Future Purchases - Truck & Boat

[taxmancommeth]

Now that I have gotten back into fishing and my little fisher gal has a ring on the finger (can you say Eloping) my 2 year plan for purchases will be as follows.

Truck or SUV - Otherwise known as a boat hauler.

Boat - Bass, Deep V, something in the 18 ft range. Looking for something that will be able to satisfy fishing (local, cabin and some Metro LETS series tournaments & playing around on the water. Probably the fall or early spring sales will do for time frame of 2006. 150 - 200 hp

But my real question is what kind of truck should I be looking at. Would like SUV (Tahoe) for the lab since she can be in back. But would a trailblazer do. Also I would like to pass the A-hole doing 50mph on 169 between Aitkin & Grandrapids with no problem while a 2 ton semi is zoomn at me at 65 mph...

Just getting ideas and I thank you for your input

[walleyejon]

I recently bought a Suburban, and really like it. Downside to any full size SUV these days is the cost of gas. You may want to get an old VW Rabbit,rent a slip at a local Marina, and hire someone to put the boat in and take it out.With the money you save on the vehicle (and insurance), you can buy lots of extra goodies for the boat. After typing that, I think I have a Suburban for sale--lol. Seriously, I shopped really hard before I bought, and I was most impressed with the Tahoes & Suburbans. I went with the Suburban for the extra length. My 2 cents. Good luck.

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Fish on gotta go--JON

[IFallsRon]

I know the stretch of 169 you talk about. It's a beating any time of the year.

There's some nice deals on 98 and 99 Tahoes and Suburbans (low mileage and warranty remaining). That's a good thing because GM hasn't tied up all the loose ends with the new design that started in 00. Those loose ends would include and are not exclusive to: piston slap, fuel pump failure, random electrical failure, sloppy ball joints, vibration and the big one, keyless entry failure.

So far as the boat, opt for as big as you can afford. You'll never regret having the extra room for passengers and gear.

[Ole1855]

Ifalls,

I'm not sure what you are talking about regarding the GM design problems. I have a 2001 GMC Yukon XL, the only problem I've had with it is a broken windshield from a semi throwing a rock at me. I bought the 3/4 ton with the 6.0L, my mileage in town isn't that great, probably 14, my highway mileage runs 15-17 and I have absolutely no problem pulling my "toy's" around. I've got nearly 80,000 trouble free miles so far.

Ole

[311Hemi]

You mentioned truck....so my thoughts.

05' Dodge 2500 Quad Cab 4x4 with the 5.9 L HO Diesel.

Can't beat 20 mpg with a truck like that. Plenty of HP and TQ to get you passed the 50mph drivers, and then some!!! And the quad cab and bed for people...dogs....and gear!!

[rmh2o]

Just wondering how there can be warranty left on a 98-99 with a 3/36 warranty?

[Ole1855]

rmh2o,

7 year 100,000 mi. extended warranty.

Ole

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Olson Insurance Agency
[email protected]
952-224-4774

[2dalake]

I bought a Durango on a compromise with my wife. I wanted something with power, she did not want to drive a "bus" (her term). While I like the performance of this little Dodge, I do not save any money on gas compared to the big boys.

There are times when I cannot haul items that would fit in a bigger truck, like a 4X8 sheet of plywood or sheetrock, or your bigger 4 man ice shelters.

I plan to replace our Accord with a minivan soon, then she won't have a need to drive mine when she has to take seven kids to baseball. THEN I'm getting a four door pickup or suburban.

In the meantime I've got a sporty little truck that gets the job done most of the time.

[NotoriousBLM]

*******. ***********

[Edited by NotoriousBLM so as to not endorse any product that doesn't advertise on FM.com]

[This message has been edited by NotoriousBLM (edited 06-22-2004).]

[Joe Harty]

Sounds like you need a truck....like a new F-150 !

Lakeman

[panolo]

As for the truck I would make sure whatever you get has a V-8 in it. I have a Blazer with the 4.3 and you will struggle to haul some things with that motor.

[hanson]

taxmancommeth, Nice user name. The tax man definitely commeth and take all my money away this year Now I've got to find a second job to support my hobbies.

Anyway, I'd vote for a truck. Suburbans & Tahoes are nice but I need the bed of my truck for ice fishing houses, augers, 4 wheeler someday. Look into the new quad cab silverados. You can get the quad cab on the 1500 chassis now which looks like a pretty sweet rig. Gas mileage isn't all that bad on my Sierra either and the power is definitely there. Even the extended cab chevy's & gmc's have lots of room in the back seat. The F-150s are a little tight on room in the extended cabs, I'm not sure about the new F-150s though on room, haven't been in one yet.

Good luck to you, lots of decisions to make.

[PaulB]

Speaking of Chevy pickups, I'm thinking about getting one too. Extended cab, etc. How much difference is there between the (I believe) std. 4.8 L engine and the pretty common 5.3L? Fuel economy isn't much different, but what about actual performance and cost? Thanks for the input.

[rubber duck]

Go with the diesel if you want power and mileage!

[311Hemi]

I'm with rubber duck. Diesel is the way to go.

My next vehical will be a Cummins Diesel. Like I said earlier....20mpg....towing or not. Go to pass someone and you wont even know you have a boat behind you. My pops pulls a 32' 5th-wheel trailer at 70mph with no issues whats so ever....and maintains decent mileage. You have to pay a little more in the begging, but it pays off in the end. And if you think a gas engine will offer better performance...you can upgrade the Diesel farily cheep (under $100) and gain ALOT of HP.

Not to mention 2500 Diesel's will maintain their value much better than a gas engine. Diesel should be good for 300,000 miles. Resale is much better.

I have and 03' Ram reg cab 4x4....and as you can tell by my name, it does not get great gas mileage....but I knew that!! It does have great performance though and it puts a smile on my face!!

[Grabs]

I am trading in my 2003 Silverado 1500 Z71 ext cab tomorrow!! Good all around truck, but I am driving way too many miles and this truck did not perform like my 2000 did. Not nearly the torque or gas mileage I was seeing in my 2000.

My only advice, buy your last truck first!! You'll spend more money trading and upgrading until you get the truck you really want, then you would have if you would have just spent a little extra a got everything you wanted right away. Not to mention all the accesories you buy each time that may or may not work on your next truck.

I am picking up a 2500HD Crew Cab short box w/Duramax & Ally combo tomorrow morning! This is the truck that I have wanted since I bought my first Silverado in 2000. Finally I have it! The mileage on the diesel is awesome and the fuel prices are cheaper too. I'm going to keep close tabs on how much unleaded costs each time I fill up with diesel and try and estimate how much I am saving in fuel costs, I'll report back on that in a few months. I am willing to bet the increase in my monthly payment from my 2003 5.3L Silverado to the diesel is going to come out in the wash with the fuel savings. Now, I am driving 25-30,000 miles a year, so I am spending a lot on fuel right now, others may not be in the same boat. I don't recommend buying a diesel for a daily driver if you are only commuting a few miles a day, I have a 60 mile round trip, and that's if I don't stop any where on the way home.

This engine (Duramax) and transmission (Allison) are an awesome combination. I have learned a ton about this truck package over the last week or so from Diesel forums (ie. diesel place dot com) much like this fishing forum out there on the web (Thanks Kevin Turner!). The guys on these forums are great, they provide great info on upgrades and performance techniques, much like we do here on fishing topics! With unleaded pricing going up and up, or should I say up through the roof on Thursday, and half way back down on Sunday and then up twice as far as last time the next week!! If you watch diesel doesn't make these viscous swings it stays stable because all of all the trucks on the road! This morning at my local station unleaded was $1.89 and diesel was $1.68.

Ok enough about fuel, besides that, this engine/tranny combo can pull more then any other combo out on the market today and all I can say is don't test drive one unless you are ready to buy! This truck gets up and goes!! I've ridden in some sports cars that can throw you into the back seat, this truck will do the same thing if you "get-on-her". It used to be that Ford and Dodge had the only average diesel packages available, now they still have average diesels and GM has a package that is far superior, probably because they didn't design it!

Good luck, but heed my warning, buy your last truck first!

[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 04-30-2004).]

[Ole1855]

311Hemi,

I understand the fact that you like the diesel with all the power and torque, a friend of mine has the new Chevy with the Duramax and he loves it. The question I have is why you'd want to listen to the "CLACKING" of a Cummins when you could drive a nice quiet Duramax?

Ole

[Grabs]

Good point Ole!

And no more black smoke either, the new Duramax has an incinerator in the exhaust pipe to eliminate that.

Sounds great to me!

Oh and a tranny that has a screw filter for easy maintenance!

[311Hemi]

Well, like I said my pops has a 98 Cummins, and yes it has a rumble. But the new Cummins are much quiter.

I have not driven a new Cummins, or the Duramax for that matter......so I can't tell you anything about the difference in volumes. I would have to sit in the to really let you know what I think. I take you have sat in both and there is a noticable difference?

Either way, volume is not a concern to me...unless it's making my current truck louder!!! I much more value quality and longevity of the engine....even though I probably would not own the truck nearly as long as it will run.

My opinion is based off my dads truck (and some of his friends with nearly the same truck)....and the alomst no problems he has had to 150,000 so far!

To each their own....

[This message has been edited by 311Hemi (edited 04-30-2004).]

[Gissert]

I have a 2001 Cummins, and yes, the bugger is a rattler. This is mostly injection pump and injector noise. Cab noise is not bad at all. One side benefit I have noticed is the close calls with deer are not as common any more.

The 2003 and up Cummins have a new common rail injection system, and the noise levels are on par with the Duramax and the Navistar engines.

Any or the electronically controlled injection diesels should not have black smoke at all. If you see it, most likely the owner has put on performance enhancing parts and has too much fuel at too low of a RPM.

[catchin'whopper]

Any opinions out there regarding the Nissan Titan? I am sure lots of old school truckers being (rightfully so) chevy, ford, or dodge fans. American made trucks have had that market forever and have earned their reputation.

I have seen and read some things on the NIssan Titan and it got me curious though. One was how it made fourwheeler's tow vehicle of the year article.

[walleyejon]

I test drove the Nissan when I was shopping, and it would be sitting in my driveway now if the choice had been only mine to make. Awesome truck. The ride, the ergonomics, everything. Whoever designed it was really thinking. I didn't pull anything with it, but the motor definately had the power to "get 'er done"

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Fish on gotta go--JON

[Grabs]

I too test drove a Titan in March. Great truck and for their first full-size truck on the market I would have to say they are 80-85% there, figuring that 100% is the perfect truck.

Some flaws that I saw were poor roof design with no drip rail, it happened to be raining and sleeting out when I went so the salesmen pulled one into the garage. I opened the door and the water ran right into the middle of the seats, which would have soaked the seat of the next person to sit down! (the truck was on level ground too, it was happening on both side and in the crew cab seats) Horrible! Especially with leather if you choose that.
They do not offer an "auto 4wd" like many other trucks on the market have, and personally I use the auto a lot under slick road conditions where full-time 4wd is not neccesary.

The bed is only 5'10" on the crew cab (I wasn't considering an ext cab at that point, but the way their ext cab doors open 168 degrees is awesome!).

Their top of line stereo doesn't even come close to the Bose system offered in the GM products.

I disagree with the ergonomics, I felt things were out of place in the truck. Starting with the power window and lock placement. The A-pillar also makes a horrible blind spot, but you could get over it.

That little storage area behind the left rear wheel is just a magnet for salt, sand and eventually rust. I opened this and the hinges were covered in it.

The factory sprayed in bedliner is nice, but why on earth wouldn't you spray the tailgate? They just bolted down a plastic tailgate cover! Dumb and I don't know how that can be cost effective.

Auto-climate control is not even an option, not even on the top-of-the-line truck.

The exhaust noise is over bearing, they have the tailpipe vented out up inside the bed of the truck, if they just ran it out a few inches further it wouldn't be so loud inside the cab.

Don't get me wrong I did say they were 80% there, so there are many many good things about his truck, but not enough to make me switch from GM/Chev just yet. And now with the diesel on the way I will never switch. One really awesome feature is that in the back seat, the seats can fold up or the backs can fold down, either way works and it is a 60/40 split. Something I think all ext cab pick-ups should have. The engine and tranny on this truck should be excellent performers for years, but time will tell. Nissian makes quallity cars, why couldn't they make a quality truck.

[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 04-30-2004).]

[federline]

I'll echo IFallsRon's comments. There are good deals out there now on lower milage 1999 and 2000 silverados, and 2000 tahoes and suburbans. These are nice trucks to drive as a daily driver (comfy) and do dual weekend duty (tough). Given the choice between 4.8L and 5.3L, go with the 5.3 - same gas milage, more power. Get's about 17-18 hwy in 4x4 models. They are very easy to work on in your own garage, in the 1999 redesign they reduced the amount of wiring big time and relocated parts for user serviceability. There's empty space under the hood for fat hands!