School me on Pickup Trucks

[SW9racer 262]

Looking to get rid of my suv and go with a pickup. Never had one before, I would go by default with Toyota, are the other brands like Chevy/Gmc just as reliable?

My criteria:

- mid sized, don't need a monster truck, don't need towing, don't need heavy hauling capacity.

- want a 4 door model, it's ok if it means a shorter bed.

- run on regular grade gas with decent mileage.

- would like some type of lockable cover over the bed that is easily removable when I need to load something big.

- needs to be 4x4, that can drive out onto sand/beach, yet has a nice highway ride

 

It's main use will be a daily driver, commuting on the highway to work. On weekends I may bring the dogs out, or toss stuff in the back for a day at the beach and not have to worry where the sand goes, and occasionally move a large size thing or a trip to Costco.

Thanks!

[bhunted 887]

Unless you have a preference, they, at least American trucks, are all decent, suck on gas. Especially if you add in a 4x4 model. Expect on the average mpg of 15-21 plus or minus one. They are coming out with the smaller trucks again like the Colorado and such, but they aren't much better in mpg. My prefs are Ford F150, Chevy Silverado 1500 and Dodge Rams.

Like guns, trucks are a personal preference.

Other options would be the Jap models but I don't condone models outside the US brand names but that's just me.

 

 

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[Golf battery 1,223]

All of my trucks are fords. But im partial to them. I believe the f 150 is americas top selling pickup truck. I guess for a reason. If i was go have a truck for personal use i would go with toyota. But trucks are going to drive like a truck. Theres no getting around that.

[67gtonut 847]

Been driving trucks for a long time.....

 

For what you say your needs are....

 

Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab 4x4 

 

Reality ..... like other have said....

 

Fuel Mileage will not be great

 

And trucks.... ride like trucks....

 

 

Now..... if you really want a car like ride..... with the "look" of a truck with the features you want....   then look at the Honda Ridgeline, same chassis as the Odyssey Minivan, but with a " truck" body on it.....

 

Truck guys like me, do not consider this a real truck..... but this sounds closer to what you are looking for....

[Mr.Stu 1,936]

Look at the Ram 1500. The coil springs on the back end make it ride better than any other full size truck. I love mine and frequently get positive comments from passengers. Mileage will always suck in a truck because they have the aerodynamics of a shed. Dodge have started offering a diesel in the 1500 but I don't know if it's sluggish or not. I like my hemi.

[Vlad G 345]

I looked at trucks every time I bought an SUV. Every time I've decided that 99% of the time I'm going to haul around empty space and suffer for it every day on millage and ride. Whenever possible I buy framed SUV's but the world doesn't want to make those anymore.

 

For example look at the Tacoma, then the look at the 4Runner. Same basic frame, much more useful most of the time. It used to be you could look at the Frontier and compare to Xterra and Pathfinder before those went unibody or canceled.

[Vlad G 345]

Also, there is a new Honda Ridgeline coming soon. I've always discounted the old one until I spent some time in one and then I completely changed my mind about it.

[jrfly3006 42]

Tundra/Tacoma....game set match

 

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[louu 399]

Just keep one thing in mind 90% of every ford truck made since 1995 is still on the road today, the other 10% actually made it home. 

 

I have a 2002 Silverado extended cab 5.3 liter 4x4z71 that gets 17 MPG empty 11 MPG towing an 18' camper. I pretty much only use wawa regular, once in a while I use premium but it gets the same MPG. The thing rides like a Cadillac and the seats are as comfortable as a couch, the seats also have absolutely No wear. Oh yeah did I mention IT WILL BE TURNING OVER THE 300,000 MILE MARK IN ABOUT ANOTHER MONTH! 

 

Look around when your out driving you will see hundreds of Silverado's and Sierra's from 99 to brand new. There is a lot of Tundra's too but not very many older ones. 

[CageFighter 236]

only choice......toyota tacoma.   it will run for 300k miles and has insane residual value!

[MidwestPX 172]

I'm in a similar situation.  I'm waiting for the 2017 Raptor to drop though and unless something changes between now and then, I'll be picking up a Super Crew Raptor.  Just about everything I enjoy doing requires some offroad capability and I don't tow much so the Ecoboost six cylinder engine won't be a hinderance though I do wish there was a V8 option still.

[Malsua 1,422]

I'm curious as to why anyone wants a truck but doesn't want to use it as a truck.

 

If you do offroad, if you haul stuff, if you tow stuff...by all means get a truck.

 

I have a Ram 2500.  I wouldn't have been able to remodel my house without it.

 

I also don't drive it to work.  It gets 11.5 city, 13.5hwy.  Seriously.  

 

I have 32.8 inch tires on it so I can see over just about everything.   Did I mention?  It gets 13.5mpg hwy.

 

I've hauled boats, wood, roughly 25 tons of stone with it and I plow snow with it.   Oh and it gets 13.5mpg hwy.

 

It doesn't handle that well and it jars your kidneys out when you drive to Ohio with it and burn 80 gallons of fuel round trip, because it gets 13.5mpg hwy.

 

To answer your question, if I was going to buy a truck that I wasn't going to use as a truck, I'd get a Toyota 4 runner.

[W2MC 1,699]

Been driving trucks for a long time.....

 

For what you say your needs are....

 

Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab 4x4 

 

Reality ..... like other have said....

 

Fuel Mileage will not be great

 

And trucks.... ride like trucks....

 

 

Now..... if you really want a car like ride..... with the "look" of a truck with the features you want....   then look at the Honda Ridgeline, same chassis as the Odyssey Minivan, but with a " truck" body on it.....

 

Truck guys like me, do not consider this a real truck..... but this sounds closer to what you are looking for....

 

I know several who have the Ridgeline...It sounds more like what you are looking for

 

Me?  I have a Ford F250.  On its best day it does about 15 MPG.  around town about 13.  Towing around 10.  But its a truck; not a car.  Many of these high-mileage vehicles I could stick in my truck bed...and still get about 15 on its best day, around town 13, and towing around 10.  You get the picture.  But if I didnt have an F250, I couldnt pull the horse trailer around, haul fencing, posts, lumber, sandbags,  concrete, etc etc etc

 

oh, and its a 1999....did i say they last and last and last.

[RecessedFilter 222]

Toyota Tacoma. Just an overall excellent truck that will keep a resale value unlike any other truck out there. Toyota reliability, smooth ride that isn't stiff like other trucks I've ridden in, and pretty good gas mileage for a truck. 

[SW9racer 262]

Thanks for all the replies! I am used to getting about 20mpg in the fx35. The rear cargo space is not that useful, especially if I want to take my 3 dogs anywhere. Maybe the 4Runner is an option.

 

For the bed, does anyone make something like a raised cap that can be taken off easy? I would like a cap for the dogs, a flat cover for every day, and nothing for the occasional bulky item.

[bhunted 887]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm waiting for the 2017 Raptor to drop though and unless something changes between now and then, I'll be picking up a Super Crew Raptor. Just about everything I enjoy doing requires some offroad capability and I don't tow much so the Ecoboost six cylinder engine won't be a hinderance though I do wish there was a V8 option still.

I'd love one too, but thats like another mortgage without any highway luster. Strictly looks and off road ability.

On the same token, this one is nice and kicks arse.

 

 

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[Golf battery 1,223]

As i said from before Owing trucks for the last twenty years. Its been about 12 of them. If i were to get one for non work it would be the toyota. A tacoma. Resale value is nuts. And as posted i wish i had a truck that got 15 mpg hway. My new ' 13 and '15 fords with the 5.7 get 13.5 hwy better than my 5.4 s that would get about 10 mpg hwy and 6-7 mpg towing. Toyota tacoma

[chris327 30]

I had a 04 f150 crew cab for 7 years till someone hit me last year and totaled it. I never had major issues and it rode real smooth. I figured I can do without a pickup on a daily basis and have access to one anytime I need from work, so I got a yukon xl. Tons of space inside and this thing rides super smooth. I can't complain one bit about it. But if I was going to get a pickup again I would get the f150 crew again.

[amish869 6]

+1 Tacoma

[PK90 3,573]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm waiting for the 2017 Raptor to drop though and unless something changes between now and then, I'll be picking up a Super Crew Raptor. Just about everything I enjoy doing requires some offroad capability and I don't tow much so the Ecoboost six cylinder engine won't be a hinderance though I do wish there was a V8 option still.

 

2014. Rides real smooth with 12" travel.

 

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[n4p226r 105]

I'm really hoping the 2017 will be closer to 50k than it will be to 60k

[Golf battery 1,223]

Or. The raptor. Yeah. Thats what you really. (Need). Hah hah hah hah hah.

[Maksim 1,504]

Learning quite a bit from this.

 

I love entertaining the idea of having a pickup truck... but I have absolute no clue if I would ever haul stuff. lol, and don't want to have family ask me to.

 

Would not mind a large suv though... Crazy to think about a 50k or 60k pickup truck. wow.  

 

I have been in a Ridgeline once though... and that actually drove pretty nice and seems practical.

[jrfly3006 42]

Actually I've been thrilled with my 2010 Sequoia....been a rock for me and my family...butload of room in the back..basically a Tundra with 8 seats

 

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[alec.mc 180]

My dodge ram 1500 sport hemi is like a living room on wheels.

[Lambo2936 297]

I have a 2011 F150 4x4. 4x2 and 4x4 aren't much of a big difference so long as you're not driving w/ 4x4 engaged. If you are, its a few MPG drop. I've towed 30'+ aluminum trailers with snowmobiles to Upstate NY (old Forge) with snowmobiles and gear and no problems in the mountains and all with the trailer brake control and all. Great, fun truck but none of them are as reliable as they used to be. Warranty ran up a few thousand miles ago and am considering getting an SUV now that i have a daughter, as well. To be honest, IMO they are all the same crap nowadays. I Wouldn't worry about it unless you intend on keeping the thing forever. For what you need, i'm sure any will be fine. I Like my American vehicles, so my suggestion is naturally to buy American.
As for bed covers, those are generally going to be aftermarket; don't rely on those crappy roll up leather looking ones, had one for a while and it was like not having a cover at all; anything in the bed got soaked anyways, it just kept it out of the open so people couldn't see it. I now have an ARE DCU cap; not the prettiest looking but works great for work.

[302w 83]

I never understood why people complain that trucks drive like trucks. I worked at a Ford dealer service department so I drove everything from everyone. I've never encountered this phenomenon of trucks having some awful ride on anything made this century. The leaf sprung front end Super Dutys were rough and Raptors drive real mushy but that is it. I'm quite sure that I can hop in a new 3.5 Ecoboost F150 and take my 70 mile commute easy with 20mpg all day. U-Turns do suck though depending on cab/bed.

 

I would rethink bed covers. My dad had one on his old F150 and it was a PITA. We both have tool boxes now and life is good.

 

My biased opinion is there is a reason why Ford dominates the truck market. Also, GM/Fiat make their stuff in Mexico which is a no for me.

[blksheep 466]

Toyota holds its value well. Talking to some people in the auto industry Chrylser and Ram arent looked upon really good in terms of reliability and resale value. Their words not mine. I have had all of the trucks mentioned. I would go Toyota Tundra or Tacoma in a second with a Chevy Diesel close second.

[carl_g 568]

The new Chevy's and GMC'S look really slick. I had an 2004 f150 FX4 and the trans went around 100k

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot 358]

I also had a bad experience with an '04 F-150 5.4L at 100K which turned me off on Fords.  Granted, the 2004 year was infamous for 5.4L F-150's, but you don't hear about Tundras or Tacomas having nearly the same amount of problems as Fords from my limited observation.