Hello everyone


I am new here and my 02 ford ranger with 150k miles is starting to wear out and im looking for a new truck. I have absolutely no brand loyalty and based on the test drives I have done, consumer reports research, fuel efficiency, etc the chevy 1500, F150, Tundra and Ram 5.7L hemi all seem to be a wash.


So now I want to learn about general reliability. I have been told my multiple people that dodge has problems with its body starting to rattle after its gets some miles on it, fords gas mileage drops off significantly after about 20,000 miles. My parents have a chevy 1500 and it seems to do fine and I have never heard anything credibly bad about the tundras.


My big concerns are a trucks transmission, coolant system and engine. As soon as the bands in a transmission start to wear it can get really expensive. Same with a coolant leak, as soon as one leak starts you end up chasing the leak and basically have to pull the engine and replace all the seals. The other issue I had with my ranger is one of the rear cylinders is starting to knock. I had to replace the transfer case before it even hit 100k miles as well which was spendy.


I don't trade trucks in so what ever I buy I will have for 10-15 years.


Are there any particular makes that hold up better to extreme cold conditions, I understand Ford is primarily used for arctic remote work site trucks, I don't know if that's because they are leaps and bounds ahead in arctic conditions or they just give big companies a better deal on fleet vehicles?


I am not going to be hauling or towing much (at most a sea doo jet boat to the lake some day when I can afford a jet boat lol). Maybe a large tool box in the back to work on my plane at the hangar. Helping people move, etc.


Also does anyone know how much of the hype about the 2015 F-150's is true, its suppose to have a 9 speed automatic with a 5.7 liter and a 20% weight reduction. Is it worth it to wait till fall to see?

 

Or even ease of servicing. I have heard of horror stories of some cars that have impossible to change spark plugs or oil filters, etc.