Thinking about a new DD...Pickup content

The recent troubles with my Cherokee have me rethinking its status as my daily driver. For sure, this comes in part from a place of frustration from dealing with chasing random electrical gremlins (everyone's least favorite type of repair job), but it goes beyond that. There's more deferred maintenance that needs to be caught up on, in addition to being of an age where unforeseen problems are bound to crop up, it's loud, it's leaky, it's hot/cold depending on season, has poor road manners...The list goes on.

Basically, what it boils down to, is I'm realizing that I've arrived at a place in my life where I've got better things to do with my precious time than wrench on the DD. I have a project house and a project car I'd much rather be working on and just want something where I can get in, turn the key, and go.

A lightly used pickup seems to make the most sense, as I've got house projects galore and want for a car trailer in the not too distant future. The question is which truck. Vans and SUVs are out, as the open bed is frankly of more to me than enclosed cargo or passenger space. Parameters are as follows:

-Budget roughly $10-12k ideally, could maybe stretch to mid teens for the 'perfect' truck

-Reliability is paramount

-Cheap to run and low money pit potential

-Decent mpg, at least similar to the XJ (18 avg)

-Min 4-5 year life at ~20k miles per year

-4wd would be preferable, but I'd consider rwd

-Extended or crew cab would be nice, but I could live with a regular cab

-Stick shift would be sweet, but I realize this is something I'll likely have to compromise on

Half ton is probably the sweet spot for me. I've always liked Tacos, and they check a lot of boxes, but the Toyota tax is steep and tow capacity pretty marginal. On the other end of the spectrum, a diesel would be a new kind of fun, gets decent mileage, and opens up more manual transmission availability, but again carries a steep tax and is really way overkill. But I could certainly be convinced otherwise.

My prevailing thought at the moment is find a nice, low mile GMT800, but I'm curious to hear what the hive has to say.

I think you're right, although I like the GMT900 better and the early ones (2007) should be in your price range. I know I'm setting my self up for immediate catastrophic failure by saying this, but in 173k miles from new I've done brakes once, upper ball joints twice, cleaned the throttle body, one wheel speed sensor and serpentine belts a couple of times. It's been a very very good truck.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Do they all have the AFM/DOD or whatever it's called V8/V4 stuff, or is that only certain years?

In reply to mazdeuce:

I'd go with GMT-800. I thought my Yukon Denali XL has high miles at 197,000 but a friend has a 2005 1500 4x4 as well and has just under 300,000 miles and never had more than maintenance done on it (original untouched transmission).

The lowest millage GMC sierra you can find in your price range. I would not be to pickey about trim level as GMC is up scale as it is. I don't know if any GMC came with the 4.8. Look for a 5.3. The 6.0 is a stump pulling motor that is reliable as gravity but it really likes to drink fuel. I know that there are a run of the 5.3 that have the ability to shut down cylinders but they have a known issue with the system that requires the replacement of the lifters with normal ones. I would stay away from motors that have that system. Otherwise the 5.3 seems to be a excellent balance of power to do truck things with and economy when you are just moving people.

After that figure on fuel pumps every 100k. There is a known issue with a solonoid in the evap system that GM has an updated part for. The fan speed control unit is a similar known issue that also has a updated part from gm. None of these are any real problem to deal with. A day of preventative wrenching and $300 in parts will solve all these issues. I would strongly recommend replacement of the evap solenoid while you do the fuel pump especially if you do the bed tilt method of getting at the pump. It is located on the cross member in front of the spare tire. The fan speed control is a mogul that is mounted in the duct behind the glove box. An easy fix.

On issue that is a bit of a pita is these will toss a po171 and po174 codes. This is lean condition on both banks. Worst case ot I an intake manifold gasket but it can also be a for, a fuel pump or o2 sensors. It takes a bit of diagnosis to figure out but with a good scanner that lets you look at the O2 sensor outputs and a fuel pressure gauge it is relatively easy figure out.

An anoying issue I have to deal with is the lock release mechinisum or the spare tire will rust and jamb. This means the tire will not come down. Another bit of preventive maintenance is to liberally grease the mechanism. I have to get mine un stuck so I can free it up and grease it.

Everything I have noted above have YouTube videos on line making them easy to do.

In reply to Furious_E:

All of the 5.3 trucks have it, not sure about the 4.8. It can be shut off pretty easily. It's certainly caused some people problems but I'm not quite convinced it's the immediate death sentence that others call it.

A quick Google says the 4.8 doesn't have AFM.

My sierra Denali with Quadra Steer has 312k and has never had more than regular maintenance. Mine is the 6.0.

Ohya when I get another truck it is going to have to have Quadra Steer. It is a great system. It gives my truck a turning radius about equal to my corolla.

It is cool as it moves the pivot point when turning forward of the rear wheels by probably 4 feet. It takes a little getting use to but once you have it you will never want to go with out it.

I'm looking at a 2WD 2014 cop Tahoe with 159,000 miles on it. I looked at it today and it has a lot of use. I'm not sure what to tell on these engines.

There were 4.8/4x4/NV3500 GMT800s made 99-04, or at least the EPA certified them so they probably built at least a few. Those are all probably a bit more beat than you want at this point though, you can probably get a 4.8 GMT900 for 12k.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

There was one for sale in town here a couple years ago, regular cab, short bed, 4x4, 4.8, 5 speed. I remember it because I can't recall seeing another one like it. I do, however, occasionally see 6.0 2500 trucks with a 5 speed, or even 6 speed Duramax trucks every once in a blue moon.

Dean/Mazdeuce:

What are you guys seeing for gas mileage?

In reply to Furious_E:

The 6.0 supposedly gets about 12mpg, uphill or downhill, loaded or unloaded.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Well that would suck. I had to look up gas mileage for the 8.1 big block after that and it looks like double digits only on a good day lol.

I have mixed feelings. We like our 02 suburban 1500, it isn't as impressive as you might think. It certainly can't come remotely as close to the towing capacity of my 03 7.3 and doesn't have the cabin capacity of a modern minivan like a sienna. It does drive sorta like a car and has been reasonably reliable. The ONLY reason I'd go GM is if you're going gas. I prefer Ford overall but the engines suck. And Dodge, complete junk. The Nissan is junk as well and you're right about the Toyota but, you may want to keep looking at the Toyota. The Tundra is almost Lexus like. For me, a truck is a truck. I don't get the desire for car comfort. But, for build quality the Toyota is best. I'd honestly consider a diesel for 1 simple reason. They hold their value. Heck, a 7.3 will increase. I'm not kidding. They tow much better, will last forever and will handle anything you throw at them. In your budget, you will be getting a truck. Not a large car, but a truck. A slower, wallowy, long braking truck. I'll still stick with my 03 7.3. Mt 2c.

I get about 16 around town doing school runs and 19 on the freeway as long as I stay around 70. Much above that and mileage falls back off. If I want to play hypermiler I can get close to 21 on long stretches of 55. 12-13 towing a race car on an open trailer.

I have a 99 GMC Ext Cab 4x4 Z71 with a 4.8 and 285,000 miles. I get 15mpg in town and 18mpg highway. I added: Dynomax cat back, Spectre cold air intake, and a Hypertech programmer set on premium - all where well worth the investment. I tow a 18 foot metal car trailer, with a 78 Z28 without a problem. Pulled a 79 GMC Sierra to and from a challenge from East TN to FL and back and pulled 11-13mpg.

In reply to markwemple:

I'm pretty familiar with the Tundras, my dad has both a '15 and a '00, which is what I'm driving at the moment. It's actually been offered to me at a reasonable price, and while I like the way it drives and have complete trust in it mechanically, the frame has already had rust repair done. I just don't see it lasting forever. Wouldn't completely write off a cleanr first gen truck, though. 2nd gen trucks are freaking huge, but worth a look.

My current needs definitely don't justify a diesel, but I get the argument for one. I just have a hard time getting around the idea of paying $15k for a truck with 150k or more miles, as well as the repair costs. Seems like they all have an expensive 'gotcha'.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to Furious_E: All of the 5.3 trucks have it

All Gen 4 5.3s, if that wasn't clear. So all GMT900 5.3s, and some 2007 GMT800s. 99-06 won't have it.

Believe it or not on my last tank I got 16.1 mpg. (filled up tonight) About half that was highway. I tend to keep it around 65 mph. Above that it starts to drop off and over 70 it really drops off.

It is funny to put the display on real time mpg and you get 4 mpg if you pull away from a light a bit briskly.

I also purposefully try to short shift the auto. The 6.0 is a torque monster and it comes in really low in the rpm range so it actually accelerates better if you can get it to second gear sooner. I also have found that your mpg is much better doing this. If you don't short shift and run it up to 4k I would average 13 mpg sometimes less than that.

In reply to mazdeuce: I can get close to 23 mpg on the highway holding ot at 55 or so. I am betting I have a different rear end as I have the Dana 60 because of the Quadra Steer.

Why not the 21st century El Camino, aka an Avalanche?

The previous 04 we had was as reliable as gravity until it got traded in on the BBB, the big blue bus aka Suburban. It had 176k on it besides the basic maintenance and some front wheel bearings never had an issue.

Based on that plus what I know and have done to the Sub, I bought a '13 Av. Only big thing I dislike is 3.08 rear gears. Total turd trying to get moving and stay moving up the mountains around here. I get 14-16mpg right now before I start the mods, Suburban gets 18.

I had '98 Tacoma Extended Cab (4 cylinder with 5spd) in the past and liked it. Just picked this up for under $15k and so far like it more than the older Tacoma, even if it is noticeably larger:

Mainly what swayed me away from a newer Tacoma was being able to have a comparable truck for less cost, with more a powerful V6 motor that seems pretty reliable. I also subjectively think the Frontier looks better, fan of the more angular look. A V6 with 6spd manual, 2WD, and King Cab is not exactly an easy configuration to find though - I had to go to North Carolina to get this one.

And you can't get new King Cabs with the manual and 2WD anymore. Would never go back to a 4 cylinder gas truck, don't care if they get better fuel mileage (I could get 28mpg cruising on the Interstate in my Tacoma)...the power and acceleration plain sucks for a Daily Driver, and towing is not their strong suit.

Compared to a '09 2WD Tacoma Access cab, the '13 King Cab 2WD Frontier has a shorter wheelbase, basically same overall length (but less front overhang and more rear overhang), lower ride height, and less rear seat room. From what I've read, if you keep your towing weight to 4k or less, the Frontier tows well.

I'm pretty sure I would have more of a blast autocrossing this Frontier my the older Tacoma.

GMT800, hands down, best bargain out there. Pre-AFM, 4.8's with manual in regular cabs, etc. Our 06 CrewCab short bed with the 4.8 knocks down low 20's on the highway still, around 17-18 in town, rides like butter, the 2wd were R&P so steering is good. Parts are cheap and plentiful and they run for friggin ever. My old boss just crossed 400k on his 2001 'burb 5.3. In hte last 190k miles he's had it he's replaced the waterpump twice and rebuilt the trans at 300k. Other than that, plugs, filters and oil.

The voice of dissent here - I bought a 2002 F250 4x4 crew cab lariat short box with a manual trans and a 7.3 diesel for $13500. I would advise you to do the same.

Gets high teens MPG, sweet diesel rattle, fun-ish to drive with the manual, and its a real truck if you need to do truck-like things. The Lariat interior is a great place to spend some time.

For meeting your criteria:
-Budget roughly $10-12k ideally, could maybe stretch to mid teens for the 'perfect' truck (I got mine for $13,500)

-Reliability is paramount (After the atom bombs hit, 7.3 diesels and cockroaches will be the last things around)

-Cheap to run and low money pit potential (Maintenance costs will always be higher with a diesel, but by buying right you recoup that when you sell it. IE my last truck was bought for $9800 at 240k miles, ran it to 305k miles and sold it for $8500 - not gonna do that with a gas motor)

-Decent mpg, at least similar to the XJ (18 avg)(no problem with a 7.3)

-Min 4-5 year life at ~20k miles per year (again, no problem with a 7.3)

-4wd would be preferable, but I'd consider rwd (plenty of 4WDs available, RWD has a very low buy-in)

-Extended or crew cab would be nice, but I could live with a regular cab (all 3 configurations were available, but the extended cabs are shorter than the Chevy or Dodge variants. I would go crew cab if you want room for more than 2 people)

-Stick shift would be sweet, but I realize this is something I'll likely have to compromise on (7.3 with a manual and 4x4 was available in any combo - if the one you get is a base interior you can always swap it out to a Lariat with a little digging.)

I have had many ford trucks over the years and really liked them. BUT. The gas moters always seemed under powered. And then there is rust. It just killed them. I still have my expedition and at just under 200k mikes it I mechaicly in great shape but the rust is just crazy. It I now parked waiting to get to the scrap yard. It is sad as it has a great motor and a perfectly good trans.

I slightly prefer the later F150s to the GMT800, but its personal preference. Either one will serve your purpose. Just skip the 5.4L. Early ones like to eject spark plugs, newer ones like to break them off in the head.