Best Daily Driver Car/Truck ?

[02supercrew]

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Originally posted by Scooby:

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Originally posted by 02supercrew:
Personally I'd keep the truck and get into a Taurus or something of the sort.

$4K will get you into a good used '00 Taurus (or domestic) with 60-80K mi on it, and get 25-30 mpg all day long.

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Yeah, but better save $2k for transmission replacement about every 50-75k miles. We just traded off a 2000 Taurus 3.0 Vulcan for a 2005 Sienna. Taurus had 82k miles and on it's third transmission. Was only a few thousand miles from needing it's fourth. Also, best mileage I ever got was 27mpg on sustained hwy trips. Everyday hwy mileage was about 24.

The Taurus was about the worst built car I have ever had. Resale/ trade-in is terrible. I've had terrible luck woth Ford's. My 1992 Ranger was the best. My $34k 2001 loaded Supercrew had TERRIBLE quality. Hood looked like it had been painted by a 3 year old (traded out on dealer lot the day it arrived). Outside door moulding kept falling off. Rear window moulding replaced numerous times. CD changer changed 3 times, left outside mirror fell off with 4k miles. Finally got rid off it.

I've had great luck with 'yota's. Probably be all I get from now on. On my 5th, with no major problems.

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I hate hearing about people that get "the bad one".

On the other hand my experince has led me to believe they are good vehicles (greatly depends on transmission).

Yes, the resale is bad, that's what makes them such a great vehicle to buy. So what if you have to dump a transmission in (1,000 not 2,000 dollars), you are still way ahead of the guy that bought the import and paid 4K more than the Taurus.

In a Taurus a 3.0L vulcan and a Ax4n transmission are the most reliable, I've personally seen over 20 localy with over 200K mi on the original motor and transmissions. The '00 I owned for 150K trouble free miles, till we traded it off on a explorer.

The 3.0L vulcan is one of Ford's best and longest running platforms.

The ax4s transmission is the one to watch out for.

It's unfortunate that you got the bad ones, but there is a reason why the F-150 is the number 1 selling truck for the past 2 decades. What you mention should have been taken care of with out question no matter the mfg'er.

You got rid of a vehicle after 4k mi over a couple of electrical problems and trim, rather than making the dealer ship do their job??

To me, it sounds like your either making it up or were biased from the get go...either way that's your opinion, and you are entitled to it.

 

[TomJones76]

I know this isn't a poll, but I'm with the guy who said to just keeping buying the gas. You're going to take a COMPLETE SOAKING if you trade in at this point. Even if you do a private party sale you're going to get hosed.
Your loss on trading in this early will probably buy you 3-4 years worth of "gas savings", unless your real financial plan was to dump the truck and get into a much less expensive vehicle. Then you might come out ahead, but I do not believe that is what you want to do based on your posts.

 

[Amkeer]

I wouldn't want my family driving around in a vehicle with "disposeable transmissions".

 

[davidfarming]

Personally I would keep the Ram. Look at the safety features that you have now. If you ever get in an accident, chances are that anything hitting that bumper of yours would crumple on impact. Safety is worth peace of mind.

 

[labman]

One thing you have to look at is the upkeep. Tires, brakes, and other bits and pieces run more for any truck than a car. Does your Dodge have the ball joints where you have to replace the whole A-frame? What do you pay to license a truck compared to a car? Of course, the struts, CV joints, and rear suspension pieces can be pricey for most cars. Have trucks gone to the replace the whole hub if the wheel bearing goes out?

 

[buster]

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Tires, brakes, and other bits and pieces run more for any truck than a car. Does your Dodge have the ball joints where you have to replace the whole A-frame? What do you pay to license a truck compared to a car? Of course, the struts, CV joints, and rear suspension pieces can be pricey for most cars. Have trucks gone to the replace the whole hub if the wheel bearing goes out?

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You nailed it. $250 a tire!

It's an awesome truck, but as I said before, alot has changed recently.

 

[TheTanSedan]

The expense of gasoline is, at best, 10-12% of the cost-per-mile of ownership.

Depreciation, insurance, maintenance, repairs all add to higher numbers on a per-mile basis.

Go to www.edmunds.com and research this. Build your own spreadsheet, or look at some available online for keeping track of vehicle expenses.

Chances are more than likely that depreciation alone -- on this vehicle and on the next one -- negate any "savings" in regards fuel costs.

For a guy who "loves" cars . . you need to do some very basic homework to understand what this "love" (more like blind infatuation [to which we've all been prone]) is costing you, short-term and long.

That said, you'll likely get rid of the truck. And your finances will take one helluva hit. Do some research. Know your actual cost per operating mile. Choose what your family needs for long-term best health.

The car infatuation lessens with age even though the passion remains. It is a nice transition when it happens . . . I'm choosing what better suits me versus what I think impresses others. In other words, I get to make more of the rules instead of (whatever you name him/it).

 

[haley10]

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Originally posted by buster:
Just talked to my friend at a Honda dealer. I can get into a siler 2 door accord coupe/leather/manual for the same monthly payment now with nothing down. It has 160hp/161lbs of torque. I test drove it and it wasn't bad at all. I can't believe I'm considering this. I've driven used cars all my life and never do things like this but I might have to bite the bullet. I'm OUT OF MY MIND.

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Accords are nice. The V-6 has torque steer and the 4-cyl is quite adequate for most folks.

I knew that Ram was going to eat yor box lunch on mpg.

 

[cousincletus]

quote:

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Originally posted by labman:
One thing you have to look at is the upkeep. Tires, brakes, and other bits and pieces run more for any truck than a car. Does your Dodge have the ball joints where you have to replace the whole A-frame? What do you pay to license a truck compared to a car? Of course, the struts, CV joints, and rear suspension pieces can be pricey for most cars. Have trucks gone to the replace the whole hub if the wheel bearing goes out?

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My 2001 2WD Ram 1500 has the sealed front wheel bearings, but they hold up OK. I would think that they are expensive to replace if one goes bad though. If one ever fails on the Truck or the Cavalier, there are lots of late model wrecks with low mileage to pick from in the junkyard and they sell parts like that real cheap.

 

[Scooby]

quote:

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Originally posted by 02supercrew:

quote:

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Originally posted by Scooby:

quote:

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Originally posted by 02supercrew:
Personally I'd keep the truck and get into a Taurus or something of the sort.

$4K will get you into a good used '00 Taurus (or domestic) with 60-80K mi on it, and get 25-30 mpg all day long.

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Yeah, but better save $2k for transmission replacement about every 50-75k miles. We just traded off a 2000 Taurus 3.0 Vulcan for a 2005 Sienna. Taurus had 82k miles and on it's third transmission. Was only a few thousand miles from needing it's fourth. Also, best mileage I ever got was 27mpg on sustained hwy trips. Everyday hwy mileage was about 24.

The Taurus was about the worst built car I have ever had. Resale/ trade-in is terrible. I've had terrible luck woth Ford's. My 1992 Ranger was the best. My $34k 2001 loaded Supercrew had TERRIBLE quality. Hood looked like it had been painted by a 3 year old (traded out on dealer lot the day it arrived). Outside door moulding kept falling off. Rear window moulding replaced numerous times. CD changer changed 3 times, left outside mirror fell off with 4k miles. Finally got rid off it.

I've had great luck with 'yota's. Probably be all I get from now on. On my 5th, with no major problems.

---

I hate hearing about people that get "the bad one".

On the other hand my experince has led me to believe they are good vehicles (greatly depends on transmission).

Yes, the resale is bad, that's what makes them such a great vehicle to buy. So what if you have to dump a transmission in (1,000 not 2,000 dollars), you are still way ahead of the guy that bought the import and paid 4K more than the Taurus.

In a Taurus a 3.0L vulcan and a Ax4n transmission are the most reliable, I've personally seen over 20 localy with over 200K mi on the original motor and transmissions. The '00 I owned for 150K trouble free miles, till we traded it off on a explorer.

The 3.0L vulcan is one of Ford's best and longest running platforms.

The ax4s transmission is the one to watch out for.

It's unfortunate that you got the bad ones, but there is a reason why the F-150 is the number 1 selling truck for the past 2 decades. What you mention should have been taken care of with out question no matter the mfg'er.

You got rid of a vehicle after 4k mi over a couple of electrical problems and trim, rather than making the dealer ship do their job??

To me, it sounds like your either making it up or were biased from the get go...either way that's your opinion, and you are entitled to it.

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Well, no making it up. And not really biased at the time. When I bought my Screw in 5/01 the Taurus only had one transmission so far. I drove the Screw for a little over a year (sold 7/3/02) and had about 12k miles on it. Everything was fixed EVENTUALLY expect the mirror and the rear window trim. Was told the mirror was due to damage (which it trully wasn't) and the rear window trim would re-occur every month or two. Was finally told by my dealer that there currently wasn't a true "fix". I was very happy with the dealer. They always treated us pretty good.

Current bias...you bet ya. I wouldn't buy another Ford unless it was a Diesel. IMO that's the only vehicle they have that is reliable. Then again, I have no plans to buy anything if it doesn't have a Toyota emblem in the grill.

 

[427Z06]

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Originally posted by davidfarming:
Personally I would keep the Ram. Look at the safety features that you have now.

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If you look at the comprehensive scientific studies, once at or above 3300 lbs, active and passive safety features are a better indicator of safety, such as crumple zones, side air bags, cockpit integrity, etc.