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Trucks are COOL. I bought my first pickup in 1993 a FORD F150 4x4 with a 5.0 in it. Iused it for near 10 years as a daily driver and to tow a 18' boat. It was a regular cab short bed so there wasn't alot of room in it. In 2002 I traded up for a F150 4x4 Supercrew Lariat with a 5.4. It has all the options and I still love it and it is a good thing since to replace it today is about $65,000 !!!!!!!! YEAH shocking. I use the truck to tow a 20' boat and even though it has a small bed I have picked up loads of lumber, firewood, mulch, dirt and of course moving things (junk). The truck is not my daily driver though, for that I have a JeeP wrangler. The Ford 5.4 engine uses a lot of gas getting about 18 MPG. I did look at new trucks and was disappointed, yes they had a lot more HP and torque but the MPG were near the same, under 20.
Trucks are COOL
A new F150 Lariat SuperCrew 4X4 with a V8 can be had for mid-40's, not anywhere near 65K. Even a Platinum is only low 50's. I have a 2010 5.4 SuperCrew that gets 13-14 in town and high teens hwy.....never saw 20 mpg
... but trucks over a few years old/100k miles seem to be worthless.
Diesel tucks hold their value very well (a least here in Colorado), and well past 100K. The cummins in the dodges are 500,000 mile engines. Expect to pay $17-24K for a decade old tuck with 100,000+ miles on the clock.
Fords 6.0 diesel is the exception, since they are nothing but trouble.
My dad always had a chevy trucks so I always borrowed his when I needed to haul something. I bought one of them from him, a '85 S-10 V6 with carb. It was not that great but it allowed me to save up and buy my wife's car with cash. When he passed, he had a 2000 S-10 V6 that I drove for a while but then I inherited my deceased mom's '05 DeVille. I couldn't see keep the truck around as the Caddy got just as good of mileage as the truck and we were needing another car. So, I sold the '05 S-10 cheap. I still wish I had access to it but glad I am not paying insurance on it as well as the Caddy or letting it sit out in the elements. I have friends that I can borrow a truck from if I need it OR I can rent one. It is cheaper than having it sit around.
I like trucks when they serve a purpose. A big truck to tow an RV trailer, a boat, etc. A built up 4x4 that goes off roading, or at least sees something other than cement and asphalt.
I do not like trucks, that are had just to have an image. I cannot stand people that get big trucks just to have a big truck. Most of those people can't drive one of those worth a darn anyways and are a risk to everyone else on the road.
If you're going to have F350, the least you can do is put a tow hitch on it to make it look like you're going to use it for something.
Working my summer job in college driving a F-350 and a Ram 2500 really made me appreciate trucks. Before that I was one of those people who always scoffed at people who own big trucks but never seem to use them for "work".
Now I totally see why people own them even if they only use their full cargo and towing capabilities now and then.
The power, the visibility, the utility. I love the seating space too, they really are machines for men lol. I love my Subaru, but man squeezing into that thing sometimes is like "damn!"
Small/midsize trucks especially make a ton of sense. I'm into gardening and lots of outdoor activities and I can't tell you how many times I go "man I wish I had a truck"
That said, I'm not into the modded trucks scene. Ya know, redneck, 8 inch lift, smokestacks rolling coal kinda stuff. That's just obnoxious.
To me they are a lot more comfortable then any car. Get a full size crew cab version and you basically have your full size sedan from years ago but with more utility because of the open "trunk".
And in reality, gas mileage doesn't have to be too bad. When I had a 1500 2 wheel drive Ram with a 4.7 I was getting a solid 17/18 all around in south FL. When I traded in for a 4X4 and then leveled it and put larger tires on is when the MPG's dropped but those things aren't always needed and I'll be the first to admit that I really don't need 4X4 and oversize tires either. I just like having it for the times I do.
I actually bought a fiesta last year as a commuter car to save on gas but as the days go on I find myself driving my truck more and more for my local driving. I prefer it. It's a lot more comfortable then the little roller skate and I feel a lot safer in it if I get in a wreck.
I like trucks when they serve a purpose. A big truck to tow an RV trailer, a boat, etc. A built up 4x4 that goes off roading, or at least sees something other than cement and asphalt.
I do not like trucks, that are had just to have an image. I cannot stand people that get big trucks just to have a big truck. Most of those people can't drive one of those worth a darn anyways and are a risk to everyone else on the road.
If you're going to have F350, the least you can do is put a tow hitch on it to make it look like you're going to use it for something.
I could not agree with you more. I have NEVER understood people valuing appearance so much with the vehicle they drive, be it car or truck. My favorite group to pick on in the past, not as much as of late--people buying SUVs strictly because "I wouldn't be caught dead in a minivan." That's stupid. If a minivan, or whatever, serves your NEEDS, why discount it just because it won't win a beauty contest? It's not a woman in a bikini or in a mini-dress. (Now people are doing that with smartphones too, sacrificing function in the form of user-replaceable batteries in the form of "slickness," but that's another story.)
The people who really irritate me are the ones who buy an SUV or truck and then drive aggressively with them, trying to be intimidating by riding someone's bumper for not breaking the sound barrier, and not signaling while changing lanes etc. That's just rude. It used to bother me so much, sometimes I'd purposely block them from passing me, something I NEVER advocate otherwise, but did strictly based on the fact that the person was someone driving an SUV. Someone who did the same thing but was driving something else, I never interfered. (In more recent years I've stopped that behavior altogether.)
Besides, SUVs and trucks are the WORST choice for aggressive driving, insomuch that they don't handle as well and are more flip-over prone. Sports cars handle way better and are less flip-over prone, heck even a normal car handles better. I don't think crash protection is what's most important, I think handling is. In driving vehicle that handles better, you're more likely to avoid an accident altogether, which benefits you AND the other person. Crash protection is only for your benefit, and is thus somewhat selfish if you ask me.
Besides, if your thought process is in driving what's the largest for crash protection, what advantage do you have if everyone else is doing the same? What are we going to do, keep escalating things until a Hummer is now as small relative to other vehicles as a Toyota Corolla was in its early days? It's just a stupid arms race is all it is.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Trucks / Suvs (both are 'baby' trucks, as compared to REAL trucks) do not offer much safety advantage to passengers (because a stiff vehicle transmits collision energy to occupants) HIGH incidence of injury to passengers. But,,,They MAY keep you from getting squished. I drive a variety of cars / trucks / Heavy Equip / (and motorcycles) so odds are I will get squished or bent. I'm insured (temporarily).
Probaby my Cummins 1T 4x4 would be the last thing I give up, as it is quite versitile and decent economy using free fryer grease (or discarded Jet A) for fuel. YMMV
For a long time I never saw a need for a truck in my life, and it made me wonder why people use these to get groceries when they’re such a gas hog. But looking into the RV world, I guess the best way to tow that RV trailer is a good truck. Now, if I could afford it, I don’t need a big RV trailer, maybe just a 22’ to 25’ trailer or maybe the shortest adequate 5th wheeler. So I wouldn’t need that 6.7L diesel F350 that gets 16 mpgs. The truck that gets me going is a decked out F150 3.5L ecoboost with Max Tow package in the Platinum or Limited editions… But for a few bucks more you could get that F350!
My only gripe is that Ford lies about their tow capacity. When the Toyota Tundra came out and boasted 10800 lbs towing capacity, the next year’s Ford F150 model magically had better tow capacity numbers than the Tundra. Check out this review where the 2009 5.4L F150 came out last: 2009 Full-Size Pickup Truck Comparison Test and Video on Inside Line
Right now I still like the F150 because of the 3.5L ecoboost engine and because of it’s looks, interior, and features. The Dodge RAM is 2nd place to me, I don’t know much about the current Tundra. But having a truck is only something I’d consider if I won the Lotto and had an RV, otherwise, I don’t need a gas hog 6000 lb F150.
So if you got a truck what is it and what do you use it for? Do you tow with it and what do you tow? If you don’t tow anything then why do you drive a truck? If you wish you had a truck what would it be?
If you’re a truck expert what do you think the best truck is?
Now, if I had a truck, it’d rarely get driven because it’s a gas hog. My 2005 Dodge G.C. SXT gets 12 mpg city and 25.6 mpg hwy at 70 mph, so I rarely drive it for city use. In the 1 year I’ve owned it I only drove it a total of 1250 miles! I’d probably have to give the truck an occasional drive to charge up the battery, but my 2005 SXT has a direct 12V plug to battery which I connect a 15W solar panel to keep the battery charged… I can go a month without driving and the battery will still be topped off. I even occasionally just go into my minivan just to listen to music from cds in it.
Now when I drive or bike anywhere I pay attention to the trucks I see, and those modern trucks sure look gigantic! I never saw an F450 live yet that was used as a personal tow vehicle. Maybe I should visit a Ford dealer!
Something to consider before buying that truck.
#1, You absolutely will not get the mpg you are talking about when towing. Too much extra weight and ruined areodynamics.
#2, The best all round truck for mpg is a Cummins powered minimum 3/4 ton.
#3, if you have to tow a trailer that is enclosed and sets as high as rv's, and never as long as one, even a 22ft, You want a dually. Why? Because it is far safer if you get into a crosswind. You can not control mother nature when she's short of a needed midol !!!
#4, most towing ratings are by the company, not by any set standard. (while I hate gov. regulations, if they are going to have them, then this is an area that the gov. should go by a set the standard).
#5, I say these things from experience towing all types of trailers with pickups and dually pickups. I honestly believe if an RV is to be allowed on the highways, it should be pulled by at least a 1 ton dually. I've seen far too many people wreck that had single rear wheel'ed trucks, even if they were rated as a 1 ton. You can be driving along, go though a cut out in the rocks, and WHAM!!! as you come out of them a brutal crosswind. I was following a guy down Jerome/Arlington hill in Missouri, and as he came out of the rock cut out, his truck laid over, It was a 1 ton, but single rear wheels. I was maybe 20 ft behind him in the right lane, and I did not get blown over even though the larger and taller trailer I had was blowing over quite a bit. I drove thought it and stopped to see what I could do for the other guy. He didn't survive. So if you want an rv to pull, get a dually.
A Toyota in real life will not match an American brand truck towing in the real world, and neither will Nissan. I know far too many people with all kinds of trucks, and the Toyotas and Nissan guys always complain about towing and how they miss their GM, Ford, or Dodge for towing.
I've owned both cars and trucks for many years. My current truck is a 2003 Tacoma that I bought new at the end of 2002. It currently has somewhere around 160K on the clock and drives like new. I bought the truck as it fit my lifestyle. I'm a car guy some i'm constantly hauling large parts around, towing trailers etc. When the truck wasn't used to haul or tow it was used as an off road weekend toy. I can honestly say that at least 25K of the 160K was off road maybe more.
If you're looking for a truck then the 2013 Tundra is a good choice. I'm not going to tell you to buy the 214 as it's a first yr model and they haven't proven themselves yet.
As for the EcoBoost. Very nice truck. My good friend has one and really likes the truck. That is not to say it's been trouble free. His was an early model and had some issues that the dealer had to work out. Mostly it it would overheat and go into limp mode so the motor made no power. It took the dealer and Ford a few months to get this resolved but it's been good for a couple of yrs now. Someone mentioned mileage for these trucks. The last time we compared e said he was getting around 17 city an 22 hwy which is better than my V6 Tacoma ever did.
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