I know I’ve got a lot of nerve asking this question and I’m probably setting myself for some backlash, but I’m going to do it anyway. I am in the process of looking for a later model truck (late 80s-ealy 90s), something that is durable, dependable, can take a beating, and easy to work on (mechanics). I’m considering between the F-150, Chevy 1500, and the GMC equivalent. Can I get some “objective” feedback about the differences. I know there have to be strengths and weaknesses of each model, and that’s what I’m interested in. Thanks for any intelligent responses.

Dale Sellers

 

You are a brave man for asking that question...very brave man

I am sure you will get some great feedback on each of the three trucks. I cannot speak from experience with older trucks...however, I had a '94 Chevy 1500, basic work truck, and it was great for me, however it is now starting to fall apart and everything is breaking on it....so I wouldn't recommend a Chevy 1500

My husband has always had FORD trucks, and has always had good luck with them for the most part. He was also able to work on any of his trucks...fairly easy with some basic knowledge and a few helpful tips from friends and truck boards like this one. I am sure if you had any problems with a FORD, everyone here would be able to help out in some way or another.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

want a truck that rides soft like a car that cant pull? get a Chevy
want a cheap average truck? get a Dodge
want a real truck? get a Ford

plain and simple .

 

My 99 F150 has been great. Only 1 small item in the window motor went wrong. However, my mom sold her Expy and bought a Tahoe. It rides much better, has better seats. Yet, the seat seems to be off center of the steering wheel by an inch. Our company also purchased an 03 plain jane (sorry to the people named jane) and it has been nice so far. It's only a v6 so it gets great milage. Once again, you are slightly off center and the seat seems to sit lower. That is one thing you should take into consederation. My grandpa also just got an 03 heavy duty chevy with the allison and Duramax. He loves it and say's it has more power than his 99psd ford and shifts really nice.

I dont offer advise, but if you want a new truck, just go drive as many as you can and see wich one you like. For a somewhat short term (3-6 years) you probly wont have any problems with wichever truck you go with. I might wait on the 04 Ford, they should prove to provide a few more items the other truck companies currently don't offer.

.02

 

Figured I should chime in on this one as I may be the only one on this board to give you an objective opinion. I am one of the few rare individuals who happens to like BOTH Ford and Chevy! And in case you are wondering, NO I dont have Bi-Polar Disorder or Multiple Personalities.

With that out of the way I have had experience with both trucks that you are looking at: I had a 88 F-150, reg cab, long box, 2wd XLT Lariat with a 302/auto. I used it as my daily driver and also for my lawn care service that I ran for 3 years. I put overloads on the rear end and gave it a fair amount of work. For both farm use and lawn care use I carried around a 105 gallon fuel tank in the back of the truck and when mowing I pulled an 18 foot tandemn axle car hauler with a ramp on back. Loaded on the trailer was a Toro Commercial rider with a 72" deck up front, and a 2 Toro Commercial walk behind mowers, one 36 inch, and the other a 48 inch. With the trailer loaded and with fuel in the tank this truck got a real workout and for the most part was trouble free.

The Fords of this era had a healthy appetite for brakes and brake calipers. Warped rotors were also very common. Not to mention the endless front end alignments on the twin I-beam front suspension. It also went through a couple alternators, a water pump, t-stat etc. I bought the truck with 90,000 miles...at 110,000 miles (before I really started working it) the tranny went out. I lost reverse and 1st gear when leaving school one day. I made it home and once I got there I lost the tranny altogether. Then at 130,000 the engine developed a wicked rod knock and had lost almost all oil pressure. I attribute this to the previous owner not changing the oil often enough. So I dropped in a reman engine and it ran great until about 168,000 miles when late one night the #1 cylinder melted a piston and seized the engine. Im still not sure of the exact cause. All in all though it was a great truck that served me well.

As for the Chevy, right now I am driving a 1993 Chevy Silverado 1500, 4x4 Z-71, ext cab short box, with a 350/auto. I bought this truck with 140,000 miles from a family member who had owned it since new. The previous owner pulled a 5000 lb boat 300 miles round trip every weekend up to his lake cabin during the summer. During the winter he pulled a four place sled trailer up to the same cabin almost every weekend.

The truck now has 205,000 miles on it and I have had to do very little to it. I use it as my daily driver, getting to and from work and school, and I also use it for farming with my dad. It hauls a 105 gallon fuel tank during busy times of the year, hauls pallets of seed, and herbicide tanks. I have also used it to pull a 1000 gallon fertilizer nurse tank which weighs around 12,000 pounds loaded. Yeah its heavy and is overloading the truck. But I am only driving back roads at 45-50 mph and taking it down rough and muddy field roads.

The truck has only needed normal scheduled maintenance, and normal wear items. To date this is what has been replaced on the truck:
1 water pump
1 thermostat
2 batteries
2 alternators (one was a cheap reman)
1 starter
1 front end rebuild (ball joints, tie rod ends, pitman arm, idler arm)
All four u-joints at once, one was bad so I replaced all of them with greasable ones.
1 set of shocks
Tires as needed and alignments only needed when replacing tires.
Then just normal brake work, 2 sets of rotors and drums, new pads and shoes as needed. It still has the original calipers and wheel cylinders.

Other than that it is just regular oil changes and chassis lubrication every 3000-4000 miles, tranny flush every 30,000. Plugs, wires, dist. cap and rotor, and air filter every 30,000-40,000 miles and regular front and rear diff and transfer case oil changes. Oh and I replaced the crappy thermal front axle actuator with an electric solenoid one.

In my opinion, you cant go wrong with either Ford or Chevy (GMC). If the truck is in good condition, has been well taken care of, then it will take care of you. But you asked and you deserve an answer, if I had to pick one now like you are doing...I would pick the Chevy (GMC) for the model years that you are talking about. They are by far easier to work on, especially under the hood. The GM TBI fuel injection ( in the 88-95 trucks) is remarkably simple and easy to work on, it also takes up much less space then the MPFI of the Ford and doesnt have the jungle of vacuum lines, wires, etc. IMO the front ends also stand up better to use and abuse with fewer repairs/alignments. The brakes also seem to be a much better design.

Good luck with your truck purchase, be sure to drop back in and let us know what you get. If you are interested here are some websites/forums for GM trucks. Sorry for the LONG post.

http://www.pickuptruck.com
http://www.gm-trucks.com
http://www.fullsizechevy.com

 

Noticed you didn’t mention Dodge. Smart , very smart

 

My vote is for FORD.

 

I've driven Chevies and Fords, but few Dodges.
Every time I get into a Chevy, it just doesn't feel as tough or durable as the Fords. My wife even commented about how much cheaper and flimsy the Chevy tailgates are compared to my Ford.

If you are using it as commuter, a Chevy would work fine. If you are going to work it, a Chevy will work - but it will have to work a lot harder to do the same thing as a Ford.

On a side note, I had a Chevy riding guy w/ me in my 00 F150 4x4, and we were driving around in this field for work with about 6 inches of snow covering the ground. He made the comment about how surprised he was that I wasn't having any problems and wasn't getting stuck, because w/ his 94 Chevy 4x4 he would be really be fighting to keep from getting hung up - then I told him I didn't even have it in 4wd.

You did the right thing coming here and asking our opinions, compare these responses to the ones you got from a Chevy site (assuming you've already posted there), then go drive a couple of each make, and decide which will work for you.

 

for trucks of that era, late 80's to early 90's, i would have to agree with mn4x4.
i've had an '87 blazer and an '89 chevy 1500. both were great trucks. very easy to find parts for them because of interchangeability between models. very easy to work on.

new trucks, no question ford over chevy all day.

 

I say FORD all the way no ifs ands or buts about it.

 

My great grandfather bought one of the first Ford trucks, and ever since then, each generation of my family has bought an F-150. My family lived in a small town in the Napa Valley where, synchronistically, a family owned Ford dealership sprung up. It is still in business today! Aside from small issues with my EGR (faulty valve), which was replaced with warrenty coverage in less than a day, I have been completely happy with my truck. I have friend's who have Chevy's and Dodges and I am not impressed with the quality. I once went to push the cigarette lighter in on my friend's 99 Suburban ( a 50-60 thousand dollar truck) and I pushed it right through the dash board! Not to mention he sprung a leak in his 5.7 LTR. engine (with 2,000mi). His valve covers were defective. I may be bias, but that is enough to convince me not to buy that brand. Dodge I can't say much about. All I know is they rust one hell of a lot. I have a co-worker that bought a 2003 and he found some rust developing on his frame....already!

good luck with your decision!

 

go with a ford
my dad has a 91 f-150 with the 5.8 liter V-8 auto
it use to be used as a farm truck and we put it through h*ll
it pulled a cattle trailer 7 days a week and never complained (no special towing package just a ball in the bumper)
we even had it so loaded down that the back bumper was only a few inches from the ground and the truck pulled it with ease
just take it out of od
even to this day the truck runs like new the only major problem was when the tranmission seal blew and drained all the fluid enough said
the only down fall the truck has is that it only gets around 11 mpg on a good day
thats just my 2 cents

 

Would have loved to seen the look on his face when you told him that!

 

MN4X4 has a pretty good point. Today's vehicles, Ford all the way. '88 - '96, I would consider a Chevy/GMC. Prior to '88, probably not something that you want to get into.