Trucks

For those of you with rigs besides your XJs, what are some good truck recommendations?

I'm probably going to offload the XJ in favor of a pickup sometime within the next 6 months or so, just can't afford to do the Jeep thing right now.


I'm pretty set on a 2000ish Chev, but thats just cause I'm a bowtie guy at heart, but I think I could like a Dodge. Somewhere in the $10k range would be nice.


I'm really liking something like this, minus the canopy:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ctd/1928839261.html



NOTE*
I still love XJs, and mine in particular, but I feel like I want to start again with a clean slate someday when I can afford the parts and have a better workspace. Apartments = no place to work

Ford. 5.4L, 6.8L, or 7.3L. Stay away from the diesels other than the 7.3L. and make sure you keep you E4OD cool if you tow. also, a shift kit wouldn't be a bad idea.


/end thread.

88manche said:

Ford. 5.4L, 6.8L, or 7.3L. Stay away from the diesels other than the 7.3L. and make sure you keep you E4OD cool if you tow. also, a shift kit wouldn't be a bad idea.


/end thread.

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I dont see how you can end the thread without mentioning the cummins..

With 10k i would look for a 95-98 12v Cummins.

Or a very high mileage Commonrail cummins.. (i seen an 03 with 273k for 9k)
With a rig that weighs 8k+ i would highly suggest you stay away from Gas. They have less power, Suck more fuel, and have more unnecessary Emissions crap due to DEQ.

I too will be in the market with the same budget after the holidays.

you want a Datsun hands down.

nw-xj-scott said:

I dont see how you can end the thread without mentioning the cummins..

With 10k i would look for a 95-98 12v Cummins.

Or a very high mileage Commonrail cummins.. (i seen an 03 with 273k for 9k)
With a rig that weighs 8k+ i would highly suggest you stay away from Gas. They have less power, Suck more fuel, and have more unnecessary Emissions crap due to DEQ.

I too will be in the market with the same budget after the holidays.

Click to expand...

If he can't afford to build up an XJ, a diesel pickup is not a good choice.

jonzer12 said:

If he can't afford to build up an XJ, a diesel pickup is not a good choice.

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You can finance a truck, you would be hard pressed to find somebody to open you a line of credit on aftermarket jeep parts.

WaXJ_Skier said:

You can finance a truck, you would be hard pressed to find somebody to open you a line of credit on aftermarket jeep parts.

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Exactly.

and with a truck, your automatically talking about a bigger motor then the jeep (unless you have a truck motor IN your jeep now..like..i do) so expect fuel mileage on a v8 gas to be around 8-13mpg.. In a diesel you should expect 18-24..

And if you do the research NOW you can find the right truck in 6 months that should last along time with minimal maintenance. Diesel trucks from the factory are expected to last double, if not triple the life of the lighter weight Gas versions. You will come across 03-05s with 200-400k With the normal story of
"ahh its been threw 8 sets of tires and i get the brakes worked on every 6 months but besides the waterpump and thermostat its all factory.. "

If you can afford them in the beginning.. then the leap is worth it:rtm:

nw-xj-scott said:

Exactly.

and with a truck, your automatically talking about a bigger motor then the jeep (unless you have a truck motor IN your jeep now..like..i do) so expect fuel mileage on a v8 gas to be around 8-13mpg.. In a diesel you should expect 18-24..

And if you do the research NOW you can find the right truck in 6 months that should last along time with minimal maintenance. Diesel trucks from the factory are expected to last double, if not triple the life of the lighter weight Gas versions. You will come across 03-05s with 200-400k With the normal story of
"ahh its been threw 8 sets of tires and i get the brakes worked on every 6 months but besides the waterpump and thermostat its all factory.. "

If you can afford them in the beginning.. then the leap is worth it:rtm:

Click to expand...

I have worked on many diesels. The only two I would get would be a Cummins. Anything thing from 1988 to 1998 1/2 even knowing the old 160 hp ve pump Cummins is under powered but they last forever. The other one would be a 7.3l International. Anymore both the trucks can be had for your budget.
Dave

i would definitely recommend the ford 7.3l or the dodge with a cummins. for some reason chevy thinks ifs is good in a 1 ton (idiots). i've seen many a chevy break their tie-rod ends towing and wheeling. look on youtube you'll find em. diesels are awsome for milage and power, but you gotta keep up on the maint because repairs cost a fortune. as for me i love my 7.3l excursion, seats 6 adults comfortable or two adults and six kids with carseats and it pulls my 28ft toyhualer just fine. i'm getting 16 in town and 24 on the highway and it's still stock. expect to see an increase when i get the tranny done and some other mods. good luck man

I have a f250 7.3 I love it.

Why no dodge? I work for Ford so i know thier trucks in and out. And don't really like the cummins except for the sound.

If you go with the 7.3 and do any towing, get a 5 or 6 speed or do work to the auto. Personally, i love towing with a 5 or 6 speed. the E4OD was made to go behind small gas motors. I have a friend that fried a good E4OD in a month. I'm talking trans coolers, aluminum trans pan, shift kit, etc. My dad has a '93 7.3L IDI 5 spd, and its had an injector pump, injectors, a vacuum pump, and I just did a water pump. it has almost 300k on it. The IDI is very under powered. the best years for the 7.3 are 96-97 (OBD II).

The 6.8L V-10 is a good motor, but the power starts being made at about 3 grand, and ends at about 8 grand, so theyre not that great for towing. The 6.4L diesel gets a bad rap, but its most of it is because of fuel choice. Dirty fuel kills injectors, high pressure pumps, etc.