Dodge 2500 vs. Toyota Tacoma

[Ol'TrailDog]

I had a similar experience . I had a 62 willy's wagon (at least I think it was a 62 ) that I had stuck a V6 out of a Jeepster, a Warn overdrive, and 7. 50x16" tires with white steel spoked wheels. 4x4 of course. I put a lot of work into making that a nice vehicle.



Once upon a time I was going around a corner in Helena, MT and the driver side rear axle snapped and it was bye bye wheel and hello sparks :{ Fortunately, I was in town and not going too fast.



Made me a believer in full floating axles! After I had it all cherried out I sold it when I traded a BMW motorcycle for a 65 LandRover... . like the days of our lives.....

 

[gsbrockman]

It's always a good laugh when someones wheels falls off, as long as no one gets hurts. :-laf

Yeah, kinda like when someone busts their arse on some ice..... :-laf :-laf

Greg

 

[cswanger]

my brother has a 05 tundra, and there is no way my 04. 5 cummins would come close to that truck other than towing more! its faster, better fit and finish, ride, what are the big three going to do if toyota ever build a 3/4 ton w/diesel?

 

[drewRoberts]

drewRoberts -- Put a Cummins on that Toyota.



It didn't look like it had oversize tires. They looked about the stock size for a 4x4 Tacoma.

the thought of a BOMBed 4bt has run across my mind more than once

 

[Tim]

my brother has a 05 tundra, and there is no way my 04. 5 cummins would come close to that truck other than towing more! its faster, better fit and finish, ride, what are the big three going to do if toyota ever build a 3/4 ton w/diesel?

Nothing. Nobody is going to buy a Japanese truck to pull a load or work at a job site, that's a complete joke.



Those that think Japanese = superior are giving in to a marketing hype. Fact is, Japanese vehicles cost more to buy, more to repair, are more difficult to repair, and are no more reliable than anything else on the road.



I've owned and worked on all types of vehicles, and I'll never own a Japanese vehicle.

 

[Coolslice]

Nothing. Nobody is going to buy a Japanese truck to pull a load or work at a job site, that's a complete joke.



Those that think Japanese = superior are giving in to a marketing hype. Fact is, Japanese vehicles cost more to buy, more to repair, are more difficult to repair, and are no more reliable than anything else on the road.



I've owned and worked on all types of vehicles, and I'll never own a Japanese vehicle.

Dude, Don't do this to yourself in front of everyone. :-laf

 

[Tim]

Dude, Don't do this to yourself in front of everyone. :-laf

 

[EEdmondson]

Nothing. Nobody is going to buy a Japanese truck to pull a load or work at a job site, that's a complete joke.



Those that think Japanese = superior are giving in to a marketing hype. Fact is, Japanese vehicles cost more to buy, more to repair, are more difficult to repair, and are no more reliable than anything else on the road.



I've owned and worked on all types of vehicles, and I'll never own a Japanese vehicle.

Tim,



Pull your head out of the sand. Have you ever heard of Honda Accord or Toyota Camry? Have you ever checked their reliability records?



BTW I love my CTD.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"I've seen two Studebaker trucks in my life, but have never heard of the other two. heh"



ACTUALLY, Hudson DID make a few pickups - pretty rare, And *I* have only seen 2 of those... A fair number of Studebaker pickups were made tho'...

 

[Tim]

Tim,



Pull your head out of the sand. Have you ever heard of Honda Accord or Toyota Camry? Have you ever checked their reliability records?

Yep. They have timing belts, some have press-in wheel bearings, and nearly all of them have head gasket issues eventually.



Any vehicle that authorizes an hour to replace a headlamp bulb is something I wouldn't want to own.



Reliabilty records? Who's? Who is the authority on reliability records anyway?



Even my mom fell for their crap and bought a Toyota two years ago brand new. It's had more problems than any new vehicle I've ever seen.



I bought a used, 60,000 mile Ford Ranger about the same time. The only thing I've done to it since then is change the oil and replace the brakes front and rear. Her car has had thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Even my mom fell for their crap and bought a Toyota two years ago brand new. It's had more problems than any new vehicle I've ever seen.



I bought a used, 60,000 mile Ford Ranger about the same time. The only thing I've done to it since then is change the oil and replace the brakes front and rear. Her car has had thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

ONE tree, or even 2, *STILL* doesn't make a forest!



MY '02 hasn't had any LP or injection pump problems either - but I'd hafta be a complete idiot to not acknowledge the significant problems OTHERS have had. I've just been lucky so far...



It's a shame that individual owners wearing blinders will lose all perspective, and then judge and condemn - or maybe praise - an entire maker or product line based only on THEIR individual isolated experience!

 

[JSwantko]

I ended up buying an '05 Tacoma doublecab and absolutely love it. I came very close to getting a CTD - but the extra $ really couldn't justify the CTD. I still love them too - but I wasn't going to use it as a tow vehicle and it just didn't make sense for me... I still look at every Ram I see though to see if it has a "C" on the front fender.



That being said - the Tacomas fit and finish is amazing. The chassis simply doesn't flex. The motor is very smooth and 250 hp is more than enough for me. I've been averaging about 19. 5 mpg on regular unleaded (50/50 city/hwy) It has a timing chain too btw. (edit - my lugs are tight too - I checked them last night!) haha



My other cars are:

1998 4runner - 156k miles - only had a coil pack die about a month ago. Other than that simple maintenence.

1994 Supra single turbo - makes around 800 hp at the wheels and is still daily driveable... 126k miles on the chassis and still tight as a drum.



So far MY experiences with Toyota have kept me coming back. . I really do fear for the US automakers with Toyota makes a full assault on the full-size truck market. Toyota doesn't screw around. I hope that the US guys can continue to bring up their quality so they can compete.



I'm not here to start a war - but I for one can vouch for Toyota's quality. Not all Japanese autos are the same however. I had an '04 Infiniti G35 6-speed coupe and it had more rattles than a can of b-b's. Don't even get me started on the European premium brands - total garbage IMO.



Flame suit on.

 

[Bertram65]

It's a huge consiracy, all the rating companies that rate vehicle reliability and initial quality such as JD Power and Consumer Reports are lying to us, GM, Dodge and Ford are really number 1, 2, and 3. Next thing you know people would be suggesting that America is putting huge tarrifs on imported vehicles so the real top performers could compete with them, preposterous.

 

[klenger]

Is a Ford Ranger really a USA vehicle? Mazda?

 

[Tim]

ONE tree, or even 2, *STILL* doesn't make a forest!



MY '02 hasn't had any LP or injection pump problems either - but I'd hafta be a complete idiot to not acknowledge the significant problems OTHERS have had. I've just been lucky so far...



It's a shame that individual owners wearing blinders will lose all perspective, and then judge and condemn - or maybe praise - an entire maker or product line based only on THEIR individual isolated experience!

False. I've worked in several repair (and machine) shops in the last three years. I've concluded that Japanese vehicles are no more or less reliable than American vehicles. They do cost more to repair and in most cases are more difficult to repair, but I'd say across the board they're similarly reliable.

Is a Ford Ranger really a USA vehicle? Mazda?

The point I am making has nothing to do with this. Our Dodges are made in Mexico of parts from around the globe and sold to us by a company in Germany. There is no question that we have a global economy these days, but to say that one vehicle is significantly more reliable than others because it is a Toyota or something is absolute hogwash.



Everybody has their lemons, my mother's is once of them and it's still made it 110,000 miles thus far.



If you believe everything you read in consumer reports you'll never buy a heavy duty pickup anyway. They ride like crap, the steering is vague, and the brakes are questionable. Nevermind the fact that they're made to carry heavy loads or anything, because you can bet that they weren't tested under those conditions.

 

[RustyJC]

All I know is that I had a 1999 Honda Civic Si - an 8000 RPM DOHC V-Tec buzz bomb - for a commuter car. I needed more room so I replaced it with a 2003 Acura 3. 2TL-S. Both were manufactured in Marysville, Ohio. The engine in the Acura came from Honda's Ada, Ohio engine plant (not sure about the Si). Neither have ever been back to the dealer for anything other than routine maintenance.



My only advice to Dodge, Ford and GM is this - when it comes to the larger truck market, ignore the Japanese threat at your own peril!



Rusty

 

[EEdmondson]

False. I've worked in several repair (and machine) shops in the last three years. I've concluded that Japanese vehicles are no more or less reliable than American vehicles. They do cost more to repair and in most cases are more difficult to repair, but I'd say across the board they're similarly reliable.







The point I am making has nothing to do with this. Our Dodges are made in Mexico of parts from around the globe and sold to us by a company in Germany. There is no question that we have a global economy these days, but to say that one vehicle is significantly more reliable than others because it is a Toyota or something is absolute hogwash.



Everybody has their lemons, my mother's is once of them and it's still made it 110,000 miles thus far.



If you believe everything you read in consumer reports you'll never buy a heavy duty pickup anyway. They ride like crap, the steering is vague, and the brakes are questionable. Nevermind the fact that they're made to carry heavy loads or anything, because you can bet that they weren't tested under those conditions.

And that's the way it is in the fantasy world of Tim. :-laf

 

[Elite1]

I have owned many vehicles, Toyotas, GMs, Fords, Dodges... I have always been a stickler for maintenance, especially oil & filter changes... I have had Toyota pickups, Camry's and 4runner... they were good but not great, really no different than the American vehicles. I agree with Tim that the parts are over priced.

I have a good friend who was a Toyota mechanic for years until he got promoted by the dealership and is now a Lexus mechanic, in fact is now head mechanic. He is a real sharp guy and very pro- Toyota... but he has admitted to me that Toyota made their reputation on the 4 cyl. engines and the 6 cyl's. have alot more problems especially with the heads. Years ago when my wife wanted a Camry, he recommended the 4cyl. so we got it... . it was a very good car. Later she got a 6 cyl. 4Runner, it was good but needed a valve job at 100K and a radiator at 110K, even though we followed the book on maintenance... point is every manufacterer has their strong and weak points. Some of their models have excellent engineering and some don't.

 

[WMcGuire]

my brother has a 05 tundra, and there is no way my 04. 5 cummins would come close to that truck other than towing more! its faster, better fit and finish, ride, what are the big three going to do if toyota ever build a 3/4 ton w/diesel?

Dang it, I wanted to chime in there about my 47 crosley p/u or my 37 Reo, Oh well,, guess I'll put in my 2 cents about Toyota, They arent a real player in the 1/2 ton market with the T100 or the Tundra, but that is how they play, they won't go head to head with the big 3 with a heavy duty diesel truck, they are "Niche" players, they like to carve out a just a little piece of the action, It's likely they will have a diesel, but light duty "The Niche right now is that none of the big three has a 1/2 ton diesel option",thats the market that Toyota will aim for, it will come with only one transmission option, (automatic)probably 4wd and fully loaded with bells & whistles and priced accordingly, this is how the Tundra is marketed. Oo.

 

[Tim]

I have owned many vehicles, Toyotas, GMs, Fords, Dodges... I have always been a stickler for maintenance, especially oil & filter changes... I have had Toyota pickups, Camry's and 4runner... they were good but not great, really no different than the American vehicles. I agree with Tim that the parts are over priced.

I have a good friend who was a Toyota mechanic for years until he got promoted by the dealership and is now a Lexus mechanic, in fact is now head mechanic. He is a real sharp guy and very pro- Toyota... but he has admitted to me that Toyota made their reputation on the 4 cyl. engines and the 6 cyl's. have alot more problems especially with the heads. Years ago when my wife wanted a Camry, he recommended the 4cyl. so we got it... . it was a very good car. Later she got a 6 cyl. 4Runner, it was good but needed a valve job at 100K and a radiator at 110K, even though we followed the book on maintenance... point is every manufacterer has their strong and weak points. Some of their models have excellent engineering and some don't.

Now if just more people could see the light instead of just believing everything they hear/read.