4x4 vehicle for interior - suggestions on what to buy? (Fairbanks: sale, how much)
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I cannot recommend Toyota enough. Their pickups are totally bulletproof, just change the oil, fill it with gas, and it'll give you a good 300k+ miles.
If you all you need is a truck that will tow up to 5000 pounds (which is what the majority of folks need, really), the Tacoma is a fantastic choice. You can even buy one with 130k on it and still get a ton of life out of it. That towing capacity I cited is for a 2002 V6 model. The newer body style (2006 and up) tows 6500 lbs. My brother has an 06 that I drive quite often, and it is just a phenomenal truck. I am getting one for my next vehicle. On older models, gas mileage is definitely truckish, but on the 06 and up, it gets 22 mpg on the highway, and that is a figure I actually measured on a trip to New York and back.
The Tundra is great if you need more towing capacity, but you're going to suffer pretty badly in fuel mileage. Also, on older Tundra models that would be in a more affordable price range, the towing capacity is actually the same as the 06 and up Tacoma. You'll be spending a lot of money of gas, believe me, I used to have a Z71 Chevrolet and it was an expensive vehicle to own just from paying for the gas. I've spent a lot of time driving a Tundra working a job for a couple of summers, and I think they're just fantastic. Still though, if you want more towing capacity, the American trucks (Silverado, Sierra, Ram, F-150) have it, but they are serious gas guzzlers. But if that's what you need, I tend to think the Ford F-150 is the best choice. Great truck all around.
You just really can't go wrong buying Toyota; everyone I know who has owned one has gotten a very long life out of it, with very minimal maintenance. There have been frame rust issues on the older models, but a simple pre-purchase inspection would tell you if that's an issue. Otherwise, like I said, they're just bulletproof. That said, if you really need big towing capacity (like 8 or 9 thousand pounds), I would go with the F-150.
Last edited by ShipOfFools42; 03-22-2011 at 01:13 AM..
I cannot recommend Toyota enough. Their pickups are totally bulletproof, just change the oil, fill it with gas, and it'll give you a good 300k+ miles.
If you all you need is a truck that will tow up to 5000 pounds (which is what the majority of folks need, really), the Tacoma is a fantastic choice. You can even buy one with 130k on it and still get a ton of life out of it. That towing capacity I cited is for a 2002 V6 model. The newer body style (2006 and up) tows 6500 lbs. My brother has an 06 that I drive quite often, and it is just a phenomenal truck. I am getting one for my next vehicle. On older models, gas mileage is definitely truckish, but on the 06 and up, it gets 22 mpg on the highway, and that is a figure I actually measured on a trip to New York and back.
The Tundra is great if you need more towing capacity, but you're going to suffer pretty badly in fuel mileage. Also, on older Tundra models that would be in a more affordable price range, the towing capacity is actually the same as the 06 and up Tacoma. You'll be spending a lot of money of gas, believe me, I used to have a Z71 Chevrolet and it was an expensive vehicle to own just from paying for the gas. I've spent a lot of time driving a Tundra working a job for a couple of summers, and I think they're just fantastic. Still though, if you want more towing capacity, the American trucks (Silverado, Sierra, Ram, F-150) have it, but they are serious gas guzzlers. But if that's what you need, I tend to think the Ford F-150 is the best choice. Great truck all around.
You just really can't go wrong buying Toyota; everyone I know who has owned one has gotten a very long life out of it, with very minimal maintenance. There have been frame rust issues on the older models, but a simple pre-purchase inspection would tell you if that's an issue. Otherwise, like I said, they're just bulletproof. That said, if you really need big towing capacity (like 8 or 9 thousand pounds), I would go with the F-150.
I concur. I think it's down to Toyota and Ford for me. Thanks for your input.
I think any make is good enough for a 1/2 ton truck. When you get up to 3/4 and 1 ton is when things really start to change. I think quality control is a major issue these days... one person can have a great experience with a certain make, while another has had nothing but trouble with theirs. I've had great experiences with Chevy and Dodge, and sucky experiences with Toyota (trucks at least) and Fords. Just goes to show
We have a 3/4 ton V-10 Dodge Ram with a big off-road kit. She's awesome. Yes, the V-10 sucks the gas more than a little 4-banger; but I can haul and tow stuff up our mountain passes and through the woods that other trucks can't without burning out their transmissions and dogging the engine. And considering how big the engine is, she doesn't actually suck as much gas as you'd expect. I wouldn't ever use her as a daily commuting vehicle around town, but she's excellent for the bush and 76 miles of gravel "highway".
I think any make is good enough for a 1/2 ton truck. When you get up to 3/4 and 1 ton is when things really start to change. I think quality control is a major issue these days... one person can have a great experience with a certain make, while another has had nothing but trouble with theirs. I've had great experiences with Chevy and Dodge, and sucky experiences with Toyota (trucks at least) and Fords. Just goes to show
We have a 3/4 ton V-10 Dodge Ram with a big off-road kit. She's awesome. Yes, the V-10 sucks the gas more than a little 4-banger; but I can haul and tow stuff up our mountain passes and through the woods that other trucks can't without burning out their transmissions and dogging the engine. And considering how big the engine is, she doesn't actually suck as much gas as you'd expect. I wouldn't ever use her as a daily commuting vehicle around town, but she's excellent for the bush and 76 miles of gravel "highway".
My spreadsheet keeps getting bigger.......AAHHHH! a 3/4 ton V-10 Ram would be dreamy. I see them here in Colorado in the smaller, rural towns. They usually have the crew cab and the extended bed with the cap and they practically look like an RV.
Eh, 3/4 ton Dodges are big and everything, but you don't want a gas-burning engine on anything bigger than a 1/2 ton. Not that MissingAll4Seasons's opinion isn't valid, because it totally is (and he/she lives in the interior while I do not so take that for what it's worth), I just disagree is all I'm saying. You get more torque out of a diesel all day long, and the fuel mileage is WAY better. I've driven a V-10 Dodge (my friend's uncle), and even though it had a lot of power, it's just not feasible as your only vehicle, especially in a state where gas prices are so high. If you're going to get a huge truck, in my opinion diesel is the only choice. A gas burning truck of that size is wasteful when you could be driving a diesel and getting better performance and fuel mileage.
And Alaska is cold, but plenty of people drive diesels there. A friend of mine who lives in the interior (just moved there a year ago from Anchorage) drives an F-250 Powerstroke diesel and has no problems. There's something he has to put over his grill in the winter, as he explained it to me, but he said it has never had a problem starting on a cold day. Granted, it's a nice truck, a 2003 model, but still that's almost ten years old now and it does great. I have driven every American (and most Japanese) truck imaginable for work or just borrowing friends' trucks, and the F-250 diesel is by FAR by favorite, for so many reasons. Very large, extremely comfortable, awesome looking (I love the lights on top of the cab!), and man, the POWER! I can't say it enough, that thing is unbelievable. It's the 7.3L turbodiesel and is rated to 12,500 lbs, which is a bit more than the V-10. I believe the V-10 is either 11,000 or 11,500. More horsepower on the V-10, but less torque. Basically what I'm saying is I think diesel is the best.
But hey, that's just one person's opinion. My friend's uncle who has the V-10 Dodge loves his engine and says he is going to be really sad to see it go whenever it does. So yeah, you know how opinions are, heheh. But if I were going to give one VERY important piece of advice, it would be this: do not buy something larger than you need! You will regret it. Believe me, I've been there, and had I not been able to trade it in so easily, it would have put me in the poorhouse. But I stand by my recommendation: Toyota for small trucks, Ford for big trucks.
If we didn't live where it was well below zero for several months without end and/or we lived in town where we could easily keep the truck plugged in to grid power all the time, I'd agree that a big truck should be a diesel. Diesels do get moderately better performance, and arguably better fuel mileage... but diesel costs more than gas, so it's a wash on that front. Biggest plus for me with diesels is that they're easier to maintain and easier to work normally.
"Interior" doesn't automatically mean that they're remote or bush or off-grid. It's colder than a witches nipple in Fairbanks in the winter, but you can plug your truck in pretty much everywhere you go there. Some of the smaller towns and larger villages may have a large enough generator system to supply enough local grid power for folks to keep their trucks plugged in, but that's not too common.
Unfortunately, big diesels are lawn ornaments in the winter here when you're off-grid in the bush unless you can get them running (burning extra fuel in the generator or lighting fires under the chassis) and keep them running all the time, or you've got a nice heated garage to keep them in and you never turn them off when you're outside.
We opted for gasoline simply because we get another 40 degrees or so out of her without too much issue. When it was -60, we had to pull the battery and bring it inside to warm up and trickle charge, and we had to run the generator for an hour with a fire under the pan... but she started. My neighbor's Ford F-350 diesel wouldn't start for love or money that week. No amount of fuel additive or weatherization kit, or huge propane cyclone heater helped... he spent over $100 in generator fuel and propane and the thing still sat in the yard like a rock
If I weren't hauling lumber, topsoil, gravel, firewood, fuel, water, and 3+ months of supplies regularly on rough road and terrain off-road into the bush, I wouldn't have this big a truck or engine. I teeny little 1/2 ton with a 4 or 6 cylinder would be enough. At some points, I think we actually needed a 1-ton dually... but I just make two trips in my 3/4 ton and figure that's still cheaper than having more than I need all the time. But that's one reason why it's a good idea to plan, from the start, on getting a smaller and more fuel efficient AWD road car for commutes that you don't need the all that power and hauling/towing capacity.
Now, our V-10 Ram 2500 has a full bed, but it's just a standard cab. There are many days that I wish she had a crew cab, especially when we're worried about supplies freezing in the back on the 4 hour trip home from Fairbanks, or when we're trying to go anywhere with our people-sized dog and the cat at the same time... it gets a little tight in that standard cab But crew cab full bed means longer wheel base, which can be a real problem off-road if you get stuck and need to turn around... what roads we have out here aren't exactly wide and you're lucky to have any apron at all around turns and driveway, so turning radius becomes really important. You just have to figure out exactly what you need and how often you need it, and whether you need one thing (maneuverability - power) more than you need another thing (interior cargo space - fuel efficiency) if they're mutually exclusive.
Now, if they'd make an electric truck that could handle a 100+ mile one-way trip on a single charge (that would work off-grid in the winter!) with as much hauling/towing capacity... I'd be all over it But, um, batteries have a big problem in the cold and we only have about 4 hours of sunlight in the winter... sigh.
Haul supplies to build a house and barn, haul dirt, manure, potentially pull a LARGE camper, tow livestock trailer with animals in it. So basically, haul large/heavy things and tow large/heavy things.
Haul supplies to build a house and barn, haul dirt, manure, potentially pull a LARGE camper, tow livestock trailer with animals in it. So basically, haul large/heavy things and tow large/heavy things.
Based upon your needs, the best heavy duty truck ever made, in mine and many others' opinions, was the '96 Dodge Ram 3500 12 valve Cummins extended cab dually 4x4 5 speed manual. They are about as bulletproof as a truck can come, with W O R K written all over them, and offer exceptional fuel economy. With proper maintenance, they're a 400,000 mile truck, easy. Good luck finding one, though. They are the creme de la creme of Cummins diesels, and any nice example which comes up for sale disappears immediately. My '92 Dodge Cummins is just about as good, but lacks the cab room and has a Dana 70 axle instead of the heavier Dana 80 of the '96. If you want something newer, look into a 2003 or 2004 Dodge Cummins with the 5.9 liter HO 24 valve.
Last edited by NomadicBear; 03-24-2011 at 10:04 PM..
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