Half-ton pickup redux
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You might like the awd system in it now that you actually have a contact patch on your tires. It really is pretty good i would choose it over any of my 4x4s in the snow untill it gets to 6" or so. At that point you need more ground clearance than the escape has.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Agreed. I love AWD in the snow. Way better on-road than any 4x4.
4x4 still wins once you leave the road, tho.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
lol... who would buy one without!
My current truck has the posi 3.92 diffs, a special order item from Ram, that I can't believe every person doesn't order.
Lots of people dont know the difference or care most people will never use itlol... who would buy one without!
My current truck has the posi 3.92 diffs, a special order item from Ram, that I can't believe every person doesn't order.
Jazzberry
Minister of Fire
lol... who would buy one without!
My current truck has the posi 3.92 diffs, a special order item from Ram, that I can't believe every person doesn't order.
Wish I had some taller gears in my truck. Budget doesnt allow me to order a new truck. The gears are really needed in the mountains. I almost never get to use 4th gear (OD).
Im in the market for a new truck and was originally only looking at 2WD but i may be changing that. First of all i find some lots dont have a single truck new or used thats 2WD. All 4WD. Could be hard to sell a 2WD around here when the time comes. Secondly i was worried about the ride but ill have to do some test drives to find out if the new 2WD trucks ride any better. One of my older trucks is 4WD so i always have one available in case of snow .
more like a rear wheel assist system fully automatic - which I am not fond of- the couple times last winter when it was on and I did not know ( there is no indicator or anything else that gives any idea) it i had set the cruise control and then it kicked off there by reducing the power drag and suddely I am doing around 75 it was set at 65. as it is self engaging and dis-engaging things get a bit squirmy on the back roads to my home- at the time tire pressure was around 30psi as I had just gotten the unit. I am very familiar with 4x4 both the current offerings on my trucks and true 4x4 from years gone by. ( not something you would want on city streets).
Do you have the intelligent 4wd or the active awd system? From what you are describing i am guessing it is the 4wd system which is basically an auto 4wd that dimply sends power to the rear when it detects slipping. The awd system regulates power to all 4 wheels not just front and back. There is a screen you can go to to watch the distribution. With our awd you really dont feel any engagement or disengagement. You just have traction. And btw i am pretty sure 30psi is to low.
There are also plenty of vehicles still available with true 4wd systems but for on the road awd is far better.
But yes the 4wd system in the escape is not very good i really though they had stopped making it in 15 but i guess not.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
No budget issues, here... but I still wouldn't buy a new truck. It's just a complete waste of money, IMO. I ordered the last one thru Chrysler Capital, they have what must be tens of thousands of them, off 2-year leases, on constant auction to dealers. I was able to walk in there and basically give the exactly laundry list of features I wanted, and my dealer ordered one in with that exact configuration. It had about 9k miles on it, and I saved about $17k over the price of buying new, a full third of the MSRP!
If you go that route, take some time to understand their condition ratings. I insisted on one that was "A+", or whatever their highest condition rating was at auction, I don't remember their system now. It might take a week or two for one that matches your criteria to come up, but I was willing to wait a week or two.
Im leaning that way right now. Some of the leases have you paying 20K before giving it back and starting over. I can get what i want buying for 30k, for a truck that was 45k, 2-5 thousand miles ago in a year or 2 old. , so im thinking may as well buy it and have something to sell if i want to upgrade in a few years.
16 Escape - ford calls both the 4wd and the steering system adaptive- I just can't find who or what it is adapted to.
For what i use it for it is fine. Thought about one of those Prius ( not a fan of the mfg.)Too pricy for what they are and no towing ability to speak of.
Buying off lease- is a good bet. If you can cut out the dealer in the middle. From what I could see around my parts off lease wasn't that great.
Getting back to the op I had a 99 F150 ( bought new) set up as a heavy 1/2ton - was a good truck for me at the time. The usage on it was similar to what you spoke of. For the heavy work I had a 80's f350 6.9 diesel and when that frame went south ( around 2000) then a 99 f350 V10. At the time diesel fuel pricing was way above gas. I now have a 04 F250 fully deleted emission wise 6.0 diesel - I am not in a metro area and so this is grandfathered in for a couple more model years after 2004 EPA wise. The extra 10cents a gallon is offset by almost double the mileage of the V10 gasser ( that truck was a real beast- current owner has the same attitude about it). Trucks for me are for work/ hauling- I have not been following how those little displacement engines in the 150s have been holding up. Course I am still old school -" No Replacement for Displacement".
I do not think there is anything out there that dosen't have some sort of issue- any mfg.
For what i use it for it is fine. Thought about one of those Prius ( not a fan of the mfg.)Too pricy for what they are and no towing ability to speak of.Buying off lease- is a good bet. If you can cut out the dealer in the middle. From what I could see around my parts off lease wasn't that great.
Getting back to the op I had a 99 F150 ( bought new) set up as a heavy 1/2ton - was a good truck for me at the time. The usage on it was similar to what you spoke of. For the heavy work I had a 80's f350 6.9 diesel and when that frame went south ( around 2000) then a 99 f350 V10. At the time diesel fuel pricing was way above gas. I now have a 04 F250 fully deleted emission wise 6.0 diesel - I am not in a metro area and so this is grandfathered in for a couple more model years after 2004 EPA wise. The extra 10cents a gallon is offset by almost double the mileage of the V10 gasser ( that truck was a real beast- current owner has the same attitude about it). Trucks for me are for work/ hauling- I have not been following how those little displacement engines in the 150s have been holding up. Course I am still old school -" No Replacement for Displacement".
I do not think there is anything out there that dosen't have some sort of issue- any mfg.
Deleting emissions is not grandfathered in. You may not need tested but it is against federal law to remove emmisions equipment.16 Escape - ford calls both the 4wd and the steering system adaptive- I just can't find who or what it is adapted to.
Buying off lease- is a good bet. If you can cut out the dealer in the middle. From what I could see around my parts off lease wasn't that great.
Getting back to the op I had a 99 F150 ( bought new) set up as a heavy 1/2ton - was a good truck for me at the time. The usage on it was similar to what you spoke of. For the heavy work I had a 80's f350 6.9 diesel and when that frame went south ( around 2000) then a 99 f350 V10. At the time diesel fuel pricing was way above gas. I now have a 04 F250 fully deleted emission wise 6.0 diesel - I am not in a metro area and so this is grandfathered in for a couple more model years after 2004 EPA wise. The extra 10cents a gallon is offset by almost double the mileage of the V10 gasser ( that truck was a real beast- current owner has the same attitude about it). Trucks for me are for work/ hauling- I have not been following how those little displacement engines in the 150s have been holding up. Course I am still old school -" No Replacement for Displacement".
I do not think there is anything out there that dosen't have some sort of issue- any mfg.
Isaac Carlson
Minister of Fire
The epa can eat all the rat tails they want, it won’t make any difference to those of us who don’t want it on there. Claim what you want, the crap they put in new vehicles keeps them from getting decent mileage and power. My truck benefited from the removal and the car doesn’t have half of it to start with(gotta love it when the mfg doesn’t use egr), and the second cat has been removed for a big gain in tq and mileage. I have a turbo for it, but need to get an artermarket computer for it to use the turbo.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Most of the stuff I looked at, off 2 year lease, had 12k - 14k miles on it. Mine coming in at 9k miles was just a bonus, definitely not the norm.
But other than retaining the new carpet smell, I'm not really sure how much a difference of 3k - 5k miles matters today. At least around here, road salt always kills my truck before the miles do. Things start breaking due to rust and corrosion, before I wear them out on miles.
Till it gets caught at inspection and you have to put it all back to make it legal to drive. That is if your state has inspections. If it does even without an emissions test they are supposed to do a visual inspection to make sure all components are there.
No difference. Even 10 to 20k, id consider practically a new truck depending on how it was maintained.
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sportbikerider78
Minister of Fire
Everyone that wrenches on cars has a 'buddy' with access to the tax stickers to put on the windshield. It has been that way forever.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Yes but if you get caught not only do you get a ticket they loose their licence
Have had a month or so to evaluate my (Almost) new 2015 GMC 1500 standard cab 4x4 work truck. Replaced a 1993 standard shift with the same V-6 engine. The biggest improvement by far is the power. I was extremely skeptical of another V-6 since the 93 had a paltry 160HP. Was originally only looking at V-8s but since i ran across a deal i couldnt refuse it gave the V-6 a shot.
One test drive allayed all my skepticism. At 285 HP the new GM V-6 has all the power and acceleration i will ever need. It has a tow package but i do Zero towing. The truck is also hundreds of lbs lighter than the old one. IF i were doing any kind of serious towing i would have held off for the 8. The second biggest improvement is the MPG ,mid 20s hwy and around mid teens in town to avg out at about 22 combined. Another nice option is the backup camera.
The only real disappointment is the stiff ride party caused by the 4WD and tires,and another issue is the finicky 6 speed auto tranny. Up shifts are smooth and solid but downshifts are sometimes noticeably harsh. Many other late model GM truck owners have complained about this problem. Possibly the new 8 speed auto has fixed this.
I got this 2015 for $13,700 while a new 2019 with the same specs price out at $39,600. While relatively high mileage at 120k its still quite a savings at 26k below new price for a 4 yr old truck in excellent condition, not a hint of rust anywhere,so i had to give it a shot. I couldnt find anything close to this new of a truck for this price. Just looking at the truck inside and out not knowing the mileage id have guessed 15 to 20 k on the odometer.
![[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/245/245879-e67c757f6b240356399cd118ccd90205.jpg?hash=-XuXXNIhy5 "[Hearth.com] Half-ton pickup redux")
One test drive allayed all my skepticism. At 285 HP the new GM V-6 has all the power and acceleration i will ever need. It has a tow package but i do Zero towing. The truck is also hundreds of lbs lighter than the old one. IF i were doing any kind of serious towing i would have held off for the 8. The second biggest improvement is the MPG ,mid 20s hwy and around mid teens in town to avg out at about 22 combined. Another nice option is the backup camera.
The only real disappointment is the stiff ride party caused by the 4WD and tires,and another issue is the finicky 6 speed auto tranny. Up shifts are smooth and solid but downshifts are sometimes noticeably harsh. Many other late model GM truck owners have complained about this problem. Possibly the new 8 speed auto has fixed this.
I got this 2015 for $13,700 while a new 2019 with the same specs price out at $39,600. While relatively high mileage at 120k its still quite a savings at 26k below new price for a 4 yr old truck in excellent condition, not a hint of rust anywhere,so i had to give it a shot. I couldnt find anything close to this new of a truck for this price. Just looking at the truck inside and out not knowing the mileage id have guessed 15 to 20 k on the odometer.
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Stelcom66
Minister of Fire
Good choice and good price IMO. I know I'd certainly be fine with one of the newer 4.3 V6s. Yours puts out about the same power as my 4.8 V8 did that my son now has. 212k on that and the engine has been fine. The MPGs you're getting sound amazing to me for a 4WD truck. I've seen several other posts in the Silverado/Sierra forum mentioning the stiff ride. It's still probably better than my 2002 Silverado 1500 with the Z71 suspension. The 120k miles shouldn't be a concern with that engine. The 4.3 of that year I believe just happens to have the same displacement of the V6 from many years ago but it's been totally redesigned. Mine is also a standard cab, I just use it as a work truck, but is an LS.
While looking for a truck last year I saw a 2005 Silverado work truck, also red. It had the 4.3 V6, 4WD, and amazingly a 5 speed manual transmission - a very rare package. Being a manual transmission fanatic I would have bought it but the frame had quite a bit of rust. Does the 2015 work truck have crank windows? Probably air conditioning is standard. In the 2005 Silverado and Sierra work trucks I looked at there was none, and had crank windows.
While looking for a truck last year I saw a 2005 Silverado work truck, also red. It had the 4.3 V6, 4WD, and amazingly a 5 speed manual transmission - a very rare package. Being a manual transmission fanatic I would have bought it but the frame had quite a bit of rust. Does the 2015 work truck have crank windows? Probably air conditioning is standard. In the 2005 Silverado and Sierra work trucks I looked at there was none, and had crank windows.
This truck was listed as a work truck but has a lot of extra options. Yes AC is standard and its ice cold.It has power
windows and power door lock as well as 2 remotes. Has a backup camera ,cargo lights as well as some LED lights under the bed rail which is nice. It has a trailer receiver package. Cruise control , factory Bed liner,chrome and wheel package. Does NOT have carpet which i like ,so much easier to clean. Has tranny trailer mode which uses transmission braking. I like this as i dont have to use the brakes even on the steepest mountains although im sure i would if i had a heavy trailer hooked up but then the trailer has brakes as well. I was especially checking for rust as i know some late model trucks have rust problems ,some late model dodges and some mid to late 2000 GM trucks as as well which i found to be true looking at a 2009 GMC truck with severe rust which prompted me to search for much newer trucks.
It is a 6sp auto, i was especially trying to get away from my standard shift truck as all the shifting was getting to be a PIA especially during in town driving.
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