Best circa 2000-2008 truck?

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Huie83

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Good Morning,

I've wanted a truck for a few years now for home improvement projects, to haul stuff to the compost site, tow the dirt bikes and my hunting/fishing boat etc. Right now our 2006 Sienna does those duties, but a 4x4 would be nice for the aforementioned reasons and to take some stress off the Sienna. My DD is a 2010 Impala with 140K miles so a 3rd vehicle as a backup would be nice too if I want to take the Impala out of service for maintenance.

On to the main question. In your experience, what half ton quad cab ( I have 3 boys 4-12 years) in the 2000-2008 years is the best riding and most reliable?

I started to look at new trucks and while I can afford a new one and they are nice, I just can't spend $35K on one.This truck will be parked outside year round as the van is in the garage for the wife and kids. I'd rather stick in the $10-12K price range. I really like the older 2000-2003 F150 body style trucks. I've heard the 5.4 Triton can be a maintenance nightmare, but some love them. My FIL loves GM trucks but our Impala has had its fair share of issues which makes me leery.

Opinions, experience?
 
Tundra. You have the Sienna, so you know what to expect. Downside is that you will be paying the used-toyota premium. SO expect paying slightly more for the same miles or get a few more miles for the same price.

1. I am a Chevy fan but dang, Chevy was trying to run off its customers in the mid 00s. I think that Toyota has been filling the "old C/K" truck niche (reliable but slightly dated truck) since then. If you go Chevy, I would go 2009 or later. Our farm vehicles ('88 2500 and '09 2500) both have 220K+... but note that the 2003 is not included (sold it, not good). Now, the 2009 did have the engine replace (spun a bearing at 180K) but overall, it had been lawless. Transmission, everything else was was healthy so we spent the $5K on a new engine (beat spending 30K on a new truck). Since the heart swap, only brake work and PM has been needed.

I am a big fan of the 5.4. I manage a few of them in my work fleet. The "HD" E350s and have not had many issues (about 8,000 hours). The worse thing that hit my fleet is the water pump issues but you can watch that (and not drive around without coolant like one "numb" driver of mine). However, the Ford 3.7 in our Transits are every bit as good and don't kill me in the mileage. I was getting 7.5-8mpg in the 5.4s and about 12mpg in the 3.7. I am giving up about 70lbs of torque, but I have "felt" the loss. My normal payload(s) are between 2,000-3,000lbs, so I rarely max it out. Not sure what your haul weights, but the 3.7 is slowly becoming my favorite engine in my fleet.

I understand the Impala... we used to have 5 of them (2009-2014 including LE vehicles), only one was reliable (actually, the best in my fleet)... one was "ok" and three junkers. They have since been replaced with Fusions and Police Interceptors.
 
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2003 Suburban Z71 here- will haul all your family, tow anything you want. You can also sleep in it on camping trips if you take out the 3rd row seating.

We just got back from a 3 day camping trip with 5 other of our friends that had pickups. We slept in the suburban while they slept in tents. We were the only ones that stayed warm and comfy.

220K miles on mine and everything works and it rides and pulls great.

5.3 4L60E
 
Put 177k trouble free miles on a 2005 GMC 4WD … but that’s not even half of what BiL got from his 2002
(He changed 2 wheel bearings, brake pads … no engine or transmission repair) …
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Watch the roads and see which models have the least rust. Rear wheel fender rust is one place I’d watch out for.


Last truck I saw with body rust through was a 2004 Taco … in the south … the other side was fine and he was original owner
 
The tundra is s great idea, I don't know why it wasn't on my list.

Also, I think I'll probably end up traveling south to get something. Most trucks up here of this vintage are pretty rusty.
 
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Can’t go wrong with an older early 90s Ford F150 especially with the 300 inline 6. They R easy to work on and last forever. I have owned 2 of these. One has the 5.0 302 and I am not too impressed w it but it gets the job done. Both are single cabs w an 8ft bed though but they did make an extended cab model. They can be bought for as little as $1000 in good shape too!
 
Originally Posted By: ridgerunner
Can’t go wrong with an older early 90s Ford F150 especially with the 300 inline 6. They R easy to work on and last forever. I have owned 2 of these. One has the 5.0 302 and I am not too impressed w it but it gets the job done. Both are single cabs w an 8ft bed though but they did make an extended cab model. They can be bought for as little as $1000 in good shape too!


Good suggestion but I don't believe you can get these in a quad cab. 4 door is kind of a requirement so I can haul the kids on our dirt bike trips etc. I have looked at extended cabs but it gets pretty cramped back there.
 
Around here, of that vintage (particularly anything 2005 or older), I'd be buying on condition first, and brand second.

You will see a fair amount of 2004-2008 F150's with the 5.4 3V with higher mileage and low sales prices. The 3V has a track record of cam phaser issues and timing chain tensioners having trouble at higher mileages. The full repair is generally around $2000-2500 using good parts and mechanics. While the engine got the job done, and I liked the truck overall (I had an '04 F150 Supercrew), I wouldn't recommend one to most unless they know what they are getting into. On top of that issue, make sure the plugs have been changed - that generation has the plugs that get stuck, and you'll generally get a quote for service along the lines of a certain amount for all 8, plus an hourly charge for any that break.

The 2000-2003 Trucks have the old 2V 5.4 (or a 4.6). These had issues of the plugs launching themselves instead of getting stuck. You'll want to ask if any of these have had issues. I loved my '97 and '99 F150's of that vintage (Both had the 4.6). It wasn't going to win any races, but they were extremely reliable.

Can't speak to the other brands, but I'd reiterate that I'd buy on condition first, brand second at these ages...
 
Tundra isn't a bad idea. Although I will say 10-12K won't get you much around here for a Tundra. An 04-06 Tundra (no rust) is pretty much bulletproof. I saw one in AZ w/ 120K miles for 12K a while back, so they are out there. If you go 3V 5.4, I would recommend the '08 only because they have the revised spark plugs.

I think the pre AFM Silverado's are known to be pretty reliable to.
 
Lincoln Blackwood?
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Originally Posted By: panthermike
Tundra isn't a bad idea. Although I will say 10-12K won't get you much around here for a Tundra. An 04-06 Tundra (no rust) is pretty much bulletproof. I saw one in AZ w/ 120K miles for 12K a while back, so they are out there. If you go 3V 5.4, I would recommend the '08 only because they have the revised spark plugs.

I think the pre AFM Silverado's are known to be pretty reliable to.


I've been looking around and trucks in the south and out West seem to be much cheaper and in better shape. I don't know if it's a MN thing or what, but used truck prices up here are crazy.

I've been able to find some 2003-2008 Tundras south and out west ( FL, Cali etc) with low 100K miles for $12-15K. Doesn't seem too bad to me. F150's and Silverado's are naturally a bit cheaper with the same mileage.

I agree with the comment on condition over brand. I do think at that age I'll be traveling to get the truck. I'd rather do that than have to deal with rust. I was recently in Moab Utah for the Jeep jamboree with a friend and the condition of the older trucks/Jeeps out there was amazing. 15-20 year old trucks with no rust, blew my mind being from MN!
 
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Originally Posted By: macarose
This site will give you a deeper dive when it comes to answering that question.

http://www.dashboard-light.com/

They have inspected over 1.7 million vehicles at this point so the data is pretty strong. Good luck!


Unless their methods have changed it's some nonsense gathered from "inspections" of cars at auction. Then they massage the data with some formula to come up with a meaningless ranking.

http://dashboard-light.com/faq.html#qir
 
GM. Best mills, I think the transmissions are OK. The only thing you have to worry about is the pump rub in the transfer case and the one my parents have has weird steering feel due to the steering shaft or something. They are super common, and you will not have to pay the Toyota premium.

I only have experience with the GMT 400 & 800 models as work trucks. They are tough, especially the 400s.
 
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In a Tundra, make sure that the frame recall had been performed if affected. Also make sure that any rust is minor on the frame, undercarriage, etc. The 05-06 is prime.
We know quite a few people that have GM full size trucks and SUVs with good luck. My dad has had numerous of them as well with pretty good luck. These trucks are pretty solid if you take care of them. I would never purchase one with AFM.
 
For a gas full size i think GM has an overall win in this age range. Once you have a new enough truck to have an LS based engine it has no real rival. The GMT 800 is pretty decent and parts are so cheap if you need them. Toyota is great and all but often is so overpriced in the used market that its a non starter. IMO ford didn't really have a good engine till the 5.0 F150 in 2011, but very expensive.
 
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