Looking to upgrade Pickup to 4 Door

at what years did the different manufactures start offering 4 doors with 6.5′ pickup box option between the silverado’s, F150’s, and Ram’s. planning on upgrading here soon –just wanted to start researching, it seems like the Fords start offering at about 2006-07ish? Chevy’s 2010-12ish? cant find anything on the Ram’s, i dont even know if they offer 6.5′?

there is no proof on which one is better so the dispute between ford vs chevy vs dodge doesnt interest me; I wouldnt mind a toyota but they seem to be higher priced yet?
thanks for any info

Don’t think Toyota offered a 6.5 box.

The years you listed appear to be on the early side. Maybe not but you might be very hard pressed to find them in those years because there were very very few.

I know lots of Chevy owners went to ford from 2009-2013 because Chevy didn’t offer one.

I bought a Ford in 2010 with the 6.5′ box and 4 doors and at that time Chevy didn’t offer one. I think Chevy just came out with one in 2016. No clue on Ram and I couldn’t be bothered with that other brand.

sounds about right then, so I’ll be looking at fords it sounds like; sounds like a guy needs to stay away from the ecoboost?

I have a 2012 ecoboost with 165,000 miles. Timing chain was done at 150,000. Other than timing chains they are solid motors. The 5.0 motors are great too. Stay away from the 5.4’s.

Ford started at least in 2004, maybe earlier. The 5.4 is as good as any motor out there. The only issues i ever see is when people don’t change the oil at the recommended intervals or don’t run the recommended oil.

I had 180,000 on my 2010 5.4 with zero issues, before I upgraded to a diesel.

One other thing about the Ford that is really nice is the cab is way bigger than the Chevy. I am 6’4″ and sitting in the back seat of most 4 door trucks is tight to say the least. Not in the Ford with the front seat all the way back, it’s very roomy.

ShouldHaveBeenHereYesterday wrote:

cant find anything on the Ram’s, i dont even know if they offer 6.5′?

The 4th gen RAM 1500 Quad Cabs (2009-present) have a 6’4″ box.

Edit: I don’t know as much about the crew cabs but it looks like those are all 6’4″ too, the overall length is ~9″ longer to accomodate.

Chevy offered a 6.5 ft bed in crew cabs starting in 2014. Eco boosts are supposed to be good motors, I believe the early ones had a couple issues, this is just me hearing things though so do not ask what issues there are. The newer ford cabs are much larger in the back seat and quite comfortable (and I am a die hard GM guy). Any newer truck will suite your needs and mechanically will be pretty sound. Good luck with your research!

I have had 2 F150’s with 6.5 boxes. The first one was a 2010 with the 5.4 and the one I have now is 2014 with the 5.0. Both have 373 gears. The 5.0 has way more power than the 5.4 did. My next one will be the 3.5 ecoboost.

snelson223 wrote:

The first one was a 2010 with the 5.4 and the one I have now is 2014 with the 5.0. Both have 373 gears. The 5.0 has way more power than the 5.4 did. My next one will be the 3.5 ecoboost.

My thoughts were just the opposite. Had a couple 5.4’s, loved them. Went to Ecoboost, not so much… the thing ripped, but I went to the 5.0 in ’15. Down on power compared to both, but trust it and will stay that path, plus I get better gas milage than either of the others.

If looking into the older 5.4, check out servicing issues on some of them with changing the spark plugs… shouldn’t be an issue – but it sure was on a couple year span for those.

Chuck Melcher wrote:

If looking into the older 5.4, check out servicing issues on some of them with changing the spark plugs… shouldn’t be an issue – but it sure was on a couple year span for those.

Changing the spark plugs has no effect on the function of the engine only the person that changes the factory plugs and then was only an issue if the correct procedure is not followed.

GM discontinued the 4 door with a 6.5′ box from 2007 – 2014; prior to 2007, those were badged as 1500 HD with the 6.0 V8, 8.1 V8 or diesel motor options where after 2014, it was just a normal model option with all available motors.

Ford has offered their SuperCrew with a 6.5′ box since 2004, not sure about Dodge. Hope this helps, good luck.

cant find anything on the Ram’s, i dont even know if they offer 6.5′?

The 4th gen RAM 1500 Quad Cabs (2009-present) have a 6’4″ box.
Edit: I don’t know as much about the crew cabs but it looks like those are all 6’4″ too, the overall length is ~9″ longer to accomodate.

The 4th gen RAM 1500s:
Regular Cab (no back seat) can have a 6’4″ or 8′ bed.
Quad Cab (small back seat) comes with 6’4″ bed only.
Crew Cab (big back seat) can be 5’7″ bed or 6’4″ bed.

Dealers don’t order the odd combinations very much as stock, so what you’ll actually find out there is mostly Regular Cab work trucks with 8′ beds, all Quad Cabs with 6’4″ beds, and Crew Cabs with 5’7″ beds. The Regular Cab or Crew Cab with a 6’4″ bed is a bit of a unicorn…

Ha! Funny you mention this. I ran into this predicament about 2 years ago. Needed 4 doors, 6.5′ bed and 1/2 ton with a good motor (which is subjective to preference). Only two options I found that fit my parameters are 2014+ silverados and 2011+ F-150’s with the 5.0. Well, I couldn’t afford one of the Silverados so I went with the Ford and I’m pretty happy with my decision. My 2-piece driveshaft will wobble a touch on take-off, specially when towing. Ford says it’s normal and so does everything I read online, but it’s mighty annoying. My next truck will be a Chevrolet for sure. Nothing wrong with the Ford, I just like Chevy…

I haven’t had a gasser since 1995. But crew cab 4 doors have been around for a long time. My gmc 2003, and 2004 are both 4 full door

404 ERROR wrote:

My 2-piece driveshaft will wobble a touch on take-off, specially when towing. Ford says it’s normal and so does everything I read online, but it’s mighty annoying.

You tube the fix for this. Mine did the same thing. I saw a fix on you tube of adding a grease zerk and filling the void with grease. I did it and problem solved

go ram 5.7 hemi 8 speed with quad cab or a crew cab with a little bit bigger box than standard.

grew up with chevys. inlaws have had fords. Have had a ram 3 years no complaints.

bought a ’08 F150 with the short bed, will have to live with the small box, so far I dont like it. it was between the fords and chevs overall, the rams front ends were too low to the ground for my liking. thanks for the tips

I’m currently in the market for a 4 door truck. Coming from a 97 Toyota Tacoma I ‘am trying to decide between a Chevy 1/2 ton or a “newer” Tacoma. I know the Tacomas are reliable and get decent mpg but not to sure on the Chevy’s? Anyone want to chime in with their experience or opinion?

Get a tundra. My 2008 Tundra gets the same mileage as my brother inlaws 2010
Tacoma. Still have the 6.5′ box and a lot more room inside.

Definitely keeping my eyes open for Tundras. Toyota reliability. Had my Tacoma for 19 years!

I love toyotas but have been burned. No problems = no maintanance. Yikes.

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Merican Eagle wrote:</div>
My 2-piece driveshaft will wobble a touch on take-off, specially when towing. Ford says it’s normal and so does everything I read online, but it’s mighty annoying.

You tube the fix for this. Mine did the same thing. I saw a fix on you tube of adding a grease zerk and filling the void with grease. I did it and problem solved

My goodness I’m glad someone bumped this thread! Thanks Sticker, I will have to give it a shot!