Gotlabs, on 14 May 2012 - 01:35 PM, said:

wait, you were going to buy a Cummins but bought a 1/2 ton GMC instead? interesting compromise.....

Yamiryder, on 14 May 2012 - 03:41 PM, said:

Don't get me started on that compromise, especially when the deciding factor was "looks". Needless to say, my wife has cashed out all of her vehicle purchasing rights until I die or we divorce.

Our truck is a 2002, so it doesn't have the cylinder shut off on it. My grandpa's Ram has it and he consistently gets 20 hand calculated highway. But he never really unleashed those ponies. His driving scares me really, but that's for another thread. hahaha

I'm curious to see how these EcoBoost engines do in the next few years as people really get some mileage on them. I watched the little video segment they had on Fords website and was pretty impressed, but companies can skew stuff in their favor. I prefer owner testimony to a manufacturer bragging. Sure would be spendy to overhaul one of those engines if it went. The mileage increase isn't much better than the competitors either. It's a step in the right direction though, as much as I love my V8 trucks.

KTM Rookie, on 14 May 2012 - 08:48 AM, said:

I've heard that before. From my  personal experience and from what a friend at work and my sister have told me the Chevy DIC is pretty accurate. A friend has a 2007, I had a 2008, and my sister has a 2010. All of those are pretty much dead on.

I didn't buy the bells and whistles on my 2012 so I don't have DIC on it.

Thanks for all the input.  keep it comming.  I just missed a 2007 super-crew 4x4 f150 with about 11k miles for $21k.

If I were to get a 1/2 ton, an F150 would be at the top of my list, probably followed by a Nissan.  I've never trusted Dodge for reliability and can't trust GM lately either.  Have you looked into a midsized truck?  My Frontier can tow up to 5500lbs (and I've done it a few times) and would handle your 2500lb boat no problem.  A Tacoma will do about the same.  And they both should get slightly better mileage than a full size.

I just don't think I could trust buying any American truck right now, and I'm not completely sold on the Japanese 1/2 tons either.  But the Japanese own the mid-sized market.

tdub2112, on 11 May 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

I have a 5.3 tahoe and I've seen maybe 17 on the hiway, being VERY nice. 15-16 is typical on the hiway and around town is 12-13 tops. I have an ECU tune that saves fuel and a catback exhaust. 20 on the hiway is a pipedream IMHO.

bassjam, on 22 May 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

I recently bought a new truck -- i looked pretty seriously at the crew cab 4wd Tacoma, v6.   I couldnt make the downsize transition when i compared prices to the F-150 i ended up with .   The price diff between the Taco and the F-150 was not enough and i wasnt convinced the V-6 gas mileage was going to be appreciably better for the size i was giving up.
It was a fun truck and i would have bought it if it was about 5-7k cheaper though

KTM Rookie, on 13 May 2012 - 07:49 AM, said:

I've got a 2004 Silverado Crew Cab with a 5.75' bed, and while I'd love to have a 6.5' bed, I'd much rather have the 5.3L with the smaller bed over a 6.0L with the 6.5' bed. The 5.75' bed works fine for me 95% of the time, and for that other 5% (which so far, has only been when moving), I'll go borrow my dad's 20' tandem axle trailer. I think that if I had a 6.5' bed I'd probably put a tool box in it as behind/under my rear seat I have some tools and whatnot scattered and that'd save me from having to pack up all of my tools everytime I want to go riding.

The 5.75' bed is also nice when parking at the supermarket. I think the turning radius of the 1500 Crew Cab is rated better than the 1500 Extended Cab with a 6.5' bed. I believe the overall truck is like 1" shorter. Not a lot but I have 2-3 people in the back cab of my truck more often than I my bed completely loaded up.

My truck has just over 120k miles and I haven't had to do anything to it other than basic maintenance (tires, oil changes, etc.) I'm the second owner.

Edited by KissMyWhtSS, 23 May 2012 - 08:12 AM.

Bryan Bosch, on 22 May 2012 - 09:12 AM, said:

I got a 2001 yukon with the 5.3 .   If I can get 16 on the highway I'd be jumping for joy.   When I tow my open trailer with a couple bikes and gear for the weekend, my mpg drops to 11 if I drive it sensibly.

I did find this one amazing thing that dramatically increased my driving MPG both in town on the highway.   Its called a 1998 toyota corolla.   I paid about $1600 for it and it makes for a perfect commuter vehicle.  trying to get good MPG out of these heavy tanks is impossible.

Bryan Bosch, on 22 May 2012 - 09:12 AM, said:

mauricedorris, on 23 May 2012 - 05:05 PM, said:

Y'all are comparing SUVs to pickups. Another thing to consider is the gas. Corn squeezins just doesn't get as good of mileage as 100% gasoline.

I made several trips to a town about 150 miles from me in a '99 Silverado with a 4.8l with a ~400lbs load in the bed. Almost all interstate. I could get slightly over 20 mpg @ 70 mph with that truck.

My '08 with the 5.3l wasn't too far behind the numbers of the '99 with 4.8l.

I've checked the mileage on four tanks in my current truck ('12 crew cab Silverado with 6.2l and 3.73 ratio). First tank I checked started with 350 miles on truck. From Shreveport to New Orleans and back.

1st: Almost all interstate - 16.0 mpg
2nd: Some interstate, some tied up in road construction, mostly in town (Baton Rouge and New Orleans) - 14.1 mpg
3rd: Mostly highway and interstate - 16.9

4th: All parish roads, very little highway, no interstate (mostly to work and back) - 15.5 mpg

I'll check mileage again this weekend. We're going to an LACC hare scramble in Lafayette (a little over 200 miles each way) and will be pulling a 6' X 10' enclosed trailer with two bikes inside.

Edited by David_L6, 24 May 2012 - 02:52 AM.

i got a 99 silverado crew cab 1500 2wd 4.3 v6. ther best i did on gas was mabye 19 per gallon with a dirt bike in back, it only gets 12 city driving. i average 16 highway with a bike in back.friends of mine that drive newer bigger full size trucks get even worse milage. i used to have a ford ranger base model which was great on gas but a pos as far as everything else was concerned.

juse redid tha math on milage for my 99 v6 crew cab silverado. drove 210 miles yesterday, mostly flat interstate with 2 dirtbikes in the back 18 mpg.

elrontx, on 24 May 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

...and my sympathy. You could get the same or better mpg with a V8...

David_L6, on 24 May 2012 - 03:41 PM, said:

i figured that out afterward. i bought it used for 4500, fits 3 bikes in the back and is comfortable. im not complaining. my buddy has the 5.7v8, terrible gas milage.

My dad bought a 1999 ford 7.3 turbo diesel powerstroke 4x4 4door lairet for 25k in 07 no problems TONS of power and without a chip it still hauls ass and is great on fuel

OP, You're considering all these trucks but looking to tow and get good MPG. Well, Towing and good MPG don't go together with gas. Truthfully, find a nice Diesel. I'm a Duramax guy and I drive a dually everyday. Granted, you only need a 3/4 ton, which is what I used to have. You can find a nice 06, low miles, for aroung $20-22k if you look around. They have the 6spd allison and are pre-DPF. 05 and earlier have a 5 spd and suck on the highway. With a K&N drop in, 85hp tune and stock exhaust with cat deleted, I get 17 in the city & 22-24 on the highway empty or with a trailer less than 5k lbs. Anything heavier I'll drop to a 65hp tune and get about 15-18 hwy. This is running 70-75mph. Rpms about 1800.

Stay away from any Ford 6.0 and 07+ Cummins unless you get a VIN check on it and the PCM had already been replaced. They had bad PCMs and aren't covered under warranty. So $3500 out of your pocket. The newr Fords are ok but you can't fit your hand anywhere under the hood, so good luck doing any work yourself. The new Cummins are great but pretty hard on fuel. But these 2 are out of the price range you're looking for.

I picked up my truck 2 yrs ago for $26k and it had 46k miles on it. It's loaded and was very well maintained.

If you're looking at any used GM truck, Get the VIN to me and I can search any history on it that was done at a dealership. Anything outside a dealership, I won't know.

Edited by SAPPERS, 25 May 2012 - 05:00 AM.

David_L6, on 24 May 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:

Well..... I checked the mileage as I said I would. Almost wish I hadn't checked it. Running 76 mph - 77 mph into a headwind going I got 8.7 mpg. Coming back I drove 74 mph - 75 mph and had a slight tail wind. Got 9.8 mpg.   Not good at all considering how little weight I was hauling. Going to be "interesting" to see what I get when I tie onto my 7' X 16' enclosed trailer....

I'd walk before I bought another American made piece of chit.   Get a Tundra.

zlathim, on 27 May 2012 - 03:01 PM, said:

I'd crawl before I bought a Jap made piece of chit.