Toyota Tundra or Chevy Silverado?

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silenthunterstudios

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I currently drive a 2003 Silverado, single cab, I pretty much fell into a deal on it after a pretty bad car accident. I'm never driving a car again, I've ridden in plenty of cars and SUVs, I even fit in a Prius with a couple buddies once. Not driving them though. I'd like to have an SUV and truck, but I can't afford that. I've been awed by the 22R motors in 1989 and older Toyota pickups and the 4Runners, but not that thrilled with the V6 I've seen. The V8s in the Silverados have been pretty good, knock on wood. My truck has the small 4.8 V8. I'm a big dude, 6'3" and 365LBs, and I tend to like my room. I get by fine in the 03, but I'm looking at extended or crew cabs.

I've read about quite a few problems in the newer Silverados, and of course Toyota had the recalls on the frames on the Tundra trucks several years ago.

I just like trucks. I don't use mine for work. Hauled my little brothers gun cabinet and table saw to his house just recently. That's probably the most use the bed has seen since I hauled a load of firewood a couple years ago.

What is your suggestion?
 
New?
Chevy if you plan on trading it in within 5 years (under warranty)
Toyota if you plan on keeping it for a decade.
Used?
Chevy's don't hold value well, nor does it hold build quality after a decade.
Toyota's hold value, and long term drivability.

One is made in Mexico or America. (It's split)
One is made in America.
You figure out what one is what.
 
I hear the Tundra is bad on fuel mileage.
Right now with all the rebates on GM's, it's a buyers market for GM's. I think GM is also offering free oil changes for the first two years along with tire rotation.
If you have both dealers close, shop prices and see what deals you can get.
 
My dad has a GMC truck, which is very nice inside and rides nice. But after 3 years it's falling apart.
I told him to drive the tundra, and he said he likes it but doesn't look and feel as nice inside.
I'm going for a new 4runner, hopefully the trail edition.

I would test drive both of them. Then I would read about them on their forums and read member complaints.
 
I hear the Tundra is bad on fuel mileage.
Right now with all the rebates on GM's, it's a buyers market for GM's. I think GM is also offering free oil changes for the first two years along with tire rotation.
If you have both dealers close, shop prices and see what deals you can get.

The dealer rebate on the Chevy is quite tempting. I've seen almost 11,000 off msrp on a 2500 Silverado. If I was to buy new, that gives Chevy a big up. (Granted it would be traded in within 3 years, and the only way to save my backside on loss would be to snag another new Chevy.)
 
I've had many Silverados over the years. They have been great trucks. I would stick to the 6-speed automatic as the 8-speed appears to have some new product issues yet to be worked out. This seams to be a common issue with most of the of the new generation 8 & 9 speed transmissions. They are complicated devices.

I really like the 2016 front end refresh. Makes me wish I had waited one more year!
 
Both good choices. Drive them both and pick the one you like better. As far as reliability is concerned, most vehicles will last a long time if they're well maintained.
 
I have a 2014 Tundra and could not be happier. My only real complaint is the 26 gallon gas tank but the newer years have an optional 38 gallon I believe.
 
New?
Chevy if you plan on trading it in within 5 years (under warranty)
Toyota if you plan on keeping it for a decade.
Used?
Chevy's don't hold value well, nor does it hold build quality after a decade.
Toyota's hold value, and long term drivability.

One is made in Mexico or America. (It's split)
One is made in America.
You figure out what one is what.

My brother is a serious mechanic for couple decades. He gave me this same advise. He owns a Tundra.
 
To me, the choice is so clear there is no choice. Toyota.

I'm on my second Toyota truck since 1990, when I traded in my POS '88 Chevy that made a career being towed back to the dealership for many issues involving reliability. To include dying on the road. With GM's "not give a damm" attitude once they get your money, I went to Toyota and never looked back.

My 1990 Toyota was used until 2001 when I had rotator cuff surgery and my right shoulder was never going to be the same, I sold it for almost half of what I paid for it, with 140,000 miles on it. My 2001 Tacoma has been a great stuck, still driving it with just under 150,000 miles on it, and it runs like a champ. But…it had a major issue. Just after the factory warrantee was out, it started to knock for about 10 seconds on cold morning startups. The first visit to the dealer and it was diagnosed as piston slap, and they rebuilt the motor with no questions. This was a couple thousand miles AFTER the warrantee was out! Hell, I couldn't get GM to fix anything on my new Chevy that was towed into the stealership on a roll back, REPEATEDLY!

A huge difference in corporate mentality.

Oh by the way, I sold my old '90 Toyota to the guy down the street, and he ran it to well over 200,000 thousand miles with no problems. I lost track of him when I moved out of Maryland, but I'd bet that it's still going.

But the icing on the cake for me is, GM should never have been bailed out. They are still making the same junk that they were known for. My sister in law bought a new chevy Equinox in 2011 in spite of being advised not to. To date, the junker has cost her a fortune in repairs. Then a few months ago, even though the car was out of warrantee, but because of so many of them establishing a problem with oil consumption, the Chevy dealer here in Texas rebuilt her engine at 78,000 miles. THEN, her tranny self destructed, and that cost her 3,730 dollars that she could ill afford. Apparently GM still can't build a car that will run 10 years or 100,000 thousand miles in spite of being shown by the Japanese and Koreans that it is not only possible, but they do it everyday. It's pretty bad that in this day and age, with modern production capabilities, to make a car that the entire drive train fails before a hundred thousand miles.

Oh, as for my sister in law, her former car was a Toyota forunner that had well over 200,000 thousand miles on it and was running fine when she was t-boned and the Toyota was totaled. The insurance money was almost nothing on the old truck and she said the price of the new Toyota was too stiff for here. In retrospect, it would have been cheaper, even with the Chevy dealer picking up the engine rebuild.

Go Toyota.
 
I hear the Tundra is bad on fuel mileage.
Right now with all the rebates on GM's, it's a buyers market for GM's. I think GM is also offering free oil changes for the first two years along with tire rotation.
If you have both dealers close, shop prices and see what deals you can get.

For what the repairs on that GM is going to run you, you can buy a lot of gas.

People, all those rebates and red deals are why GM had to be bailed out to start with. People have stopped buying their junk and are turning to other brands that have been proven to be more reliable in use. Those rebates are worthless when you're standing there in front of the service desk and he hands you a bill for thousands of dollars!
 
if you're going to buy GM, get one several years old. we see quite a few new trucks coming in for their recalls, or this and that is broken, or something leaks, or whatever. for some people, they're willing to pay the inconvenience price just to have the newest truck. the previous body style, not nearly as much. they have regular wear and tear items replaced, but even the piston problems the old 5.3's had seem to be a thing of the past. at least in my area of the country.

I would definitely argue the "better deal" comments being made, on the basis that warranty pays for your repairs for 5 years.

I wouldn't call anything junk, because let's face it, comparatively speaking it's all "junk" of some kind. it's just the way of the crooked car maker world. they're all equally guilty on that front, in my opinion.

...unless of course I watch the delivery drivers bring in dedicated semi loads full of tundra frames twice a week across the street from my job [emoji13]
 
The last Chevy I bought was a brand new 1984 S10. After about 70,000 miles, it was falling apart. Lot's of driveline clunks, serious engine knocking that couldn't be fixed without a rebuild. I switched to Toyota in 1988 and haven't looked back. They aren't perfect either, but much better.

I'll also say this. I almost always do my own work, including clutch replacements and engine rebuilds. In every case where Toyota could have (and Chevy did) cheap out, Toyota built parts correctly. The engineering is so much better, they are a joy to work on. If something was a traditional weak point, it got re-engineered. They pay attention to details that only a mechanic will see. They are completely worth it, IMO. You see wires and hoses routed above the frame, protected from the elements, lots of little details that matter quite a bit.
 
...unless of course I watch the delivery drivers bring in dedicated semi loads full of tundra frames twice a week across the street from my job [emoji13]

That's part of the point; when a Toyota has a problem, it gets fixed on their dime, not the customers. Toyota has replaced whole truck frames at no cost for the owner. A whole engine overhaul in 2006 on my 2001 Tacoma cost me nothing. Not even a token deductible.

I couldn't get GM to do Jack squat on my then new '88 Chevy pickup, and Jack was on vacation in 'vegas.
 
Decision has become fairly simple for me. Since the late 1990s GM (and Ford (and Dodge?)) pickups are no longer available with manual transmissions whereas Toyota still offers them. I never have (45+ years on the road) owned an auto tranny and have no intention of owning a car or truck that doesn't have a 'stick'. Dead battery/blown starter/solenoid or any number of electrical/mechanical problems result in an auto tranny vehicle being 'dead in the water' whereas rolling starts can get you out of a fix without expense or serious inconvenience if it's clutch driven. Exotic Dual clutch trannys don't qualify either because they're electric.
Toyota has been remarkably thorough about replacing 'foolish engineering' closed-box Tundra and Tacoma frames at no owner expense and that has really impressed me.
When FoMoCo discovers that their aluminum trucks disintegrate (anywhere that aluminum makes contact with steel) well before a decade is up and that every steel nut and bolt seizes and breaks off due to galvanic action you can be sure all they'll hand out is financial credits towards buying a new one.
 
I'll say this I work in the auto industry ,not for either one of these brands , but part of my job is knowing our competitors. With that being said Toyota all day long .

I drove a 4runner for close to 5 years and regret trading it in to this day .
 
Toyota all day long, The American auto Industry is presently enjoying a resurgence because people want to buy American made products, we have been down this road before-If you want a truck that will LAST, buy a Toyota, if you want something that will ride like a Cadillac Before breaking down, buy the GM
 
Full size trucks are so good today you probably can't make a "bad" choice. Toyotas seem to hold their value forever but when I bought my two new trucks (2002 Ranger way back when and 2015 Frontier) the Tacoma was as I recall at least $5,000 higher (and actually I'm pretty sure more) for a similarly equipped vehicle, so that can be a determining factor.
 
To me, the choice is so clear there is no choice. Toyota.

I'm on my second Toyota truck since 1990, when I traded in my POS '88 Chevy that made a career being towed back to the dealership for many issues involving reliability. To include dying on the road. With GM's "not give a damm" attitude once they get your money, I went to Toyota and never looked back.

My 1990 Toyota was used until 2001 when I had rotator cuff surgery and my right shoulder was never going to be the same, I sold it for almost half of what I paid for it, with 140,000 miles on it. My 2001 Tacoma has been a great stuck, still driving it with just under 150,000 miles on it, and it runs like a champ. But…it had a major issue. Just after the factory warrantee was out, it started to knock for about 10 seconds on cold morning startups. The first visit to the dealer and it was diagnosed as piston slap, and they rebuilt the motor with no questions. This was a couple thousand miles AFTER the warrantee was out! Hell, I couldn't get GM to fix anything on my new Chevy that was towed into the stealership on a roll back, REPEATEDLY!

A huge difference in corporate mentality.

Oh by the way, I sold my old '90 Toyota to the guy down the street, and he ran it to well over 200,000 thousand miles with no problems. I lost track of him when I moved out of Maryland, but I'd bet that it's still going.

But the icing on the cake for me is, GM should never have been bailed out. They are still making the same junk that they were known for. My sister in law bought a new chevy Equinox in 2011 in spite of being advised not to. To date, the junker has cost her a fortune in repairs. Then a few months ago, even though the car was out of warrantee, but because of so many of them establishing a problem with oil consumption, the Chevy dealer here in Texas rebuilt her engine at 78,000 miles. THEN, her tranny self destructed, and that cost her 3,730 dollars that she could ill afford. Apparently GM still can't build a car that will run 10 years or 100,000 thousand miles in spite of being shown by the Japanese and Koreans that it is not only possible, but they do it everyday. It's pretty bad that in this day and age, with modern production capabilities, to make a car that the entire drive train fails before a hundred thousand miles.

Oh, as for my sister in law, her former car was a Toyota forunner that had well over 200,000 thousand miles on it and was running fine when she was t-boned and the Toyota was totaled. The insurance money was almost nothing on the old truck and she said the price of the new Toyota was too stiff for here. In retrospect, it would have been cheaper, even with the Chevy dealer picking up the engine rebuild.

Go Toyota.

My company (Toyotas biggest competitor ) as well as Toyota have a little million mile club. Basically if your car hits a million miles you get a new car , and it's been done more than you would think , pretty awesome seeing a car with a million miles though when as you said Chevy struggles to get 100k out of them .

Even though I don't work for Toyota they are a quality car .I 've owned one and it and the car I have now for the company I work for are both very well made and I could probably pass it on to my daughter .

Part of R&D is testing out companies cars against our own . Toyota and my company are neck and neck in pretty much every aspect of it .

Another kind of funny thing we have this one model that everyone hates building , it's ugly it gives us constant problems during the build etc.

We've been trying to scrap this one model for years , but literally every time it's on its way out it wins an award for safest or best in class etc. So it buys it 4 more years in production ,it's been redesigned from the ground up now though, but still a PITA to build.
 
I say Toyota, but I love my '11 Dodge Ram. I just got back from the Grand Canyon with the family and the 1,200 mile round trip was smooth. I just hit 72k miles and I've not had a single issue…knock on wood.
 
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