Jkm's List of Trucks He Wants

"jkm7680" (jkm7680) 04/24/2016 at 20:00 • Filed to: None

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As pretty much everybody knows by now, I’m looking to buy a truck for under $7,000 USD.

First of all, I’d like to thank everybody for putting up with my constant posting asking questions about certain trucks and their problems and whatnot. I took advice from all of you and complied a lot of the major points into this list. This list is to serve as a bit of a “buyers guide” for myself and whoever else feels so inclined to use it.

Feel free to chip in with certain quirks and issues that these trucks have that I’m missing out on for this list!

Option 1: 1999-2006 F-250 with the 7.3 Powerstroke and 4x4 (Diesel)

+Legendary 7.3 durability and potential to take a beating

++Prefer the looks over a lot of other trucks

-Higher prices (Rust and mileage don’t have that negative of an effect.)

-Bad rust problems, (Cab corners, the entire bed.)

-Transmission failure

Option 2: 1999-2005 (Or so) Chevy Silverado 2500 6.6 Duramax 4x4 (Diesel)

-Can’t find many non-shit ones for my budget

+Appears to be the most reliable of the bunch?

+They still look pretty good

Option 3: 1997-2001 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 Cummins 4x4 (Diesel)

+I’ve wanted one since I was a kid

+Looks great

-Weak transmissions

-Rust problems

+My favorite sounding diesel engines are made by Cummins

Option 4: 2004-2007 Nissan Titan 4x4 (Gas)

+Nice sounding 5.6 liter V8

-Horrendous fuel economy

-Transmission/rear diff issues

+They’re nice to look at

+Built in my home state (Doesn’t really matter, just think it’s cool for some reason.)

Also: I’ve always wanted a truck, my first toy car as a kid was a truck, I want a beater and I actually have business in which a truck would benefit me.

Thank ya all!

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:13

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If the Duramax really is the most reliable of this lot, you better have a lot of money left for repairs after you spend that $7k. We had a ‘02 Duramax 2500 at work from ‘06-13 or so and it was the biggest hunk of crap. Every time we hitched a trailer to it we’d drive with fingers crossed that we’d make it to our destination. I have many memories of riding in that crap heap with the heat on full blast in the 110+ degree summer heat just to keep it from overheating with a trailer loaded to half of its rated weight. Constant front end issues, cooling issues, and leaks. And just about every trim piece fell out of the interior at some point. We’ve gotten rid of all the Chevy’s and Fords (V10 gas - fun but almost as unreliable) and gone Cummins-only.

WRXasaurus > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:18

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If you really need a diesel any will work well for you. 7.3 is an awesome engine. If you just want a pickup like for a Chevy with a 5.3 v8. Good mileage, runs forever, parts are cheap. I’m more of a Ford fan but the 5.4 was problematic from 04 on. Rust will affect all of them depending on where you live. I’m going to be doing something similar in a year and am looking at Tundra’s but you said you don’t like them.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:25

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No, the Duramax will not be. The LB7 had fairly expensive injector problems. Unlike the 6.0 and it’s head gaskets, the LB7 injectors was a when, not if, they will fail. Also, I’ve seen tons of broken unbreakable Allison's.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:29

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Buy a F250 from the desert Southwest. Problem solved.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:36

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But.. but... what about...

:(

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:44

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Heck I don’t think you could go wrong with any of these but the Titan. You are right about the Chevy though, the good ones are probably gonna be out of your price range. I'd say the 7.3 is the sweet spot.

Birddog > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 20:47

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I’m just here to vote for the Dodge. It’s the best looking of the bunch.

HammerheadFistpunch > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/24/2016 at 21:02

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just not utah

wafflesnfalafel > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 04/24/2016 at 21:09

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aren’t they the ones with the death wobbles?

jkm7680 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/24/2016 at 21:22

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Too smalllll

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 21:23

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That Nissan V8 sounds glorious all through the revs. But yeah. Towing a camper with one..... got about 7

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 21:24

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Is it?

jkm7680 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/24/2016 at 21:25

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General size, not just bed size :P

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 21:29

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Problem solved

jkm7680 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/24/2016 at 21:33

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lol

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 21:50

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Why is it too small?

jkm7680 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 04/24/2016 at 21:51

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Because I’m shopping for a full sized truck.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 21:58

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But do you need a full size truck?

jkm7680 > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 04/24/2016 at 22:01

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I don’t necessarily“need” one. But I’ve wanted one since I was a kid.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 04/24/2016 at 22:12

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Since when does UT believe they’re desert Southwest or Southwest in general? They’re “Intermountain West”. Everyone there seems to believe their state is somehow almost California or something.

In any case, great advice. I have never lived in another place where cars rust out so fast/bad.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 22:15

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I wish I could find an F-250 (or, better yet, 350 that isn't a dually) with a manual transmission, 7.3 diesel, a mild lift (like that), and in such great shape for anywhere near that price. Would buy instantly.

HammerheadFistpunch > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/24/2016 at 22:26

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I think its probably because its the desert here, and a lot of the state looks like this

we are the driest state in the nation after all (even Nevada gets more summer rain than we do)

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 04/24/2016 at 22:33

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And although these are true, 90+% of the population lives in a region that isn’t desert (Wasatch Front, which is similar to Helena Montana.) and the part that looks like the desert southwest is indiscernible from Arizona, adjacent Colorado, much of New Mexico, and Nevada (which blends right into western UT). Nevada doesn’t have the same delusions even though it is closer to the coast and has more of a connection to Los Angeles.

HammerheadFistpunch > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/24/2016 at 22:48

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The front is also a desert, its just that its been cultivated to appear to not be one.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > jkm7680 04/24/2016 at 23:29

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LB7 Duramaxes have injectors that can be problematic, and because GM/Isuzu didn’t know what they were doing, the valve covers are one piece and have to come off to even get to the injectors.

This increases labor for repairing the fuel system.

LLYs are generally decent, LBZs have more power, but come at a premium to the LLY, as they also have a 6 speed Allison 1000 rather than the 5 speed of the LB7/LLY trucks.

The biggest problem with LLY trucks is the cooling system. Fortunately, if you have an overheater, it’s obvious. Fixes include the LBZ radiator, or even having a second radiator behind the lower part of the front bumper.

I bought my 2005 LLY crew cab for $8500 (with 306K miles), and while mechanically sound, it was a bit of a basket case. Most of the big issues are sorted now.

If the truck isn’t mechanically sound, (e.g. a chronic overheater), then it’s not worth the time to attempt to get it right, especially if the overheating caused head warpage. If you upgrade the radiator as soon as you get wind of the overheating problem, then you usually have no trouble.

Otherwise, find a better one.

jkm7680 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 04/24/2016 at 23:37

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Thank ya sir for all the info!

I'm just not too sure how comfortable I feel spending $10,000 on a truck with over 300k on it. Ah, diesel tax.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 04/25/2016 at 11:29

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That’s actually not true. SLC is classified Dfa, meaning it is “semi-humid”, not “semi-arid”, let alone “arid”. Most of the Wasatch Front region is Dfb. It is not a desert. Boise is BSk, which is semi-arid. I’m not sure where the belief came from that the people made it look different, aside from the fact it is surrounded by semi-arid and arid regions.

What most locals don’t realize is that most of the valley areas were forested before the settlers logged them, the rest was scrubland. Downtown was heavily forested. There are a lot of myths about that region.

Even I took to one of them. Helena is more arid...

HammerheadFistpunch > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/25/2016 at 11:36

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I can see areas around the cottonwood canyons but I don’t see any evidence of downtown being heavily forested...ever. Not in historical photographs and no evidence exists today. The foothills around downtown are dry and scrubby and appear that way in historical photographs as well. Not sure where that data comes from. Either that or the settlers ran one hell of a logging operation that left no traces of deforestation.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > HammerheadFistpunch 04/25/2016 at 12:49

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Downtown had a creek running through it (called “City Creek”, which is now underground - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Cree… ); the amount of modification the region has undergone is remarkable. Most of the trees you see in the area would have willingly lived there with no irrigation. The environment was more like Chicago...

The thing that makes it harder to understand is that the mountains are more arid. They range from semi-arid through desert (hence the powder snow).

HammerheadFistpunch > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 04/25/2016 at 12:51

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I’m sitting on city creek right now, vegetation yes, forestation? Not really