Used Cars in America

[Scott CWO]

@Scott CWO
Those big merican jobs look the goods but just can't cut the mustard in the Australian bush. A lot of off road tracks I go on the wouldn't even fit up the first ten yards without a chainsaw.
Bob

Haha you need to cut your roads/trails wider. We take our trucks into unbelievable places. Nothing stops them with chains on. They are not much wider than your Nissan, actually. Looks are deceptive. Besides, they have way more power to pull our giant gooseneck horse trailers. Our horses and mules go places no vehicle can go.

My son had a Nissan Frontier crewcab pickup. Everyone loved it. Him and his buddies took it on ski trips, backpacking trips, hunting trips and fishing trips. They nicknamed it “Liam” after Liam Neeson, (close to Nissan) the movie star. Everyone was sad when that truck finally died. Lol.

My 2017 Ford F350 hooked to one of my aluminum horse trailers. I can put six horses and tack inside and can sleep in the nose. The side door to the left of the open tack room door is big enough so that I can load a Honda ATV in front of the horses and still have four horses plus the ATV. If I can’t get there with the truck, ATV or horses, I will walk!

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Similar to @Scott CWO we often have trucks loaded down pretty well. A pallet of 60, 50 pound bags of seed corn, plus 100 gallons of diesel fuel, spare parts, tools, log chains, and all the other crap that invariably ends up in a farm truck, will smash down a 3/4 ton quite a bit.
Sometimes we pull the seed tender with 300 bushels of seed beans, or platform for combine.
It all adds up to more than a Nissan or Toyota will handle.

 

[Rare Breed]

Didn’t @Tanks just take delivery of a brand new Lexus on and off road?

 

[fourfive8]

IIRC the last engine I rebuilt was either a 4 cylinder jeep or a flathead 8 when I was 19 yo- in the late 60s. Not a lot of fun then and way out of my league or interest now with modern engines. I’ll do basic “plug and play” mechanical parts, coils, plugs, brakes etc. if not too involved. But beyond that… nope. Modern vehicles/engines do have great peak performance longevity compared to what I remember from the 60s - 70s. But proper and regular maintenance seems even more critical with the new engines. Full synthetic oil of recommended viscosity and filter change at conservative intervals is a must do for modern engines, if you want them to last. Many should go 200-300k.

The only wild and wacky thing I’ve done on my 2014 3.5 Ecoboost is drill a 1/16” weep hole in the bottom of the turbo intercooler. Prevents blow by gunk and condensates from getting sucked into the intake which… is a known cause of rough acceleration and plug fouling.

 

[Tanks]

Didn’t @Tanks just take delivery of a brand new Lexus on and off road?

@Altitude sickness I keep hearing the hardcore off road guys raving about a GX too, whatever that is? I know it’s a Lexus, but they say they are hardcore off road Toyotas under the covers

Yep. GX 550, just got done getting a roof rack on it for my paddleboards etc.. It will also hold my Hi-Lift jack and Rotopax gas containers for road trips. I won't add mods until I actually use it off road. With 33" tires and rock sliders I might not need more stuff. It has no problems pulling an Airstream 20X.

 

[NikolaiFederov]

IIRC the last engine I rebuilt was either a 4 cylinder jeep or a flathead 8 when I was 19 yo- in the late 60s. Not a lot of fun then and way out of my league or interest now with modern engines. I’ll do basic “plug and play” mechanical parts, coils, plugs, brakes etc. if not too involved. But beyond that… nope. Modern vehicles/engines do have great peak performance longevity compared to what I remember from the 60s - 70s. But proper and regular maintenance seems even more critical with the new engines. Full synthetic oil of recommended viscosity and filter change at conservative intervals is a must do for modern engines, if you want them to last. Many should go 200-300k.

The only wild and wacky thing I’ve done on my 2014 3.5 Ecoboost is drill a 1/16” weep hole in the bottom of the turbo intercooler. Prevents blow by gunk and condensates from getting sucked into the intake which… is a known cause of rough acceleration and plug fouling.

Sounds like you’ve been wrenchin’ for a minute! Rebuilding engines back in the day? That’s some real-deal, greasy-hand work. These new rides? Whole different beast. Computers, sensors, and all that fancy tech—way too much hassle unless you’re deep in the game. I feel you on the "plug and play" stuff—coils, plugs, brakes, that’s the kinda work that keeps things running without a headache. And yeah, modern engines hold up way better than those old clunkers, but only if you baby ‘em right. Full synthetic oil, good filters, and not stretching those change intervals? That’s the secret sauce for hitting 200-300k miles.

 

[NikolaiFederov]

Sounds like you’ve been wrenchin’ for a minute! Rebuilding engines back in the day? That’s some real-deal, greasy-hand work. These new rides? Whole different beast. Computers, sensors, and all that fancy tech—way too much hassle unless you’re deep in the game. I feel you on the "plug and play" stuff—coils, plugs, brakes, that’s the kinda work that keeps things running without a headache. And yeah, modern engines hold up way better than those old clunkers, but only if you baby ‘em right. Full synthetic oil, good filters, and not stretching those change intervals? That’s the secret sauce for hitting 200-300k miles.

IIRC the last engine I rebuilt was either a 4 cylinder jeep or a flathead 8 when I was 19 yo- in the late 60s. Not a lot of fun then and way out of my league or interest now with modern engines. I’ll do basic “plug and play” mechanical parts, coils, plugs, brakes etc. if not too involved. But beyond that… nope. Modern vehicles/engines do have great peak performance longevity compared to what I remember from the 60s - 70s. But proper and regular maintenance seems even more critical with the new engines. Full synthetic oil of recommended viscosity and filter change at conservative intervals is a must do for modern engines, if you want them to last. Many should go 200-300k.

The only wild and wacky thing I’ve done on my 2014 3.5 Ecoboost is drill a 1/16” weep hole in the bottom of the turbo intercooler. Prevents blow by gunk and condensates from getting sucked into the intake which… is a known cause of rough acceleration and plug fouling so for my weekend I would take premium car rental dubai service and don't think about problems that I will meet with my car.

I’ve got a quick question now — been thinking about doing a little more maintenance myself and wanted to ask: any of you ever mess with intake valve cleaning on a direct injection engine? Heard some people do walnut blasting, others go chemical route. Worth it to do at home or better left to a shop? Just trying to keep the engine breathing easy as the miles rack up.

 

[WAB]

Yep. GX 550, just got done getting a roof rack on it for my paddleboards etc.. It will also hold my Hi-Lift jack and Rotopax gas containers for road trips. I won't add mods until I actually use it off road. With 33" tires and rock sliders I might not need more stuff. It has no problems pulling an Airstream 20X.

View attachment 636753

Does it actually have jacking points for a hi-lift?

 

[Certus]

Haha you need to cut your roads/trails wider. We take our trucks into unbelievable places. Nothing stops them with chains on. They are not much wider than your Nissan, actually. Looks are deceptive. Besides, they have way more power to pull our giant gooseneck horse trailers. Our horses and mules go places no vehicle can go.

My son had a Nissan Frontier crewcab pickup. Everyone loved it. Him and his buddies took it on ski trips, backpacking trips, hunting trips and fishing trips. They nicknamed it “Liam” after Liam Neeson, (close to Nissan) the movie star. Everyone was sad when that truck finally died. Lol.

View attachment 636150
My 2017 Ford F350 hooked to one of my aluminum horse trailers. I can put six horses and tack inside and can sleep in the nose. The side door to the left of the open tack room door is big enough so that I can load a Honda ATV in front of the horses and still have four horses plus the ATV. If I can’t get there with the truck, ATV or horses, I will walk!

Something Aussie Utes can’t do..haul like an American Ute. The size of things I’ve seen towed over there. Like 2-3 cars on a single trailer.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

There are lots of YouTube video channels that evaluate various cars and trucks. Some are very good and some are bias. Many use clickbait type headlines. However, I have viewed many to help decide what my next truck will be and it appears the Chevy/GMC 3.0 Duramax inline 6 diesel is pretty good. Lots of good, real world comments and very few negative comments. The only big negative is the cost of planned maintenance at 150k miles for an oil pump drive belt, which is located on the backside of the the engine. The job requires pulling the transmission. Big, expensive job. I currently have a 2018 GMC 1500 with the 6.2 liter V-8 with cylinder deactivation. The truck has been trouble free and is a very comfortable ride. I'm just not crazy about the cylinder deactivation. At idle, it just seems like the engine is missing and not hitting on all cylinders. A bit annoying.

A couple YouTube channels worth looking at:

Banks Power

Gale Banks is known for high-performance turbocharged engines, electronic tuners, differential covers, and cold air intakes that disrupt the aftermarket parts industry. His videos aim to raise the bar for educational automotive content. With over 60 years of breakthroughs (many patented) in gas...

www.youtube.com

Getty's Garage

Licensed Heavy Duty Diesel Mechanic and I enjoy making videos about Pick-up Trucks.

www.youtube.com

Dave's Auto Center

Family run business of 34 years Best equipped shop in Utah Full CNC machine shop We do Diesel, gas and have a special team of Sprinter mechanics 285 S Frontage Rd, Centerville, UT 84014

www.youtube.com

 

[deewayne2003]

Something Aussie Utes can’t do..haul like an American Ute. The size of things I’ve seen towed over there. Like 2-3 cars on a single trailer.

I hear yah, there is no replacement for displacement....

First time I was in OZ I was hunting Sambar in the Wonnangatta valley and someone asked me what I drove in Texas, I said a Toyota Tundra and the immediate second question "How big's the motor mate?"

I'll never forget the look on their faces when I said 5.7ltr

 

[Certus]

I hear yah, there is no replacement for displacement....

First time I was in OZ I was hunting Sambar in the Wonnangatta valley and someone asked me what I drove in Texas, I said a Toyota Tundra and the immediate second question "How big's the motor mate?"

I'll never forget the look on their faces when I said 5.7ltr

Toyota came out with a V8 here, with a mighty displacement of…4.5L, all the cruiser fanboys became instantly moist at “V8” even if it was a tiny one.

America has always had a thing for 8’s. Here they’re always been reserved for the performance or luxury options of vehicles rather than just run of the mill car. You guys have cheaper fuel so maybe that plays into it. Rego is more expensive for an 8 also. 4’s and 6’s have different pricing also with 4’s being cheapest yet. It’s partly why we just have a 4cyl (Nissan rogue, called an X-Trail here)

 

[Field28]

One thing about Toyota is to not buy the first year of a new generation. There will be problems but Toyota will work them out for the next model year. The switch from the 22r to the 22re is a great example. Whenever there is a generation change, the two previous model years will be in very high demand.