sandm
02-02-2017, 09:48 AM
well after 10 years- longest I have ever owned a rig- and just rolled 160k, felt it was time to retire the '00 ford f150 that I have been towing with. she's been a good ride but starting to show age and time to send it to a farmer that will work the piss out of it for the last few miles and then let it sit in a corner of a field forever.
went out and drove the big3. I am not one that cares what I buy so I was open to all 3 and tested towing variants of each one. goal was either a 16 or 17 with no more than 10k on the clock.
dodge was an outdoorsman pretty well loaded 16 and had a few miles. was unimpressed with this rig to say the least. felt the cheapest of the 3 and with the rear end gears, was 4-500rpm's higher than the other 2 at 60mph. sure that will tow better but since 90% of the time in the truck is spent not towing, decided it would be a thirsty pig. overall fit/finish did not feel up to the same as the other 2. sitting in the seat, really felt like I was in a truck from the view over the hood.
ford was a 4dr fx4 package and was loaded with everything but sunroof. 16 model with a few miles and had the 5.0. I know the 3.5 has more hp/tq but something tells me those engines are going to have more $$ in replacement costs over the years having owned a few turbo'ed rides. at $1300/ea for a turbo decided to stay with tried/true v8 technology and realistically it has all the power I will need.
truck felt like the fastest of the bunch and with all the addons would do anything. the trailer assist with the dash knob was pretty darn cool. overall liked it. only truck with a true center console and buckets. other 2 were bench seats with fold down center. forward visibility was the worst of the group with the "a" pillars and the grab bars. truck came stock with wrangler 10ply tires which is good for towing but they had some highway noise.
chevy was a z71 missing a few options but has heated seats/remote start and most other options. 16 model with a few miles. it had, hands down, the most car-like ride of the 3 and was the quietest. tranny(6sp) felt like it was programmed for fuel economy as it didn't want to downshift as easily as the other 2 when your foot required additional power. had the best forward visibiliy of the 3.
in the end, chose the chevy for the quieter ride and still knowing it will tow the boat fine. it also looked the best to me but that's all personal opinion and all stated above is imo.
I know that the saying is pics or I don't own it but it was dark. going to snap a few this weekend when I pull it out to make room to finish detailing the ford and hopefully find it a new home.
all of this reminded me of how much I HATE the car buying process but it sure is fun to drive a new hooptie home...
here's a stock photo of the same rig... can't wait for spring to hook up the boat and see how she tows it....
http://www.swapalease.com/vehiclephotos/1043697/large/d6ac210d-4d9f-41ba-a371-16929ca3ebe1.jpg
went out and drove the big3. I am not one that cares what I buy so I was open to all 3 and tested towing variants of each one. goal was either a 16 or 17 with no more than 10k on the clock.
dodge was an outdoorsman pretty well loaded 16 and had a few miles. was unimpressed with this rig to say the least. felt the cheapest of the 3 and with the rear end gears, was 4-500rpm's higher than the other 2 at 60mph. sure that will tow better but since 90% of the time in the truck is spent not towing, decided it would be a thirsty pig. overall fit/finish did not feel up to the same as the other 2. sitting in the seat, really felt like I was in a truck from the view over the hood.
ford was a 4dr fx4 package and was loaded with everything but sunroof. 16 model with a few miles and had the 5.0. I know the 3.5 has more hp/tq but something tells me those engines are going to have more $$ in replacement costs over the years having owned a few turbo'ed rides. at $1300/ea for a turbo decided to stay with tried/true v8 technology and realistically it has all the power I will need.
truck felt like the fastest of the bunch and with all the addons would do anything. the trailer assist with the dash knob was pretty darn cool. overall liked it. only truck with a true center console and buckets. other 2 were bench seats with fold down center. forward visibility was the worst of the group with the "a" pillars and the grab bars. truck came stock with wrangler 10ply tires which is good for towing but they had some highway noise.
chevy was a z71 missing a few options but has heated seats/remote start and most other options. 16 model with a few miles. it had, hands down, the most car-like ride of the 3 and was the quietest. tranny(6sp) felt like it was programmed for fuel economy as it didn't want to downshift as easily as the other 2 when your foot required additional power. had the best forward visibiliy of the 3.
in the end, chose the chevy for the quieter ride and still knowing it will tow the boat fine. it also looked the best to me but that's all personal opinion and all stated above is imo.
I know that the saying is pics or I don't own it but it was dark. going to snap a few this weekend when I pull it out to make room to finish detailing the ford and hopefully find it a new home.
all of this reminded me of how much I HATE the car buying process but it sure is fun to drive a new hooptie home...
here's a stock photo of the same rig... can't wait for spring to hook up the boat and see how she tows it....
http://www.swapalease.com/vehiclephotos/1043697/large/d6ac210d-4d9f-41ba-a371-16929ca3ebe1.jpg