In the summer of 05 I bought a brand "F" truck.The thought process was I had no interest to modify it in any way,just drive it until the wheels fell off.It was'nt my first choice but I had picked out thousands of dollars of performance upgrades for the Chevy truck I was looking at even before signing on the dotted line.Anyway,with less than 24k it needs rear brakes,has had the automatic transmission rebuilt,cam timing parts,and needs tires replaced.Has been in twice for sounding like a diesel,the noise is back again and transmission is starting to show same symptoms.In spite of all of this I have been offered 15k trade in for this load,which is about 4k more than I owe.I need more cab room,don't trust the truck to last until the warranty expires and want to get out.I have looked at the Silverado and the Ram.The trucks can be had comparable equipped for about the same money and I can get either one at 4% over dealer cost through work.I have about 1k of Gm Mastercard earnings to use or could get returning customer discount on the Ram because of purchasing Jeep for wife.The Ram in my opinion is a better looking vehicle and is being offered with Hemi upgrade,but have heard reliability issues over the last couple of years.But the Silverado is a GM product and I do believe in brand loyalty.This is my dillema......Can anyone be devils advocate and help sway the balance given the situation described.Thanks.

I would go with the new GMC model if its an option. I think they look better than the Silverado especially in the HD trucks. I am sure the cab is bigger on the gm vs. the dodge.

Rt,

I consider a TRUCK as a work vehicle so please take me w/ a BIG grain of salt!!

I will sell you an EXCELLENT bodied 1980 stick, C/10 long bed along w/ a 406 SB that goes w/ it for not all that much money that's out in my garage!!

You will gain a several things if you buy it!!

1st., It's cheap!!

2nd. It will be paid for!

3rd. You will be able to wrench on it yourself after like 5 years b/c I've fixed it up already to last AT LEAST that long before I have to touch it again!!

UNLESS you just HAVE to have a $35,000 to $40,000 NEW truck that you CAN'T work on!!

He, He!! I call that "big-headed"... And I'm not trying to PO you at all, but rather look at this in a realistic way!!

Trucks are for WORK so why load one up like a Cadillac!!!

All this said, if you still HAVE ta have a NICE high dollar P/U, (He, He, don't we all), then have at it b/c I figure it won't be too long to where NONE of us will be able ta commute in them UNLESS we can charge it off to the JOB!!

GM's already said that they can make money selling $XX,000 corn-poppers when gas hit's $6.00/gallon if the GOV. make's it so and I figure it's on the way!!

pdq67

I personally like the look of the GMCs better.

But put it all aside - IF (big if) all esle was equal, what does your gut tell you? Which choice would leave with a regret if they were both good trucks? You ask enough people, you will find someone who has had a nightmare story with every brand for sale.


Two things to find out - look at what the resale value is in case you want to trade in in 4 years... and - See if you can talk with a couple of mechanics from each dealership and don't tell them you are shopping there, just ask what to "look for". Interesting what you can find out that way.

Good luck.

I vote for GMC

Have an 05 Avalanche Z71 4x4 5.3 w. 4.10 gears. Has ran flawlessly for 53,000. Just did the rear brakes at 48,000, Fronts are still factory. Fuel mileage for this combo is 15-16 (doesn't seem to get any better on the highway, but then I do drive at 70+ all the time). Only complaint I have is the locker rear. GM does not use a posi, it is a locker. At certain times you can hear it plain as day. No performance issues with it, but you hear it bang. Other than oil changes (7qts every 5000 miles) and an air filter change at 30K, this truck has been "0" maintenance. The 5.3 has all the power you will need. I've towed up to 3500# with it through the Penna countryside, it towed just fine. If you need to tow more, consider the 6.0.. Not sure ho an extra 700CC makes that big of a difference but apparently it does.

I have about 90,000 miles on my truck and have never had any problems. Its a Silverado crew with a duramax I just bought 6 new tires thinking I would need to replace the brakes so while it was on the lift I checked the pads and they looked brand new rotors too. The mechanic asked what I was looking at and he said it was common for the factory brakes to last up to 100,000. I would not go with a ford, dodge or some foreign crap. Just my opinion.

Do you research on the engines...LQ9 6.0 requires 91 or higher octane. The LQ4 can do 87. Depending on where you live you may consider flex fuel. I have a 03 Silverado SS and it was perfect up to 60K...that's when I did a few boneheaded things to it. The first problem I had was the transmission, apparently it didn't like the stall speed and 500hp I was throwing at it (along with the 5700lb weight of my truck). I would only buy GM and I am glad to see you're not considering a foreign truck as they are ALL JUNK.

I would not go with a ford, dodge or some foreign crap. Just my opinion.

Why is everything 'foreign' assumed to be 'crap'? I hold the Toyota Hilux pickup in very high regard, but unfortunately it's not available in this country. Start to tear apart a 'US' truck and see how many of the pieces are made in a different country...

If you go the Ram route, think about the Cummins. While the engine design has changed a bit over the past few years, I hear very few people complain about any reliablity issues with them. U-joints on the other hand... let's just say they don't like all that torque being pushed through them all the time.

Their products might not be crap, but the money still goes overseas. I try and buy as much made in the U.S.A. products as I can. It gets harder and harder everyday. I don't want this thread to turn into a agrument about economic policies. That is just my .02, I was just giving RT468 my opinion.

The F*rd has 24k miles on it? I'd say, keep it until the warranty runs out. Keep taking it back into the dealer until everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They'll get tired of you coming in all the time and will eventually fix it correctly, or you can try another dealer. I don't see any sense in taking a $4k hit on a vehicle that's still under warranty.

If you don't like that advise, get the GMC :). However, I'd rather not buy one myself having bought an '05 Sierra that required too many visits to the dealer for warranty work. Eventually, things got fixed, and the truck has turned out to be ok. Not OK, just ok.

The F*rd has 24k miles on it? I'd say, keep it until the warranty runs out. Keep taking it back into the dealer until everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They'll get tired of you coming in all the time and will eventually fix it correctly, or you can try another dealer. I don't see any sense in taking a $4k hit on a vehicle that's still under warranty
If you don't like that advise, get the GMC :)...

i'm with him, if they give you a loner when yours is in the shop and there's no inconvenience, otherwise...those GMC trucks are pretty sweet looking once you put on some bigger tires...and they've got plenty of pull.

The only reason Toyota trucks are made here is not out of the kindness of their hearts. We are 90% or better of their market and they get huge tax breaks and avoid import taxes by making them here. There are 2 Toyotas in the top 10 rankings of vehicles with the most domestically made parts. You are full of it when you say GM makes most of it's parts out of the country. Toyota uses Delphi parts a lot of which are made in Dayton. GM and Ford use the most domestically produced parts. I think all foreign vehicles are junk and would never ever support their economy...we give enough to the rest of the world already.

Don't believe me here's the link to the list from cars.com

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/355/the-carscom-american-made-index

GMC's - all i know is that the Z60 suspension / HD Tbars are THE worst riding trucks I have ever had the misfortune of riding in (I own one) - especailly in crew and extended cabs.

Other than being the most uncomfortable truck on the face of the planet its been alright. Normal squeeks and rattles GM is known for but man oh man....I HATE TORSION BAR SUSPENSION! hate it, hate it, hate it.....feels like im literally driving on wood blocks with no springs.

Dont limit yourself by make, brand or model....drive them ALL and choose a truck you can lilve with, tolerate....screw the brand loyalty crap. Dont go GM just "because" or because they "look good" My truck "looks good" unless I am behind the wheel.....then its all "sun of a B#$#< God dam#$%#$#, mother $%$%$% rat ba#$8"

The F*rd has 24k miles on it? I'd say, keep it until the warranty runs out. Keep taking it back into the dealer until everything is fixed to your satisfaction. They'll get tired of you coming in all the time and will eventually fix it correctly, or you can try another dealer. I don't see any sense in taking a $4k hit on a vehicle that's still under warranty.

If you don't like that advise, get the GMC :). However, I'd rather not buy one myself having bought an '05 Sierra that required too many visits to the dealer for warranty work. Eventually, things got fixed, and the truck has turned out to be ok. Not OK, just ok.

Keep taking it back to the dealer. My dad bought a new 98 f150(a loaded up 50th annivesary model) right off the showroom floor and it was the biggest pos ever. It went back to the dealer for several trans, rearends, electrical problems, air condition probs, etc. the dealer had to buy it back due to the lemon law and my dad wasn't out a dime. I don't think he even had it a year...