In a case of me feeling old as dirt, our 'new' truck is somehow 15 years old. The mechanical issues are starting to creep in. Living where we live - where local hauling isn't much of a thing and it's hours to anywhere - I'm feeling like it's time to start searching for something mountain road trip adventure reliable. I had honestly hoped to push a purchase out to 2026, but our truck is currently giving signs of imminent death and I'm definitely keeping tabs on what's new on the dealer pages.
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| We live at the top of this hill that includes multiple switchbacks, so really, even for local hauling I can't have anything under powered. |
What I'm replacing: a 2010 F-150 with V8 gas engine and 'max tow' package. I think at the time that meant upgraded brakes and transmission cooler, plus the integrated trailer braking. It's rated for around 12,000lbs. My trailer is 3000, plus ponies, plus gear. This truck served us well. For the Coast Mountains/Coquihalla and the Rockies it was absolutely fine, but I would not have wanted any less as far as horsepower and braking abilities on those trips.
What I'm replacing it with:
LOL. I don't know. I thought I'd pick the blogging community hive mind? I may need to suck it up and sell my two horse and replace it with a 3 horse trailer, so leaving options open for that I think it's best to upgrade to a 3/4 or 1 ton truck.
Top of my current list is a new Silverado 3500
Anyone been truck shopping lately and have any recommendations? My mind is a little boggled by the choices. I'm sure any one ton truck with a hitch can do the job, but the extras and the gimmicky stuff between brands seems a bit overwhelming. Power folding mirrors for sure, because the ferries do love to play Tetris with vehicle loading and we've said a sad goodbye to a protruding mirror twice now. Diesel is a no, just because local gas station logistics for such are annoying. Is a trailering app actually something I would find useful, ditto the 360 degree camera views, etc.
So, Blogosphere, tell me about your tow vehicle. What do you love? What do you dislike?
Just taking a guess, but I would imagine that finding a one ton gas truck might be a little hard. Most are diesel.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a regional thing - all the Chevys at the dealers here are 6.6l gas, and the Fords seem to be 50/50 with the nicer trim options gas and the work trucks more likely to be diesel. Our diesel prices here are quite a bit higher than gas, enough that the math doesn't make sense even with the better mileage, so that could be a factor in what the dealerships are ordering in. I have not investigated Dodge yet :)
Deleteno advice, just wishing ya good luck lol! truck shopping stresses me out, and i definitely feel like some newer autos (including passenger cars etc) don’t seem to have the same reliability or longevity? my first tow vehicle is 25 years old and still doing light duty for my parents — but the truck i replaced it with (a 2010 model) doesn’t seem likely to have quite so long a life. we’ll see i guess. i personally tend to buy kinda crappy trucks bc it’s hard to imagine spending $$ on something that’s only going to get driven ~3x a month, and my typical trailer driving profile is *significantly* less demanding than yours (just hills vs mountains, rarely farther than ~60miles). here’s hoping you find exactly the right fit! i’ve heard good things about newer toyotas, and friends drive dodges and fords happily. i like my chevys but expect to be open minded when it’s time for the next.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I should have worded better that the truck serves double duty and is my daily driver as well...I'm not at a life stage where I can justify/afford the nice car AND the nice truck ;)
DeleteI have very little advice other than JM has a 2021 Silverado, not sure anything else about it other than its a 2021 silverado, I can't remember if its a 2500 or a 3500, but its amazing and it makes trailering a breeze. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt's my time to shine, lol, I'm unnaturally well-read on GM truck trims and options. Going from a 2010 to a newer truck, yes, you will want all the parking sensors and cameras in the world. The nose on these newer trucks is staggeringly high, and if you're a short person like me, that nose is going to feel like a mountain in front of you coming from a 2010 anything. It gives me a lot of peace of mind to have the parking sensors, and I test drove one with the 360 view and that was even nicer for parking in tight spaces, although my truck didn't end up having that. Definitely make sure you get the trailering camera package and order the extra livestock camera for inside your trailer, it then integrates directly into the truck which is super nice.
ReplyDeleteThe trailering app (onboard the truck) is nice but not essential, although you'll almost certainly end up with it no matter what tow package you buy. It keeps track of the mileage on your trailer, has memory for the brake setting you used with that trailer if you have multiple trailers (like I have a flatbed and a horse trailer), and it has a nice self-diagnostic mode for checking all your lights if you're alone and don't have someone to test turn signals, brakes, etc.
I am a big fan of the SLT trim on the GMC, which has all of the same nice options as their luxury Denali trim (heated steering wheel type stuff) but none of the like, wood grain paneling or chrome. Last time I priced a new 3/4 ton it was like $5,000 USD less than the Denali trim and literally all you lost was the cosmetics. This was GMC but of course the Chevy equivalent should be very similar.
Any other questions, hit me, I love trucks, lol.
OH one last thing. GM took the adjustable foot pedals option out of ALL of their trucks and SUVs starting in the 2019 model year, and I have an outstanding pedal extender recommendation for you if you need it. I've had them on my own GMC for 18 months now with no issues, it makes it a lot more comfortable to drive for my 5 foot tall self.
DeleteTHANK YOU! This is so perfect. My lifetime towing truck purchases have been 1977 F150 then a 2010 F150 and my personal truck is a 2010 sierra 1500 that's not up to loaded horse trailers. So... there's a bit of a gap in recent experience on the resume lol. Good to know about the pedals - having a preprogrammed 'T' seat/pedal position option in our F-150 is the best thing (especially sharing with 6'4" husband) - it would not have occurred to me they'd not come with that these days. I was inclined to think the more cameras the merrier, but I didn't know if it was one of those things most people don't actually bother to use in real life. I think we're the same height, so that's a very good tip about the nose of the truck. It sounds like we have similar tastes - give me all the useful mechanical and tech stuff but please no old man wood grain thank you :D I need to go back and test drive a few. I hate the actual in person shopping with a passion but it's such a big purchase I want to get it right.
DeleteI second that Jen is an excellent resource for this, and we love our GMs!
DeleteThank you! Seems our consensus is leaning to Chevy/GM
DeleteI quite like my Toyota Tundra. But I don’t think it can do a 3 horse. The Silverado seems like a good truck.
ReplyDeleteWhen shopping I realized thst rarely do sales people actually know anything about the towing capacity so do your own research. And if you try used test out the plugs to make sure they work. Those are not checked when a truck is traded in.
This is so true! I enquired about one a month or so ago, and I literally just asked what the tow rating was. They gave me wrong answers, very confidently too. Also the listing picture was a different truck that the one actually for sale - the real truck didn't have towing mirrors and they failed to mention that even after I explicitly said I was looking for a tow vehicle. I've discovered VIN decoding sites are my friend!
DeleteI've been working on a plan to update our fleet at work so this is timely. I would strongly recommend avoiding a Dodge. Their parent company is under new ownership and the market value of newish resales has plummeted due to reliability issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jen, at your height, you will get great value out of the parking sensors, especially if it is your daily driver.
It may be worth figuring out what you want and then seeing if you can find it in AB. Gas 1 ton's aren't a fan favourite here so you can generally get better pricing. A friend just bought one that would fit all your specs, and with very low mileage, for under $60K
Thank you for this! Good reminder. I bought my last truck in Alberta and would definitely do it again - I even lucked out timing wise and had worked there long enough that the taxes were waived bringing it back to BC and the inspection/registration costs were minimal. It's crazy how much cheaper vehicles (and everything else!) are there. Good to know about Dodge - I was annoyed by a dealer years ago where the window price on the truck was certainly NOT the price (we still joke about the extra $500 for any non red paint color they tacked on "Nice truck! It's white tho...so I don't know if we'll ever afford it...that's high end!":D) Anyway, long story but I would have buried my grudge had they got good feedback :)
DeleteI've had two Ford F150 trucks that I've been very happy with. But my newest truck is a 2013, almost as old as yours, so I don't think my input would be applicable in your situation. I'll be interested to hear what you end up with eventually!
ReplyDelete