins, which never failed me in 100K miles and 17 years.
That's a very nice truck. I'll take GMC styling over the Silverado any day of the week
I miss having my 2003 GMC 1/2 ton Z71. Bought new the week I graduated from college, made payments that were too much. To be young and dumb again....
Drove it for 10 years. Put 228,000 miles on it. Only non-routine repairs done to it were a seeping water pump and it seemed to like catalytic converters, left one at 150k, right one at 200k, left one again at 220k, a single 02 sensor, and the famous GM instrument cluster that was fixed by a little soldering and a few $5 stepper motors off of ebay. Traded on a 'family' car, and wishing I still had it.
Current is a 2006 F250 with the dreaded 6.0. I bought it with 50k miles 5 years ago, knew what to expect with the 6.0. Now its been bulletproofed and do love driving it. Diesel maintenance is quite a bit higher, but enjoy the room and power.
Would have to be my current one so far- 2005 Chev 2500HD, 6.0 with 4.10s. Just turned 90,000 and had to replace front air bag sensor. Not the best mileage, but sure tows which I bought it for.
A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user. Theodore Roosevelt