Reliable pickups?

3,974 Views | 37 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by Flaith
Buck Turgidson
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There appear to be no new trucks that are reliable. Ford trucks have had many recalls now, GM trucks are having lots of problems, Ram trucks seem to have lots of electrical problems, new Tundras are crap.

I'm looking for a reliable, full size truck for my boys to use. Other than a Titan or a previous generation Tundra (which always seem to be priced at a premium), are there any other full size options to consider? Seems like certain year model Fords or GM trucks have been pretty solid, but I don't know which ones to look for.
Hearne_Ag
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All makes and models have their own problems.

2020-2023 Chevy HDs that I know of haven't had major problems.

I have a 2020 1500 Silverado and the ****** went out at 70k miles.

I have a 2025 Chevy 3500 HD and my def tank level gauge is having issues.
TSW2012
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Pretty safe with Chevy or ford HD gas engine in the 2500s
mefoghorn
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That is the real question these days. All the Big 3 have had major problems for years. Toyota has now tripped up as well. Getting really difficult to predict whose new unproven technology is likely reliable.

Scotty seems to like the new Nissan Frontiers. They have no turbo, no CVT, no cylinder management. I see gently-used ones under $30K.
BlueSmoke
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Buck Turgidson said:

There appear to be no new trucks that are reliable. Ford trucks have had many recalls now, GM trucks are having lots of problems, Ram trucks seem to have lots of electrical problems, new Tundras are crap.

I'm looking for a reliable, full size truck for my boys to use. Other than a Titan or a previous generation Tundra (which always seem to be priced at a premium), are there any other full size options to consider? Seems like certain year model Fords or GM trucks have been pretty solid, but I don't know which ones to look for.
Sums this up pretty well. There's a reason they are priced at a premium. Do they need an extended cab or 4x4? Helps withe the pricing considerably.
Nobody cares. Work Harder
Buck Turgidson
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I prefer the full crew cab so the whole family could fit if necessary. Also want 4WD.
Flaith
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There were 2.2 million full size trucks sold in the US from 5 different manufacturers in 2024.

Nothing is going to be issue-free, and they've all got some issue as reported or recalled, but I wouldn't let that numb you to the buying process for fear of finding the one with the fewest possible potential issues.

Test drive and buy what you think fits your needs.
Ag for Life
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The current F150 with a 5.0 V8 and 10 speed transmission is a good choice. No turbos or AFM/DOD to deal with and the 10 speed has been out since 2017 in the F150s. I just looked out of curiosity though and the lowest proced one with a 5.0/10 speed/4x4/Crew Cab at my local dealer is advertised at $47K and is an STX trim. Yikes
TecRecAg
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Yep.. and I bet it'll be sold by the weekend. Truck prices are nuts and people just keep on buying...
Buck Turgidson
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IMO an STX should be priced around $35k. Very spartan. Like the Ram Lone Star, its a good entry level truck, but not at the prices they are getting. Truck buyers consistently overpay.
Ag for Life
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TecRecAg said:

Yep.. and I bet it'll be sold by the weekend. Truck prices are nuts and people just keep on buying...

I doubt that, they have 20-25 right around the same price point, just different colors.
The Lost
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Buck Turgidson said:

IMO an STX should be priced around $35k. Very spartan. Like the Ram Lone Star, its a good entry level truck, but not at the prices they are getting. Truck buyers consistently overpay.
It was in 2017…
Ag for Life
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Buck Turgidson said:

IMO an STX should be priced around $35k. Very spartan. Like the Ram Lone Star, its a good entry level truck, but not at the prices they are getting. Truck buyers consistently overpay.

Lowest priced Chevy 1500 Crew Cab 4x4 at my local dealer is $42,695 with a 4 cylinder turbo & 8 speed auto.

It's super spartan. It doesn't look like you can get any new full sized truck, crew cab & 4wd in the 30s right now.
Dr. Nefario
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Ag for Life said:

The current F150 with a 5.0 V8 and 10 speed transmission is a good choice. No turbos or AFM/DOD to deal with and the 10 speed has been out since 2017 in the F150s. I just looked out of curiosity though and the lowest proced one with a 5.0/10 speed/4x4/Crew Cab at my local dealer is advertised at $47K and is an STX trim. Yikes


The 5.0 in the F-150 has had cylinder deactivation since 2021.
ā€œYou cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.ā€ -Abraham Lincoln

ā€œVeganism is like communism. They’re both fine… unless you like food.ā€
Ag for Life
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Dr. Nefario said:

Ag for Life said:

The current F150 with a 5.0 V8 and 10 speed transmission is a good choice. No turbos or AFM/DOD to deal with and the 10 speed has been out since 2017 in the F150s. I just looked out of curiosity though and the lowest proced one with a 5.0/10 speed/4x4/Crew Cab at my local dealer is advertised at $47K and is an STX trim. Yikes


The 5.0 in the F-150 has had cylinder deactivation since 2021.

Doh! Missed that, my bad.
Mas89
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Dr. Nefario said:

Ag for Life said:

The current F150 with a 5.0 V8 and 10 speed transmission is a good choice. No turbos or AFM/DOD to deal with and the 10 speed has been out since 2017 in the F150s. I just looked out of curiosity though and the lowest proced one with a 5.0/10 speed/4x4/Crew Cab at my local dealer is advertised at $47K and is an STX trim. Yikes


The 5.0 in the F-150 has had cylinder deactivation since 2021.
During the chip shortage, Fords could be ordered with " auto start-stop delete". I bought a 2023 3.5L with this feature in Jan 2024.
It was a line item on the window sticker on 2023s and 2022s I believe.
Redstone
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I had a reliable 1996 Chevy sold in 2000.
GentrysMillTX10
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I like 2018-2020 fords gassers. I have an '18 F250 XLT FX4 with the 6.2 gas. It's not cool fast or fun but by god it's reliable
Pahdz
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Not sure why you don't want a Titan but if you can find a dealer that still has a new 2024 on the lot buy it and don't be sorry
aggie_wes
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Titan
Buck Turgidson
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I own a Titan already. I was doing my due diligence to see if there were any other options before buying a second one for my boys (probably used). I like everything about my Titan except the really stiff suspension and the relatively wide turn radius.
cochrum
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Long story short --- I went to buy a Titan this past weekend after a long research as they were shown to have a great powertrain. I test drove it and I did not like it. The bumpers are plastic and the paint on the grill was chipping off. They also have a rough power steering. I was quite disappointed to the interior/exterior materials but understand the powertrain has a great reputation.

Then I test drove a used GMC sierra x31 w/duramax diesel. Quality was night and day difference so I bought the GMC 2022 used....and already having issues first week.

Long story short...pay premium for the 2020 Tundra. Thats what I should have done.
Kyle Field Shade Chaser
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Ford 5.0 V8 Coyote between 2015-2019

And honestly the 3.5 eco boost is solid. Ford has been doing it forever now. Replacing turbos once during the life of the truck is just a fact of Truck life these days. Like it or not. The motors are fine. Our ecoboost is at 160K and I've had to replace 1 turbo and the catalytic converter. The old tundra is about the only dinosaur out there where you can get to 200K with potentially no major repairs.
MTTANK
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2023 or newer 5.0 F150. Auto start stop can be easily turned off. Or a 2015-2017 5.0 F150 is your answer.
GIG 'EM
ElephantRider
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People keep talking about auto start/stop in 5.0s. That's not the big issue; 2021 and newer they added actual cylinder deactivation like GM has. No clue if it's as terrible as the GM version, but would definitely concern me
Dr. Nefario
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Mas89 said:

Dr. Nefario said:

Ag for Life said:

The current F150 with a 5.0 V8 and 10 speed transmission is a good choice. No turbos or AFM/DOD to deal with and the 10 speed has been out since 2017 in the F150s. I just looked out of curiosity though and the lowest proced one with a 5.0/10 speed/4x4/Crew Cab at my local dealer is advertised at $47K and is an STX trim. Yikes


The 5.0 in the F-150 has had cylinder deactivation since 2021.
During the chip shortage, Fords could be ordered with " auto start-stop delete". I bought a 2023 3.5L with this feature in Jan 2024.
It was a line item on the window sticker on 2023s and 2022s I believe.


Auto start-stop and cylinder deactivation aren't the same thing. And as obnoxious as auto start-stop is, it's far less problematic than cylinder deactivation.
ā€œYou cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.ā€ -Abraham Lincoln

ā€œVeganism is like communism. They’re both fine… unless you like food.ā€
Ag03 CQE
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Buck Turgidson said:

I own a Titan already. I was doing my due diligence to see if there were any other options before buying a second one for my boys (probably used). I like everything about my Titan except the really stiff suspension and the relatively wide turn radius.


The low-end Bilstein suspension is really the only disappointing thing about the Pro-4X. Stiff on the road and not particularly impressive off-road. I have the Nissan/Icon coilover kit on my SV, and even with the spring preload set for 3 inches of lift there was a noticeable improvement in the ride quality. For your Pro-4X the improvement would be huge.
Dr. Nefario
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cochrum said:

Long story short --- I went to buy a Titan this past weekend after a long research as they were shown to have a great powertrain. I test drove it and I did not like it. The bumpers are plastic and the paint on the grill was chipping off. They also have a rough power steering. I was quite disappointed to the interior/exterior materials but understand the powertrain has a great reputation.

Then I test drove a used GMC sierra x31 w/duramax diesel. Quality was night and day difference so I bought the GMC 2022 used....and already having issues first week.

Long story short...pay premium for the 2020 Tundra. Thats what I should have done.


If you don't like the Titan for those reasons, you're definitely not going to like the Tundra.
ā€œYou cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.ā€ -Abraham Lincoln

ā€œVeganism is like communism. They’re both fine… unless you like food.ā€
Martin Q. Blank
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ElephantRider said:

People keep talking about auto start/stop in 5.0s. That's not the big issue; 2021 and newer they added actual cylinder deactivation like GM has. No clue if it's as terrible as the GM version, but would definitely concern me
Or Honda. Has anyone NOT had issues with cylinder deactivation?
ElephantRider
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Martin Q. Blank said:

ElephantRider said:

People keep talking about auto start/stop in 5.0s. That's not the big issue; 2021 and newer they added actual cylinder deactivation like GM has. No clue if it's as terrible as the GM version, but would definitely concern me
Or Honda. Has anyone NOT had issues with cylinder deactivation?
No clue. I'll stick with my 2020 5.0 that has been bulletproof so far (knock on wood)
Flaith
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Screw a new truck, buy them this:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-chevrolet-silverado-1500-17/
StockHorseAg
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So you bought a pickup and complain about it driving like a pickup?
Max Power
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Flaith said:

Screw a new truck, buy them this:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-chevrolet-silverado-1500-17/
Dang it, I clicked on that and then I saw this.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-ford-f-250-59/
Flaith
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Max Power said:

Flaith said:

Screw a new truck, buy them this:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2004-chevrolet-silverado-1500-17/
Dang it, I clicked on that and then I saw this.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1994-ford-f-250-59/

Yesterday
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Ford 2.7 has been a good engine. Not perfect but better than most. All the larger gas engines in the 3/4 ton trucks are very solid as well. But then your gas mileage sucks. You could probably pay for a turbo or lifter/cam swap with the gas savings. Over the life of the truck.
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