Which 1/2 Ton Truck for Long-Term Ownership

I've gone through previous threads and read all the opinions on the major 1/2 ton trucks but I'm still gonna start a new thread. 

I'm fed up with working on daily drivers and dealing with rust. I'm ready to sell most of my vehicles and get something newer to just be a reliable daily/roadtrip/utility vehicle. I'm looking at 1/2 ton trucks from 2010+ with a budget of up to maybe $25k (would like to be under $20K). I'm in central Ohio so seeing 10-15 year old trucks with rusted out rockers and wheel wells is normal and I would be shopping south to find something without rust. 

I would like something that will get at least 20mpg on extended (not towing) highway runs. City gas mileage isn't as important, I currently daily a Subaru Forester XT that gets around 15mpg on premium. 

What has the best chance of going another 10 years with only minor issues that could be fixed by an average home mechanic?

All would need to be extended or crew cab, at least 6.5' bed and 4x4.

-Ram 1500 with 5.7 and 8 speed automatic
-Ford 5.0 with either 6 or 10 speed automatic
-Chevy/GMC with 5.3 (likely ruled out from AFM issues)
-Other that would hit MPG requirements?

Discuss again for the hundredth time...

I had my '96 Ram 1500 4x4 for approx 130K miles over 24 years. Only major repair was trans rebuild and of course the red paint looked like a mangy dog after 4 years. I traded it for some landscape work in '19 & still see it around town.  Fuel economy was abysmal, probably due largely to being 4x4..  My '19 Ram 5.7 ,auto, 4x4 has gotten around 16 mpg since new.  I doubt that you will approach  20 mpg with any 4x4 1/2 ton truck.

I have a '16 Silverado 5.3 4x4 that averages combined mpg of 16-16.5. I notice the LT BFG off road tires hurt the mpg so with the stock station wagon tires I was in the 17 mpg range.  20 mpg is a stretch for my truck.  

Of those I'd go with a 5.0/10 speed Ford.

Or a GM with AFM deleted, but you may not want to dive that deep.

I would rather deal with AFM than Ford suspension or Ford brakes or Ford rust or Ford transmissions.  But that's just me.

I was going to snark about how the direct injected 4.3 V6 doesn't have AFM and makes almost the same power as the engine in your van, but TIL that the V6 has AFM as installed in pickups, but not in vans. 

Either way, it's easy to disable if you know someone with HPT, and it only seems to fail when it is switched, so the software-only delete seems to be just as reliable as a cam and lifter swap.  Failure also seems to be an infant mortality thing, if it doesn't fail in the first 50k it doesn't seem to fail.

Really, anything that isn't a Dodge is going to be pretty decent, they all suck in some ways but they are fairly minor ways.

If you're thinking about pushing your budget enough for a 10-speed Ford, I would (and did) go with a 2.7EB. All indications I've seen are that it's actually the best built F-150 engine... The fact that I'm not even sure I could get less than 20mpg on the highway if I tried doesn't hurt either.

Why spend that much on a truck when it seems rust and a 10 year life span are the priorities?  Buy something that is older hence easier to maintain?  The non AFM LS motors were pretty bulletproof.  Spend 10K and take it to a rustproofing shop every year, get it cleaned top and bottom every 2 weeks when the weather is bad.  Or am I missing something are newer trucks guaranteed not to rust?  Some stuff may be aluminum but steel rusts no matter what you coat it with when the coating chips off.

porschenut said:

Why spend that much on a truck when it seems rust and a 10 year life span are the priorities?  Buy something that is older hence easier to maintain?  The non AFM LS motors were pretty bulletproof.  Spend 10K and take it to a rustproofing shop every year, get it cleaned top and bottom every 2 weeks when the weather is bad.  Or am I missing something are newer trucks guaranteed not to rust?  Some stuff may be aluminum but steel rusts no matter what you coat it with when the coating chips off.

That is a good point and something I am also considering. The main reason is that I have always driven beaters and now that I am open to the idea of spending real money on something it's easy to get sucked into the nicer features of the newer trucks. I would probably be better off spending 8-10k for a rust free southern truck that is older and saving the rest for a more fuel efficient daily or fuel costs for road trips. 

Good luck finding a good Southern truck for $8K.  Maybe pre 2000?

The Ecoboost trucks can get 20+ MPG consistently.  
 

6.5 foot bed is considered a long bed. The crew cab long beds are less common.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Really, anything that isn't a Dodge is going to be pretty decent, they all suck in some ways but they are fairly minor ways.

Really? They're very popular around here because they're cheap, and I thought they were correspondingly not great. But I have a buddy who's a dealer tech, and when I asked, he said, the cars are junk, but the trucks? They're great, we never see them

If I were spending real money, like $25k I'd go with a 2015 F150. The reason being is this is the year they went to aluminum. Sure, aluminum doesn't solve undercarriage rust but it does stop the magically disappearing wheel wells, cab corners and door bottoms. Buy one down south and this 8 year old truck can have the underboyof a 1 year old northern truck. You'll have it for 9 years up north before it looks like a local 10 year old truck. 

2015 also gets you the Coyote 5.0 which started in 2011 and is still current.  Therefore, if in 10 years you need an engine you are not forced into engines already as old as the one you have. 

Id probably seek out an XLT trim level since it is the most popular trim. That popularity will help you find northern JY interior pieces that are not sun damaged like you might get in your truck of southern origin.  Id probably seek out Oxford White also just because it's the most popular F150 color which also helps in future JY finds.

To buy that new, you might have to accept high miles but being rust free, remember that bolts will come undone!!! Some refresh like suspension should be relatively straight forward with no need to cut a single bolt!!! Imagine that!  Undamaged northern interior parts or plastics are plentiful too in northern JYs. 

I have seen aluminum cab F150s with frames too weak to lift on a frame hoist, and we are also talking about the company that made the water-soluble fuel pump control modules and rear upper control arm bushing brackets.

The other thing about the 5.0s is the eventuality of having to deal with broken exhaust manifold studs.  But you will have that on any V8.

Run_Away said:

Or a GM with AFM deleted, but you may not want to dive that deep.

This would be my first thought, too.  Or, if you are willing to take the mileage hit, find a rust free GMT800.  Then hose down the underside with Fluid Film, or pay for Krown.  

In reply to EvanB :

Try to get a 2016? Or newer Ford F150. You'll appreciate the aluminum  body because it's. Lighter and doesn't rust!  
          I get really decent fuel mileage.  22-24 commuting to work. 5.0 V8 4x4 6 speed. ( I loose 2 mpg when temps are below 30).  I also have flex fuel which saves me as much as $20 a tank  but I lose  2 mpg  so I'm only ahead $10 a tank.  It also makes towing and hauling heavy loads easier ( more power) and cooler on those long pulls in the mountains etc. 

   I bought mine new and the frame has zero rust even though I live in the rust belt. But I also am careful to regularly wash the salt off . Car wash or at home ( heated garage  with a drain) 

Asking what's the best truck is akin to asking what's the best religion.

Peabody said:

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Really, anything that isn't a Dodge is going to be pretty decent, they all suck in some ways but they are fairly minor ways.

Really? They're very popular around here because they're cheap, and I thought they were correspondingly not great. But I have a buddy who's a dealer tech, and when I asked, he said, the cars are junk, but the trucks? They're great, we never see them

They seem to be very cheaply made, they have ZF transmissions (not bad, but not serviceable), and at a dealer level the scantool situation is okay, but they have everything locked down for security reasons so you need to pay The Man for a subscription just to connect to the vehicle, or specifically to get past the security module.

Which, really, is illegal, but them's how it is.

(Security module isolates the vehicle from the radio and the datalink connector, since some people figured out how to get in through the radio and jibba-jabba all over the networks)

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Asking what's the best truck is akin to asking what's the best religion.

Next I'll start a thread on EV vs ICE.

In reply to frenchyd :

Does e85 have that much effect on naturally aspirated engines? 

EvanB said:

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Asking what's the best truck is akin to asking what's the best religion.

Next I'll start a thread on EV vs ICE.

Everclear and ice are complementary, not an either/or thing.

Or is that Everclear and Gatorade? I forget.

Speaking of forget, I forgot that Chevys have transmission dipsticks you can access from under the hood.  Fords have a transmission dipstick that requires a 19mm stubby open end wrench to access, and third degree burns to your hand to use, because it is right next to the right side catalytic converter.

I have a permanent burn scar on the back of my right hand because of a Ford "dipstick".

yupididit said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Does e85 have that much effect on naturally aspirated engines? 

Yes.    With E85 it feels like there is at least 50 more horsepower. ( butt dyno).   On a freeway on ramp I smoked the back tires.   The rear tires tend to wear out early.  At about 50,000 miles the back tires  had 2/32 less tread left. 
    Pulling a Jaguar XJS V12  through the mountains on a hot day   The water temp was below normal.    Flex fuel is the best $99 option you can buy as far as I'm concerned. 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I have seen aluminum cab F150s with frames too weak to lift on a frame hoist, and we are also talking about the company that made the water-soluble fuel pump control modules and rear upper control arm bushing brackets.

 

The other thing about the 5.0s is the eventuality of having to deal with broken exhaust manifold studs.  But you will have that on any V8.

Pete, I'm sorry but my 1997 Chevy 350 with 371.000 miles on it didn't break the exhaust studs.   the doors and fenders were flapping.  The studs on my 5.0 in the  F150 now with almost 90,000 miles aren't broken either.  
Not saying it doesn't happen but not that I know about.   
  There isn't any rust on my frame either ( yes Minnesota is a big rust belt state.). 

In reply to frenchyd :

Small block Chevys broke exhaust manifolds before they broke bolts.  Chevy designed big sweeping curves into the manifold to accommodate expansion and contraction.

Newer engines have simple logs with holes in the side. When the cylinder head is 210F and the exhaust manifold is 1500F the manifold has to expand. So, the manifolds have one, maybe two close tolerance holes to locate the unit, and large diameter holes everywhere else. Gaskets designed to slip and still seal. Studs with self-locking nuts torqued to "just enough" (maybe 15 ft-lb) to allow the manifold to slide under them.

Then the nuts rust to the manifolds, or the large diameter holes close up with rust, and the heat expansion shears the studs, always the ones on the ends first, usually the rear because the rear sees the most heat.

I am very very good at extracting broken studs from cylinder heads.  Give me a MIG welder and some washers and I will remove them all 

My former employer bought a 10 year old truck from Minnesota.  When it was delivered, we marveled at how it had less rust than local one year old trucks  He only paid $8k for it, too. Real nice Z71 Sierra.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I was going to snark about how the direct injected 4.3 V6 doesn't have AFM and makes almost the same power as the engine in your van, but TIL that the V6 has AFM as installed in pickups, but not in vans. 

I hadn't looked into that option but it does seem interesting after a little research. Similar power to a 4.8 LS and rated at 17/22mpg. Looks like they don't sell at any discount to the 5.3 models though and the 2010-13 would be cheaper with the 5.3 (would want the 6 speed trans). 

Don't overlook the Nissan Titan. They built the same truck for years, making improvements as they went along. They seem to slip under the radar. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they are more rust resistant than others. 

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

I was initially looking at Frontiers (because manual trans) but decided the extra payload, towing and bed size would be more useful. The Nissans do seem to be less rusty but the Titan looks to have terrible fuel mileage compared to the others.