So You're Buying A New (Fishing) Truck?

[djkimmel]

New article special to GreatLakesBass.com:

So You're Buying A New (Fishing) Truck?


(This is an advertiser supplied article, but knowing how much we all use trucks, I find it interesting and helpful, and advertisers do make things such as GreatLakesBass.com possible so check it out please.)

[Cheetam]

Who is the sponsor Dan?  Are they a dealership?  I have a lease up in 3 months and am looking at (possibly) getting a Silverado...

[SethV]

If anyone is looking at new trucks, I can help get you into a new Chevy or GMC.  I can give you the supplier discount.  It is an authorization code, valid at any dealer and you still get to apply any factory or dealer incentives on top of the discount.  If interested, email or PM me.

Seth

[OUTLAW]

I test drove a New Toyota Tundra for a full weekend, It towed the boat great and did every thing I wanted out of a truck. I have been a Ford Man for years But I have to Say the next Truck I buy will be a Toyota tundra. Great price, gas mileage, and they are built like a tank.

[motocross269]

You may want think about it for a minute before you buy that toyota outlaw.  They have had substantial problems with crankshaft and motor issues.  The press of course keeps that hush hush. 
What year is your current Ford??? I have a 2006 Ford F150 and it has way more horsepower and tows alot better than my 2003 F250.
If anyone is interested give me a holler and I can get you the friend and family discount on a Ford, or Mercury product and save you a substantial amount of cash. (X-plan)
As an automotive employee all I ask is that you consider buying american first.  Ford made huge improvements this year in the JD power surveys and has beaten Toyota in many categories.
I know this is a chevy sponsored sight, both my grandparents and my dad retired from GM, but I couldn't let the Toyota comment go.

[OUTLAW]

I have a 99 f250 7.3 liter power stroke with the hyper tech power programer in it, The truck has 180,000 mile on it, it has been a good truck but it cost to much to fix right now there is a lot of little things going wrong with it, I have never owned a jap truck or car and I realy don't want to, but the new toy is a very nice truck and the guy's I know that have them love them they run forever, and they are good on gas. I still have an open mind but I am leaning toward the toyota.

[motocross269]

Do me a favor Outlaw..Go to the dealer and ask them what your x-plan price plus rebates would be on a Ford...If it turns out that is a price you are interested in give me a buzz and I will get you an x-plan number. Takes me just a few minutes on a computer.  If you still decide to buy a toyota that is your right.  I would just like you to take one more look at a Ford.
My Gas 2002 F250 was a dog.  My new Gas F150 is awesome. 
I am serious about the cracked crank though..I am sure they have probably addressed the problem by now. Just make sure you check the manufacturing recalls off of the VIN of the toyota you are looking at.

[Durand Dan]

I heard that Toyota is fixing the problem by replacing the entire engine. Not just fixing it. Besides those trucks have already been identified and recalled. I have a 2005 Tundra which I have been very happy with. It has 281 hp, a lot less than the new ones but is very capable of towing and gets a lot better gas milage than my former Siliverado.

[motocross269]

It is cheaper for them to swap out motors then pay a dealer to tear down the motor and pull the cranks. Alot faster too.
I am not trying to get into a American vs Japanese debate here, but trust me the domestics aren't dead yet.  We are working hard to improve our quality and it is starting to show up in the JD power surveys and other indicators. 

[Bender]

I got a 2007 Silverado recently, it is a W/T just to tow the boat. I can't give up my VWs, especially the diesel that gets 45 MPG with 115 hp/ 200 tq.
Anyway, the truck tows great, it has the 5.3l Flex Fuel engine, 315 bhp / 338 tq,, regular cab, long box. Fuel economy has been good so far too, even though it has had my 18'6" Stratos behind it 95% of the time.
Please consider American made first, all things being equal. I know the jap models are assembled here, but where do the profits go?

[motocross269]

I have wondered that myself.  I don't know why the American and Asian companies don't make small diesel cars..

[TCook]

I think the world is advanced enough to start producing vehicles with an alternative power source. I think its pathetic that we still use gasoline, and the only reason I see is the oil companies would go broke, and most of the power in the world would lose $. Its time to put an end the rich getting richer at our expense and the harm done to our planet.

[djkimmel]

What do you anglers think about the article anyway - anything helpful?

It is not provided from a specific dealer, but from GM and/or some branch of. (I have an old Ford at the moment myself, but I'm going back and forth on Ford verses Chevy at the moment - no worries for me for now since it will be a while before I buy one anyway - maybe in a year, we'll be running our trucks on potato or what's that stuff they make from soy beans?)

[joshimoto son]

What do I think about the article...

Personally, I'm a little curious, I know that Toyota is growing by leaps and bounds and until this post, have never heard a bad thing about them.

Like Outlaw... my next vehicle is probably going to be a Toyota.

I read a product review on the 2007 Tundra in an Automotive magazine and instead of giving the normal 1-5 star rating. The magazine had this to say, "Chevy, Ford and Dodge, be afraid... be very afraid."

I've owned all of the domestic made tow vehicles and in my opinion the Chevy/GMC brand is tops, but not without an extended warranty.

My next thought was that for a lot of us... we might want even more specs on a vehicle. Such as what rear end is best for towing. Things like that.

joshimoto son

[Slipkey]

@ motocross
The small engine diesel market (i.e. small diesel cars) hasn't really caught on in the states (or Asia either).  You see quite a few of them in Europe, but over there there is traditionally a much more significant delta in gas vs. diesel pricing. Plus diesel engines are marketed to the general public by VW and Mercedes Benz, for example.

@djkimmel
I think it's OK to have sponsor-driven articles and I appreciate the the links on the articles to the comparison grid.  I'm leaning in the direction of a GMC 2500HD or Suburban (hopefully they'll stop being trendy and the prices will fall) for my next tow vehicle.   My current F250 7.2 diesel, which I purchased new in 2001, has cost me close to 7 grand since for out of warranty electronic component replacements and repairs (1 brain replacement and numerous others). 

I thought the comparison grid in the link was a bit misleading with all of the footnotes making the Chevy values higher than the competition (i.e. - "with option [insert kit name here] kit").   To me, just let me have the facts and, if the numbers add up, I'll vote with my money for best brand. 

[JCOOPER]

My next truck will be a Nissan or a Toyota.  Living in Michigan my whole life I really didnt know any thing but domestic vehicles.  Even when selling cars and trucks, i would see the reports and would think "where in the world are all these foriegn cars being sold"  Now that i live in St. Louis its crazy.  Take trucks out of the equation for a second and you are a minority if you are driving a domestic car.  The trucks arent that bad but the ratio is alot higher here than anything I seen while living in Michigan.  I have drove both the Tundra and the Titan.  One of them will definitely be my next one.  They are a superior vehicle.  Shame on us for thinking we were invinceable!

[djkimmel]

It could all be a lot easier (like so many things these days...) - I really wish I had one of those Big Red Easy buttons of my own.