Chevy, Ford, Ram, Toyota?

[Sportznut]

I bought a 2014 Ram 1500 Crew Cab with 5.7 Hemi. I have about 24,000 miles on it now. For the most part I'm pretty satisfied.

 

The only issues I've had is some recalls that the dealer took care of without any problems.

 

The only thing I don't like about my Ram is the ride when the road gets bumpy. It is really harsh. Could be as simple as upgrading the shocks or springs.

 

I have come to realize that I should have ordered a higher level of trim. I have the Big Horn package with several options (Nav, big screen, heated steering wheel, bumper sensors, tow package, bed liner, 20" wheels, etc) but I want leather, remote start, and a few other goodies. I know I could get these in the aftermarket.

 

I'm thinking I want a different color, and I don't think I want my current Ram to get beyond the factory warranty period. I bought white but think I want red. I will take a bit of a hit financially but that is ok as this is a business expense so the hit won't be as bad.

 

 

I did not know Ram was actually owned by Fiat until after I purchased it. Obviously buying foreign is not a major hurdle for me anyhow.

 

 

My point is I'm going to get a chance to redo this and I'm wondering if I should consider all four brands. Each has its pros and cons in my opinion. It's just a matter of which has the least amount of issues with expensive fixes.

 

Of the four the only one I would be concerned with the powertrain might be the Ford EcoBoost as it approaches the 80 - 100, 000 mile range. I would not have the concern with the Ford V8. I do like the fact that Ford did not participate in the bailout.

 

I have a real comfort zone with Toyota products because 3 out of my last 4 new cars were Toyotas and I put almost 400,000 miles on them without any reliability issues.

 

But I think the American brands have come a long way too.

 

 

I like the looks of the Chevy and some of the unique features like the step bumper. The ride seems quieter and smoother. The 5.3 seems rock solid, has enough power, mated with the 8 speed transmission seems to get great MPG like my Ram. The term "great" is relative to trucks. The soft paint is a little concerning.

 

I drive mostly highway miles and I don't tow anything.

 

Surprisingly I have not checked out the Toyota very closely. When I bought my Ram the Toyota was going for at least $10,000 higher, so I did not pursue it.

 

The sticker on my Ram was approximately $47,000 and I paid approximately $35,000 before taxes. I will need to pay a little bit more to get what I'm looking for regardless of which brand.

 

So my questions to some of you is if you were to do it again what brand would you buy today? And why or why not? What would be your second choice?

 

I do realize I am asking a bunch of Chevy owners so some loyalty driven responses are expected.

 

I did search and read several threads so I have a feel for some of the pros & cons of the Chevy but feel free to add any details you want.

 

Thanks for any input you might offer.

 

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[f8l vnm]

I'm just here to say the tundra is one ugly mofo. That's all

[Rawyzf]

I was dead set on getting a RAM. But I went to the Auto show last year just to make sure that was the right choice and compare them all side to side.

 

In the comparisons at the show, Chevy won me over thus here I am.

 

I'm not a fan of the Fords, but I still like the looks of some Rams.

 

I'd go Chevy again though, I love this truck.

 

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[Sportznut]

I'm just here to say the tundra is one ugly mofo. That's all

I agree that Toyota's in general lag behind in looks across the entire brand.

 

But I am kind of ugly too so I won't cross them off the list based on looks alone.[emoji41]

 

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[harveyfamily]

One thing the Toyota has going for it is it's built in the USA. But, Toyota is very proud of their truck and when I was looking at them I could not get them to budge much off of MSRP.

[GMCSierra4x4]

At this point, I think the new Nissan Titan with 5.0L Cummins Diesel and Allison Transmission is a big contender. It is the same price as the gas version in all other brands. However, it is a first year design.

[MikeNH]

The Ram rides better than any pickup I've driven so I'm not sure how you'll find the rest.

 

I've driven all of them except the Toyota and honestly the Ram is my current favorite, despite being a GM fan.

 

The Ford seats were uncomfortable. Too firm and this has been an issue on F-150s for a while now in my opinion. Also, no matter how they spin it, aluminum body repair complicates things. The 5.0 is nice (I have no use for their EcoBoost) and the trucks do look good and have some innovative features though. Sync 3 is supposed to be much better than the last generation of infotainment but the last stuff was so bad I generally would refuse Fords as rentals because it was so terrible (I travel often for work).

 

Toyota is probably a solid platform, I love the full-width roll down window on the crew cab and Toyota offers some real nice TRD (their performance division) parts that are very well integrated. They do poorly when it comes to fuel economy though.

 

GM makes a good all around truck but nothing to me stands out as being exceptional. They tune the throttle too lazy and I don't like how low they sit.

 

Rams (and Chrysler in general) have the best infotainment system out there currently though Toyota is a close second aside from navigation. With the dual exhaust from the factory the truck sounds real nice too. While I like the styling, I'm not a fan of the fallout from it. I don't like not being able to see the fenders and when it comes to ride, despite being smooth I always feel like I'm sitting on top of the truck rather than in it with Rams and this has been a sensation I've noticed going back to the 94-01 body style.

[RyanbabZ71]

nissan titan, only because it wasnt a choice

[dave07]

For me, it was between the Tundra and the GM twins. I came from a lemon 2013 Ford Mustang that was total junk. I truly believe Ford is turning out complete junk right now. Ram was a close 3rd choice but I couldn't stand owning a Fiat/Chrysler brand with their record of reliability. The reason I chose the GM over the Tundra was Toyota wouldn't budge on price, they are basically on a 9 year old platform with the current truck (GM just redesigned theirs), and the Tundra is atrocious on gas mileage.

[newdude]

At this point, I think the new Nissan Titan with 5.0L Cummins Diesel and Allison Transmission is a big contender. It is the same price as the gas version in all other brands. However, it is a first year design.

 

Uh no. Its an AISIN not and ALLISON. AISIN. AISIN makes the transmission behind the high output 6.7 and 4500/5500 RAM trucks, and there is an AISIN in almost every Toyota.

[Willshire]

Since i tightened the u-bolts on my AT i love it. Has what i want and gets excellent gas mileage on the highway. 22-25 mpg is pretty good for a 7000lb truck and a v8. Toyota was ugly, RAM is.... well, a chrylser, and two of my buds have fords and they are uncomfortable.

[Ridersfan]

I bought a 2014 Ram 1500 Crew Cab with 5.7 Hemi. I have about 24,000 miles on it now. For the most part I'm pretty satisfied.

 

The only issues I've had is some recalls that the dealer took care of without any problems.

 

The only thing I don't like about my Ram is the ride when the road gets bumpy. It is really harsh. Could be as simple as upgrading the shocks or springs.

 

I have come to realize that I should have ordered a higher level of trim. I have the Big Horn package with several options (Nav, big screen, heated steering wheel, bumper sensors, tow package, bed liner, 20" wheels, etc) but I want leather, remote start, and a few other goodies. I know I could get these in the aftermarket.

 

I'm thinking I want a different color, and I don't think I want my current Ram to get beyond the factory warranty period. I bought white but think I want red. I will take a bit of a hit financially but that is ok as this is a business expense so the hit won't be as bad.

 

 

I did not know Ram was actually owned by Fiat until after I purchased it. Obviously buying foreign is not a major hurdle for me anyhow.

 

 

My point is I'm going to get a chance to redo this and I'm wondering if I should consider all four brands. Each has its pros and cons in my opinion. It's just a matter of which has the least amount of issues with expensive fixes.

 

Of the four the only one I would be concerned with the powertrain might be the Ford EcoBoost as it approaches the 80 - 100, 000 mile range. I would not have the concern with the Ford V8. I do like the fact that Ford did not participate in the bailout.

 

I have a real comfort zone with Toyota products because 3 out of my last 4 new cars were Toyotas and I put almost 400,000 miles on them without any reliability issues.

 

But I think the American brands have come a long way too.

 

 

I like the looks of the Chevy and some of the unique features like the step bumper. The ride seems quieter and smoother. The 5.3 seems rock solid, has enough power, mated with the 8 speed transmission seems to get great MPG like my Ram. The term "great" is relative to trucks. The soft paint is a little concerning.

 

I drive mostly highway miles and I don't tow anything.

 

Surprisingly I have not checked out the Toyota very closely. When I bought my Ram the Toyota was going for at least $10,000 higher, so I did not pursue it.

 

The sticker on my Ram was approximately $47,000 and I paid approximately $35,000 before taxes. I will need to pay a little bit more to get what I'm looking for regardless of which brand.

 

So my questions to some of you is if you were to do it again what brand would you buy today? And why or why not? What would be your second choice?

 

I do realize I am asking a bunch of Chevy owners so some loyalty driven responses are expected.

 

I did search and read several threads so I have a feel for some of the pros & cons of the Chevy but feel free to add any details you want.

 

Thanks for any input you might offer.

 

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Umm, Ford has taken just as much govt money under a different program as GM and Chrysler have.... the whole Ford didn't take a bailout is a lie. They absolutely have in the 80's in the 90's and in the early 2000's. Then they got a dept of energy loan during the bailout. Ford is hypocritical to advertise they never took a bailout.

[Sportznut]

I read this on the internet so it must be true [emoji12]

 

Unless you have some type of Insider information I assume you base your opinion on what you read just like I do.

 

There are several versions of the story and I will admit I have no way of verifying any of them , do you? I chose to believe what I read on factcheck.org

 

It is true that Ford took advantage ($5.9 billion) of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program (ATVM) to develop and tool up more fuel-efficient vehicles. But technically that is not an emergency bailout due to financial crisis.

 

The feds offered the ATVM program and several manufacturers took advantage of it including Nissan, Tesla, Fisker, and VPG.

 

Of course each media outlet seems to want to twist the facts to fit their sensationalized message of the moment to improve their ratings or internet hits. So we have to read between the lines to find the truth..... if there is any to find.

 

 

 

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[tnchevy]

I have family members who are die hard Ford fanatics and liked to give me grief over GM taking the bailout. I then remind them that Harley Davidson and Verizon wireless were also part of the same package that GM was under but I don't see them switching cell phone carriers (verizon only one that picks up around here) and selling or badmouthing their HD's.

[Graphic]

I think the Silverado rode better and had better interior material. Silverado was a higher trim level though, so that might be the case. Cab is super quiet. Infotainment system VERY slow.

 

The Ram looks better and when I press the gas it goes, it doesn't think about it for a couple seconds first. Of course, I had the terribly tuned 6 speed and now they have 8 speeds like the Ram. I haven't had any real issues with the Ram like the issues I had on the Silverado. Ride is okay, but I have a Sport which might be a little stiffer. Not enough to bug me. Infotainment system pretty darn good. I do admit like someone else said that it is odd not to see the fenders, but I find that is only an issue when parking. Sometimes it looks like my wife parked the thing. After a year I am still working on this... lol

 

I took the new Ford for a spin. It just feels awkward in the cab and the I am not sure about the aluminum body yet...

 

Toyota, like everyone else says, are ugly and get terrible mileage for now. In serious need of an update. However, if the toyota fans are to be believed, it'll be ugly and getting terrible gas mileage for a lot of troublefree miles.

 

Nissan had a truck at the outdoor expo I was at last weekend. It looked sharp and aggressive. Don't know about the interior because it was locked and I couldn't get in... No one was around to unlock it.