Just a little review of my two trucks before some questions. I've sold the Z71 and the Expedition in my sig (Expy went today) so, naturally, I'm already looking for a new to me truck.
The Z71: Bought it brand new. Extended cab and had the 5.7 Vortec which was awesome. The rest of the truck can rot in H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS! The motor was diagnosed with "seal failure" when it wouldn't hold oil pressure and, after a couple of warranty visits, they replaced it (8k miles on it) and the new motor had been flawless. The transmission was replaced under warranty TWICE. The first grenaded not long after the first engine, the second lost reverse at 30k miles (they attributed both to a pump defect), and the third was fine for the next 13 years. The 4x4 would work when it felt like it from day one (despite me replacing just about every part), the underside of the extended cab doors were rusting through on both sides despite my OCD washing/detailing tendencies, the ring and pinion snapped TWICE during normal driving with the 35" tires on it, and nearly every single electronic part in the cab had failed. I still loved it since it was my first brand new vehicle. I reluctantly let it go a few months ago after 130k miles.
The Expedition: Eddie Bauer, 4x4, 5.4L with 3.73 limited slip gear and tow package. Bought it with 80K or so miles and jacked it up almost immediately. Lift, wheels, 35" tires, sound system, motor upgrades, exhaust, etc. This actually became my "go-to" truck despite it lacking a truck bed. This was known as "the beach vehicle" to my family for driving on the beach, hands down the best beach driving vehicle I've ever owned. The motor was great despite many reports that it was underpowered and sluggish. Never had any of the spark plug problems. The transmission was crisp and predictable. Towed a fairly huge fishing boat better than the Z71 and did it with 6 people in the cab. After 156k miles of pretty heavy towing duty the transmission gave out. I had it rebuilt with upgraded parts and it was solid but not really the same after that. Recently it developed an oil leak from the head (known problem) that also took out the starter. Unfortunately there was no fix other than to take off the head and replace the head gasket so it stayed that way until I sold it today. It left my house today with 236k miles, running perfectly, and I miss it already.
I'm looking at new trucks and I've driven a Ram and a 5.0 F-150. I think I've narrowed the configuration down to a quad cab short bed. I'm leaning heavily towards the 5.0 F-150 at this point but GM's new engine lineup has me intrigued. The conundrum is that I can get a pretty decently discounted 5.0 Ford right now, or wait for the new GM engines, which won't be out long before Ford releases their new refresh along with tweaked Ecoboost and certain other upgrades. In an effort to avoid keeping up with the Jones' I guess I have a few questions. Does anyone have any good reason to choose the new Chevy/GM over this year's F-150 and, if so, how about the new "new" F-150?
The Z71: Bought it brand new. Extended cab and had the 5.7 Vortec which was awesome. The rest of the truck can rot in H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS! The motor was diagnosed with "seal failure" when it wouldn't hold oil pressure and, after a couple of warranty visits, they replaced it (8k miles on it) and the new motor had been flawless. The transmission was replaced under warranty TWICE. The first grenaded not long after the first engine, the second lost reverse at 30k miles (they attributed both to a pump defect), and the third was fine for the next 13 years. The 4x4 would work when it felt like it from day one (despite me replacing just about every part), the underside of the extended cab doors were rusting through on both sides despite my OCD washing/detailing tendencies, the ring and pinion snapped TWICE during normal driving with the 35" tires on it, and nearly every single electronic part in the cab had failed. I still loved it since it was my first brand new vehicle. I reluctantly let it go a few months ago after 130k miles.
The Expedition: Eddie Bauer, 4x4, 5.4L with 3.73 limited slip gear and tow package. Bought it with 80K or so miles and jacked it up almost immediately. Lift, wheels, 35" tires, sound system, motor upgrades, exhaust, etc. This actually became my "go-to" truck despite it lacking a truck bed. This was known as "the beach vehicle" to my family for driving on the beach, hands down the best beach driving vehicle I've ever owned. The motor was great despite many reports that it was underpowered and sluggish. Never had any of the spark plug problems. The transmission was crisp and predictable. Towed a fairly huge fishing boat better than the Z71 and did it with 6 people in the cab. After 156k miles of pretty heavy towing duty the transmission gave out. I had it rebuilt with upgraded parts and it was solid but not really the same after that. Recently it developed an oil leak from the head (known problem) that also took out the starter. Unfortunately there was no fix other than to take off the head and replace the head gasket so it stayed that way until I sold it today. It left my house today with 236k miles, running perfectly, and I miss it already.
I'm looking at new trucks and I've driven a Ram and a 5.0 F-150. I think I've narrowed the configuration down to a quad cab short bed. I'm leaning heavily towards the 5.0 F-150 at this point but GM's new engine lineup has me intrigued. The conundrum is that I can get a pretty decently discounted 5.0 Ford right now, or wait for the new GM engines, which won't be out long before Ford releases their new refresh along with tweaked Ecoboost and certain other upgrades. In an effort to avoid keeping up with the Jones' I guess I have a few questions. Does anyone have any good reason to choose the new Chevy/GM over this year's F-150 and, if so, how about the new "new" F-150?
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