Toyota Tacoma or Chevy 2500 Duramax

you are going to have to do your own research man.

If you dont need the diesel 2500 to haul anything above the taco's capabilities the 2500 WILL end up costing you more. Simple as that.

 

Keep your Tacoma. They will last you longer than any domestic brand truck will.

 

Unless a few of the others I applied to accept me. But all of the schools I applied to, which were spread across the country, had similar rules that freshmen could not have vehicles. It has something to do with us being on our own for the first time and not being responsible. I don't know where they get that.

 

I couldnt deal with that. haha. Man you guys make some good points.

 

I am new here, deciding to chime in. I have a 6.0L ford that I love to death!! But it's time for a new truck and a Tacoma it will be. I don't use my truck for what is was built for, unless it was built for hauling kids to daycare! It's time to get practical. There is a lot to worry about with a diesel everything from EGT's to turbo cool down, watching temps, fuel additive, glow plug warm us and typical 6.0L issues. I have never had any serious issues but I am looking forward to hopping into a Tacoma and being able just add gas and not worry about anything!! Soon we will be an all Toyota family. 1st Gen 4Runner and 5th Gen 4Runner will have a Tacoma brother soon...

 

OP, I was in the same boat a few months ago deciding between a taco and a duramax. My first truck was a silverado 1500 which I sold in order to buy a more economical vehicle the summer before starting college. Fast forward a year and a half and I had enough with my Acura TL and was ready for a truck again and pretty much narrowed it down to a duramax or tacoma. A duramax has always been my dream truck but the Tacoma is much more practical. Fewer problems, less money for fuel, easier to park (which is very important in college). It was a no brainer and I have no regrets getting my Tacoma.

 

Hmm... Well i have never had any problems with my tacoma and a duramax isnt a dream truck of mine although i do like them. It would be more logical to wait and see what kind of work ill be doing and go from there.

 

Going to college SHOULD have you more busy with that than anything else, so the need for a 2500 of any brand would be a low priority I think. Think about driving around on campuses where the parking is tight and the turns can be even tighter. I would think the Tacoma would be a more logical choice to have. Personal opinion of course.

I still get a laugh out of comments like these. I have worked for GM for 17 years, and was our diesel specialist. I have seen HUNDREDS of the 2500 diesels with well over 200k on them and still going strong, with the basics in maintenance. Now yes, some of the maintenance on a diesel is more expensive than a gas model normally (Dang oil changes are close to $75 on a GM2500 diesel) but to say that they are done after 100k is just plain wrong. Out of all the diesels that I have seen in the 17 years I have been with GM, I have seen very few that did not make it into the 200k or more range. And many of them had no major problems that the customer had to pay for. (I mention specifically the 1st gen 6.6 that had a problem with the injectors, but GM covered that problem for 120k miles without discussion, and sometimes customers would get it covered then. Heck, I have seen a 2001 Silverado 3500 get new injectors and seats put in at 180k)

 

why would you spend money on a truck you don't need right before college?
unless you're towing over 10,000lbs, you don't need a diesel. $300 plus for an oil change, and fuel mileage will never, ever offset the price you pay for a diesel.

 

I traded a 2009 Ram 2500 Hemi for my Tacoma. Ram was averaging 10-12mpgs and i was running 89 or better octane. Hemi's require 89 or better. I used the truck daily and build quality was ok, you could see potential issues with wear and tear. I never really used it for its intended use. I hauled heavy loads maybe three or four times a year. I loaded firewood and pallets of biobricks for my wood stove easily but it wasnt consistently. My Tacoma can still handle hauling duties but at a lighter scale. I towed once while I had it. Sure it looked bad ass with 34" tires, cab lights, Diablosport tune, HP was great & 3" lift but was not a comfortable truck. If I need my truck to work daily this would be the one. I say stick with the Tacoma. better mpgs even lifted, it can still haul things just need to make more trips for the heavy stuff, much better quality, better handling, safer, and cheaper all around to maintain and gas up plus it still tows respectable wieght. Oil change on my ram was $75. Do what you want but remember cost of ownership, I didnt take that into consideration and ended up getting rid of the Ram.

 

I'll echo what has already been said many times, unless you know you have a need for a heavy hauler, the diesel doesn't make sense. They are expensive to own and maintain. Even if you figure the Chevy will only require the same general maintenance as the Tacoma, the parts for the heavy diesel are generally a lot more expensive because they are built for heavy hauling. Unless you need it, it's not worth the extra cost, especially heading into college.

 

I agree with Bill on this

I also have a 03 D-max with 110K on it and not any problems at all and I do alot of towing with it at 80k I replaced the brakes and rotors and parts were between 400to500 dollars that was front and back and i did it my self and. Most of the d-max have 2 batt 2 alt. just to mention a few things you have to replace ever so often.

If I had to choose a didnt need the d-max I would just keep the tacoma. and 160k on tacoma is just getting broke in.

 

Your lucky! My grandad has three dmax/Allison work trucks. One eats up radiators, another goes through turbos on a regular basis and his gmc has had to have several things rewired. The really good thing about them is the warranties, so far he has paid for none of the work. When they work right nothing else pulls like they do but they have also spent a lot of time in the shop, which can be a problem when it's your only car.

 

Assuming the Taco is paid off. Drive it I to the ground and save up. Don't buy anything till you need to.

 

wow I haven't heard of many having any problems other than the injector problem on the 01 -06's what models are they?

 

college= being broke+parking in tight spaces (and parallel parking)+ rent+food+gas+cell phone+insurance+internet+clothes+partying+studying+working

as you can see, you will not have very much time OR money, and having a bigger truck that is harder to park, gets worse gas mileage, and costs more is not a good choice IMO. take it from a college student, you WILL be very low on money at times (unless your parents are giving you money, which is apparently normal for other college students lol) and the additional cost of ownership associated with a vehicle that you will likely never use to its full potential is kind of silly.

im not just saying all of this because i own a tacoma, but you would be surprised at all the things that the tacoma does well. it was designed to be a jack of all trades, and i believe it is. (moderate towing capacity, great offroad, great on road, looks great, decently comfortable, and fun to drive!)

 

The one with radiator problems is the bigger platform (4500 I think). He got it new 09 I think. All three are prior to the emission regulations, so they don't have the required liquid additive. The other two are 3500s 06s - 09s. He possibly could just be really unlucky.

 

Thanks iwill look into some of those 3500 problems I was planning on trading up to a 07-10 3500 may just find a nice 03 -05 3500.

 

No problem. If I were in your situation I would look at a f350 09ish. My uncle had an 09 f250 and never had any problems, however they pull as great as the gm's and mpg is a little worse. My uncle works for my grandad so his was doing the same work the gm's did with no problems. He now has a 12 f250 and its ok, but I liked his 09 better.

OP I had a 98 taco in college and my trip home was 8 hrs (Texas is a big state). I ended up with over 200k on it when I graduated, so I wouldn't worry about it wearing out anytime soon.

 

I am guessing you are trying to quote a synthetic oil change there? I have never seen a 6.6L GM truck cost that much for an oil change. Normal is around $75.

This is of course my opinion here, but I never really cared for the looks of the Ford, inside or out. They just seemed too plain and boxy for my likes. But again, that is my opinion (Of course the low MPG is not a good thing either on the Ford)