I need to buy a new tow vehicle for a 21' center console. I had been pulling it with a '99 F150 w/ 5.4 engine, until Friday when a lady pulled out in front of me with her '13 Tahoe. I think that old truck is toast. The 5.4 pulled this boat fine and if I go with another F150 I have a strong preference for the 5.4 over the 4.6.

I've been looking at the Tundra also. I don't know much about them but I think Toyota builds good vehicles overall. I'm wondering how the 4.7 Toyota engine would do pulling my boat. I would prefer the 5.7 but they seem to be somewhat rare from what I've found online.

The truck will be used almost exclusively to take the boat to the lake and occasional trips to Home Depot - maybe 2,000 miles a year or so. I'm not too concerned about gas mileage although more is always better.

Fwiw, I'm looking at trucks '08 and older.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
JB

The 4.7 will tow a 21' center console just fine. Either truck will do what you need. I'm a Chevy guy, but I like Tundra pickups just as much, so that's what I'd lean towards.

The 5.7 isn't really a rare motor. You should be able to find one. On the other hand, the Tundra will be more expensive for the same year/miles/cab/features because they hold their value really well. Of course, they hold their value really well because they're so well-made.

My $.02 - go with the Tundra and get the 5.7 in case you want to tow something heavier down the road. But either will do the job.

+1

The 5.7 V8 is actually the more common motor for the Tundra and finding one won't be an issues.

It's a great motor, but a little thirsty.

On the F150, if your're looking at 2008 for later; 08-10 will be your only options for the 5.4. 2011 and after have the 5.0 V8 or Ecoboost V6 (what I drive). Either engine is fantastic. Little better fuel economy than the 5.7 in the Tundra.

Can go wrong with any of them.

I would either go newer on the ford to get into the 5.0/ecoboost or get the yota.

I'm looking at a spending cap of around $15K, so I don't expect anything very new. Plus I would prefer fewer miles over newer model year for the most part. The truck will sit parked about 300 days out of the year, so it doesn't make sense to invest too much in it.

2010 and newer Tundra you cant get the 4.7...they replaced it with the 4.6 which has more hp and torque than the 4.7...310 hp and 335 on tq I believe...also gets better mileage than the 4.7 and the 5.7

$15k won't buy you a low-mileage Tundra. Won't buy you a low-mileage Ford either, but it'll get you something a little newer.

$15k used to buy you a nice truck. In 2008, I bought a 4-year-old Silverado crew cab 5.3L with 42k miles for $13,500. Nowadays, you're either better off spending more money and getting something with less miles or spending less money and saving some for repairs. $15k is kind of that sweet spot where you can't get anything new enough to guarantee reliability or anything old enough to save you enough to cover some repairs.

I would think if your looking in the 2-wd market the $15k wont be too bad. If you want 4-wd your not gonna find anything.

This.


Or another option would be the V-6 Ford Eco-Boost.

Buy a Toyota with the 5.7 and don't get hung up on the miles, as these engines are built very well and will last a long time. I bought a used 2008 with 38k miles, now @90k and it's a beast! As stated by another poster, there are actually more 5.7's but you're not seeing as many used 5.7's because they are much more highly sought after, and that is also keeping the resale value higher. Just be patient, I eventually bought used from a dealership vs. private since they had more used 5.7's available. Good luck!

The 5.7 Toyota motor is no more thirsty than any other v8 motor of similar size in the half ton trucks today....the difference is when you get the tow package on a tundra you get the 4:30gears..hence the lower MPG but better for towing.......put 4:30 gears in a Ford Chevy or Dodge....and the mpg will be abouit the same....the 4.6 motor they put in the tundra with tow package you will get 4:10....it isnt the motor is thirstier its the gearing that makes it burn more fuel....

TOY!!!!

This is a little oversimplified for today's transmissions with multiple overdrives and 6 or more gears. Back in the old days when there was no such thing as overdrive and drive was 1:1 for everybody, the gear ratio was a very quick and easy way to judge what type of rpm an engine would run (hence power vs. economy). You really need to look at the final drive ratio now to make that comparison. Per a conversation on a Tundra forum: "The final drive ratio for 6th gear is 0.588. Multiply that times the 4.30 gear ratio you arrive at a 2.52 final drive ratio." Per f150hub.net :"The transmission has a relatively low 1st gear and two overdrive gears, the highest of which is 0.69:1. ". Therefore a Ford with 3.73 gears would have a final 6th gear drive ratio of 2.573, very close to the Tundra with 4.30's.

I would still bet that the Ford with the 3;73 gets about the same mpg as the Tundra with 4;30 gears...I hear it often with people that try to compare their truck with 3;42 3;08 or 3;20 something gears that the Tundra is a gas hog compared to theirs.... ...you also have to take into consideration 381 hp and torque over 400 will probably burn more than the 5.4 or 5.3 motors...more displacement,more power more fuel burned