See some of those replies are what I was looking for, real feedback. Experiences with the different brands. Thanks for those.

I was originally set in stone for a Silverado until I started looking around in my price range & talking to friends who have always been truck guys. I first considered the Ford b/c more than one person I know will only buy Ford when it comes to a truck & none of them have ever had a single mechanical issue.

Then I thought well if I'm not gonna be closed minded about it I'll take a peek at the Dodges. My cousin had one for years & never had any major issues, just regular wear & tear maintaince but his was a 97' model with pretty high mileage. My ex-step dad owned 2 Dodges and I dont remember him ever taking one into the shop either.

If anyone else has some more experiences from owning any of these 3 feel free to chime in. I'm not buying till December & since I have never owned a truck I want to be a educated buyer when I do go throw down my cash.

 

Can't speak on the Ford, never had one. I'm sure they are well built and will last, I know guys that have some with 200K+ miles on them with minimal issues.

Having had 2 dodge ram 1500's, 1-1996 and 1-2001 model. They are nice trucks and still one of the better looking trucks IMO, but as someone else has stated, they get horrible gas mileage. My 2001 Ram had the 360 and didn't matter how I drove it, like a granny or bat out of hell, it got 10-11 mpg. I modded it pretty heavily too and it was not fast by any means. Had good power, but its more towing power if that makes since.

Chevy would be my choice, the LS engines are the wild card. I think all the trucks will last high miles with certain maintenace, but the chevy's will get the best gas mileage, and with you wanting a daily driver that will be a concern.

 

FWIW, I got about 12/16 city/hwy in my '95 5.8l Bronco (10/14 after 6" lift, 35's, headers, exhaust, MSD ignition, chip, etc), and bone stock in my Tahoe got 13/16. With a 93 octane tune, CAI and muffler got 15/20 (which I think is fantastic for a 4wd 6000 pound SUV that's as aerodynamic as a fridge). Currently 9-10/14 on E85 with mods in sig

 

This is why the Silverado was first on my list to begin with. But when I compared similar model levels between the F150 & the Silverado, it seemed the F150 had more bed capacity with the deeper bed/higher sides & a little more towing capacity. Silverado only edged out the F150 by 1mpg hwy according to the comparisons I read which isnt really a big enough difference to cause one to shy away.

I know there are frame differences, like the F150 having a solid boxed frame, which I'm guessing helps the towing/hauling capacity. The F150 also seems a little more Areodynamic for these specific years, although the Silverado started getting sleeker the newer you go, but those are outta my price range.

Looks like the dodge is off the list then, maybe the people I know got lucky with theirs or maybe some people get unlucky, who knonws. I'd rather not roll the dice & seems like with the F150 or Silverado 1500 either truck is a good choice for my needs. Both seem reliable & as other have stated I have also seen both brands into the 200k mile range without any major mechanical issues.

Hmmmm, I got some thinking to do over the next 4 months for sure. If I was a betting man I'd say when it comes time to buy I'll probably end up buying the truck with the least amount of miles & newest year model I can for the money I'll have to throw down. I'm tryin to avoid a payment otherwise I'd just go get a new truck & be done with it, LOL.

 

I would say with your experience with the LS engine it would make sence to go with the Chevy. When something breaks you would already be familiar with the chevy versus the ford. When the Ford breaks you would be looking into a new format that you might not be as familiar with common issues like you would an LS powerplant. If you had a mustang I would probably recomend the F150 as they would have similar powerplants.

 

I've always been a Chevy man, and I love my 99 Silvy The LS engines started in the trucks in 99, and in the SUV's in 00. In 99, GM still offered the "Classic" model (just like 07), which was the older body style and still had a small block Chevy engine in it...