New truck time- looking for a raptor.

[nakneker]

If your not in a hurry let this current pricing in the used market easy up a bit, it’s crazy what some of these used rigs go for, especially Raptors. Raptors are great trucks, owned two of them, don’t currently own one. I’ll probably try the RAM TRX next, no wrong choice between the two though imo. When this economy breaks and it’s coming, those trucks will go for half what they are going for now. I’ve been making sure my war chest is ready when that happens, missed out on some great opportunities in 07 and 08.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Im actually considering that

Not too big of a load, but I have been hauling 13,000#+ of cattle in a 24’ gooseneck and it will stay up to interstate speeds except for the real steep grades.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

If your not in a hurry let this current pricing in the used market easy up a bit, it’s crazy what some of these used rigs go for, especially Raptors. Raptors are great trucks, owned two of them, don’t currently own one. I’ll probably try the RAM TRZ next, no wrong choice between the two though imo. When this economy breaks and it’s coming, those trucks will go for half what they are going for now. I’ve been making sure my war chest is ready when that happens, missed out on some great opportunities in 07 and 08.

Id love to have a trx, the only ones i know of though are not for sale prices

 

[nakneker]

Id love to have a trx, the only ones i know of though are not for sale prices

Agreed. I’m waiting for a clean used one when this sales environment calms a bit. Who the heck thought we would ever be paying the prices we are paying for vehicles, crazy.

 

[Shooter13]

I swear that every F-150 owner at my place of work ( a dozen of em at least) had the same issues. Front of engine and turbo failures on their 3.5's. Not knocking the brand but it should've been a recall. As bad as: I can name 20 people who have had their spark plugs blow out of their engines while driving on their last generation of engines... This is manufacturing negligence.

Ford Spark Plug Blow Out – Solved

Article on Ford spark plug blowouts and which kits can be used to make permanent type repairs with little down-time.

www.wiseautotools.com

So what the article says is mechanics are not torqueing the plugs in and they are not tight enough, that is not a manufacturer issue. Ford like all the others have issues but this isn't one unless they came from the factory that way.

 

[Shooter13]

Agreed. I’m waiting for a clean used one when this sales environment calms a bit. Who the heck thought we would ever be paying the prices we are paying for vehicles, crazy.

Things are definitely changing in the automotive industry. "Dealerships" I believe will have minimum stock and will "take orders", I would hate to see it that way, I've always like to "go looky and see" what floats my boat!

 

[dantiff2]

So what the article says is mechanics are not torqueing the plugs in and they are not tight enough, that is not a manufacturer issue. Ford like all the others have issues but this isn't one unless they came from the factory that way.

It's a bullshit response from Ford. Are you really going to believe that millions of engines blew out the threads from the cylinder heads because the plugs were torqued to 20 lb and not 25? I'm not that gullible ; ) Had a guy at work blow two out in one month. Cost him hundreds of $ each time to have the head retaped and fixed. Mechanic told him he has done too many to keep track of.... I believe the guys who do the repairs more than I will the companies PR people....

 

[Shooter13]

It's a bullshit response from Ford. Are you really going to believe that millions of engines blew out the threads from the cylinder heads because the plugs were torqued to 20 lb and not 25? I'm not that gullible ; ) Had a guy at work blow two out in one month. Cost him hundreds of $ each time to have the head retaped and fixed. Mechanic told him he has done too many to keep track of.... I believe the guys who do the repairs more than I will the companies PR people....

Millions??? Also this doesn't appear to be a "Ford" response. I'm not going to argue brands but I can promise you they all have problems, ever hear of a chevy tranny go out? A dodge body rust? A toyota frame rust out? I can go on but none of them are anywhere near perfect.

 

[ebb]

I have owned 1 ford and 7 general motors trucks. i will never buy another American truck. The Ford was total junk, and the last two GM trucks i blew tires on the rear and it tore the bed half off cause GM is too cheap to put an inner fender on the back. If I buy another it will be a Toyota maybe a Nissan.

 

[Rick300]

I have owned 1 ford and 7 general motors trucks. i will never buy another American truck. The Ford was total junk, and the last two GM trucks i blew tires on the rear and it tore the bed half off cause GM is too cheap to put an inner fender on the back. If I buy another it will be a Toyota maybe a Nissan.

I wish Toyota or Nissan would make something equivalent to the Super Duty

 

[Gary in MD]

I must be lucky, I’ve owned a couple Chevy trucks and I’m on my second Super Duty and have had very little trouble with any of them. Oh and had a Toyota in 87 and never had any trouble with it either.
All have been 4x4 and see off road and some snow.

 

[Ccrider]

I like the new lightening. Just could not bring myself to pull the trigger. My 2014 ecoboost 3.5 twin turbo is paid for and has given me zero problems.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The only vehicles that have ever left me dead on the side of the road many times over the years were made by GM. Cars and trucks both. I have two Chevy trucks in the drive and one is broke down with the bypass valve stuck open on the oil pump so it can’t get any pressure. Will be about a $1200 fix unless I do it myself. The other one is starting to have issues now too. So sick and tired of stupid designs by GM. The 5.7L 350 was the only good engine Chevy every made. And since they don’t offer it anymore, I will never buy another GM vehicle. Once these two trucks are done for or sold, I hope to never see another GM product again. And the new GM engines just keep getting worse!

Ford has issues like crazy too. I wouldn’t touch a Ecoboost engine truck if somebody paid me to take it. Too many people I know have blown that engine with low miles. Total piles of crap. Ford made my one buddy wait 2 years before they replaced the engine when he blew it hauling his camper. What a joke! A V6 cannot put out that much horse power and torque while pulling heavy loads for very long before something gives out. Forcing more air and fuel into a smaller engine gives it more power but also makes it a lot weaker. And they get piss poor fuel mileage to boot so there’s nothing “Eco” about it! They might be ok as a daily driver for going to the grocery store and back, but if you try to do any work with them like a truck is designed for, the Ecoboost won’t hold up.

Although I still have a couple Chevys, I’ve been running Ram trucks, gas and diesel, for about 7 years now and never had an issue. I keep two Rams in the drive so they can go haul the Chevys back home when they break down or when the Chevys get stuck with their crappy 4 wheel drive. My Rams are hands down the most reliable trucks I’ve ever owned. Built tougher than a Ford and stronger than a rock

 

[ebb]

Dodge has a lock on the Cummins 6 cylinder, but I have a friend that has a Nissan with a Cummins V8 in it. I thought he was full of it till he opened the hood. But I hear ya just because it has a motor doesn't mean it has the suspension and other parts that make a good truck. This guy doesn't use one hard enough that we will ever know from his.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Dodge has a lock on the Cummins 6 cylinder, but I have a friend that has a Nissan with a Cummins V8 in it. I thought he was full of it till he opened the hood. But I hear ya just because it has a motor doesn't mean it has the suspension and other parts that make a good truck. This guy doesn't use one hard enough that we will ever know from his.

The small 5.0L V8 Cummins diesel engine itself in the Nissan trucks is great and very reliable but there was some pretty major issues with the Nissan engine support systems. To put it plainly, Nissan is junk. They use Ford parts for most of their vehicles. Cummins doesn’t make that engine for Nissan anymore so whatever Nissan trucks have it is all she wrote. Not sure about the details that ended the deal between Cummins and Nissan but I’m sure it had something to do with poor Nissan quality tarnishing the Cummins name because when the engine support systems failed, it hurt the engine and made the engine look bad.

Of course there’s a lot more than an engine that makes a good truck and that’s a major reason I choose Ram over other brands as well. They just hold up better to the abuse I put them thru. Nothing lasts forever but Chevy and Ford have seemed to be constant maintenance and repairs on non-routine items for me. The less overall maintenance and repairs I have to do for the life of a vehicle, the more money stays in my pocket and that’s what it all boils down to in the end. I want a truck that does what I need it to do and not require me to fix it all the time. Ram provides that for me where other trucks have failed.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The small 5.0L V8 Cummins diesel engine itself in the Nissan trucks is great and very reliable but there was some pretty major issues with the Nissan engine support systems. To put it plainly, Nissan is junk. They use Ford parts for most of their vehicles. Cummins doesn’t make that engine for Nissan anymore so whatever Nissan trucks have it is all she wrote. Not sure about the details that ended the deal between Cummins and Nissan but I’m sure it had something to do with poor Nissan quality tarnishing the Cummins name because when the engine support systems failed, it hurt the engine and made the engine look bad.

Of course there’s a lot more than an engine that makes a good truck and that’s a major reason I choose Ram over other brands as well. They just hold up better to the abuse I put them thru. Nothing lasts forever but Chevy and Ford have seemed to be constant maintenance and repairs on non-routine items for me. The less overall maintenance and repairs I have to do for the life of a vehicle, the more money stays in my pocket and that’s what it all boils down to in the end. I want a truck that does what I need it to do and not require me to fix it all the time. Ram provides that for me where other trucks have failed.

The nissan trucks with the Cummins eco diesel were total junk. I know of 2 that were bought back they were so bad. I cant imagine anything making a nissan more junky but they pulled it off.

 

[brokeasajoke]

See ^^^^^. They are ALL JUNK. Buy what you want and monitor it's known problems. Or do like I desire to do and find an older ride and completely go through it. Engine, trans and all fixing and upgrading all problem areas. (mid 90s short bed crew cab f250 with 7.3 zf5 is mine)

 

[J.d. Popkes]

Exactly. It is the emissions regulations more so than mpg requirements. Diesels in the 90's and early 2000's were extremely dependable, long lasting, and got very respectable fuel mileage. Then came EGR and eventually DPF requirements that choked the life out of them. They have come a long way in the last 10 years but now are far too complex and expensive. They really screwed up a great thing.

This. Perfectly said. I ordered a 23 super duty yesterday. Gas. To replace my 18 powerstroke. They’ve ruined every reason to own a diesel. Because government.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

The nissan trucks with the Cummins eco diesel were total junk. I know of 2 that were bought back they were so bad. I cant imagine anything making a nissan more junky but they pulled it off.

Right, but it wasn’t the engine itself. It was always everything put in there by Nissan to deliver fuel, emissions, and everything else that made it junk which made many people think it was the Cummins engine.

That being said, the Cummins inline 6 cylinder is the best design

 

[Ccrider]

Why a diesel if you don’t need the low end torque for towing? These new diesel engines with all of the pollution stuff are not meant for the general public. If you are not making money with it, you are better off getting a gas engine. Some of my career trucking buddies will not own one. They by pre-emission engines grandfathered in and rebuild after a million or so miles.