# I'm Ready to Pull the Trigger...



## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

...on a truck.

I have it narrowed down to either a Nissan Titan, or a Chevy Silverado. 4 doors are a must, also bucket seats up front with a console. 

What pluses/minuses are there with each truck?
Aside of which nameplate you like better, which would you buy?


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

What was your method in narrowing it down to these two? What are the pros and cons as you see them? That way maybe we can speak from your POV.


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## TLB (Jul 13, 2008)

Just a place to look at is alldata.com. This is the company that publishes the recalls and technical service bulletins for all makes and models. Technical service bulletins are known issues with a vehicle but do not affect safety therefore do not meet recall status. This information was invaluable to me when I purchased an 05' Toyota Sequoia over a Tahoe and Pathfinder. I should include that I USE my truck to pull a travel trailer, and to carry the family into the backcountry, it's no grocery getter. I wanted a vehicle that would meet my demanding needs. Needless to say I would be looking Toyota Tundra, Titan, and Dodge. Good Luck with your purchase, there are some great deals right now!!


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Call it ignorance or whatever, but I have never liked Fords. I do like how they look, but I just don't trust their engineering. At the same time, I understand that all makes and models have had and will continue to have their problems. I love the look of the Titan and the Silverado. I like their interiors, and prefer them to the other brands' trucks. I really like the options you get with most of the Titans, most of which are available on the Chevy also. I won't be towing often, but want something with power to get the job done for when I do. Fuel economy is somewhat important, but I understand that it sucks in full size trucks anyway. I would like something with good resale value, although I plan on having this truck for the long haul (no pun intended). 

I guess what I really want to hear are the problems that have occurred, how frequently they occur, and what the upsides of each truck are. I like both, but I haven't really heard a good solid argument for one or the other.


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## TLB (Jul 13, 2008)

I checked out alldata and the list of items for the Chev is really really long, however the Titan had 7 or 8 items and none of them were regarding powertrain or electrical. Too me that speaks volumes about a vehicles reliability. There wouldn't be TSB's if it wasn't a problem that appeared on a rather frequent basis. I really like the Titan, and have driven an Armada before. Lots of power with really good low end torque. Good features when towing. Good Luck!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

I am bias to the Ford, but I can tell you that any objective analysis of Consumer Reports will indicate that Ford does have better reviews than the Silverado. Funny that you mention the interior of the Silverado, but I have always known the interior of the GM's to be about 5 years behind Ford IMHO, vents that only blow straight ahead, antiquated dash panel, etc. I don't know much about the Titan; my latest CR report from 2007 indicates that the "reliability has dropped to well below average." Obviously ten different guys will give ten different opinions; this is just mine. 

Are you looking at new or what vintage? I think you can get 2-3 years old at a very good deal as no one can sell them with the current fuel market climate. Good luck.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

The whole Ford-Chevy-Toyota-Nissan-Dodge thing gets even more confusing when you look at the companies. 

GM is in bed with Toyota, so any GM or Toyota you buy is about 1/2 of each.
Ford is in bed with Nissan, so any Ford or Nissan you buy in is about 1/2 of each.
I don't know about Dodge.
Isuzu and Honda are mostly interchangable as well. 
AND
if vehicles manufactured in the good old USA are your deal, more of your Toyota is manufactured and assembed in the USA - while most of your GM is manufactured and assembled in Mexico.


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## gwailow (Jan 20, 2008)

Previous to last week, I would say go with the Chevy. I've always owned Chev and I prefer them to anything else. This last week, I rented the Nissan Aramadillo(Armada) and drove to Yellowstone. At first I didn't care for the vehicle because the inside seemed square, had weird blind spots and the radio was confusing. After getting over those things, I really enjoyed driving the armadillo, plus we got excellent gas mileage for a V-8 of that size. Over the course of the whole trip we averaged a little over 19 mpg, which we were very happy about. 

On the flip-side of that though, one of my real good buddies bought a brand new Titan right off the lot and he loved it until he had an electrical problem and it started his truck on FIRE!! They towed it back to the dealership had a big fiasco with them and he hasn't enjoyed the Nissans since.


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## bpb1 (Sep 11, 2007)

I have owned several Chevy cars and trucks and several Nissan cars and a minivan. 

I have concluded that in general, the Nissan's are far more reliable, but more expensive to fix when they do break down. The Chevy's are often cheaper and easier to fix, but break down more often. 

This is just based on my own experience. I still love them both.

I prefer the new Titan over the new Chevy. However I would still keep my existing Chevy if I bought one.

Yeah, probably not much help there, I guess. Oh well.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Take a look at the rear differential on the Titan, and compare it to the Silverado, Tundra, or Ram. They use about the same hardware as a midsize.

If I was getting a full size half ton, it would be the Silverado or Tundra.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

As far as the model year goes, I am going to go with 2006 or newer. A friend of mine has a brother who owns a used car dealership, and they are looking for me right now. I told them to look for both, so I can make the decision. Fortunately, I drive these trucks often for my job. I am a valet, so I get to see lots of different cars, but I don't really get to see what they do on the road, let alone off road or towing/hauling. I generally just drive them a couple hundred yards to be parked. The nice thing about this is at least I get to see the interiors of them all. Keep in mind that I want a half ton, not a big, nice 3/4 ton or something that has the diesel and all the bells and whistles. I have seen enough of these trucks to know that a lot more engineering goes into the bigger trucks. I just prefer the interior and styling of the chevy or nissan to the others, and according to Edmunds and KBB, these two trucks have pretty comparable resale values. 

So Thresh- what do you mean it about the drive train? Is it just smaller overall? The titan has a bigger engine than the chevy does, so is it the drive shaft and tranny that are smaller or what? Other than breaking the shaft off-roading, what implications does this have? Could it be that a different material is used, allowing them to make them smaller? 

The other thing about the situation is that I won't be 4 wheeling the crap out of this truck. I will take it off road, but seldom (maybe 2-3 times a year) will it see more than a standard dirt road. I want the ability to go places in 4wd, but I'm not going to put it through the paces. Mostly, I want a truck that will last with minimal problems. I want the higher towing/hauling capabilities, and it seems like all of the trucks out now are comparable.

So in everyone's honest opinion, does it just come down to personal preference? Should I just pick one, and be happy with my decision until the truck proves me otherwise?


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Yeah just take a look at it, the rear diff and axle are tiny. The axle is a Dana 44, like something you'd find on a stock Jeep Wrangler. It's an incredibly poor choice of hardware for a full size truck. I've seen lots of reports about breakage or other failure of the axle shafts and ring gear. Adding bigger tires or towing would make the shortcoming more apparent.


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

I have a good friend with a Titan and he really likes it. But I have a Silverado and I really like that. The Titan does have a little twiggy rear axle, but it is probably adequate if you don't plan on towing very much or very often. And also if you are leaving the size of the tires unchanged. Based on what I've heard and seen, here are my conclusions: If you want a truck that you'll use mainly for commuting, don't plan on hauling much, etc., the Titan is probably a good choice. But of course, so is the 4 door Tacoma if those are your criteria. The 1/2 ton Chevy would get the nod if your plans include some heavier towing or hauling once in a while. And a 3/4 ton Chev is the obvious choice if you're towing a lot or if you just like power. My needs include towing and hauling so I've got the 3/4 ton and it's fabulous :mrgreen:


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Yeah, some day when I have the money and a toy hauler and toys I will get a bigger truck like that. The 2500 Duramax is my dream truck. But for now, I just need a truck that can get the job done without falling apart. I found one that I'm going to take a look at tomorrow, so we'll see!


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## flyfitch (Sep 22, 2007)

I can't believe nobody has mentioned to buy a truck that is owned by a company in the good ol' U.S.A. Yeah, most Toyota and Nissans are made here, but all profits go overseas to the Japenese owners. Why not support your own economy, and help it by buying a truck and know that the profit will stay in the U.S.A. I also want to back up what "thresher" wrote. I drove behind a lifted Titan the other day, and the rear diff. and axles looked like a toy (Not a Toyota). This is a major precaution if you plan on eventually towing or running larger tires. If the engine has too much torque for big tires and wheel, it will tear up the differential.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

*My View*

Were you planning on the Silverado classic edition or the HD edition?

I think everyone knows what way I will say to go but since where not talking about Ford being compared to a truck made by GM I will be less bias. I would take a GM truck (Seirra or Silverado) before anything period, next for a half time I would probably go with the Titan myself then the Tundra.(stricktly because the Tundra dosen't look as good) I know what I am going to say go with the Silverado. Whatever you do don't buy a 2006 Ford F150, my brother-in-law owns one and it has one major recall the braking system, isn't that a comfort knowing while your driving down the road.

The Silverado hasn't had many recalls, in the year 2007 the Chevrolet Silverado had one recall on the electrical system. Don't believe me look at this list of all Chevrolet Recalls.



> I can't believe nobody has mentioned to buy a truck that is owned by a company in the good ol' U.S.A. Yeah, most Toyota and Nissans are made here, but all profits go overseas to the Japenese owners. Why not support your own economy, and help it by buying a truck and know that the profit will stay in the U.S.A. I also want to back up what "thresher" wrote. I drove behind a lifted Titan the other day, and the rear diff. and axles looked like a toy (Not a Toyota). This is a major precaution if you plan on eventually towing or running larger tires. If the engine has too much torque for big tires and wheel, it will tear up the differential.


Knowone seems to look at that anymore, everyone has jumped on the Toyota bandwagon. Well I guess you would rather see an American car company that's been here from the start go down before some foreign car company right.

As for interiors. My brother-in-laws F150's interior is 100% platic, he's lucky the seats are soft. Every inch of the interior besides the seat and carpet is made out of platic, and really cheap plastic. I like GM's interior more than Fords any day. What's so old about GM's interior, its just as good and twice the quality of Fords interior. Fords interior looks more cheap than GM's and thats one big reason that the F150 books well under what the Silverado is worth.

If your looking to buy a truck look at the one that got these said about it:

*Highest expected resail value of any full-sized pickup.
*Lowest cost of ownership of any full-sized pickup
*Best EPA estimated fuel economy in a full sized pickup.
*Best redesigned vehicle of 2007.
*JD Power and awards, "Highest ranked large pickup in initial quality"
*2007 North American Truck of the year
*Popular mechanics automotive award- workhorse
[youtube:3tfdz1ms]http://www.youtube.com/v/2eujERyXBUM&hl=en&fs=1[/youtube:3tfdz1ms]

Here's what the Silverado vs Titan will be worth after the Silverado has 45,000 miles and the Titan has 25,000 miles.:
(2007 models)
Silverado KBB value after 45,000 miles: $24,230
Titan KBB value after 25,000 miles: $23,515
Tundra KBB value after 35,000 miles: $23,015
Ford F150 after 30,000 miles: $20,455
Dodge Ram after 40000 miles: $23,855

*Silverado out books them all with 20,000 miles more than the Titan, 15,000 miles more than the Ford, 10,000 miles more than the Tundra, 5,000 more miles than the Dodge and is still worth more. The resale value is a clear choice as to who wins that battle.

*I vote Silverado

*Silverado Interior*









*Ford F-Series Interior*









*Dodge Ram Interior*









*Toyota Tundra Interior*(looks the cheapest to me)









*Nissian Titan Interior*









For instance between Ford and GM, look at the sports cars interiors:

Ford mustang







(All Plastic)

Chevy Corvette







(All plush leather)

*Yes the difference in the price tags do show


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