Looking to buy a new truck. Which is the safest & most reliable?
From : joelberg
Q: my transmission just took a shit on me 97 gmc 1500. most likely i will get something new as my gmc is 10 years old. i see many good qualities in all trucks combined dodge gmc/chevy ford toyota but need help to narrow it down. heres a list of things i am looking for overall -safety airbags accident protection -reliability parts last a good few years before i need to really replace them -better gas efficiency dont need a guzzling v8 to show off -good looking enough -great warranty package there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. thanks -joel .
Replies:
From : miles
geekboy wrote not all are built in mexico. my ram was built in st loius. thats true. most sold in the western usa were built in mexico. are the engines all built in the usa or are they shipping parts from mexico to assembly plants in the mid-west and east .
From : ed h
the tundra is legally a domestic product. it is only built here in the usa with parts mostly designed and made in the usa. how can american as you get be on a japanese company .
From : geekboy
i dont get it. did this guy drive a dodge .
From : ed h
does yours have metric nuts and bolts on it or is it all sae. i hate that my mexican assembled ram has both. not all are built in mexico. my ram was built in st loius. .
From : joelberg
thanks for the help guys. now all i have to do is weight the options. -joel .
From : electrician
i get 21 mpg highway with my 2000 ctd. substantially better than i get with my 97 dakota 318. too bad dodge doesnt offer a small diesel in the dakota and 1500 ram. of course no one else offers a 1/2 ton diesel so why should they lack of innovation is why toyota and the other foreign manufacturers are kicking the big threes ass soon to be the little three or two. .
From : electrician
tnloaswpraemnmcien5g@earthlink.net says... they announced a diesel option for the ram 1500 coming in a couple of years ford has also announced a diesel option for the f-150 also due out in 2-3 years. the customer wanted them years ago and after 5-10 years they can finally manage to produce them. .
From : mudmonkey
on mar 3 751 pm joelberg joeloma...@aol.com wrote my transmission just took a shit on me 97 gmc 1500. most likely i will get something new as my gmc is 10 years old. i see many good qualities in all trucks combined dodge gmc/chevy ford toyota but need help to narrow it down. heres a list of things i am looking for overall -safety airbags accident protection -reliability parts last a good few years before i need to really replace them -better gas efficiency dont need a guzzling v8 to show off -good looking enough -great warranty package there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. thanks -joel this is going to open a big can of worms. many like me are biased to one brand or against another. with that said look for what you want yourself that still does what you need. im a chevy man my self but would look at a dodge diesel if i was buying brand new. .
From : joe
mudmonkey matandlaura@gmail.com wrote in on mar 3 751 pm joelberg joeloma...@aol.com wrote my transmission just took a shit on me 97 gmc 1500. most likely i will get something new as my gmc is 10 years old. i see many good qualities in all trucks combined dodge gmc/chevy ford toyota but need help to narrow it down. heres a list of things i am looking for overall -safety airbags accident protection -reliability parts last a good few years before i need to really replace them -better gas efficiency dont need a guzzling v8 to show off -good looking enough -great warranty package there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. thanks -joel this is going to open a big can of worms. many like me are biased to one brand or against another. with that said look for what you want yourself that still does what you need. im a chevy man my self but would look at a dodge diesel if i was buying brand new. based solely on the criteria listed except for maybe good looking sounds like a ridgeline is the ticket for joel. then again he may not even need a truck... .
From : electrician
joelomatik@aol.com says... there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. based upon your criteria id buy american and go with a toyota tundra. you have to eliminate all gm trucks as they dont pass your styling test since they are the standard box on wheels gm design. ford doesnt pass your quality test and dodge misses the fuel mileage test. .
From : roy
my transmission just took a shit on me 97 gmc 1500. most likely i will get something new as my gmc is 10 years old. i see many good qualities in all trucks combined dodge gmc/chevy ford toyota but need help to narrow it down. heres a list of things i am looking for overall -safety airbags accident protection -reliability parts last a good few years before i need to really replace them -better gas efficiency dont need a guzzling v8 to show off -good looking enough -great warranty package there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. seems you kept your truck for some time. id suggest a dodge with a cummins. is expensive at firstbut you get a lot of stuff with the engine. also you will retain value with the cummins. decent economy once broken in. oh it is a 6 cyl. warranty on the engine is 100k i believe the rest is a dc deal which you can extend. now you have to figure out if you have a need for the cummins. thanks -joel .
From : Annonymous
on sun 04 mar 2007 140946 gmt electrician@xo.com electrician wrote joelomatik@aol.com says... there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. based upon your criteria id buy american and go with a toyota tundra. you have to eliminate all gm trucks as they dont pass your styling test since they are the standard box on wheels gm design. ford doesnt pass your quality test and dodge misses the fuel mileage test. i am not sure if toyota is all that american. sure they are assembled here and provide a lot of jobs but most parts used for assembly are shipped in from across the big pond. because of that the tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers that used to provide jobs for thousands here in the states are shrinking or dont even exist any more. i know this from first hand experience. .
From : miles
thegatekeeper@africamail.com wrote i am not sure if toyota is all that american. sure they are assembled here and provide a lot of jobs but most parts used for assembly are shipped in from across the big pond. not so. toyota states that the tundra has more us content than gm ford or dodge trucks. the engines are built in huntsville alabama and the transmissions are made in north carolina. the steel is us as is most of the drive train. its more american engineered and built than japanese. .
From : geekboy
joelomatik@aol.com says... there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. based upon your criteria id buy american and go with a toyota tundra. you have to eliminate all gm trucks as they dont pass your styling test since they are the standard box on wheels gm design. ford doesnt pass your quality test and dodge misses the fuel mileage test. i get 21 mpg highway with my 2000 ctd. .
From : electrician
thegatekeeper@africamail.com says... i am not sure if toyota is all that american. sure they are assembled here and provide a lot of jobs but most parts used for assembly are shipped in from across the big pond. because of that the tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers that used to provide jobs for thousands here in the states are shrinking or dont even exist any more. i know this from first hand experience. i dont know about the rest of the toyota line but i believe the tundra has more american sourced parts than any of the big three trucks. i believe if you buy a tundra youre buying as american as you can get. .
From : midlant
how can american as you get be on a japanese company thegatekeeper@africamail.com says... i am not sure if toyota is all that american. sure they are assembled here and provide a lot of jobs but most parts used for assembly are shipped in from across the big pond. because of that the tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers that used to provide jobs for thousands here in the states are shrinking or dont even exist any more. i know this from first hand experience. i dont know about the rest of the toyota line but i believe the tundra has more american sourced parts than any of the big three trucks. i believe if you buy a tundra youre buying as american as you can get. .
From : miles
midlant wrote how can american as you get be on a japanese company because the american companies are less american! my dodge is mostly mexican built. the toyota is mostly american built with american parts. put it this way. when a truck is sold most of the sales price pays for labor and parts. in the case of my mexican built ram most of that money stayed in mexico. with a toyota tundra most stays in the usa. .
From : geekboy
midlant wrote how can american as you get be on a japanese company because the american companies are less american! my dodge is mostly mexican built. the toyota is mostly american built with american parts. put it this way. when a truck is sold most of the sales price pays for labor and parts. in the case of my mexican built ram most of that money stayed in mexico. with a toyota tundra most stays in the usa. not all are built in mexico. my ram was built in st loius. .
From : leythos
on sun 04 mar 2007 165514 -0700 miles wrote thegatekeeper@africamail.com wrote i am not sure if toyota is all that american. sure they are assembled here and provide a lot of jobs but most parts used for assembly are shipped in from across the big pond. not so. toyota states that the tundra has more us content than gm ford or dodge trucks. the engines are built in huntsville alabama and the transmissions are made in north carolina. the steel is us as is most of the drive train. its more american engineered and built than japanese. ive owned a dakota since 90 and will be trading in my quad 4x4 v8 for a toyota fj this summer. i found that my dakota quad 4x4 is not really all that great off-road not that i do any off-road but ive been stuck in mud several times - snow is never a problem but mud sucks. im also tired of the dodge support issues that i often experience at the dealers. im hoping that toyota will be a more positive experience. -- leythos spam999free@rrohio.com remove 999 for proper email address .
From : electrician
im also tired of the dodge support issues that i often experience at the dealers. im hoping that toyota will be a more positive experience. what kind of dealer support issues have you had just curious as i bought a 97 dakota new and have only had it in the shop a couple of times for non scheduled maintenance items. both times i thought the dealer turned it around very quickly although the price seemed to be very high as most dealer service is. im debating whether to go with a new dakota or a tundra. .
From : leythos
on mon 05 mar 2007 231621 +0000 electrician wrote im also tired of the dodge support issues that i often experience at the dealers. im hoping that toyota will be a more positive experience. what kind of dealer support issues have you had just curious as i bought a 97 dakota new and have only had it in the shop a couple of times for non scheduled maintenance items. both times i thought the dealer turned it around very quickly although the price seemed to be very high as most dealer service is. im debating whether to go with a new dakota or a tundra. my first dakota had 3 rear-ends 5 computers 3 transmissions 5 drive shafts in the first 9 months that i owned it - and the dealer made it damn hard to get along no loaner car claiming that there were no problems etc... i owned a saturn during that time and every time 2 that i had it in the shop they were very nice almost like family and took me to work and picked me up warranty repairs. i also owned several plymouth and chrysler mini vans grand voyager and town-and-country loaded. ive had a number of issues with those air conditioner condenser in each brakes transmission... that took more than 1 trip to get fixed including the standard we cant hear anything... type reports... im hoping that switching to a company that values me as a customer instead of my money yea i know they value my money but i want to think they value me as a customer and still get the truck i want. -- leythos spam999free@rrohio.com remove 999 for proper email address .
From : miles
leythos wrote i found that my dakota quad 4x4 is not really all that great off-road not that i do any off-road but ive been stuck in mud several times - snow is never a problem but mud sucks. sounds like tire issues. i really like the toyota fj but its not a truck. whats the wheelbase on the fj im also tired of the dodge support issues that i often experience at the dealers. im hoping that toyota will be a more positive experience. ive had support issues from dealers of all makes. its difficult to find a great dealer. i just dont see that toyota or honda or any other japanese make has better dealers than dodge ford or gm. just depends on where you live. i had two horrible nissan dealers never did find one that would take care of problems without a fight. i had 1 horrible dodge dealer but the 2nd one ed moses in phoenix is awesome. ive not bought 4 dodges from them and they just keep treating me right. calls to dcx have also resulted in great service every time for all issues ive ever had. .
From : tom lawrence
substantially better than i get with my 97 dakota 318. too bad dodge doesnt offer a small diesel in the dakota and 1500 ram. of course no one else offers a 1/2 ton diesel so why should they they announced a diesel option for the ram 1500 coming in a couple of years the automaker will debut a new turbodiesel engine in its dodge light-duty pickups after 2009. the new cummins clean diesel for the dodge ram 1500 will provide up to 30 percent better fuel economy and a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with a conventional gas engine. .
From : geekboy
geekboy wrote not all are built in mexico. my ram was built in st loius. thats true. most sold in the western usa were built in mexico. are the engines all built in the usa or are they shipping parts from mexico to assembly plants in the mid-west and east my first one was a 99 built in mexico. bought in texas. second that i still have bought in california. it was built in st. louis. i dont think cummins have parts made in mexico but who knows. .
From : geekboy
says... i get 21 mpg highway with my 2000 ctd. substantially better than i get with my 97 dakota 318. too bad dodge doesnt offer a small diesel in the dakota and 1500 ram. of course no one else offers a 1/2 ton diesel so why should they lack of innovation is why toyota and the other foreign manufacturers are kicking the big threes ass soon to be the little three or two. if i still had the factory rear-end gears of 3.54 instead of 3.73 that was installed i would be getting 25 mpg highway. actually the big 3 are doing quite well with their truck sales. its the automobiles that are being bashed. 80% of chrysler sales have been trucks. .
From : geekboy
does yours have metric nuts and bolts on it or is it all sae. i hate that my mexican assembled ram has both. mine is all metric. not all are built in mexico. my ram was built in st loius. .
From : electrician
actually the big 3 are doing quite well with their truck sales. its the automobiles that are being bashed. 80% of chrysler sales have been trucks. i agree that the big three truck sales are what has kept them out of bankruptcy but the tundra and titan are quickly gaining market share. just look at the tundra commercials that talk about how much tougher their trucks are by comparing components. and then look at ford who drives theirs through a cake to show their toughness. it leaves the viewer with the impression the tundra is a much better truck than any big three product. and toyota has a reputation for quality that none of the big three have ever come close to. i think its just a matter of time until the majority of light duty trucks on the road are japanese branded. .
From : tom lawrence
done then and was actually able to coast up to the driveway. we had a hose in it washing the acid off everything within 2 minutes of it happening. the exhaust drop pipe rusted bright orange with a week though. it was oem trash anyway so it was a great excuse to yank it out and replace it with something that actually flowed. the ram looks amazing for nearly 10 years old with nearly 200k on it. he long ago replaced the original u-joints and the front end had been redone with a major upgrade at 150k but something tells me by this summer hes going to be in a new one a qc hemi 4x4. i dont think his wife is going to want to take any trips in the old one. bdk . 222 331681 7ufhh.9640$jl.9628@read3..pas.earthlink.net my first one was a 99 built in mexico. bought in texas. second that i still have bought in california. it was built in st. louis. i dont think cummins have parts made in mexico but who knows. nope - the block castings are done in south america brazil and assembly is done in indiana .
From : nosey
on mar 6 1244 pm roy r...@home.net wrote on mar 6 1035 am roy r...@home.net wrote on mar 5 1007 pm tom lawrence tnloaswpraemnmcie...@earthlink.net wrote you have or know where i can get hold of a manual or exploded view of the np246 transfer case. mine still leaks it is coming from the rear output shaft but can not figure it out. it has a new seal a new bushing. sorry - all ive got is from the dodge service manuals which use the np241. but it youre sure its leaking at the output shaft and a new seal doesnt fix it then either the seal was defective/not installed properly or theres a gouge in the output shaft allowing fluid to leak by the seal. output shaft is as smooth as a babys butt. seal looks ok but i know that doesnt make it so. something isnt right i just have to figure out what. larry you say further down that you have 180k on it. could be with wear the shaft is moveing around a bit. sometimes a aftermarket seal is a tad different more pliable and might work. just a thought.- hide quoted text - - show quoted text - man at this point anything is an option. though the seal is not after market as no one at least where i am including napa has that part it is oe. doubtful but could be a old stiff seal. heck ya gotta take it out anyway. hunt around for a nice new one.- hide quoted text - - show quoted text - huh you lost me which is not hard to do today. the seal is new just not aftermarket its dealer item only and had to order that one. to boot the damn thing cost me 60 bucks and that was at their cost as i am good friends with the parts guys. it has to come apart right cause it still leaks. describe the seal is it like the seal that goes into the tailshaft of a transmission . 222 331690 eskm5e$o4c$1@aioe.org tom lawrence wrote my first one was a 99 built in mexico. bought in texas. second that i still have bought in california. it was built in st. louis. i dont think cummins have parts made in mexico but who knows. nope - the block castings are done in south america brazil and assembly is done in indiana my 99 has the teksid block that was cast in mexico. most of them were cast in brazil by tupy. i didnt know they assembled them in indiana. i wouldnt be surprised to hear the assembly was done in india. -- ken .
From : geekboy
you ar probably the first person that i have heard in a long time that likes firestone. glad that they are working for you. -- message posted via carkb.com http//www.carkb.com/uwe/forums.aspx/dodge-truck/200703/1 . 222 331698 lomhh.124618$73.116071@read2..pas.earthlink.net the leak is coming through where the yoke goes into the seal not around it. so i just have to figure out why it could be a bad seal again but want to fix the cause not just band-aide it i drive way too much 150 a day just to and from work. oh right.... slip yoke wasnt thinking about that before. what about a worn u-joint allowing the yoke to flop around .
From : tom lawrence
tom lawrence wrote my first one was a 99 built in mexico. bought in texas. second that i still have bought in california. it was built in st. louis. i dont think cummins have parts made in mexico but who knows. nope - the block castings are done in south america brazil and assembly is done in indiana my 99 has the teksid block that was cast in mexico. most of them were cast in brazil by tupy. i didnt know they assembled them in indiana. i wouldnt be surprised to hear the assembly was done in india. -- now you bring that up. cummins recently announced some parts manufacturing will be done in india now. everything that comes out of india ia garbage. a lot worse than china. ken .
From : nosey
on tue 06 mar 2007 190202 -0800 the baker family dbakers@localaccess.com wrote i have a 2002 ram van 3500 2wheel drive its the same chassis/etc as a ram 3500. i am trying to replace the front wheel bearings but keep coming up short. about 2 too short. as in when i go to put the disk rotor back on it sticks out too far to even get the retaining nut threaded on let alone down far enough to put the retainer ring and cotter pin back in. ive double-checked with the parts dealer and the bearings i have are the correct ones national lm102949 according to the sources they have. any help im desperate! dan baker it is possible the the inner bearing is cocking in hub and not sliding on shaft correctly because it would lack about 2 inches. you might mic shaft and inner bearing id to see if it is in fact a correct match or even removing inner/rear bearing from hub and seeing if it slides on correctly. ----------------- thesnoman.com .
From : roy
the leak is coming through where the yoke goes into the seal not around it. so i just have to figure out why it could be a bad seal again but want to fix the cause not just band-aide it i drive way too much 150 a day just to and from work. oh right.... slip yoke wasnt thinking about that before. what about a worn u-joint allowing the yoke to flop around u-joint are relatively new replaced them both last summer and just checked for slop in the caps and greased them this past weekend. i will have to pull the drive shaft down this weekend and see if there is any play on the output shaft in the t-case. might have a bearing or something in the case that is going out due to play. thanks guys. while you have it out you might want to index it in case it is out a bit. that could cause the yoke to move around. then again you could have screwed up when ya put it back together. probably werent practicing buddism and was punished.vbg .
From : roy
says... i get 21 mpg highway with my 2000 ctd. substantially better than i get with my 97 dakota 318. too bad dodge doesnt offer a small diesel in the dakota and 1500 ram. of course no one else offers a 1/2 ton diesel so why should they lack of innovation is why toyota and the other foreign manufacturers are kicking the big threes ass soon to be the little three or two. if i still had the factory rear-end gears of 3.54 instead of 3.73 that was installed i would be getting 25 mpg highway. i find that hard to believe. you are welcome to go buy one yourself. i have bought quite a few of them thank you. i still find 25mpg hard to believe. .
From : frank boettcher
on 3 mar 2007 195110 -0800 joelberg joelomatik@aol.com wrote my transmission just took a shit on me 97 gmc 1500. most likely i will get something new as my gmc is 10 years old. i see many good qualities in all trucks combined dodge gmc/chevy ford toyota but need help to narrow it down. heres a list of things i am looking for overall -safety airbags accident protection -reliability parts last a good few years before i need to really replace them -better gas efficiency dont need a guzzling v8 to show off -good looking enough -great warranty package there are other details but theyre escaping my mind right now. i know this is the dodge group but give me a perspective on all trucks. thanks -joel i just went through that analysis. while i was quite happy with my 98 dakota it is now for sale replaced with a toyota tacoma double cab 2wd. my criteria was somewhat different than yours. i wanted the best mpg possible for a truck rated to tow 4000 lbs. with a 35% cushion on the rating and a 9000 lb gross combined with a 20% cushion on the rating. tacoma won by far. rated tow capacity is 6500/11100 gc with an 18/22 mpg epa estimate. dakotawith a v8 could get the tow rating but with terrible fuel economy. first two tanks averaged 21 mpg with four adults luggage mostly highway miles. if i were limiting my search to a full size truck i would have gone with the new not classic chevrolet or gmc equivelent with an iron block 5.3l. 16/22 mpg epa estimate. lots of nice features. great warranty. but i didnt want a full size truck. you may. .