I think the jury has not come in on aluminum sheet metal particularly where there is a dissimilar metal attached to it ... galvanic corrosion can reduce aluminum to white dust pretty quickly. We need to watch the real life performance of these new aluminum shell fords for a few years before claiming them the last word in corrosion proof vehicles.... Southern Ontario and the Maritimes will be the first to see how well they really work in cold damp salty conditions.
Best all-purpose family/hunting vehicle?
- Thread starter Rugdoc
- Start date
dad just got a brand new f150 with the 5liter 4x4 4 door and so far I just love it .mine is a 07 f150 with the 4.6 l and I hate it .so the wife drives it .for hunting and trapping I drive a 05 Silverado reg cab 4x4 and I just can not kill that truck .so far that 5 liter is just great for gas milage and for pulling the boat best of both worlds Dutch
I had an 06 with the 4.6 and it was useless for towing, way underpowered. Now have a new one with the ecoboost and I have towed 10,000lb trailers without much issue. My friend has one with the 5L and we have swapped trucks a few times just to see the differences and we both agree the ecoboost is the better option. Just something to think about.
Or you could go with a 5 or 6 cylinder in line. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Yes .. and I am sure they are proving to be the cats ass in the big market areas like Texas, California etc ... Unfortunately nobody really builds specifically for the small market that Canada represents and particularly for our problem rust regions Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes.I have seen mid 90's Landcruisers in New Mexico and Arizona that the chassis and frame looked like they just came off the show room floor ....
The North Eastern US isn't the big target market for F150's either.
http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/press-releases-detail/f-series-surpasses-2012-sales
just a quick note that the Dakota's and Montana are dry winter (and summer)
Southern Ontario enjoys a particularly bad climate for corrosion .. long periods of very damp moderately cold weather coupled with lots of road salt. But if you want me to believe that the automakers are engineering their vehicles specifically for Southern Ontario ... then they are doing a crappy job!
Regardless of target market the eastern usa shares canadas eastern weather. With a much larger population in the usa it will always be a larger market than eastern canada. And as a result you will be able to see common problems with weather/climate damage sooner and among a larger amount of vehicles in the usa first
BigUglyMan
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Did you realize that Subaru is anti-hunting or do you not care?
Bets all around vehicle we had when the kids were still home was an 88 Suburban. It was two wheel drive,350 cu inch and did better than 20mpg. You could sleep in it and pack five boys plus their hockey gear. The 3/4 ton were not as good on fuel. The barn door model is the only way to go. They got popular and pretty fancy after a while, not sure what they are up to at present though.
If its just you and the wife, find a nice used TJ ~ $10-15k. If you plan on kids, maybe opt for a JK (4 door). If you need the power, go for a manual trans. If you can drive stick, or power isn't a big factor, an auto will do. They are easy to get around the city with their short wheelbase to park anywhere, are pretty much the pinnacle of off road machines, are decent on fuel (compared to a full size SUV). They'll tow good sized trailer with the 6 cyl option, are as reliable as a Honda, hold their value very well for resale, and will reward you with years of faithful service. Plus you have the option of going topless.
Any vehicle, no matter what it is made of, should be properly rust protected in this country. Rust check, Crown, whatever your poison, it needs to be done in this country if you expect your stuff to last. $100 a year for 10 years for an oiling is cheaper than waiting 10 years and trying to replace body panels. I've seen vehicles that have been done religiously every year, and after 15 years, you'd think they were garage parked their entire life. Its worth the investment.
Any vehicle, no matter what it is made of, should be properly rust protected in this country. Rust check, Crown, whatever your poison, it needs to be done in this country if you expect your stuff to last. $100 a year for 10 years for an oiling is cheaper than waiting 10 years and trying to replace body panels. I've seen vehicles that have been done religiously every year, and after 15 years, you'd think they were garage parked their entire life. Its worth the investment.
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Jeep jeep jeep hehehe
I looked at the TJ's over a YJ but was attracted to the YJ's much lower cost of parts in general and especially the suspension upgrades. Given, a TJ's coil suspension is a nicer ride and in some terrain almost essential to procede.... A leaf sprung YJ gets around just fine
I've got 3" body lift, 2.5" suspension, 33" goodyear territories, tru trac in the front diff with 4:10 gears and detroit locker in rear. 4.0 inline 6 and 393843 original KM on engine, 5speed tranny, transfer case
still lots of power in her. The rust free tub was stripped, detailed, acid etch marine epoxy hydra-barrier coat primer and then 100% of inside rhino lined before assembly. We also tigged in 1/8th inch galvanized plates where the seats bolt in as jeeps are famous for ripping seat bolts out of the floor during serious wheeling gawd I love my jeep hehehe
I moved away from Dodge-FIAT-Jeep or whatever they will be next month for a safer much more capable vehicle which is a Toyota FJ. My others buddys have bought Nissan Xterras they are bullet proof as well. I have had no dealer recalls, no tranny problems, no electrical problems, only thing I replaced was the alternator (140.00 from Parts Source) due to running it off road with lots of mud.
After reading and reading I decided on the FJ due to it having true truck running gear unlike the JK's mini van engine....
We have a family so while the top off thing was cool what was not was the fact that the JKs offer no side curtain airbags as well we had a 3500 lb trailer that could not be towed by the JK.
Also I drove a JK with the 3.8 Caravan engine that was lifted and larger tires it was like driving a SUV with half an engine absolutely horrible on the highway passing....
We were on the #1 driving thru Medicine Hat puling our trailer with all the bikes as well and since I was towing I switch to Premium to our right a black 4 door JK pulling 2 Harleys on a trailer comes flying into the merging lane I move over he gives me stink eye???
So I laugh and punch it up the hill he just gets smaller in the mirror wife is yelling how much is this costing in fuel?? This happens again after he catches up again on the flat part anyways my point is the 2011 and older Jeeps just are underpowered (4 litres excluded). While they are the best in rock climbing they other 99.9% of the time they are just so far behind.
Read up on projected longterm vehicle life the FIAT-Jeeps are not on the list.
But while the Tacoma truck running gear is awesome the FJ is pain with the rear doors and blindspots but decent set of concave mirrors and a cheap rear view camera (which I use offroading anyways) fixed those minor issues.
Pay bit more and have the piece of mind the 4runners are great too I have had 2 other buddies also dump Jeep and go with Toyota none of us looked back on that decision.
Good luck and remember pay a bit more pay for technology and have a piece of mind knowing everyone is safe with airbags everywhere, stability control, traction control.
Randy
After reading and reading I decided on the FJ due to it having true truck running gear unlike the JK's mini van engine....
We have a family so while the top off thing was cool what was not was the fact that the JKs offer no side curtain airbags as well we had a 3500 lb trailer that could not be towed by the JK.
Also I drove a JK with the 3.8 Caravan engine that was lifted and larger tires it was like driving a SUV with half an engine absolutely horrible on the highway passing....
We were on the #1 driving thru Medicine Hat puling our trailer with all the bikes as well and since I was towing I switch to Premium to our right a black 4 door JK pulling 2 Harleys on a trailer comes flying into the merging lane I move over he gives me stink eye???
So I laugh and punch it up the hill he just gets smaller in the mirror wife is yelling how much is this costing in fuel?? This happens again after he catches up again on the flat part anyways my point is the 2011 and older Jeeps just are underpowered (4 litres excluded). While they are the best in rock climbing they other 99.9% of the time they are just so far behind.
Read up on projected longterm vehicle life the FIAT-Jeeps are not on the list.
But while the Tacoma truck running gear is awesome the FJ is pain with the rear doors and blindspots but decent set of concave mirrors and a cheap rear view camera (which I use offroading anyways) fixed those minor issues.
Pay bit more and have the piece of mind the 4runners are great too I have had 2 other buddies also dump Jeep and go with Toyota none of us looked back on that decision.
Good luck and remember pay a bit more pay for technology and have a piece of mind knowing everyone is safe with airbags everywhere, stability control, traction control.
Randy
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if that's the case, I would never buy one, was at a farm auction sale a while back, well, quite a while back, was gonna bid on a 4x4 Brat (very neat looking little unit) until I got it, ya know where you hold your hand high in the air until the auctioneer finally says "sold, what's your bidding number sir?" but someone from up above held my hand down with a boat anchor for some reason!
Now, I know why! Thanks for your post BUM!I agree that a) you need rustproofing and b) the best seems to be Krown (maybe Rust check if its the same) BUT on some vehicles they really only delay the inevitable. Nothing wrong with delaying but a guy who expects Krown to prevent rust for a decade may be dreaming (my personal experience btw).
The downside is that oiling makes a VERY ugly mess eventually under the hood and working on the vehicle really becomes a filthy nightmare unless you can steam clean the vehicle first. I use Krown and will continue to .. BUT there are caveats.
Too bad about lack of power in the newer Jeeps ... I have an older (95+/-) Cherokee at the farm with a 4.0L HO and it has PLENTY of power and lots of torque (and an appetite to go with it!) and I will say parts are cheap and easily available. Certainly cheaper than Toyota/Lexus parts in Canada. Speaking of Canada used to be that foreign (eg Japanese) vehicles were more expensive to insure than domestics ... is this still true?
If you do go with a newer or new F150 ... I would avoid the ecoboost ... quick search on youtube will tell you why.
My FJ and my wife's RAV4 are no more expensive to insure then her Caravan and my Jeep were.
Far as parts go I do not buy from Dealerships now I am off warranty only replaced an alternator on the FJ it was less than 200.00 not much more then a Jeep's alternator at Parts Source. I also replace the brakes as they are 7 years old now slotted rotors with ceramic pads were like 360.00 so I am not seeing any extra costs in maintenance,what I am seeing is less visits to the Dodge Dealership.
Randy
Far as parts go I do not buy from Dealerships now I am off warranty only replaced an alternator on the FJ it was less than 200.00 not much more then a Jeep's alternator at Parts Source. I also replace the brakes as they are 7 years old now slotted rotors with ceramic pads were like 360.00 so I am not seeing any extra costs in maintenance,what I am seeing is less visits to the Dodge Dealership.
Randy
