Re: what kinda truck guy r u???
...When I first went shopping for my Dodge I asked my long-time (nearly 30 years with the same guy) mechanic for a recommendation. His reply was, 'John, they all end up in my shop. Buy the one you like best.'
There's probably some real wisdom there:
I think that the domestic makers set the pace for the truck market - the imports have to work hard to keep up, and really don't have an advantage in that market segment. I'm probably a Ford or Dodge leaning guy, but would say there's nothing particular to be afraid of the GM products (especially the Suburbans) for.
Here's my list:
'99 Suburban - Great power, good ride, good space but sometimes inconvenient - for example it's easier to get to the back seats in my vans than it was in the Suburban. It was a company car, so I didn't see it through until the end - but it didn't have any real problems while I had it.
'92 Dodge RAM Van 2500 (318) - Good power, great ride, fantastic space. Went for 240K miles until the transmission went. She was 10 years old and the AC was toast ... let her go.
'00 Mercury Mountaineer (Explorer) - 4.0 6 cylinder 2WD - okay power (tows pretty well all things considered) but not for pulling big boats, love the ride and it drives really easy. No major issues with it until 220k miles and the AC went out. We still own it and drive it regularly.
'07 Ford E150 - 5.4 - Just crested 125K miles on it. Drives great, TONS of space, pulls anything I've ever asked it to up Tennessee hills (and I've hauled a couple of grain trailers) and it hasn't given me a lick of trouble.
'04 Dodge RAM 2500 - 5.7 Hemi Crew/Quad/4-door Cab - Just gettin' used to this one. I've had it about a year. A couple of quirks (like dealing with the hub/bearing assembly and a brake sensor problem), but it drives like sports car, rides plenty comfortable, hauls ANYTHING ... and growls just a little bit when you hit the gas :thumb:
