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The contractors I worked for in 35 years in my trade (I worked out of a hiring hall; that's LOTS of contractors) bought more Fords than anything else, followed by Chevy. I can't recall working for a contractor that bought Dodges or Japanese trucks.
Part ofthe Ford preference is that they were cheaper. Chevy is a little nicer inside, but contractors generally do not care about nice inside, they just trash the inside anyway with mud, oil, grease, sawdust, etc. I was told by contractor clients that Chevy tends to last longer with fewer repairs, but it is close and Chevy cost quie a bit more. I am not sure whether the price difference is still there.
Dodge does nto hold up well. They have great ideas and poor execution. THat is why used Dodge trucks are always much cheaper than ford or Chevy.
At least the ridgeline will should hold up well for the OP if he does not overload it. Thus, if you like it, you will like it for a very long time. I always drive my vehicles into the ground, so reliability is important to me.
Too bad Dodge does nto make a version of their trucks that has no cheapo parts, uses their best assembly workers and costs $10,000 more. It could be called the RAM reliable.
I have never driven one but guys i talked to say it a great small pickup. I think it looks better than the chevy avalanche because it doesn't have the rear plastic.Much cleaner look.But still have have liitle use for the upward side especailly i that when i had a truck getting to the front of the bed from the side was important to me and most I have seen.
I like how it seems as if you put at lot of thought into this...
That about sums it up. If you own Civics and think you need a truck, the Ridgeline is for you. If you want a real truck, well Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan offer that. They also offer more power, just as good MPG, more refinement, more luxury so whats the point of this car based ugly Ridgeline?
Its ugly outside, its cheap and ugly inside, it get poor MPG for a vehicle with no V-8 and it being car based and acceleration is tepid as well.
However Honda has some of the blindest fans who will buy anything they sell though the Ridgeline is so full of fail it has been a sales disaster even for them.
That about sums it up. If you own Civics and think you need a truck, the Ridgeline is for you. If you want a real truck, well Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan offer that. They also offer more power, just as good MPG, more refinement, more luxury so whats the point of this car based ugly Ridgeline?
Its ugly outside, its cheap and ugly inside, it get poor MPG for a vehicle with no V-8 and it being car based and acceleration is tepid as well.
However Honda has some of the blindest fans who will buy anything they sell though the Ridgeline is so full of fail it has been a sales disaster even for them.
Hmmm...the Ridgeline is not a traditional truck - which some people define as a "real" truck. But Honda isn't selling the Ridgeline against traditional truck buyers.
The Ridgeline is the best riding and handling truck available. It is not cheap inside though it isn't Acura quality. It is roomy, very versatile, and has excellent safety ratings. It's mileage should be better, but those who compare it to V8 trucks often forget the Ridgeline is AWD, not 2WD. The Ridgeline's mileage in daily use is probably 3 MPG better, on the highway not much different than the typical 2WD half ton.
It's funny you talk about acceleration. Unless you compare it to a Hemi or similar V8 powered truck, the Ridgeline is faster to 60 than most trucks.
The Ridgeline will not throw a sparkplug out the block like some Fords, nor will it drop a transmission like some Dodges. It has proven to have typical Honda reliability. My 2006 Ridgeline has 82K miles on it, on the original brake pads, one air filter, oil and fluid changes as scheduled, and one set of tires. It tows my 22 ft. MasterCraft boat when I need it. And I have twice filled its bed with dirt (yard and half).
It isn't for everyone. But for people like me, it is an excellent choice.
I have an 09 Avalanche and love it. It rides great, interior is nice, and get many compliments on how it looks. They got rid of the plastic around the bottom part when they redesigned them in 2007. I test drove the Titan, F-150, Tundra, and have driven a Ridgeline before. I'm not a huge Nissan fan and didn't like the interior at all in the Titan. The tundra was nice but the interior looked like cheap plastic. It also didn't come with a lot of the features that the Ford and Avalanche did. I liked the 2009 F-150, but I knew quite a few people who had 2005-2008 F-150's that were really unhappy with issues they were having. I've read and heard the 09 fixed many of these issues and it seemed to drive a lot better than the 08 I drove.
For me, from what I read and asked people who had Avalanches, they all loved them. I liked the design of the interior and all the features I got. I also liked having a V8 with similar gas mileage to that of the Ridgeline, which is only a V-6. I also like the midgate options in the Avalanche and that the back was covered when I didn't need to use it. I got the Z71 package with the Avalanche and so far it has been nothing but a great truck.
When Toyota and Nissan came out with their trucks only a dwarf could drive one. Ultra tiny cabs with no leg room. Leg room increased a inch each model until Japan realized Americans were taller.
I had early Datsun ad Toyota pickups. They were large enough. Unless you're talking about the ones that first arrived here in the late '50s and early '60s. By '68, real Americans could fit easily. This is a '64, and I've driven one, it's nto that bad inside for a truck small as a new Mini Cooper:
Quote:
Real trucks are not unibody.
the ridgline is only unibody in that it's had it's ladder frame welded together with the space frame cage:
Look close and you can tell it's not a CAR chassis, either.
I had early Datsun ad Toyota pickups. They were large enough. Unless you're talking about the ones that first arrived here in the late '50s and early '60s. By '68, real Americans could fit easily. This is a '64, and I've driven one, it's nto that bad inside for a truck small as a new Mini Cooper:
the ridgline is only unibody in that it's had it's ladder frame welded together with the space frame cage:
Look close and you can tell it's not a CAR chassis, either.
But, just to counter you:
Niot sure how big you are but I was definately cramped in my 76 Datsun pu truck and would never take it on long trips because of its cramped cabin.
On the Ridgeline, I can't believe a Honda V6 can get that bad of gas milage?
I have an 09 Avalanche and love it. It rides great, interior is nice, and get many compliments on how it looks. They got rid of the plastic around the bottom part when they redesigned them in 2007. I test drove the Titan, F-150, Tundra, and have driven a Ridgeline before. I'm not a huge Nissan fan and didn't like the interior at all in the Titan. The tundra was nice but the interior looked like cheap plastic. It also didn't come with a lot of the features that the Ford and Avalanche did. I liked the 2009 F-150, but I knew quite a few people who had 2005-2008 F-150's that were really unhappy with issues they were having. I've read and heard the 09 fixed many of these issues and it seemed to drive a lot better than the 08 I drove.
For me, from what I read and asked people who had Avalanches, they all loved them. I liked the design of the interior and all the features I got. I also liked having a V8 with similar gas mileage to that of the Ridgeline, which is only a V-6. I also like the midgate options in the Avalanche and that the back was covered when I didn't need to use it. I got the Z71 package with the Avalanche and so far it has been nothing but a great truck.
Avalanche has some neat ideas. Its problems are the price, limited bed size and reliability problems. It was terrible for reliability until 2004 and did nto shake that reputation. Now it is better for reliability, but not great.
Still I would love to have one if I can find that is affordable. most of the affordable ones that I see for sale have 180,000 - 200,000 plus miles on them. That alone says something about them (people are keeping them for 180,000 miles.). I may bite the bullet and get a loan to buy one with 40K miles on it, but I will not buy a new one. Evne though I can probably afford it, the price is ridiculous.
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