Good post going here. Lots of reaffirmations of what I've heard all my life on some brands and the view that all we have to choose from today is $50k disposable vehicles.
Not too loyal to any brand but last 3 have been Chevys and have had no major issues.
Current is a 2007 Chevy which has the 5.3 and 45k miles but that mileage will increase quickly since both the kids are now 16+ years so my daily driver is often taken. I put the Volant intake, Borla exhaust, vette servo, and had an "email tune" put in using a Diablo Intune. The tune is probably the best bang for the buck. It has a 91+ octane tune and the TCM shift points and pressure tuned as well. I'm not going to say it adds tons of HP/TQ but it definitely responds better. It goes when you want it to, no lag when you step on the loud pedal. The shift is not harsh but quick, no slipping. It doesn't really need all this crap that I put on it but I like tinkering.
Vehicles have gotten insanely expensive considering what we are getting. I see price tags of $45-50k for something equivalent to what I have now. Still a 5.3.....and they add a 6 speed for what? 2-3MPG more? Slap on a few buttons that I don't need. Hard to justify these costs.
99 Chevy with the 4.8 prior to that and put 140k miles on it. Only issues were the throttle body would stick closed so you had to tap the pedal hard to get it break free. I would spray cleaner in it an that would cure it for a few more miles. Window regulator also went out which was a pain to replace......probably because I had never done one before.
94 Chevy S-10 with the 4.3 V6 and a 5-speed manual.....put 180k hard miles on this one.......should have kept this one.....bullet proof.
90 Ford Ranger with a 4cyl and a 5-speed. Crap for gas mileage considering it was a 4cyl and ran like a turd but nothing wrong with it mechanically. Drove nice just don't get in a hurry.
And of course, my first true love that I used to haul my 350X around back in high school and college........1976 Ford F-150 Ranger XLT.
My aunt & uncle bought it new to pull a camping trailer then let it sit in a field for a few years after they sold their trailer. My dad bought it from them and after he upgraded to a F-250, I inherited it. I guess you could say I am owner 2.5. But it sits behind my Mom's house and needs some TLC. Maybe instead of spending $50k on a new one, I will restore that one instead. Ironchop has given me the bug with his post since this one has the 460 and C6 tranny behind it too. I never did have the balls to see where a 460 with 3.00 gears would top out. No 99mph shut offs on these trucks.
The family's business has a Duramax in a Chevy and has a 5.9L Cummins in a Dodge. I used the Dodge once to haul a Trans Am across the Smokey Mountains and it was like nothing behind me. My 2007 Chevy would have made it but I would have been twisting its ears off to get it up some of those hills. They had to have the rear end rebuilt on the Dodge (dually) once at around 100k miles which seemed premature to me especially since the damn thing is made for.......TOWING!!!!! I've heard that about the Cummins.......it's a great engine....too bad it's in a Dodge.
Dad once had the 7.3 PowerStroke as well. That was the first turbo diesel he had and he was sold from that point forward that diesels are to tow and gas burners are to drive. He quit trying to mess with large V8 gas burners to tow. I would like one since mine often has a boat behind it but it is hard to justify the cost.
Haven't tried a Toyota or Nissan but I remember just a few years ago everybody was raving over Toyota's V8 and the power it produced.....but at a cost of 15mpg. Hell, they all seem to get 350-ish HP now and are trying for that 20mpg but they keep getting more complicated and more things are destined to fail.
Dream truck would be a shoebox Chevy with a 350 and 700R4 overdrive. I might even take throttle body injection but that's as advanced as I would go.
Problem with this idea is around here is these late 70s-87 year models are bringing top dollar.
You only live once so if you see something you like and can afford.....get it!
Cheers and good luck!
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Originally Posted by El Camexican
