On 8/12/2011 11:23 PM, Steve Hammatt Mount Vernon WA USA wrote:
> First, let me say that the truck will pull my car
> trailer which carries some antique cars which
> normally reside in my shop (therefore qualifying
> for inclusion in the Shop Talk group<grin>). I
> wouldnbt consider starting this search without
Don't own one myself, but I'll share what I've heard from friends.
First, I don't think there's much difference in reliability between
major brands, EXCEPT for Chrysler, which seems to make junk. A friend
has had multiple vehicles from them, and every one has been an
unreliable failure-prone money pit; but for some reason he keeps going
back to them. Plus I just despise Chrysler as a company. Their
inconsistent marketing is an insult to any car guy with a memory. In
the 90s we were inundated with the wonders of "cab forward", and now
they're building retro fugly pig-mobiles; so which is it??
Another guy has a 2001 Chevy or GMC (same diff anyway, right?) gas V8
that has over 200K miles of commuting, highway runs, and towing and has
been great for him, except for some rust and electrical issues. However
it's old enough now, I'm not sure it's representative of GM's newer
products. He insists diesel is really the way to go for any major towing.
#3 is a 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 4WD with towing package. Don't know if
you're considering "imports" but I think they're made in Indiana. No
major problems, but I don't think it's lived up to Toyota's supposedly
legendary reliability. Had a couple recall issues with ball joints and
other stuff. They did at least stand behind the product and proactively
recall instead of just ignoring it and charging for repairs. It's had
the AC fail, and some flaky battery charging issues. It's low miles,
but he pulls a trailer with smaller Kubota equipment, and loans it out
to friends and family for towing tasks. VERY responsive V8 32 valve,
either a 4.0 or 4.5L IIRC??
#4 guy that's on his 2nd or 3rd F150. Not sure if it's the 6 or V8.
Only does light towing, if any but has a custom bed enclosure for a
construction biz. Haven't heard of any probs with it. Ford has sold,
what? Over 600,000 some years? Must be doing something right!
-HTH, Wayne
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